GTM 2012 AUTUMN

Financial Stewardship
other ministers, but we have to acknowledge that dishonest
practices are used sometimes. What really bothers me is
that those carnal techniques work! We as Christians are
so uninformed in the area of finances that we fall for all
kinds of manipulation. Somebody says “Send me $1,000
and your prayers will be answered,” and people send
money by the truckload. But the kingdom of God doesn’t
operate that way. We can’t buy God’s favor.
So, yes, there are abuses in the body of Christ
regarding money, but don’t miss out on the financial
wisdom revealed in God’s Word just because some
people are abusing the topic. I encourage you to set
aside any past offenses you might have suffered, and
allow the Word of God to reveal finances to you from
a godly perspective. I promise you’ll be glad you did.
For years, the wrong understanding I had about
God’s financial system kept me from experiencing real
financial prosperity. My children were grown, and I
had been in ministry for over twenty-five years before I
really began to get a revelation on finances. In my new
book, Financial Stewardship, I share the things that have
made a huge difference in my life—and not just on a
personal level. I couldn’t be fulfilling God’s instructions
for me without the financial abundance those truths
have produced in my ministry.
I struggled more in the area of finances than in any
other aspect of my Christian life, and I know I’m not
alone in that regard. I’ve heard the same thing from
many other people. In 2009, I was part of a group of
ministers who went to Oral Roberts’ home to visit with
him. He spoke to us as a group, and then he let us ask
him a few questions. One minister asked, “What is the
hardest thing you have been through in ministry?”
That question got my attention. Here was a
man who had survived an assassination attempt, was
persecuted for his beliefs as few ministers of our day
have been, and dealt with scandals that eventually cost
him the university he founded. He went through a
lot of difficulty in his life, but he didn’t even have to
think about his answer. He immediately said that the
hardest things he endured were financial problems.
He spoke of sleepless nights and of being pressed
at every turn by the restraints that a lack of money
placed upon him.
I’m sure many of you can relate to the unique
pressures of financial problems. I know I can. There
6 GospelTruth