BY

C.V. RADEBE

All rights are reserved by the Author C.V. Radebe No portion of this manual may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical which includes PHOTOCOPYING, recording or by any information storage system, without written permission from the Author.

This book is written by C.V. RADEBE P.O. Box 16187, Leondale, 1401 Copyright: Breakthrough Ministries 2000

FOREWORD:

Acknowledgement: I would like to dedicate this book to my beloved wife, Busisiwe, who is always available as a friend, partner and number one supporter of our God intended vision. My precious God given children: Bonginkosi, Thembinkosi and Musawenkosi, who are so understanding and supportive to whatever I do. My dear mother Sophia who always prays for me. Finally,to the members of the Breakthrough Ministries who are such a loving and caring family of God. Last

but not least my only sister Busi and my brother Sipho who are a great inspiration in my life. My heartfelt gratitude also goes to Zoe Mtwa, Mandla Mwelase and Sibongile Mkhombo who did the proof reading of this script. To Bulelwa Mditshwa - Mussane and Dudu Tshabalala who did the typing, I say thank you very much. God bless you! To God be the Glory! Great things He has done!! By the Author C.V. Radebe

TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapters Introduction Chapter one: GODS PLAN FOR YOUR FINANCES. Chapter two: PROBLEMS WITH OUR FINANCES. 1 5 Content Pages

Chapter three: HOW WE LAND IN DEBT. Chapter four: HOW DEBTS AFFECT US. Chapter five: HOW TO GET OUT OF DEBT. Chapter six: PRINCIPLES FOR FINANCIAL PROSPERITY Chapter seven: POSSES THE LAND Chapter eight: CONCLUSION Glossary of Terms Bibliography

8 19 25 37 42 51

(i) INTRODUCTION Lets enjoy life that is debt free, only if we know how! In the past few years, my family and I went through lots of financial problems which emanated from accumulated debt and lack of sound financial management principles. After a long period of observation and research, I finally discovered that God has clearly outlined principles of sound financial management, I began to study these in the word of God, and began to implement them in my life. My financial management principles have completely changed now and it is benefitting me, my wife and my entire family. I wanted to live a debt free life but did not know how to, until I found the answer in Gods word. I believe that many people want to live a life

that is debt free but the problem is they dont know how that can be achieved. You cannot fight an enemy until you know him. A great deal has been said and written recently by people about how we should handle our finances. Through this book I want Christians to understand what the correct attitude should be towards God given financial management principles versus debt which has now become a common and acceptable lifestyle. I believe that the body of Christ must not allow itself to become slaves of debtors, banks and micro-landing institutions, but must develop and maintain a proper and positive attitude towards God given financial principles. Our attitude has been geared towards achieving everything that we have through debt. People landed in debt because their attitude towards prosperity was wrong. I believe that you can never be successful in life as long as you still have a borrowing attitude. Borrowing must be controlled and it must be the last resort. The correct attitude is that we should save enough and learn to buy cash rather than have all through debt and borrowing. This requires true maturity and discipline and has Gods blessings in it. I would like you to understand that I am specifically referring to those in the church of Jesus Christ, and I am using Biblical perspectives to support my arguments. I want to see the attitudes of members changing from the world system of doing things to that of God given financial principles. (ii) Freed to posses is a book designed to equip the believers with strategies of overcoming the spirit of debt through applying Godly principles of prosperity. It is also geared towards correcting the perception that man cannot survive without borrowing. Above all, those who choose the option of debt are cautioned about using debt as the sole means of achieving and are provided with alternatives of strong financial discipline in the management of loans and debts. The book challenges the youth to save now for a bright future tomorrow, encouraging them to pave greener pastures for their children and inspires them to accumulate wealth and riches through the promotion of the enterprenureship spirit and God given talent. Whilst black people in the South Africa are enjoying the taste of democracy, the book warns the nation about the economic struggle still to come about, caused by inequitable distribution of the land, mineral and

mining resources. This book answers to questions like: is debt the only way to acquire things? It also offers a wide variety of alternative lifestyles to enjoy a debt free life through self-empowerment. A series of biblical principles are laid as good foundational work for sound economic principles of prosperity. However, the book does not speak against borrowing but warns against the spirit of borrowing for living, whereby people are led unawares to the trap of debt. The book urges people to put debt under the microscope and tries to make them understand that borrowing leads to debt if adopted as a lifestyle and if it is not controlled. The book will also provide suggestions and solutions to those who are in financial problems because of borrowing and debt. It is also intended to challenge those who are going through a tough and rough time in their finances because of borrowing and debt, it tries to motivate them to start applying biblical principles and discipline to their problems. No matter how deep the mess is, God is a God of second chances, bounce back like a tennis ball, study and apply these principles and you will get your financial Breakthrough! I pray that this book may change forever some of our attitudes about our finances. Allow the Holy Sprit to move with the conviction and reality of the truth. (iii) This book is also intended for those who obey the word of God and who are willing to be set free from the spirit of debt and poverty. The Author does not list money as the highest level of prosperity but believes that prosperity is both broader and bigger than money. Ownership of property as well as shareholding is another area of prosperity to be taken seriously. We shall also further explore the notion that ones full trust (faith) in God will enable you to know that God can meet your needs and the needs of those around you and not only the financial institutions and resources of this secular world. We shall finally look at debt and its consequences to the Christian Community and also look at ways and means of getting out of debt that is fastly affecting the body of Christ and rendering it paralyzed and powerless. The book concludes by challenging especially members of disadvantaged communities to use whatever legal resources Given by God to enjoy life in its entirety and challenge whatever forces that want to keep

them poor because God has given them the right to posses the Land. True Freedom goes with possession and ownership. The question to be asked is ARE YOU FREE? If the answer is YES! Then what do you posses?

1.

CHAPTER 1 1. GODS PLAN FOR YOUR FINANCES Do you have a plan to build up your finances? Many people want to build financial empires but they have neither the plan nor the resources. God has a dynamic plan for our finances and this plan is clearly outlined in Jer29: 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. God has pleasure in seeing us prosper and not going into poverty. God is in favour of seeing believers prosper and that is why he has a clearly laid out plan for our finances. Believers need to know that God has already laid the foundation and we have to focus on the fact that Gods power and resources are sufficient enough to make us prosper in all areas of our life.

God wants to set us free from debt and He calls us to a debt free life

If the son of man sets you free, you are free indeed. John 8:10 Owe no man anything, but to love one another Romans 13:8 The devil also has plan and it is clearly outlined in John 10:10 The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy The borrower is servant to the lender. Prov 22:76 This is the devils plan, to put you into bondage, gradually through borrowing and eventually the spirit of borrowing becomes your dependency and you loose your trust in God. A Christian who lives on borrowing simply says: God you cannot help! The devil is serious about his plan, he will ensure that he steals and destroys your financial heritage. This is one man who really means business. He will ensure that he steals and destroys your financial heritage. This is one man who has long been in this business. He will never give up until he has accomplished his mission. He makes sure that he does not leave you until you have lost everything that you have, starting with your faith in God. 2. Christians need to protect themselves against the tricks of the devil. Jesus in John 10:10b says: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The devils plan is to enslave and bond you into debt, and then kill and destroy your financial heritage. The devil wants not only to torture us but also to bring curses and cast evil spells upon our lives. Gods plan on the other hand is to set us free from debt; rebuke the devourer (protect your property); and prosper (to be successful in all you do) us so that we live in abundance (have more than enough). God wants His children to enjoy life, swim in blessings and prosper in all they do so that they can glorify His name. Whose plan would you like to follow? Gods or the devil? I choose to obey God because financial prosperity is not for everybody, but

only for those who obey the law of God. I believe that prosperity is not only a financial matter, but we can have spiritual prosperity by receiving Jesus as Lord of our Lives. We can also experience social prosperity by enjoying a good and loving family relationship. Another important area of prosperity is that of the soul - here we are referring to the soul realm which incorporates the will, the intellect and the emotions, when we completely surrender to the Lord and allow Him to use us we shall overcome the destructive forces of the devil, we will think right and live right and do the right. When you are a Christian, you dont have to focus only on material wealth, but you can also enjoy true financial blessing benefits and prosperity by serving and obeying God. For us to understand and enjoy these blessings, let us take a closer look at Gods plan: (i) Gods plan is to fill our treasuries. Not to empty them: And all these blessings shall come on you, overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Deut. 28:2 3. (ii) Gods plan is that we must be in the lending business and not in the borrowing business: And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to you. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your land. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. Deut. 28:11 - 12 (iii) Gods plan is that He gives us power to enjoy God given riches and wealth. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places. Isaiah 45:3 The ability to work, to earn, and enjoy what you earn is a God given ability.

