#4. What if I Go Broke?

(Dealing with the Possibility of Financial Collapse)

Isaiah 41:13 NIV For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Psalm 37:25 NIV I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

Psalm 34:9 NIV Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.

Psalm 23:1 NIV The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Philippians 4:11-13 NIV I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

David learned about God’s power in matters of provision.

I. To understand finances we must understand the principle of balance.

A. Physical exercise v. Spiritual exercise

B. David’s testimony was not a spiritual law.

C. Proverbs 30:7-9 NIV “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: 8Keep falsehood and lies far from me (and) give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”

II. We must understand Prosperity.

A. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

B. Prosperity may be material (treasure), spiritual (the riches in Christ) or emotional (fullness of joy).

C. Material prosperity takes a back-seat to the wisdom of God. (2 Corinthians 12)

D. The degree of prosperity we enjoy is often connected to our level of obedience. (Concerning Uzziah - 2 Chronicles 26:5 NIV He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.)

III. David’s Principles of Provision

Psalm 37:1-7 NIV Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 7Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

A. Set your mind to trust in The Lord. (verse 3)

1. “Trust in The Lord.”

2. Philippians 4:19 NIV And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

3. 2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

4. Make the decision early.

5. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 NIV But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

B. Embrace a lifestyle that honors The Lord. (verse 3)

1. “Trust in The Lord, and do good.”

2. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 NIV Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

3. John Wesley’s example

C. Set your mind on God’s faithfulness. (verse 4)

1. “Take delight in The Lord.”

2. Sometimes our faith is like a bird’s nest in winter.

3. Unconditional allegiance - the value of the Psalms

D. Make God’s will the joy of your life. (verse 4)

1. “Delight yourself in The Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

2. Jesus - “I have food that you don’t know about.”

3. Psalm 119 uses the word delight at least six times (vv.16, 35, 69, 70, 77, 92, and 174). Each use revolves around pleasing God by obeying His Word.

E. Make every effort to please The Lord. (verse 5)

1. “Commit your way to The Lord, trust Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”

2. Proverbs 3:5-7 NIV Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 7Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

F. Don’t take your progress reports from this world. (verse 7)

1. “Don’t fret because of the success of the wicked.”

2. The devil’s twins are “fearing” and “fretting.”

3. Romans 8:35-39 - nothing can separate us from God!

4. 1 John 4:18 - God’s love casts out fear!

5. Philippians 4:6, 7 - God’s peace stands guard over our hearts!

6. “What if wicked devices succeed and your own plans are defeated? There is more of God’s love in your defeats than in the success of the wicked.”

─ Charles Spurgeon

G. Give God time. (verse 7)

1. “Be still before The Lord, and wait patiently for Him.”

2. Is your faith based on “if” or on “though?”

Understanding and Embracing our Prayer Assignments

Prayer Assignments – Looking Outward

The Lost

Community

World Missions

Israel

A.This is what it means when we pray for:

1. The Lost

a. Asking the Lord to make us more aware of unbelievers and highlight people to us with whom He is working on their hearts to receive salvation.

b. Making ourselves available to those who are far from God, but who are in our sphere of influence (family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc.).

c. Being willing and ready, with the help of Holy Spirit, to give a reason for the hope that is within us because of our relationship with Jesus. (1 Peter 3:15)

2. Community

a. We are placed in our neighborhood, job and school by divine purpose. God sets us in communities because he desires us to be representatives of His kingdom and to influence them for good.

b. We are praying for Teachers, School Administrators, Coaches, Guidance Counselors, and members of School Boards.

c. We are praying for First Responders: Police Officers, Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, and for those who serve in the Military.

d. We are also praying for local leaders, business owners, and those in authority.

3. World Missions

a. Jesus commanded that we go into all the world and preach the GOOD NEWS and make disciples! (Matthew 18:19,20)

b. Jesus desires every nation, tribe, and tongue to have access to the GOOD NEWS and to become His inheritance!

c. Men and women, boys and girls are still being called to serve on the mission field.

4. Israel

a. Israel is special to God and a part of his plan to redeem the whole earth.

Deuteronomy 14:2 “For you are an holy people unto the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.”

b. God has not given up on Israel even though she has not recognized Jesus as Messiah.

Romans 11:25-27 “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in [or has been saved]. And so all Israel will be saved [true Israelites, whether ethnic or spiritual, e.g. Rom 2:29], as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob [Israel]. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins”

B.This is how we pray for:

1. The Lost

a. Pray the Scriptures over The Lost.

i. Pray that God would remove the blinding influence of Satan.

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God”

2 Corinthians 4:4

ii. Pray that God would grant them repentance and they would come to Christ.

Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ John 14:6

iii. Pray for conviction of sin by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:9 about sin, because people do not believe in me;10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. John 16:8-11

2. Community

a. Pray the Scriptures for our Community.

i. Pray for blessing on our City.

“You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty and your carts overflow with abundance.” Psalm 65:9-1

ii. Pray for our town/city to be a place of justice.

“By justice a King gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.” Proverbs 29:4

“‘...but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:24

iii. Pray for our city leaders to operate in wisdom.

“By me (Wisdom) kings reign and rulers make laws that are just; by me princes govern and all nobles who rule on earth. I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” Proverbs 8:15-17

3. World Missions

a. Pray the Scriptures for World Missions.

i. Pray that God would open doors of gospel ministry to the unreached.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison. Colossians 4:3

ii. Pray for missionaries to present the gospel boldly and clearly.

[Pray] also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel. Ephesians 6:19

iii. Pray for missionaries to endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ Jesus.

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:3NKJV

4. Israel

a. Pray the Scriptures for Israel.

i. Pray for Jewish eyes to be opened and for Israel to be saved. (Romans 10:1, Romans 11, Matthew 23:39)

ii. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. (Psalm 122:6-9)

iii. Pray for God to raise up watchmen/intercessors who will stand in the gap for Jerusalem, Israel, and the Jewish people. (Isaiah 62:1-7)

iv. Pray for Israel to walk in her fullness as a blessing to all the nations of the earth. (Genesis 12:2-3, Isaiah 19:23-25)

v. Pray for believers around the world to receive revelation and understanding of God’s heart for Israel. (Romans 11:25-32)

C.Results we can expect when we pray for:

1. The Lost

a. Our hearts are more aware of people around us who do not know Jesus as the forgiver of their sins and the leader of their lives.

b. There is a greater motivation and urgency to share our personal testimony of how Jesus has and is transforming us.

c. Many will begin to come to faith in Christ and we will see numerical and spiritual growth in the local church.

2. Community

a. Markers and statistics for our city will begin to turn favorable. Rates of homicide, suicide, mental illness, unemployment, domestic violence, and truancy begin to turn toward a positive trend.

b. Civil servants will feel honored and do their job well, with minimal casualties and needless loss of life.

c. Resources will be used effectively and efficiently. Taxes will be reduced as the needs of the community are met.

3. World Missions

a. Doors open for the gospel to be spread in closed nations.

b. Indigenous leaders will continually be raised up to lead the church in their nation, in light their culture.

c. The end time harvest will be gathered in, as prophesied in Revelation.

4. Israel

a. The eyes of the Jews will be opened to see the resurrected and living Christ!

b. Israel will rest in the protection of Yahweh.

c. Israel will walk in her fullness as a blessing to all the nations of the earth.

d. Those who bless Israel and pray for her will find security in God’s protection.

Psalm 122:6 “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure.”