Another health and wealth gimmick?

When many people read that I am the author of The Faith-Based Millionaire, they jump to conclusions.  This must be another book luring Christians to get rich.  Or, here’s another one of those health and wealth gospel books.  Not too long ago, I had a pastor refuse to read it simply because of the title.  He then wrote me a three page letter saying I was sending people straight to Hell.   Wow!  I guess if he took as much time to flip through the book as he did writing the letter, he may have seen the true heart of the book which is this:  God doesn’t need our money. He uses it as a tool to help His people. Those blessed with wealth have a greater responsibility.

I have found the wealthy:

    * Can treat wealth as a blessing or curse
    * Can use wealth for good or evil purposes
    * Can allow wealth to come between them and God or use wealth to grow closer to God through wise stewardship principles.
 
Many times we judge a book by its cover.  We make an assumption based on a false belief.  In fact, The Faith-Based Millionaire was written about my interviews with Christians who had a strong foundation in Christ and were millionaires.  It details twelve essential habits that lead them to wealth.

Love Money or God?

Make no mistake about it, Jesus warned us about riches: “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). He also said, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” (1 Timothy 6:9).  The biggest warning came when Jesus said, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”  and “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

I argue virtually every one living in America is rich compared to world standards. Don’t believe me, check out www.globalrichlist.com.  Plug in your income and you’ll probably find you’re among the richest in the world, even if you only make a few thousand a year.  More important than wealth is your attitude about money.

It is the desire to be rich (love of money) and not the wealth itself that can isolate us from Christ.  I have seen many who are poor spend all their time thinking about money and those with wealth care less and vice versa.  It’s our attitude that determines how we view this neutral object.  We can either fall in love with money or see it merely as a tool (means to an end). Either way, we cannot underestimate the power of money and its ability to influence our attitudes. 

Wealth with the wrong attitude is a bad thing.  It can consume you.  It can make you think you’re better than others.  It can lead to greed and slothfulness.  It can come between you and God if you let it.  The Rich Young Ruler chose wealth over God – He wasn’t foolish because he had money, but rather because of his foolish attitude.

With the proper attitude and Christ central in your life, you can make a difference with your money. It can be used to fund ministries, build churches, save lives, and change hearts for Jesus.  We can use giving while we are alive and upon death to create a lasting legacy, to teach generosity to the next generations, and pass wisdom along with wealth.

Wealth for many can mean financial freedom – the ability to go and do the things that God calls you to do without financial reservations. This attitude is clearly more about freedom than money.  Without money, freedom is harder to find.  It is difficult to help more of God’s people. It is not that God wants our money; He desires to know that you place Him first in your life.

The Faith-Based Millionaire Creed

Of those who have been successful and treat wealth as a blessing, they made a commitment to always place God first.  For many of these faith-based millionaires it began with a creed. A creed, according to American Heritage Dictionary, is “a formal statement of religious belief; a confession of faith or a system of belief, principles, or opinions.” 

Here are a few common threads of the faithful and wealthy.   Do you share any of these beliefs?

1. You are called to increase your money. Whatever you have, be it an extra $10 or $10,000, it was provided to you by God, and it’s your duty to multiply it. Look no further than the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 of the New Testament. Even for a nonbeliever, it still makes sense to increase your assets to help humanity. In order to increase your assets, you will need to control spending, minimize debt, save regularly, and achieve a reasonable rate of return.

2. You can’t expect to be blessed by investing in organizations that support things contrary to your beliefs. If you truly do believe in God, you can’t expect blessings of any type from supporting anything that contradicts your faith; it just doesn’t work. This brings to the surface the idea that those of faith are called to a higher purpose. Nobody said faith made life easier; faith in fact often makes life harder! You may achieve profitability without placing your principles first, but the bigger question is: Will God continue to bless you–not just financially, but spiritually and health-wise?

3. Wealth will not come to you because you have faith. Make no mistake about that statement; adhering to the wisdom of your faith is your best bet to gain wealth. While it is generally true that obedience and faithfulness to God, combined with using His principles, lead to prosperity, it is quite inappropriate for you to presume on this rule of thumb, or to make demands of God. God does not promise you a life free of troubles, financial or otherwise. As dictated in the Bible, we all are called to a life of stewardship—sharing our time, talent, and treasures.

You who are just starting out and trying to transform your financial situation may not be postured at this time to give the amount of treasure you would someday like to contribute. Don’t seek to be rich.  Seek to be more generous.  God will take care of the rest.  Stewardship can also consist of offering time and talent. Therefore, those in poverty or with limited income may not be able to give much treasure but instead contribute their time and talent, which are of equal value; while those with more limited time or talent but also more wealth can choose to share their treasure