Lord, I'm Broke Again!

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Contents

Dedication..................................................viiAcknowledgements............................................ixForeword....................................................1Introduction................................................3Faith.......................................................11Covenant....................................................13Plan of God.................................................16Chapter 1: Emotions and Money...............................23Chapter 2: Kingdom Financial Principles.....................33Chapter 3: Next Steps.......................................43Prayer for Financial Healing................................49About the Author............................................51

Chapter One

Genesis 1:1-2—In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

The above-referenced text implies, some say, a period of time between verses 1 and 2 that is commonly referred to as the "gap theory." It is believed that during this period Satan tried to exalt himself above God and consequently was thrown out of heaven, causing a cataclysmic event on the earth that brought it to a state of chaos. As I read the text, I think about how often we exert our will over God's will for our lives by making wrong decisions and planning poorly. Not applying appropriate life skills or making sound money-management decisions can cause us to get into overwhelming circumstances that bring us into a state of chaos.

We are all born with a clean financial slate: great credit, no bills, no issues. What makes us all different as we grow into adulthood is the decisions we make based on the information that was given to us as we grew up and the lifestyle we choose to emulate. It is from our knowledge, or lack thereof, that we make either good decisions that can lead us to a life of peace and great financial success or bad decisions that can bring us to a chaotic state of turmoil, confusion, and debt. Unfortunately, being ignorant about money will lead to bad decisions. Therefore, we need to constantly educate ourselves about money management by examining what God's word says about money and also by exploring various publications and books on the subject, going to seminars, taking courses on personal finance, and so on.

As you read the creation story, take notice of God's keen eye for detail. He was meticulous in the details; everything was done in order, and he was specific about what he wanted. Then consider how we often mess up by not paying attention to the details of our lives, such as not reading the fine print on important documents or due dates for our bills. We will pay attention to the decor of our homes and drive only a certain type of car. We will wear the trendiest clothing and be very meticulous about our hair. But some of us are not as careful about how we manage our personal affairs, especially our finances. Not paying attention to details can cause us to fall into a downward spiral and to become entangled in a vicious cycle of debt that can sometimes take years and years to get out of.

The first thing God spoke into existence was light. Light represents understanding. In order to get out of this chaos, you first have to recognize what you are in. Until you recognize that you have a problem with your finances, your attitude, or other areas of your life, you will not see the need for help. My prayer is that the day will come that you will finally get tired of your ways and allow the light to appear in the darkness of your life. I have been in some tough financial situations where I could not see my way out. After trying my own ways and walking in the same circle for the umpteenth time, I had to cry out, "Lord, I'm broke again! I need your help!" And he stepped in and intervened on my behalf. When you have had enough of the crazy cycle you have been in and cry out, he will intervene on your behalf too. Psalm 34:18 says, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart: and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

Broke(ness) is defined as being a covenant breaker, facing a famine, experiencing a lack, being without necessary sustenance, and being very low in spirit. It means to be humbled or in a state of submission. To cry out "Lord, I'm broke again" means that I am disclosing to the Lord the position that I have found myself in. I have been brought low by my situation; I am in a place of brokenness and have been humiliated by my position. My emotions are at a low state, I have fallen into the valley of despair, and I am tumbling into the abyss of my mind. I need help to make the necessary adjustments to move from my present place. It is from this cry of anguish and despair that God can help us. From there, he can speak into the darkness of your life, "Let there be light."

We must realize that we can't do anything outside of God's plan. When we walk in a way that is contrary to God's will for our lives, it is like we become shrouded in a fog, almost like we are sleepwalking or walking in darkness. Light comes as we hear God's word preached and as we study the word of God. The light brings understanding, makes us aware of the situations in our lives. The more word we take in, the more things become clear. Then we can acknowledge the need for the Savior and the need to be healed, set free, or delivered.

Another area of consideration is emotional soul-ties. Most of the time when we hear about soul-ties, it is in reference to a relationship between a man and a woman that is hard to get out of because of the emotional attachment between the two. Soul-ties are connections between two people's souls. It is a joining together of two or more persons, which means that they become connected, married, cleave, stuck, knit together. Soul-ties can be between good friends, such as we saw in the friendship of Jonathan and David spoken of in 1 Samuel 18:1.

But did you know you can have a soul-tie to money? Yes, you can become emotionally connected to money. Most of us work long and hard to earn it, and most of us spend it before we get it in our hands. Others have a hunger for the power that comes along with money and will do just about anything to get it. The word of God says in 1 Timothy 6:10, "For the love of money is the root of all evil...." We have to be careful not to be overtaken by the spirit of lust and greed that will cause us to go after money and to get involved in all types of schemes, "hustling" and "pimpin" the church and others. The love of money will have you in pursuit of illegal gain and will cause you to hurt others to get what you want. Ungodly soul-ties are demonic, perverse relationships based on lust. Some of the characteristics of ungodly soul-ties (unhealthy relationships) are manipulation, guilt, emotional abuse, codependency, unnatural affection, envy, and lust.

An unnatural affection for money will cause you to err and fall (1 Timothy 6:9). We have to be careful to avoid the pitfalls and trappings of Satan that will cause us to focus more on being affluent than on being righteous. There is nothing wrong with having money because Ecclesiastes 10:19 says, "... but money...