food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty,“ and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”)
I use that foundational promise as a lynchpin of my financial planning teaching to Christians in Malaysia, where my practice is based. I have observed that those who adhere to a strict four-tier allocation of all the money that flows into their lives as salaries, business profits and gifts are the ones who enjoy the profoundest levels of financial peace and sustainable prosperity.
So as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Prince of Peace, during a frenetic season so busy and stress-filled that many end up frazzled and exhausted, I submit that a wee bit of financial planning guidance or intervention might help you enjoy what should be the most wonderful time of the year.
But, frankly, if you find there is no time now to put into effect the changes I suggest, then at least implementing them as soon as is practical will still help you live better in the near future. The core changes I recommend you make are not difficult to understand because they simply revolve around a revised cash flow channelling system.
Since I have written on the suggested priority list at the heart of this system in previous issues of Asian Beacon, I’ ll merely outline it here.
To succeed financially, commit to tracking all money that flows into your life and then... 1. Set aside the first 10 % for your nonnegotiable tithe to God, paid to your home church where you receive spiritual sustenance;
2. Allocate between 1 % and 50 % toward your savings and investment wealth portfolio;
3. Channel at least 1 %, preferably much more, toward generous giving to worthy charities and causes; and
4. Live on the balance.
Committing to a disciplined, balanced approach to tithing, saving, investing, giving and only then consuming, develops inner peace, promotes emotional stability and boosts financial strength.
As we proactively choose to live in a loving, kind, generous and productive manner, the abundant blessings of our loving Father often thrust us up the ladder of career success, which can be a good thing if we stay humble.
God desires to bless His people( called by His name) in ways that astound everyone else so as to also draw pre-believers into His loving embrace through the saving knowledge of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you take the time to study Philippians chapter 2, you’ ll be astounded at how much Jesus sacrificed for us so we might benefit in endless, infinite ways.
But for now just consider Deuteronomy 28:13,“ The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.”
If you believe that, then here is some more food for thought.
Regardless of which of the so-called Seven Mountains of society you have selected as part of your life’ s journey, making
your ascent with God will always be better than trudging alone!
Think about all that your current work entails. Then ponder creatively upon what you want your life’ s work to be, whether it is within the sphere of the family, arts and entertainment, business, education, government, media, or religion.
God yearns to pour out His love upon your life. So, as you decide to become better at what you do or perhaps even as you opt to switch Mountains, remember if Jesus walks with you, His love, presence, power and peace are all yours to call upon.
God’ s intent is clear from Proverbs 10:22,“ The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.” While that doesn’ t mean we aren’ t expected to work hard and smart, we must understand there is a galaxy of difference between toiling by ourselves apart from God and working as His junior partner under His approval and in the light of His grace and favour.
To illustrate what I mean, here’ s a personal account:
Many years ago I faced a difficult choice on a potential career change. I sought the advice and guidance of my friend and senior pastor Reverend Benjamin Yeoh of Agape Community Church in Seremban. He taught me a principle that helped me back then in the early 1990s, and which has helped me ever since whenever I face an important, difficult binary – yes or no – decision. This is what he shared with me.
Pray for God’ s wisdom; then, when asking Him for guidance, allow His peace to help settle your course of action.
Through repeated application over more than two decades, I can confirm that this is a powerful principle that has helped me deal with countless life choices. It just might prove useful to you, too.
In closing, I leave you with God’ s words given to Moses to relay to Aaron for him to tell the Israelites! Numbers 6:25-26,“... the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
I wish you a peace-filled and ecstatically Happy New Year!
Rajen Devadason, CFP, is a Securities Commissionlicensed financial planner, professional speaker and author. Read his free articles at www. FreeCoolArticles. com; he may be connected with on LinkedIn at https:// www. linkedin. com / in / rajendevadason, rajen @ RajenDevadason. com and Twitter @ RajenDevadason
ASIAN BEACON 48 # 1 December 2016- January 2017 33