(iv) Gods plan is that we trust Him for wealth and prosperity because it comes from Him and not out of our own efforts: But thou shall remember the Lord thy God; for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth. Deut.8: 18 The blessing of the Lord maketh rich Prov 10:22 This simply means that it is God that maketh rich, not only through your hard work, not our bosses, not our education, but true wealth is from the blessing of God. We have to trust God for our prosperity. We need Him to bless us for us to be rich. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these shall be added unto you. Matt 6:33 (v) Gods plan is that we have provision enough to meet our needs and the needs of our children. A good man leaveth an inheritance to his childrens children. Prov 13:22 4. Gods plan is that when we leave this world, we must leave wealth and blessings as well as good memories to our children. Our death must not impoverish our families but it must uplift and benefit them financially. Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey,,, Deut 11:26-28 . I believe that there is only one way to enjoy true and sustained financial prosperity and that is, by serving and obeying Gods financial plan for our prosperity. This book is going to further reveal Gods strategies against poverty and expose the spirit of borrowing which eventually leads to debt. We shall continue to focus on the fact that Gods power and resources are sufficient enough to make us prosper in all areas of our life and we do not have to rely on borrowing for a living. Gods plan has a vision of prospering us

and in His plan He has made provision for our success. The prosperity of all believers is in Gods plan, borrowing and debt is mans plan. Which plan do you choose? I choose to follow Gods plan because it has provision for me.

5.

CHAPTER 2 PROBLEMS WITH OUR FINANCES Money has never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum it makes one. Benjamin Franklin. God delights more in seing us being prosperous than living in proverty. He is interested in us and it gives Him pleasure why? becauce we are His children. The biggest problem the church faces today is how to get out of debt and live a debt-free life. The worlds financial systems are in economic shambles and so are the majority of churches and families. Money does not make us happy yet, so says Franklin, and I agree. Money opens a vacuum, this is the vacuum of mismanagement which leads to debt.

The majority of families in South Africa are living in debt and are owing lots of moneys to banks, financial institutions and individuals. The problem is that debt is increasing every year, the money they owe is more than the money they earn. The cost of living has gone very high especially with the decline of the Rand and the forever increasing petrol cost. Inflation is costing the average South African a hard pinch into the pocket. The average worker cannot afford to meet the family needs and more and more people are in debt and they live on borrowing and cannot cope with their repayments. Another problem is that we as a nation have never trained our children on how to handle their finances. The word of God in Prov.22:7 says: The borrower is the servant of the lender. Many people are not aware of the fact that if they borrow money from an institution, the institution is going to charge them lots of interest and in some cases make them to pay off over a long period e.g. twenty years and you end up paying double the amount owed. Prov. 22:6 says: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

6. Families need to train up their childern that borrowing makes one a slave of the lender. Our families are training children to live on debt. This is poisoning our nation. Almost everything that some families own is purchased through hire purchase or debt. The house that people live in is owed over twenty years. The furniture that is in the house including the bed that people sleep on is purchased through credit. The people watch a TV that is bought on credit. They sit on sofas that are bought on credit. Children do homework on encylopaedias and computers that are purchased on credit. The parents drive the children to school on a car that is purchased on credit. They use petrol bought on credit (petrol card). Borrowing has become a lifestyle. Students borrow to complete their studies and they apply for student loans. Their parents sign guarantees to bond their children into starting life with debt. What are we teaching our children? That debt is the only way out? When the students finish their studies, they are encouraged to apply for credit cards and they are given

power to spend money they do not have. This mentality is damaging to our youth who live with a false impression that borrowing is the only way to achieve ones desired goals. Recently, more and more people are listed in the credit bereau because they can no longer afford to pay back and are now in debt. Debt is becoming a increasing concern in the Christian Community. Many people are loosing their valuable property, their posessions and even family life is threatened as more and more people go into debt. Christians have stopped tithing and are living under a financial curse. They have stopped giving and have been robbed of Gods blessings. The whole process starts with occassional borrowing. There is nothing wrong with occassional borrowing where there is a pressing need, if you borrow, pay back immediately. A person who has achieved through borrowing is caught up by a spirit of borrowing, such a person borrows without limit and does not care from whom. Borrowing becomes a lifestyle and he jumps from one home to another, one race group to another borrowing money. Because this is now a lifestyle, the individual borrows with an intention not to pay back. The conscience of the individual dies. An individual can borrow from city to city and if things get tough, they do not mind moving to another city to escape the anger of people who are demanding their money back. 7. The spirit of borrowing gives birth to many like spirited babies like the spirit of lying, spirit of jealousy and eventually the devil takes over as the spirit of God leaves the individual. Finally a person who has been borrowing fails to pay back and lands in all sorts of trouble. His house, his furniture and marriage is under threat because the devil has been given a chance through an open door of borrowing. The people who are owed curse the borrower and the debtors institute legal action. The end product of borrowing is disastrous.

Borrowing is not part of our covenant with God. You cannot serve two masters; Matt 6:24 says: you must therefore make a choice between serving God by running your finances well and depending on Gods provision and sustainance or serving the lender by living a lifestyle of spending and borrowing. The problem with our finances is that we are overspending and are never content, we are in negative competition with other people, we are poorly paid, we are proud and cannot take correction. We have adicted ourselves to a complicated and sophisticated lifestyle rather than a realistic and simple lifestyle. It is either we are in the lenders or in the borrowers group, no one can be on the fence. It is important for one to make a wise choice. Why not choose to lend and be a rich and blessed man because you are serving God come out of debt and put your absolute trust and victory on Jehova Jireh, the Lord your provider.

