Hello blog hearts!
How’s your week coming along?
Moving along like a breeze just like mine is I hope? 🙂
Well, if you are just joining us on the blog, every thursday is usually when we have our Awakening Youths category on the blog, where I share memoirs of my work in secondary schools, interview Nigerian corpers who are making their year meaningful, with everything focused on inspiring you to walk in God’s purpose for your life and not just live aimlessly without following God’s plan for your life.
Every once in a while I also share lessons I have learnt on this path of walking in purpose and today is one of such days.
And our lesson today is on money and purpose.
It seems to be a “money week” on the blog right?
Click here to read yesterday’s Bible Study on the real purpose of money if you missed it.
So at the beginning of the year when I wanted to start my work in schools, I wrote this post detailing my plans and also put out the fact that I would need funds to do what God has laid in my heart to do and God surprised me by stirring the hearts of people to give unto the work.
When I mean surprised, I was really surprised at the fact that people I have never met physically trusted me enough to release funds to me… I don’t take the things God does in my life for granted, I still pray for those who allowed God to use them to give and it was a testimony to the fact that God provides for you when He sends you on an errand… He does!
But more than that lesson, as time went on, I began to see that money is a really important tool in the work of purpose and if you are ready to be molded by God, He can use it to refine some certain aspects of your character even as you walk with Him.
A little while later, I attended a conference in Akure where the minister, Prophetess Francina Norman (powerful woman of God, I tell you!) spoke in a session.
So she talked about finances in the walk of purpose and how God wanted to pour out financial blessings on His people and change the hands where money lies today.
But then the people God wants to bless must understand some basic truth about money.
(1) Money isn’t meant for your needs alone, money is meant for your work in purpose.
And this hit me because God had told me before that “everything He blesses me with isn’t for me, it’s to bring to pass His purpose in my life. The business, whatever increase financially I had been praying for was for His purpose to be birthed in my life”.
And I gained insight into the reason why God didn’t let me start my desired “big business” like I had planned.
My heart wasn’t really set on seeing the big picture then.
I wanted to start the business because I wanted to have my own source of income which isn’t bad in itself but God was saying, “look further than where you are now, look further than your own goals, see my plans for any money that I will bless you with” and so instead of the big business, He asked me to give Him my capital (see yesterday’s post for lessons on this) and right now I sell eggs.
Small egg business.
And this brings me to another lesson on money…
(2) When God wants to bring in huge cash for purpose into your hands, He trains you first.
God cannot give a kid in Him a billion naira.
Some of us are praying for huge sums of money and God cannot give it to us YET because our hearts aren’t set on the truth yet.
The truth that we have to be able to stay faithful even in the little before He will bring much to us.
I haven’t written about it but God told me to give of my first fruit from that small business to Him.
I pay my tithe even if the profit is 20Naira.
And I try as much as possible not to misuse the money.
Why?
Because if I cannot stay faithful in little, how can I stay faithful in much?
Some of us spend our personal funds anyhow and we think it’s just our money, no problem.
But God maybe looking at us and thinking, if she spends her money anyhow, how am I sure that she won’t spend the money I give to her for my purposes for her life anyhow?
Can she be a good steward of my money?
I also realized that as much as God provided for my work in schools this year, it was also a test, a test to see how I would deal with the money.
And I the spirit of being honest, let’s learn from my experience here…
I had borrowed a bit of funds from the cash in schools with the intention to replace it later.
I didn’t have access to my account so I couldn’t replace the money before I went for the conference and as Prophetess Francina talked, I was convicted about the fact that I wasn’t even supposed to borrow it at all.
Don’t touch the money for God’s work no matter your intentions to replace it.
Yes I was going to replace it, but no God was against the fact that I had used it in the first place.
I had to repent and promise never to repeat it again, which I have tried to do since then. I am still not perfect at all in this, but the point is, God wants to know that we can be good stewards of the money He blesses us with to walk in purpose.
So for those of us who spend carelessly, we should plug in those excesses and be prudent with our own money.
Our attitude with our own money just might spill over into the way we handle God’s money.
And who will provide for you when He knows you will waste it??
All in all, this year I have realized something…
God is tugging on the hearts of lots of people and preparing them for financial blessings.
But He wants them to first of all be grounded in the truth – the truth that He wants us bless us and let us enjoy possessions while one earth, but His purpose for us takes prominence even with His financial blessings on us.
There was a time when almost every church I attended was speaking on the “blessings of God – financial blessings – God being our source”.
From Ado-Ekiti to Lagos to Akure, the message was in the air.
It was the season for the truth about money to sink into our heads and even now, it’s still on.
I bought Kenneth Hagin’s book on financial prosperity, I have Kenneth Copeland’s own too and I was about starting out on it one saturday and guess what?
The very next day my Church started a series on “Understanding Biblical Financial Prosperity”.
I felt like God started that series because of me, but the truth is God is trying to get the truth about financial blessings to us all.
It’s God first in money.
It’s God’s purpose first in money.
It’s us being good stewards in money.
It’s us recognizing that God is our source in money.
It’s Christians not blending in with the way the world views money.
God wants to work on our mind sets and then, indeed, the money and the financial blessings can pour on us.
Then we can indeed use it for God’s purposes and not our purposes when He blesses us with it.
I pray that these lessons will sink into our hearts.
And everyone of us who are desirous to walk in God’s purposes for our life, will let Him work in our hearts.
We will let Him inculcate His attitude and purpose fo money in us and we will not derail from it in Jesus name, amen.
How’s your year been in walking in purpose so far?
Are you still running the race?
Are you experiencing discouragement? Setbacks? Distractions?
What lessons have you been learning?
Do share in the comment section below, let’s learn from each other and support one another.
Till Next Time On Awakening Youths,
Stay Walking In Purpose,
Love,
Frances.
P.S: Just thought to put it out there now, like I said in this post, my second book is in the works and it’s titled “10Steps To Walking In Purpose”
It’s one that will be used for my work in schools and also available for every other person who needs it.
My directive for it is to be for free, that’s the one to be distributed in schools.
I am planning my final seminar in schools in Ekiti for September where the book will be shared to the students.
I am trusting God for sponsors and for plans to flow smoothly. Please pray along with me on it.
God has been awesome with my service year in this State and I have no regrets about placing His purpose for the year above every other aim my human mind might have had.
Thank you all for your support so far.
God bless us all as we live for Him and Him alone.
P.P.S: Don’t you agree with me that this post holds truths you should share? Please share via the buttons below, thank you!
4 Comments
gabby
August 6, 2015 at 10:11 amGod was just dealing with me about money matters yesterday and he is still speaking to me via this post.. Nice one Frances.
Frances Okoro
August 6, 2015 at 3:11 pmGlad I obey and put out the posts when they are laid in my heart Gabby…He is teaching me too, I pray we all listen, yield and obey…
Plenty loove!
keke
August 6, 2015 at 1:52 pmyou are amazing. Second book already 🙂 I love the post on money, it is a conversation I have been having with Abba lately.
Frances Okoro
August 6, 2015 at 3:20 pmKeke! Soooo I have an issue with accepting compliments oh, amazing? Ok, I am a lady sooo I say thank youu!
The real gist sha is that God has to grace meee. Serious prayer point.lol.
Thanks sis.
*hugs and hugs*