Becoming Financially Fit Week 4

Four signs of a financially unfit man with Larry Cummings, Jr. 

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Greetings and God bless good brothers. Here we are, week four of the signs of a financially unfit man. This is our last week, and it has been fantastic unpacking some of the things that I believe God has placed in my heart to share with the brothers as it relates to being financially fit. And so we're on week four of the four signs of a financially unfit man. Week one, uh, the first sign of a financially unfit man is that he lives beyond his means. Secondly, he listens to the opinions of others. Thirdly, he lives without discipline. And let's go to the word of God for number four. We're going to take it here to one of my favorite passages of scripture, and that's in Luke chapter 14. Uh, and really this scripture is dealing with discipleship and Jesus talking about discipleship. But I love what he says here in verse 28. He says, For which of you desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it. Otherwise, verse 29, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish. The fourth sign of a financially unfit man is that he lacks self-control. You begin things but don't finish. You lack self-control or he lacks self-control. And uh when you have self-control, you eliminate the need for excuses. Self-control eliminates those frustrating moments where you run out, you build debt, uh, you increase your likelihood for disease. You know, you like myself, you love donuts, you have lack of self-control, uh, you are disappointed often because you don't have control all the time, but you want to gain control, and consequently, you live sometimes a life full of depression because of that lack of self-control. But I've discovered a self-controlled man is a man who budgets, is a man who denies the temporary for tomorrow. A self-controlled man is a man who lives with benefits. Why? Because your your wife wants to be around you. Your children love to be around you, your co-workers and friends desire to spend time with you. A self-controlled man is a man who has beauty, who who's a well-groomed man, who wants to put his best foot forward. A self-controlled man is a better man. I believe you get better when you gain control. Watch this, not when you gain control, but you let go of control and let God take control. Let his spirit, let Holy Spirit take control. Have you ever noticed that when you try to hold on and control things, often it makes things worse? When you are the one that has to make all the decisions, has the final say-so, you often end up not in the place that you desire. You lack self-control. And there are some keys to building wealth. And I every wealthy person that I've ever witnessed, encountered, um, ever been a part of a conversation with, uh, or even watched from afar on TV or YouTube, every work wealthy person that I've encountered has a measure of self-control. They have healthy habits, microhabits, the things that they do daily, often. Um they're not sporadic and spontaneous. They don't just live by the seat of their pants and and want to do what satisfies them, but they actually live with control or have systems in place to build and to make sure control is there. A self-controlled man builds wealth. How do you do that? I believe you to build wealth, you have to create more than you consume. Sometimes when we are uncontrolled or lack self-control, we consume more than we create. Consequently, we become lazy. We don't have control. And so, therefore, we uh we lose men who lack self-control would rather lose their family before they lose control. You will you would rather lose friends before you lose control, but that control is killing away what God desires to give you. The blessing of the Lord makes us rich and adds no sorrow. Could I add that maybe because if you're feeling sorrowful about a purchase, it may not be the blessing of the Lord. You know, I remember getting a car and my dream car at the time uh had an infinity, a drop top infinity, and I thought it was absolutely fantastic. I would ride around uh with the convertible and thought I was really doing something spectacular. But I remember it breaking down and the cost to repair it uh really uh took away all my finances. And so I couldn't claim it to be a blessing of the Lord because it added sorrow to my life. Yes, it was something that I felt that God had blessed me with, but yes, it also added sorrow to where I couldn't live the life that I truly desired because my money was gone. And so living a life with self-control is a life worth living. A man who lacks self-control is a selfish man, is a selfish man. And so if you really want to be a financially fit man, you have to first start with self-control. Can you deny certain things now in order to set yourself up or your family up for later? So, brother, listen, it has been a fantastic month of unpacking of signs of a financially unfit man. And my prayer is that you are becoming and have become a financially fit man. How do you do that? Number one, a financially fit man lives within his means. In other words, he's he does not spend more than he makes. A man, a financially fit man, does not listen to the opinions of other people. God has the final say. It is your wife and your opinion. It is you and your wife's opinion that matters. Everyone gets uh an opinion, but not everybody gets a vote. Sometimes we allow the opinions of others to dictate our behaviors, but we have to know that it is between my wife and I. And what we determine and decide, I believe God will bless if it's in his will for our life. Thirdly, a sign of a financially fit man is that he is a disciplined man. He lives with discipline. You're not uncontrolled, you're not just wanting to do things because it feels good. You know, they say that children do things that feel good, adults devise a plan and stick to it. So, brothers, it's been a blessing. I pray that you were blessed by this month of devotionals, and I pray that God continues to bless you in a mighty way, you and your family. Brothers, we love you. Take care. God bless.