8. CHAPTER 3 HOW WE LAND IN DEBT.

Once more debt starts by borrowing, but if borrowing becomes a lifestyle, it becomes a sinful practice and brings about remorse in the life of a Christian. It is not only the borrower that can be in debt but anyone who is not cautious enough can come face to face with debt at your doorstep. There are a number of causal factors that can lead us to debt. 3.1 Social Causes Unhealthy social spending emanating from cultural value system, unwise spending habits, negative competition, lack of good role models have impoverished us and we need to look at these with both a critical and analytical eye. 3.1.1 System of Lobola The original purpose of the system of Lobola was to hand over goods, cattle or money to the father or guardian of the bride in order to maintain a relationship and also to ensure rights to any issue of the marriage. For a long time the system of lobola has been part and parcel of our lives. Recently, lobola has now shifted emphasis from that of marriage consideration to that of personal gain. Exorbitant amounts of up to R25 000 are charged on individuals. The average black male youth who wants to marry must be prepared to part with the average of + R10 000 lobola. In addition to that there are lots of rituals and hidden cots involved. Family members see it as a moment of benefit whereby all relatives get gifts through a ceremony called Umhlambiso. Thousands of rands are spent on expensive blankets, towels, mats etc. to buy friendship with family members. In addition to that, the wedding still has its own demands. A young man who wants to marry shudders at the fact that he has to set aside between R15 000 to R45 000. This discourages our youth when they think of a marriage ceremony. That is the reason why many of our youth do no longer marry but decide to live together in trial marriages. The inability to cope with the demands of lobola has contributed to immorality in our communities. 9. The system of lobola impoverishes the youth who start life already having to pay back student loans. Couples plan flashy marriages where they hire limousines, change garments three times, feed thousands of guests and finally pay for their furniture in their new residence. Many young people cannot cope and therefore resort to borrowing as a

lifestyle. This system needs to be reviewed critically by the Christian community because it has put many young couples into debt and misery. 3.1.2. Funeral Expenses. Our communities take funerals very serious. When a member of the family dies, we mourn for a full week before the funeral. During this waiting period, the struggling family has to provide tea and cakes to hundreds of mourners who come to pay condolence to the bereaved family. The funeral undertakers are in a booming business and they offer different executive types of funeral services where you are given an option to choose the types of funeral service you want e.g. normal, de-lux funeral or super de-lux. The service range from using a trailer to a 48-wheel hearse. Various types of standards are introduced to woe mourners to take up classic funeral schemes. Lots of after funeral services expenses take place e.g. washing of shovels, ten days; Khumula isizilo - Unveiling of tombstones. Funerals and related rituals as well as social practices have become more sophisticated and people need to realize that the more we simplify our funerals the better. The bereaved family needs to be helped and not to be drained financially. Many people found themselves in debt after they lost a family member or a friend. 3.1.3. Party Spirit Africans are a party nation. For any achievement that we get, we want to celebrate in style. Celebrations held commonly are in the form of : Thanksgiving parties, Graduation parties, house - wetting partys etc. This takes a lot of money because food, drinks and hiring of resources has become a very expensive venture. People hold parties out of competition, or because they follow the crowd or tradition but deep 10. down they know that the money they are spending could have been better utilized if a smaller party was held for immediate family members. We seek to celebrate with crowds and eventually when all is over, the family overspends and family members are left with debt. Because of failure to differentiate between the needs and wants.

3.1.4 Sinful Living Patterns. Lack of self-control leads to practicing lustful desires of the flesh. Our communities are very permissive and receptive to promiscuity and extra-marital relationships. Men pride themselves of their manhood and earn more respect if they have many love affairs. The most unfortunate part is that it is married men who are doing this. This sinful lifestyle is expensive because he has to steal from family money to please the lovers who are forever demanding and they end up loosing both their self-esteem and wealth. Their families end-up being the key sufferers due to their promiscuous lifestyle. 3.1.5. School System. Many parents have taken their children to former Models C schools. Some have even ventured into private schools. All this is because everybody wants to see their children getting the best quality education for their children. Unfortunately unforeseen expenses either than school fees, like cultural activities and social events are not budgeted for. Some parents fail to pay for their childrens transport, uniform and food. Children end up dropping out of school because of absenteeism, they fail at school because legal action is taken against parents by school Governing bodies. All this is done because both the child and parent want to be socially acceptable. 3.1.6 Selfish and Covetous Spirit Placing self-interest above the interest of others as well as unwise and competitive spending habits land people into unwarranted debt. People overspend and their self-esteem is destroyed. They compete with their friends, neighbours and relatives. They set themselves very high 11. standards and later fail to maintain them, they then resort to borrowing and finally end up in debt and end up loosing everything they have. People must learn to be content with what they have and even learn to wait until they have raised enough money to purchase their desired goods. 3.2. Love of Money

One of the plans the devil uses to put people into debt is to try and instill in them the love for money. Money is definitely not the cause of evil but what causes the evil? let us study 1 Tim6:9-10. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the Love of Money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Money on its on its not wicked, but it is the love of money that is dangerous. Love of money leads to covetousness. Because people are covetous, they resort to any means or schemes of getting money not taking precautions. 3.2.1. Gambling Gambling in the form of lottery, casinos and horse racing has hit the families in a terrible manner. According to :The Money Standard of June 2000, About R580 Million a week is fed into slot machines at Gautengs five casinos. Gautengs casinos therefore make a gross profit of about R34 Million a week. Gambling is becoming a fast growing phenomenon since it hit America. A company based in Cape Town is preparing to give South Africa the first South African internet betting once the legislation is in place. Many family members have become addicted to gambling and often breadwinners gambling with salaries to the detriment of their families. Gambling is addictive and habit formation. Generally families are robbed of their livelihood. Rehabilitation of gamblers needs to be considered as a matter of urgency to help those who are already in this predicament, 12. 3.2.2. Get rich Schemes Many people who could not wait upon the Lord, become victims of get rich quick schemes. The schemes attract many people to invest and it pays them high dividends. As the schemes grows, the scheme crashes and folds away leaving many families stranded and in debt. People go and apply for loans with the intention of investing. When the scheme folds away, they are left in debt. Children of God need to put the spirits into test. Do not just invest any where. First ask God if it is His permissive

will for you to invest. Ensure that there is no contravention of the law by the investors. The scheme must be registered. Insist on seeing the registration certificate. If it is a new idea, challenge the law to register or recognize it. 3.2.3. Cash Loans The cash loans industry has become one of the most lucrative business in South Africa. Because of continuous debt, families who are listed by the credit bureau, people who have been turned away from the banking institutions resort to cash loans as the only alternative. Some people refer to such institutions as Loan sharks or vi. Mashonisa because of the enormous interest demanded on payments. Interest varies propotionaly from between 29 and 33 percent. Long term loans are deducted directly from the clients pay slip through the debit order. In some cases people who have not paid back their loans have been roughed up by oversized men who even took their vii. ATM cards and Pin numbers to get their money back. Recently, the term Micro-Lender is the term used. The process is referred to as usury, defined in the dictionary as the act of lending money at interest, especially at an exorbitant or illegal rate. The excessive high interest rates charged by Micro Lenders have caused sharp critisism to be directed at the industry. Today even furniture shops offer Cash Loans. Recently even some Unions offer cash Loans to their members. The spirit of borrowing is fastly catching up with us. 13. My caution to Christians is, do not make a Loan to payout a Loan, the Lender is a slave to the borrower. 3.2.4 Failure to pay your Bills Many people leave a carefree life of impulsive shopping and ignoring most of the bills that they accumulated. Bills are either never paid or partly paid and never on time. A person, who is in debts, hides the bills all over the house. Water and lights are cut off and turned on at additional costs by the local council.

Telephone services are discontinued and reconnected every now and then. People who are in debts always look forward to their annual bonus as their salvation. Some people ignore their accounts and tell lies to their debtors. They Buy time and pay only the instutions that inflict their greatest pressure. Because they have so many accounts to pay, they cannot pay all of them at a go and therefore, they rob Peter to pay Paul. They ignore debtors letters and reminders and eventually land in serious trouble. 3.3 Credit Cards The introduction of plastic money has made borrowing much easier than before. More sophistication has been added in the sense that you can get the facility over the telephone without filling in any forms. These are pre-approved and sent through the post. A person is given a limit (power to spend money they dont have) and there is no discussion of the loan repayments. Interest rates of between 21 - 25 percent are charged. This is a unique facility to our people and generation and it has become a status symbol. Gold cards are awarded to certain privileged people. The credit card impresses and excites everyone until the money is charged into the individuals account. In America, credit cards called Tiny Tots are issued to 12 years olds. Training the children to be in debt at a very early stage.

