It's Biblical: Get Your Money To Work For You
Treat every dollar like a soldier in your army, and don't send them on suicide missions.
Disclaimer: The following is for educational, informational, and commentary purposes only, and is not to be construed as individualized advice of any sort. Please consult a competent and experienced financial, accounting, and/or legal professional.
The Holy Bible is more than just a good book; it really is the Good Book. It is also the most important and most valuable possession one will ever own. For over 2000 years, the pages of the Bible have imparted faith, wisdom, hope, and the promises of God. It is truly amazing how it only takes one good and decent person with a Bible in their hands to ignite positive change and revolution in this world.
If you seek wisdom, go first to the Lord in prayer, ask Him to give it to you, and He shall surely provide. Then go to the Word of God, and you shall find it there:
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. -Proverbs 4:5-9 (KJV)
Here at Escape From The West, one must-read book (besides the Bible, of course) is “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. In “Rich Dad,” Kiyosaki tells the story of how he grew up with two dads, a rich one and a poor one. His Poor Dad was his biological father, while his Rich Dad was the father of his best friend, as well as their mentor.
Having two dads growing up, Robert got to see two different attitudes on finances. His Poor Dad always said, “I can’t afford it,” while his Rich Dad always asked, “How can I afford it?” By saying “I can’t afford it,” his Poor Dad was making a confession of weakness, confessing untrue feelings of inadequacy, and prophesying a future of lack and not enough. Unfortunately for Robert’s Poor Dad, he wasn’t disappointed. Poor Dad, Robert’s real father, died broke, and left behind nothing but unpaid bills. Poor Dad, by his words of confession, was saying “I’m not good enough. I don’t deserve all of that wealth,” so he got exactly what he confessed. He even tried to justify his negative confession with attitudes like “Money is the root of all evil,” and “The rich are just a bunch of crooks.”
On the other hand, Robert’s Rich Dad dared to ask the question “How can I afford it?” Instead of making the statement and negative confession “I can’t afford it,” Rich Dad was forcing himself to get creative in his thinking, to answer the question. Deep down in his spirit, Rich Dad believed he was deserving of wealth, saying “I am good enough,” so he got exactly what he confessed. He backed up his confession with attitudes like “Money is power,” and “The rich are blessed to be a blessing to others.” When Robert’s Rich Dad went to be with the Lord, he left behind a big inheritance for his children, his grandchildren, and his favorite charities.
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous. -Proverbs 13:22 (NKJV)
If you read Escape From The West with any regularity, you are likely someone who wants to be like Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad. If you’re a Christian, maybe you grew up with one or two conflicting attitudes on money being instilled into you - the attitude of “money is the root of all evil,” or the attitude of “God wants me to be blessed to be a blessing!”
Of the first attitude, “money is the root of all evil,” we can easily respond and dismiss this by examining what the Apostle Paul actually said, and conclude that said first attitude is a distortion of Scripture:
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. -1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV)
It is not money, in and of itself, that is evil, but rather, the love of money that is the root of all evil. In other words, it’s okay for you to possess riches and nice things; just don’t let the riches and nice things possess you! Keep your heart oriented towards He who blessed you with those riches and nice things:
But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. -Deuteronomy 8:18 (KJV)
We are blessed by God to be a blessing to others, so that God can establish His covenant, and His Kingdom, on Earth, as it is in Heaven:
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. -3 John 2 (KJV)
What is interesting about the word “wealth” in Deuteronomy 8:18 is that the Hebrew word it is translated from is “hayil.” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible defines “hayil” as meaning “a force, whether of men, means or other resources,” or “an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength.” (See “Hayil.” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Updated and Expanded, Hendrickson Publishing, 2007, p. 1497.)
To some, it may seem strange to think of money, or a resource, as being equivalent to an army. But not to Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad.
Whereas Kiyosaki’s Poor Dad always said “I work for money,” his Rich Dad always said “My money works for me.” Rich Dad did not work at a job as an employee somewhere. Instead, he built businesses, acquired real estate, and used the cash flow from both to pay his employees to work for him and maintain both his businesses and real estate. This, in turn, helped increase Rich Dad’s cash flow, allowing him to free up his time to devote to other things. Put another way, Rich Dad had built businesses and investments that did not require his constant presence, his reasoning being “if I have to work there, it’s not a business. It becomes my job.” (See Kiyosaki, Robert. Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!, 2nd ed., Plata Publishing, 2017.)
“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.” -Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
The lesson Rich Dad was trying to teach Robert was this: Use your money to make even more money, by treating every dollar like an employee who works for you. Put another way, treat every dollar like a soldier in your own private army. Don’t send your soldiers off on suicide missions! Instead of buying toys and “doodads” - or worse, going into debt to buy them - buy assets like businesses and real estate, that can generate enough cash flow for you to buy those toys and “doodads.” That way, those soldiers in your army will come back home alive.
