God’s Budget Plan
The Lord has a lot to say about money. Here are a few verses:
Malachi 3:8: Will a man rob God? - God set up tithing (giving the first ten percent of your income to God) as a way to test our love for Him and to test our dependence on Him.
Malachi 3:10: Pay your tithe and test God to see if He won’t open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing so big, you won’t be able to contain it! - Try Him! Test Him! God wants you to put Him to the test. Tithing unlocks God’s promise to bless you financially.
Step One: Make a plan to pay your bills and put God at the top of the list.
All of your money comes from God. Tithing is just your way of acknowledging that to God.
Step Two: Be honest.
Do not steal from man or God! Proverbs 13:11 says, "Wealth gotten by dishonesty won’t last." An important rule to make for yourself: "I will not write a check unless I am sure the money is already in the bank (not will be deposited tomorrow)." Bouncing a check is stealing and the bank will, in turn, "steal" more money back with bounced check fees!
Step Three: Get out of debt.
Proverbs 22:7 says, "The borrower is servant to the lender." If you don’t want to be a servant, get out of debt. If a person is out of debt, there will be no reason for borrowing.
Step Four: Pay your bills on time.
Proverbs 3:28 says, "Don’t tell your neighbor to come back tomorrow for his money, when you have it with you now."
Step Five: Trust God for your provision (all you need).
Phillipians 4:19 says, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus." If you do not have the money in order to pay cash, God does not will for you to have it at this time. Pray to God for your needs and wait on Him to provide the money. It works!
Step Six: Be content with what you have.
1 Timothy 6:8-11 says,"And having food and clothing let us therewith be content. But they that want to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: some who have coveted after money have fallen from the Faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee from these things; and follow after righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness."
Step Seven: Use the God's Budget Plan Budget Sheet to plan each month’s bills.
List the name of the bill. List the balance due and keep up with it each month. Think of this as a goal to paying the bill off. List the amount due. List the date due and make sure you pay before this date! List the amount paid - this is how much you are sending in. If you can, send extra to save on interest payments. List the date paid to make sure you are on time. Finally, list the check number for the check you just sent in. Stick to this plan each month. Be patient. It is better to pay the balance due on all your bills on time, each month, rather than pay on some but not others. Very Important: Pay your bills each month before you do anything else! If you have nothing left, trust God to provide for all your needs (not wants).
Go to God's Budget Plan Budget Sheet and print out as many sheets as you need (one for each month).