14. These facilities can be very useful if you have self control as the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5). To those who know themselves to have no self control, I say do not plunge yourself and those you love to the bottomless pit of debt. It can cause you to loose every thing you have. Credit cards have taken the place of accounts and peoples buying and spending power has increased. No matter what the situation is and no matter who is doing it, the word of God reminds us: train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not

depart from it. The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is a servant to the lender. Prov 22:6-7 3.4. Housing Bond The concept of home-ownership has become a pride to every individual in our nation. It is very exciting to own a house or property. The initial plan of a bond was to help a young couple to purchase a home so that in their years of retirement, the home is debt free. No longer is the situation, nowadays banks are both allowing and permitting people to borrow against the equity. People apply for the second even the third mortgage bond. Financial planners and even tax experts encourage borrowing from the bond as well because they say the interest is low. The meaning of the word bond means to enslave. A person who has taken a mortgage bond, is actually bonded or a slave to the bank. He becomes a servant of the lender and the bank ruleth over him. That is why even after signing for occupation and registration of the bond, the bank still retains the title deed certificate. This actually means that you are not the rightful owner, the bank which retains the title deed is the real owner. Recently the cars that are financed by banks also use the same procedure. The bank retains the original registration certificate until the car has been fully paid up. 15. Let us take a close look at the amount of interest that an individual pays: N.B. This is a rough estimate. EXAMPLE A: ( Purchase of a car ) Loan amount: R100 000.00 Period of repayment: 60 months or 5years. Monthly installment: R2 500 Monthly interest: R833 Total interest over 5 years: R50 000 Total amount paid over 5 years: R150 000 EXAMPLE B: ( Purchase of a house )

Total Bond Value: R100 000 Period of repayment: 20 years Monthly installment: R1353.88 Monthly interest: R937.21 Total interest over 20 years: R224,931.00 (See appendix 2 for more bond interest categories) Why pay your house over 20 years (Example B) when you can actually pay it off in five years? (Example A) This is for the convenience and sustainability of the banks. Christians should start looking at alternatives of reducing their bond repayment periods so that when they reach retirement age, they must be enjoying a debt free retirement. Banks must allow you an option to purchase a house for a shorter period according to your choice and affordability of the buyer. The question to be asked is: why should I pay R 100 000 in 20 years when I buy a house yet I pay for 5 years when I buy a car? The answer is, the borrower is the slave of the lender.

16. 3.5 The Taxation System The average South African has to pay about 45% tax. This equals to wages of almost a full year. Normally one works for an average 8 hours per day and is paid weekly or monthly. A typical scenario is that everyday you have to work for about two hours fourty three minutes for the government or even more before you begin to earn money for yourself. This is income tax alone. The State laws have become very harsh on tax defaulters and more and more people are facing prosecution. Although the state has tried to decrease the tax marginal bracket, the money owed by individuals on Tax still affects the family. More business have closed down and many have gone into liquidation as the economy and

investor confidence goes down. South Africa is currently sitting with an unemployment rate of over 40%. In addition to the income tax, there are various taxes and levies that hit hard on the ordinary man in the street. 14% Vat on all perishable and non-perishable goods make it difficult for families to survive because these taxes are also levied on telephone accounts, water and lights account. In addition to the vat, debtors also add interest for not paying in time. PAYE (pay as you earn) is also deducted from employees salaries. Despite this, the word of God says: give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Matt 22:17-21 Churches, business and family members need to take tax seriously and where possible employ professionals to run their tax affairs because through negligence and ignorance they can either end up in jail or in serious debt. 3.6 Law-suites Many families and individuals have found themselves impoverished and in debt after what they thought would be a short legal procedure ended up dragging and costing more than budgeted for. Unscrupulous lawyers also strive on victims of the law. M.V.A claims have promised huge payouts only to find that the actual amount paid out is far less. 17. Some people borrow money equal to the initial claim only to find they receive a far less amount than expected. Estates taking long to be wounded up also take lots of finances and families end up loosing a greater percentage of their inheritance towards paying lawyers who suddenly present a final account with lots of hidden costs. It is imperative that every child of God should watch and pray that they enter not into temptationMatt 26:41. Many people have slept and woke up in debt the next day loosing property and goods that they had accumulated throughout theirs lives. Because they owe more than they can repay. Let us take care and build a hedge around our property by avoiding to land in debt and start running our finances Gods way. 3.7 Signing as surety for someone

Surety is a devastating trap that only leads to hurts and bondage. Avoid signing as surety for someone. Surety can be dangerous when the party involved does no longer or through some mishap is unable to honor his or her financial obligation. Prov 11:15 He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hates suretyship is sure. Prov 17:18 A man void of understanding strikes bonds and becomes surety in the presence of his friend.

18. 3.8 Unemployment and Retrenchment Due to several reasons both known and unknown, a number of businesses have closed down. Some have done so because of failure to pay their taxes whilst some have gone into liquidation. Some business owners do not have confidence in a black managed government and have deliberately closed down and have invested their monies offsure. Some foreign investors are adopting a wait and see attitude before they plough in investments. South Africa is currently sitting with unemployment rate of over 40% and that is why crime is rife. People who lost their jobs went into debt as well. These words of wisdom are from Gods financial Principles. The way we run our finances must be in line with the word of God. Our financial standing as Christians must be so impressive that the world will want to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

19. 2. CHAPTER 4 HOW DEBT AFFECT US Maria is a devoted Christian, she has been punctual at work, excellent in all she was assigned to do. At church she has been a regular tither and a faithful giver. Her bills were paid in time and she bought most of her things in cash. Recently Maria was promoted to the position of manager. She received double the salary she use to get and her lifestyle changed completely. She bought a car, moved to a more posh suburb in the inner city. She furnished her new home with expensive furniture from various furniture shops where she acquired credit. Maria was very disturbed at the end of the month to discover that all her money has to go towards account repayments. She has to pay for her new car, pay for her car insurance, and also supply petrol for every trip she has to take. Suddenly she could no longer afford to buy groceries. A friend advised her to apply for a credit card, petrol card and overdraft facilities from the bank. This was granted to Maria and now, she will buy food from the credit card, petrol from petrol card and

she will now have lots of money to spend. Maria was now able to spend the money the way she wanted to and she kept on spending without end. One day, Maria came home, she found that the house was dark, she tried to switch on, there were no lights. Her worker, Anna, came and gave her a letter from the City Council the electricity was disconnected. She immediately realized that she had not been paying her electricity account for the last two moths. She remembered that she had overdraft facilities that she can utilize for this emergency. She went to the electronic teller machine to try and withdraw some cash. On arrival, the transaction was declined because she had overdrawn her account. She immediately drew a statement on her account and discovered that she had made lots of withdrawals and has exceeded her limit. 20. She went home frustrated and thought of phoning a friend to seek help. When she picked up the phone to call, a message from the phone cautioned her that the phone had been suspended. She burst into frenzy of tears and started to break down. Her daughter Xoli, arrived from school and brought a note to her this was a final demand for school fees. It never rains but pours. Her Aunt who she has been owing some money, arrived the same evening requesting the outstanding money to be paid with immediate effect. This brought her into confrontation with Maria because she was emotional in handling the issue; the situation was almost out of control and nearly became violent. As Maria was praying, asking God to intervene in her situation, she remembered that ever since she was promoted, she has never tithed, she has given very little, she has neglected God, and her self interest had increased, she realized that she had let God down, yet God has been so good to her. She started to weep, condemned her self, stopped going to church, she was feeling guilty and sinful. Maria received numerous phone calls at work from her bank, requesting her to settle her account immediately. She got a letter from school threatening her with legal action. Maria became a ball of emotions; she was continuously at loggerheads with people at work and her performance deteriorated. She was spending restless nights and she developed nervous tension and

had to be admitted to a psydiatric hospital for acute depression. Just like Maria, many of us are caught by the web of debt and when we are in debt we get personally affected and in return we affect many other people and even our relationship with God is also affected. Our attitude to money and how we manage our finances can seriously be affected. Money is not only coins and currency. It is also a means by which people rate their own personal success. It is in most cases a source of tremendous conflict between husbands and wives, seeblings, relatives and friends.