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. -Romans 13:8 (KJV)
Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. -Romans 13:8 (NLT)
Let love be your only debt! If you love others, you have done all that the Law demands. -Romans 13:8 (CEV)
This same lesson is one Jesus taught in the Parable of the Talents:
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’
“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
“The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’
“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” -Matthew 25:14-30 (NLT)
What happened? Those servants who invested the bags of silver got their master’s money to work for him instead of them having to work for more money. It took bravery, boldness, and stepping out in faith, but the first two servants wisely, prudently invested the money, and doubled their investment by the time the master returned. They put their faith in their God and the God of their master, and they were rewarded with a windfall. They got what their faith expected.
But the third servant let fear take hold of him. Fear is a liar, the product of satan, the father of lies. Without a strong foundation of faith and knowledge of the Word of God, fear can be a convincing liar, and take hold of you completely. I can imagine that this is what happened with the third servant. He had such a poverty and lack mentality, and spoke such a negative confession. He feared losing his master’s money, so he buried it in the ground. Yet by setting his faith in fear, he too received what his faith expected. He feared losing it all, and that’s exactly what happened. From The Message translation:
“The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’
“The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.
“‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’” -Matthew 25:24-30 (MSG)
Charles Spurgeon, the great “Prince of Preachers,” once said “It is often a strong temptation from satan to those who have but one talent to make them think they may hide that one with impunity. And then the argument cuts the other way. If it is wrong to hide one talent, it is much more wrong to hide two and far worse to dig in the earth and bury five.”
The good news is you can take the next step up from the Poor Dad and even the Rich Dad mentality. Whereas Poor Dad said, “I can’t afford it,” and Rich Dad asked “How can I afford it?,” you, the Wealthy in Christ, shall boldly proclaim “I believe God for it!” How? By Faith!
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19 (KJV)
And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19 (AMP)
And my God [shall] fill all your desire, by his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19 (WYC)
I am convinced that my God will fully satisfy every need you have, for I have seen the abundant riches of glory revealed to me through Jesus Christ! -Philippians 4:19 (TPT)
So how do you get your money to work for you? Primarily, by acquiring income-producing assets, or assets that put money in your pocket:
Businesses that do not require my presence. I own them, but they are managed or run by other people. If I have to work there, it’s not a business. It becomes my job.
Stocks
Bonds
Income-generating real estate
Notes (IOUs)
Royalties from intellectual property such as music, scripts, and patents
Anything else that has value, produces income or appreciates, and has a ready market
(See Kiyosaki, Robert. Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!, 2nd ed., Plata Publishing, 2017.)
God has a covenant determination to prosper us. Our responsibility is to believe it and receive it. True prosperity is the ability to use God’s power to meet the needs of mankind in every realm of life—spirit, soul, body, financially, emotionally, etc. Now is the time to strengthen our faith, and put our faith to work by taking action. As we embark on this journey together, I believe and declare that you will experience prosperity and abundance beyond your wildest dreams, new doors will open for you, new opportunities will cross your path, the right people and the right circumstances will come into place, you will be blessed to be a blessing, and you will become all God wants you to be!
The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. -Proverbs 10:22 (KJV)
Let me ask you a very important question: If your heart stopped beating mere moments from now, are you at peace with God? Do you know if you would spend eternity with the Lord?
Please don’t misunderstand, I am not here to condemn anyone. I am merely here to inform you of the free gift of salvation. You can’t earn it, but God offers it to every man, woman, and child, and you can have it in an instant. If you’ve never made such a commitment, or perhaps you’ve grown cold toward God, and you need to rededicate, just say this simple prayer right now:
“Lord Jesus, I confess and repent of my sins. Come into my heart, wash me clean, make me a new person, make something of my life, for I make you my Lord and Savior. Oh God, You are now my God. I enter into Covenant with You. and I will follow You for the rest of my life. I receive the Blessing of the Lord. I receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit, with evidence of speaking in other tongues. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Amen.”
Friend, if you prayed that simple prayer, you just got born again, and the angels in heaven are rejoicing right now. I invite you to get into a good Bible-based church, and keep God first place in your heart and in your life. Your journey is just beginning, and He’s got a bright future ahead for you. May God bless you and prosper you in ways you never thought possible.
Additional/Related Videos and Links:
10 Benefits of the Favor of God by Jerry Savelle
Jerry Savelle on God’s Abundant Overflow
Jerry Savelle on Expecting the Goodness of God in Your Life
Jerry Savelle on Increasing by Association
Learning about The God of the Breakthrough with Jerry Savelle
Jerry Savelle: God Is Not Going To Allow You To Fail
Gloria Copeland and George Pearsons on The Prosperous Life
The Best of 50 Days of Prosperity with Gloria Copeland and George Pearsons
More Days of Prosperity with Gloria Copeland and George Pearsons