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ESTABLISHING PRIORITIES
Less $tress | Part 2
Pastor Keith Stewart
February 9, 2025
This second installment in our series, Less $tress, is all about the steps you can take in your life to immediately begin relieving financial stress. In a message both personal and practical, Pastor Keith will share with you the three proven principles for getting out and staying out of financial distress It’s a message you don’t want to miss.
#lessstress #establishingpriorities #realspringcreekchurch #livingstressfree #putgodfirstfinancially
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just let go of our financial worries and stress over running our business and managing our mortgage and struggling with our student loan? What if I told you the key to a more peaceful and productive life is a 2000-year-old recipe in God’s Word that teaches us that we’re not owners, we’re merely managers of the things that belong to God. That one reality has the power to release burdens we carry that belong to God and not us. I hope you can join us in this first installment in Less $tress living.
1. Describe a time in your life that was financially distressing, past, or present? What happened? How did you deal with it? Were there ways you might have contributed to the problem? What did you find most helpful? Where are you now in regard to this issue?
2. Regarding the practice of frugality, Pastor Keith offered two guiding principles. One was to practice doing a regular inventory of your life. This keeps hoarding in check, makes sure that the things we have make an actual contribution to our life and allows us to see if there are things we have that might be better used by others or sold to produce a benefit for others. Have you ever engaged in such an inventory? Has God ever moved your heart to give something away or sell something to be a blessing? Describe what happened and whatever outcome you may be aware of.
3. Pastor Keith also suggested in regard to frugality, that we reconsider purchases. Sometimes, we are too quick to go buy the things we want without ever considering if God might want to bless us in another way; to receive something for free, or at a reduced cost or even have it loaned to us. Has this ever happened to you? If so, what was it? How did you respond? Have you ever delayed purchasing an item so you could consult with God whether that was the proper course? Have you ever blessed someone with something they needed? If so, what was that like?
4. When it comes to establishing priorities that will lead to greater freedom and less stress, we need to stop the bleeding. In other words, we must step off the endless debt cycle. The misuse of credit has gotten many individuals and families into trouble. Too often, we think only in terms of the affordability of the payment without considering the cumulative effect of long-term debt or how that payment might erode our margin. What has been your personal experience with using credit for homes, cars, major purchases or credit cards? If you have managed to get credit usage under control, what were the things that helped you most? If you could have a talk with the younger you, what advice would you give as it relates to the use of credit?
5. One of the most practical principles in getting money managed and moving toward a less stressful experience is involving God in your finances. Throughout the Bible, there are numerous promises from God about taking care of our needs IF we prioritize Him in our finances. For those of you who make a regular habit of giving, how have you seen God’s faithfulness in providing for your needs? If someone was a new believer and struggling to trust God with their finances, what would you say to encourage them?