21. The word of God reveals that the way you conduct your finances indicates a lot about the condition of your heart. People who ignore Gods way of handling money are directed by selfishness, lack of discipline and it is important for us to know that Christians must study the Bible and discover Gods view of money and how it should be used. Many families lack contentment and eventually they land in debt impoverishing their family members. We should stop hoarding money trusting that it will be our security or even stop over spending money hoping to find pleasure. Rather let us live a life of contentment and believe God for our prosperity. Some people are affected by the fact that they do get money but are very careless in the way they spend their money. Debt affects individuals and their families in many different ways. It causes anxiety and psychological pain to an individual, the individual also gets heightened emotionally and develops mood swings, usually this is accompanied by a feeling of self - condemnation, a feeling of uselessness and this can also lead to acute depression. An individual, who fails to pay the bills, feels irresponsible and this leads to a low self - esteem. A person who is in debt spends lots of sleepless nights (insomnia), lack of sleep leads to fatigue and loss of appetite, this can be a chain reaction and can lead to many diseases like ulcers, high blood pressure,

stress as well as cardiac problems. 4.1 DEBT CAUSES DIVORCE Failure to manage ones debt has been a major reason why some couples have been divorced. Many spouses left the marriage when they discovered that there was more debt than money to repay their accounts. Debt strains the marriage relationship and partners start to blame each other for their failure to manage their financial matters. They become broken - hearted as their goods are repossessed and they hurt each 22. other in words and emotions run high. Eventually communication stops and the marriage ends up in a divorce. When debt comes, the family is impoverished and parents fail to honour their financial responsibilities to their children. Children grow up being the greatest sufferers, as they become the pawns in the money game. 4.2 DEBT DIVIDES FAMILIES In most cases when a person is in debt, the tendency is that they quickly yield to the temptation of going to their next of kin to borrow money. Son borrows from father, sister borrows from brother etc. the problem begins when one fails to pay back. Many family relationships have been greatly strained by such behavioral tendencies. Fathers have been noted to have stopped talking to their sons because of the unfulfilled promises to pay back what was due to them by their children. Even lifetime friends and relatives turned lifetime enemies within a Short space of time when money owed was not paid back. The main cause of debt in the families is that families spend more than what they earn. Debt facilities encourage a lifestyle of uncontrolled spending. 4.3 Debt Encourages a Lifestyle or Uncontrolled Spending The easy availability of facilities for plastic money has made borrowing much easier than before. Almost everything can be purchased though plastic money e.g. petrol, clothes, food, etc. These facilities are given in a form of loan repayments, they are pre-approved and a limit is given.

This is buying power given to you, to spend money you do not have. Money given out by the financial institutions is charged at the interest of between 21 - 25 %. Although a credit card can be a good facility, one must learn the art of controlling it and not visa versa.

23. Status symbols like the gold card also makes allowances for people with better affordability to have more buying power. Even students fresh from school starting to work are presented with this plastic power and this teaches them to live on debt for the rest of their lives. Proverbs 22:6,7 says: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it. The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is a servant to the lender.A child who learns to live on credit becomes a slave to the borrower. Children are taught a lifestyle of living on debt. Spouses buy almost everything they have on debt and are not patient enough to accumulate money and buy goods for cash. When month end comes, joy flies out of the window in the house when family members discover that they cannot pay their bills - then fighting begins. 4.4 Debt leaves us open to Temptation People who are in debt are desperate for money and can willingly support any move to get money whether legal or not. This vulnerability makes them open for temptation to crime and corruption. 4.5 Debt blacklists you People who fail to pay their debt and fail to negotiate with their debtors, end up in a deadlock with their debtors. The debtors then submit their names to the Credit Bureau which then lists a person as a person who is not credit worthy. This listing blacklists you and you can never be able to obtain any form of financial assistance anywhere you

want to purchase some goods on credit. However the Credit Bureau has been abused of late. People who have been listed have learned to be more financially organized and learnt to buy in cash. However new financial institutions are now helping these people but charging them more interest.

24. The spirit of debt has come even to the Nations. Recently many Africa nations that have loaned money requested the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to write their debts off. If this spirit is encourage by national leaders it is very easy for the people on the ground to accept this as a normal lifestyle. Debt has left some nations poor. Let us train our children to stay out of debt and learn to depart from making debt an acceptable lifestyle. Debt affects us in many ways.

25. CHAPTER 5 HOW TO GET OUT OF DEBT If it is possible, a Christian must stay out of debt altogether. By this I mean that all that you have must not be bought out of debt or hire purchase but all must be bought cash. This is one discipline that we must learn to put into practice. God wants us to be totally liberated in our finances. If we are bound financially, we shall not be able to serve God wholeheartedly. Sometimes Christians who are in debt cover up their irresponsibilities of poor financial management by saying God is allowing them to pass through a season and soon and very soon the blessings are coming their way. God has established a covenant with us and that covenant is that if we are His children, we shall be established financially. Confess this, believe it and be disciplined and you shall see how blessed your finances shall be. In this discussion I will focus on a few things that can be done if we are determined to win the war against debt. 5.1 Identify the spirit of debt and bind it Paul in I Timothy 6:11-12 says to Timothy .. fight the good fight of faith ... this is what we believers have been called to do. We need to declare warfare against the spirit of debt through developing intimacy with God. We need to know that debt is not from God and is brought about by the devil. The devil has only one agenda for the Christians; the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. John 10:10. Thank God for Jesus because we do not panic for we know that the devil has already been defeated. We need to take authority over debt which manifests itself in a form of a spirit. Debt is a spirit and it manifests itself in our lives. It is the force that divides us against our God, our family, our church and our debtors. Division leads to a fall. The plan of the devil is to divide and rule (Matt.13:25) .a house divided against itself will not stand. Debt is our enemy and it is to be opposed.

26. Debt advances against Gods will. Debt is a spirit that keeps us from prospering. A person who is controlled by the spirit of debt is also living in poverty. Matt. 12:29 states a very important point to note when you fight the spirit of debt: Or else how can one enter into a strong mans house and spoil goods except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house Debt is a spirit, it is the strongman of finance, binding many people into chains of financial bondage. Matt.16: 19 gives us spiritual authority to do it And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Yes, thank you Jesus that we have been given the keys to lock the spirit of debt behind bars. Right now let us bind the spirit of debt in our lives and release financial breakthrough and posses our wealth; let us not allow the devil to be a hindrance to our financial prosperity. Pray, repent, fast against this spirit bearing in mind Eph.6 that it is a spirit we are to fight. Finally ask the Holy Spirit to guide you because He is the commander of our spiritual battles. Do not grieve the Spirit of God, listen to Him and allow Him to guide you in the use of your finances. 5.2. Work out a plan to get out of debt Set up a strategy of dealing with debt by drawing a plan, have a vision to get out of debt. Once there is a plan, God will make provision. Once the plan is drawn, commit it to the Lord in prayer and He will prosper it Ps.37: 5. Draw a list of all your bills and start paying them off from the smallest bill. Once it is paid off do not go for another debt but pay off the next until you remain with your largest bill. Pay only one bill at a time until you are out of debt. With commitment and sacrifice, a written plan can help you to eliminate your enemy (debt) completely. It is also of vital importance that you speak to your debtors about your financial position.

