Good Money Management

Good management of funds is vital for living a prosperous life. The enemy is well aware of this truth and tries as much as possible to deceive people into mismanaging their monies.

In Genesis 41, we find the man of God, Joseph, who had an incredible gift of interpreting dreams and visions. So when the Pharaoh of Egypt had a dream that none of his top magicians could interpret, Joseph was called in to get the job done.

Proverbs 18:16 explicitly tells us, "A man's gift will make room for him and bring him before great men and women." This is exactly what happened to Joseph. In one day, he went from a prisoner in rags to being the prime minister of Egypt.

Joseph had an incredible gift of wisdom. He had impressive wisdom in managing resources that proved greatly effective in handling the severe drought that was to come upon Egypt.

The interesting part was that all the countries, including Egypt, experienced seven years of plenty and drought as well. The only difference between Egypt and the other countries was the management strategy that Egypt had while others did not. When the drought came, all countries surrounding Egypt lined up at the door of Egypt for help.

The enemy knows that if you can manage your finances well, then you will be able to fulfil the purpose and plan of God for your life, and hence he will try and use every trick in the book to frustrate you in this regard.

For example: Let's say your salary is Rs.30,000/- per month. Your total monthly expenses come to about 27,000/-. So now you are left with a decent saving of Rs.3000/-

One day you pass through this mall, and you see this latest smartphone. The enemy then begins to convince you that you got to have this latest smartphone (never mind the fact that you already have a decent phone). He even shows you the fact that at your place of work, you are the only one who is not having the latest smartphone.

Soon you have fallen into his trap by swiping your credit card. After a few days, reality stares you in the face, and you realize what a blunder you have made. You start losing your peace. Now you are in the pit of debt. Now to pay off this debt, you start borrowing, lying and manipulating. You are now caught up in a vicious cycle. You have nothing left even to give to God.

There is a principle that we need to emulate.
In the house of the wise are stores of choice, food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has. (Proverbs 21:20)

Simply speaking, "Wise people have plenty left over because they don't spend all they make. On the other hand, many spend all they get (and maybe even more)."

The simple principle is, one must spend less than one's income to make financial progress. Unfortunately, no matter how much money comes in, some people always seem to be in debt. This is because they are flouting this principle of spending less than their income. Be wise and heed the counsel of God's word.