27. Do not ignore debtors or try to cheat or even try to buy time. Tell them or arrange with them you will pay (date) and how you will pay. 5.2.1 Ask God to give you ideas to support your plan In II Kings 4: 1-7 Elisha advised a widow who was in debt and in danger of loosing her children to do the following: 5.2.1.1 Sell some goods in the house to pay off your debt He asked her a thought-provoking question, what do you have in your house? The answer to some of your problems is within your house. There are many items and goods that you keep at your house that you can sell. Identify the goods and sell them to pay off your debts. 5.2.1.2 Borrow Vessels Elisha advised the woman to borrow the vessels in the neighborhood. Go and study how people operate their side-business in other words get lots of business ideas and adopt one to suit your environment as well as your pocket. You can open an opportunity of a lifetime for you and your family. Look for a stall at a flea market and sell something. Use your hands to do craftwork and look for a market place to sell the product. Pray for a business idea and God will open doors that you never thought would be open for you. Apply your faith and the situation around you will change. My prayer is that Banks shall begin to be more supportive to people with ideas and release the finances they so desperately need to fulfill their God given desire. 5.2.1.3 Shut the door and pour out the oil When God has given you the idea, register the idea. Many people in black communities do not register the ideas that God has given them. This results in people copying the idea. Register the idea and let anyone who likes your idea buy it as a franchise from you. An example I can quote is that of amasi. The brand name for amasi and amahewu is originally a black mans idea. But guess who is running the supply and distribution of these predominantly black products? The so called spaza shops and chicken dust are other examples.

28. If you do not register an idea, somebody just copies the idea next door and the business idea spreads like a mushroom limiting the potential owner to benefit from his brainchild. The saddest part is that the founder of the idea dies a poor man. Colonel Sanders of the Kentucky Fried Chicken I am sure died a millionaire because he registered his idea and people who like his idea have to pay for using his idea. 5.2.1.4 Pour the oil into the vessels until they are full The oil is yours but the vessels are borrowed. After you have borrowed business ideas, put in your own talent or ability into the business idea that will suit your skills and market. Work hard on your business and do not tire until you have saturated both your idea and target market. Go sell the oil, pay your debts and live with the rest. Sell your products, involve your children. If the idea works well it will become a family inheritance for your children as well. When money comes in, do not forget to pay your debt. Save the rest to enable you and your children to enjoy a debt free life. 5.3. Apply for a financial rehabilitation If your finances are in such a mess that none of the above plans can help you, pray seriously and be sure you are hearing from God and then ask for godly counsel. Do not rush to take peoples opinions but rely entirely from the counsel of the Spirit of God. When all has failed and I believe that you will also be convinced that this is the only last resolve, consult the professionals and apply for financial rehabilitation. Prov.24: 6 For by wise counsel thou shall make thy war" Study the following examples of alternative measures that can be taken when people have very serious problems. 29.

The following are the Assets, Liabilities, Income and Expenditure for the three families: the Abel, Botha and Cane family.

A.

B.

C.

Family A Income > Expend. Family B.Income < Expend. Family C.Income = Expend. ASSETS ASSETS VALUE ASSETS VALUE VALUE Fixed Property (House) Fixed property (house) 0.00 Fixed Property (house) 100,000.00 165, 000.00 Motor vehicle Motor Vehicle 35,000.00 Motor Vehicle 50,000.00 0.00 Tractor with trailer Furniture & fittings 12,000.00 Furniture &fittings 20,000.00 20,000.00 Furniture & fittings Shares (investments) 2,000.00 Shares (investment) 0.00 16.000.00 Unit Trusts Electricity deposit 800.00 Electricity Deposit 1,000.00 2,500.00 Electricity Deposits Cash on hand Cash @ Bank 500.00 500.00 Cash @ Bank 200.00 LIABILITIES Mortgage Cash on hand 200.00 1,000.00 Cash on hand Bond 0.00 Motor LIABILITIES Mortgage bond 350.00 LIABILITIES Mortgage vehicle 22,000.00 50,000.00 Motor vehicle(loan) Bond (house) 151,000.00 Furniture & fittings 0.00 10,000.00 Furniture & fittings Furniture & Fittings Edgars/Sales H.Truwor. 5,000.00 2,000.00 Clothing, Edgars etc. 2,000.00 Std Bank personal loan 5,000.00 600.00 Std.Bank pers.loan Edgars,SalesH.Truworths Bank overdraft 5,000.00 0.00 Bank overdraft 6,000.00 Bank Overdraft Bills payable 5,000.00 0.00 Bills payable 200.00 Bills Payable Sundry creditors 3,000.00 0.00 Sundry creditors 5,000.00 Sundry Creditors INCOME SALARY (wife) 200.00 INCOME SALARY (wife) 100.00 INCOME SALARY 5,000.00 SALARY (husband) 2,000.00 SALARY (husband) (wife) 0.00 1, 500.00 Investment 5,100.00 Investment Other SALARY (Husband) 0.00 Other EXPENSES Tithe & Offerings 8,000.00 Investment 0.00 EXPENSES Tithe & (650.00) Taxation 500.00 Other Offerings (700.00) Taxation (1,300.00) Pension 1,000.00 EXPENSES Tithes & (1,400.00) Pension (450.00) UIF Offerings (1,000.00) (500.00) UIF 50.00) Medical Aid Taxation (50.00) Medical Aid (500.00) Rent/Bond payment (1,950.00) Pension (500.00) Rent/Bond payment (1,100.00) Furniture Installment (600.00) UIF (1,000.00) Furniture Installment (100.00) Credit cards 0.00 Medical Aid (200.00) Credit cards 0.00 Car insurance (500.00) Rent/Bond payments (300.00) Car insurance (200.00) Rates & taxes (2,000.00) Furniture Installment (200.00) Transport cost (200.00) Electricity & water (300.00) Credit Cards (200.00) Clothing Edgars etc (350.00) Telephone Accounts (800.00) Life Insurance (500.00) Rates & Taxes ( 100.00) Cellular ( vodacom) (200.00) Transport cost 0.00 Electricity & water (400.00) Groceries (400.00) Clothing Edgars etc. (400.00) Doctor/chemist (400.00) Helper/Gardner (500.00) Rates & Taxes (200.00) Telephone Accounts 0.00 (500.00) Electricity & water 0.00 Cellular (Vodacom) (600.00) Doctor & Chemist (200.00) Groceries (200.00) Telephone Accounts (500.00) Helper/Gardner (120.00) Cellular (Vodacom) (200.00) (100.00) Groceries (500.00) Helper/Gardner (230.00) Surplus/(Deficit) Surplus/(Deficit) (2, 750.00) Surplus/(deficit) (50.00) (1,000,00) N.B.Surplus or deficit is determined by subtracting income from expenses. Net Asset Value (owners equity) is determined by subtracting liabilities from Assets.

30. FINANCIAL REHABILITATION PLAN QUESTION: You are requested to advise the two families, to either

implement the plan or have the budget. SOLUTION TO THE QUESTION ABOVE Family A have a deficit of 1000.00. but their Income is supposed to be more than their expenses. TWO IMPORTANT THINGS THAT THE FAMILY A CAN DO 3. The tractor and trailer worth 20,000.00 can be sold and the proceeds be used to pay off the furniture, Edgars, Bank and sundry creditors. The following list of expenses will be removed and a Surplus of 600.00 will be realized. Furniture 300.00 Credit cards 800.00 Edgars 500.00 __________ Total Cashflow 1600.00 After paying all the liabilities, they still have R7, 000.00 which can be invested somewhere and earn interest. 4. The A. familys Balance Sheet is very strong, borrowing wont harm them. If a loan of R13, 000 is raised at a monthly installment of sayR500.00. The net results is that a surplus of R1, 100-00 will be realized. Therefore a simple Rehabilitation plan can help the A. Family.

31. FAMILY B. Family B have a deficit of R2750.00 This familys Balance Sheet is weak, they are highly geared (borrowed).

Borrowing wont help this family but will get them into more serious financial problems. A solution for this family is a FINANCIAL REEHABILITATION PROGRAM Voluntary Distribution Plan has to be made and Creditors be approached. The Magistrate Courts Act 32 of 1994 (as amended) section 74 can be invoked by the Debtor if cooperation is not forthcoming. FAMILY C. Family C has a deficit of R50.00. This family has a very strong Balance Sheet. All they need is a good plan (budget) Long term and Short term. (Spending wisely)

Consolidation of Debt When you owe too many debtors, you can consult financial consultants who can take over your account and make one loan for you to be able to settle all your accounts under one account - This is the consolidation of your debts. Instead of paying many isolated accounts you pay one account until your account has been fully settled. *

32.

5.4 Draw a budget and stick by it Our money in a form of salary comes from God. If you can begin to see God as Jehovah Jireh, your provider, then you will understand that your employer is used by God, God is your actual pay master. If you are grateful enough you will be cautious on how to use your salary or wages. When you receive your money, ask the Lord to bless it and then draw a plan of how you want to use the money. Write out a plan of anticipated expenditure and list it in order of priority. A budget helps to keep you focused and helps you to make responsible decisions. Becareful of the small purchases During summer, when trees have produced good fruit, there are small flies called fruit flies. These flies are very small but they can completely destroy the fruit. The budget can be completely disorganized by the small purchases that one has not budgeted for. Small flies cause great damage, small purchases cause a dent in your budget. Luke 14:28 endorses the fact that we have to plan for everything that we have to do successfully. If the Lord is master of your life, put Him as a priority in your finances. Many people do not care about budgeting and some never care to budget and therefore find themselves exceeding their boundaries of spending and wasting a lot of money. Let us now have a look at an example of a family budget. The only time I recommend a loan or borrowing of finances is when you want to consolidate your accounts or want to buy a car, house, and furniture. You must be able to pay back the loan and get out of it as soon as possible.

33.
HOME BUDGET GROSS INCOME: MONTH_____________ YEAR__________

5. Salaries

___________

6) Dividends_________ 7) Sale of goods______ 8) Capital gain _______ 9) Other ___________

6. ___________ 7. Extra Job ___________ 8. Rental ___________

9. Interest

___________ INCOME TOTAL

Tithe Offering Tax Medical Aid Bond or Rent Water/Elec./ Rates Telephone/Fax/ Post General groceries Meat Milk/bread/cheese Vegetables Sweets/chips/coldrinks Take aways Entertainment Transport/cars/petrol/license Books/tapes/cd s/ videos Clothing Education/ School fees Extras Insurance Premiums Life Insurance Investments Savings Holiday Installments Purchases Home improvements/ maintenance Furnishings Birthdays/Gifts & Toys TV Linces x12 Maid Other

Last Months (Surplus) or Shortage Expenses Total (Surplus) or shortage

34. Percentages It is suggested that God should be considered as the important part of your budget. Therefore the tithe - 10% of the gross income must be a Christians priority. Another aspect that must be considered is the

savings. Savings should be 10% of your paycheque. The living expenses can be about 75% and 5% can be utilized as an emergency fund. Make your budget simple and realistic. Be ready to adjust in case of emergencies. Start teaching your children at the age of thirteen (teenage) to start managing their allowances through a budget and tithe. They must be taught how to earn extra money and how to budget and spend money wisely. Prov.22:6 train up a child. 5.5. Live a simple lifestyle Deal with the roots and not the fruits of the problem. If you want to remove an orange tree growing on your entrance, you do not become content by removing loads and loads of oranges or by pruning lots of branches. This is no wisdom at all. Cut the roots, it is the roots that produce the orange tree. Fight against the sophisticated lifestyle that you lead that eventually leads you to overspending. Know exactly what it is that leads you to overspending. Pride can cause you to buy very expensive furniture in order to compete with friends or neighbors. Sometimes people buy things they cannot afford just to create an impression that they are rich. This is a false impression, you are not only deceiving others but yourself as well. Use a taxi instead if you are failing to maintain the car. Sell your car or park it if you cannot afford to run its expenses. Take your child to a cheaper and affordable school without compromising the standard. Relocate to a cheaper and more affordable place than live where the rates are expensive and the bond is beyond your affordability. Why keep a cellphone when you cannot even afford airtime for emergencies? You can live without a cellphone, it is all in the 35. mind. Do not live on overdraft facilities, use your paycheque and learn to live on your affordability. Plan your life; do not be swayed by the crowd, live your life; do not allow life to live you. John Wesley always wore cheap clothes, ate a simple meal and gave a lot even though he was a rich man. He kept one forty seventh of his earnings and gave away 98%.

Many people go into expenses because they want to prove a point to people. If we can learn to live a simple lifestyle lived by birds and flowers, we shall enjoy in its simplicity. Let us stand strong on the word of God and do it. Eat the food your purse can afford and wear the clothes you can afford to buy. if you live a simple life, you will learn to put your trust in God and when you trust Him and put all your cares upon Him, He will surely meet your needs on a day to day basis. 5.6 Trust God for His intervention When you seem defeated, ask for Gods miraculous intervention. However do not have a wrong misconception about the purposes of miracles. Do not disqualify yourself from receiving your miracle by not paying tithes and giving offerings. Do not become careless about your spending priorities. God will only reveal Himself if you do things according to His will. In II Kings 6 we see God miraculously paying off the debt of a widow through giving her a business idea of how to make money. This woman who was in serious trouble in her financial bondage. In II Kings 6:5-6 we also see the prophet Elijah retrieving the axe that was borrowed and it fell into the water. This was a debt that was accidentally incurred by the sons of the prophets. Through the faith of the man of God, he cut down a stick and cast it to the position of the axe head. A miracle happened, the iron began to swim. This was a miraculous debt cancellation. A word of caution is that once again do not deliberately commit debts and hope to escape through the gate of faith. Remember James 2:17 declares that faith without works is dead. God will only deliver you if you combine your faith with your works. Wait for Gods intervention when you have reached a cul de sec in your life. Change your attitude and rely on the power from above. 36. 5.7 Do not make a loan to pay your debt When in debt, do not sink yourself deeper through the loan system. If you are in debt and you go for another loan, you are just transferring the problem from one name to the other. Cash loans, revolving credits are very effective means of binding you into high interest rate repayments. Some institutions can even recommend longer periods of repayment but lesser premiums. Always look out for

the catch, a borrower is a slave to the lender. Remember it is normal to borrow occasionally but once you are forced to borrow money to pay your debts, you need to know that you are now living in bondage. 5.8. Do not rely on your salary find extra income When God made man, he put him in the garden of Eden so that the Garden should provide for his needs. Gen. 2: 7-9 Beyond that God set up a river which was parted into four heads. Gen. 2:10-14. I believe that the Lord has made provision for us not only to drink From one source i.e. our employer only, but also to explore other side Careers e.g. part time jobs to aungement on our salaries especially if we have debts. We need also to go into side business to sell something that can bring income to improve our financial position or even learn a skill or trade that we can convert to cash. When God send Moses he said to him: What do you have in your hands. Let us discover the potential that God has put in us and God has given unlimited potential. Let us not be lazy to work hard and unleash what God has put in us.

37. CHAPTER 6 PRINCIPLES FOR FINANCIAL PROSPERITY A question often asked by many people is whether or not God is in favour of abundance or poverty in a believers life. The word of God through the scripture clearly reveals that we can never achieve anything without faith in God. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6); without faith you are a non-achiever. Again in Psalm

35:27; the word of God says. God has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. We need to know that God has pleasure in our prosperity (3 John 1:2); and not in poverty. Our prosperity is based on using Gods formula for success. This formula is based on the Bible. God has a plan to prosper us and not to harm us. (Jeremiah 29:11). David also endorses this in Ps 23:1 when he says: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. There is nothing that we can ask from God and not get it. Matt 7:7; Matt 21:22, John 11:22, John 14:13-14. We must learn to trust God entirely (Ps 20:7). If you trust God with all of your strength, you will understand the reason why you do not need to borrow - We borrow because we doubt God, because we are impatient and cannot wait on God. We need to know that God can meet all our needs according to his riches in Glory.(Phil 4:19). Let us apply Gods principles in our lives and the doors of prosperity shall be wide opened for us. Let us take a close look at some principles that can really bring transformation if truly applied. 6.1 Pay your tithe I believe and I am fully convinced that the tithe is responsible for the success of many believers in nowadays. This is my practical experience and no one can convince me. Show me a tither and I will show you successful person. There are some schools of theology who advocate for the abandonment of the tithing principle because they believe that it is an Old Testament economic ideology. 38. My experience as a pastor of our church has shown me that there is a difference between the prosperity of a tither and a non-tither. Malachi 3:8-12 says non-tithes are robbers of God; they are cursed; the windows of heaven are closed for them, the devourer enjoys a share in their finances. Satan takes a tithe from their salary by force. The tither meanwhile experiences the extreme opposite: they are blessed, the windows of heaven are opened for them, and the devourer is rebuked from their finances. We must be regular Tithers and not on and off Tithers.

Tithing was also part of Mosaic Law aimed at supporting the Levites who were full-time, but it is important for us to know that tithing started 430 years before the law of Moses was introduced. Tithing was never limited to the law but we also read about tithing in the New Testament. The Bible declares that if we do not tithe, we are robbers and we are financially cursed. No amount of praying, fasting or blessing from your pastor can help you out of this predicament. Be not deceived by people going around teaching that tithing is outdated and unscriptural. When tithes are given to Ministers of the gospel, they are actually given to the head of the church, Christ our Lord. We must give the tithe as an act of thanksgiving and worship to God. Tithing is just the beginning of giving, tithing belongs to God, and it is to say thank you Lord. Offering is determining the extent of your harvest. You reap according to what you plant. If you saw sparingly you shall reap sparingly, and if you plant Bountifully, you shall reap bountifully. (2 Cor 9:6). We need to tithe also from our capital and assets. This is scriptural (Prov 3:9-10). When you sell your house, or business, you need to pay a tithe on the gain you made. Even when you receive shares, an estate or profit on investments, life policies, these represent income or capital gain. You need to tithe on the profit you get. Everything that you have belongs to God, give to God so that you can be blessed.

39. Borrowing from the tithe If you borrow some of your tithe because you are tight, you are required to pay your usual 10% for the next month plus what you have borrowed, plus 20% of what you have borrowed. Leviticus 27:31 And if a man will at all redeem any of his tithe, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. It is therefore better not to borrow from your tithes.

Tithe without expecting a return but as a form of thanksgiving, obedience and worship to God. Tithing is for your own protection and you are obliged to pay this portion of your income because that money belongs to God. Let us live in full obedience to God and enjoy His blessings in our lives. 6.2 Be a cheerful giver Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2Cor 9:7 Giving is a form of worship. What you decide to give is a personal decision coming from your heart, not under any compulsion. Giving is a sacrifice to God. Something of very precious value that you give to God in a form of an offering. An offering is what you give over and above the tithe. Offering is what draws your near to God. It is something that shakes you from your financial comfort zone. Giving is a reflection of your of your attitude to God. Types of offering Numbers 28 mentions different types of offering. There can be various reasons why people offer but the motive must be biblical. People can give for the promotion of the gospel. People can make special offerings (2Cor 8:2-4; Exodus 25:1-2; People can give to the poor Prov 19:17; Matt 25:42,45) you can give to your fellow believers (Gal 6:10), you are also expected to give to your enemies (Luke 6:27) when we give, we are not loosing, when we give we shall never lack, God will increase our resources. We need to give abundantly. We need to know that God will not entrust us with more wealth if we do not prove 40. to be faithful with what we have. As a nation, we also need to know that we have a social responsibility to give to poor people. Disadvantaged communities have even a bigger challenge, and the = challenge is to learn to move out of the dependency syndrome (where things are done for you and you live on handouts) to independence (where we must learn to give collectively to transform our communities and to improve our lives and resources). Acts 20:35 says: It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Plant a Seed Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. The word of God confirms the fact that if you saw, you must reap. The principle is clear no sawing no reaping. If you plant one seed of oranges on the ground how many seeds do you get back in one Orange? Obviously the one seed has multiplied itself miraculously through Gods plan of a hundredfold return. The same principle applies to what we give to God. It is multiplied accordingly. 2Cor 9:6-7 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. The amount of your harvest is determined by you. What you put into Gods multiplication process determines how much you get out. In other words your input determines your output. It is also important for us to note that God is impressed by quality giving and not quantity. Your attitude when you give also plays an important role, God is impressed by a cheerful giver. Remember God only multiplies what you have put down. When you have planted a seed, exercise a bit of patience like a farmer. Do not be tempted to go and dig out the seed and check whether it is growing or not. Put your trust in God who is your source at this timing the seed will yield the harvest. 41. 6.3. Start a Savings Plan A good man leaveth an inheritance to his childrens. Prov 13:22. A wise man has to plan his future is such a way that his family and children are secured. We need to train even our children to lean how to save money at an early stage. Children will be adults soon and parents must prepare them to start developing a habit of saving so that when they earn their living they will be disciplined to act responsibly on their finances. I would advice young couples to start at a very early age to save for the future of their children. An example is that of a couple who start taking out an investment savings on the birth of their child and they continue to increase the premiums with

an objective to give their child. Plan and Save for your retirement. Take a good retirement package that will be almost equal to your salary. Remember that towards retirement a greater percentage or your money will be used towards medical expenses - plan for your medical insurance as well. Plan not to be in debt when you retire pay off all major debts like the bond and other major debts. Draw a will to protect your investments and appoint an administrator of your Estate. Many people do not have a will, this leads to squabbles in the family. 6.4 When you make a vow keep it Deut 23:21 When you shall vow a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not slack to pay it: for the Lord your God will surely require it of you; and it would be sin in you. Do not betray God by making a promise that you later fail to fulfill, this will dent your spiritual relationship with God. Be faithful and get Gods blessings on your side. Gods financial principles will make us prosperous if we obey and allow God to be master of both our finances and property as well as our lives. 42. CHAPTER 7. POSESS THE LAND In Deut. 1:6 the Lord spoke to the children of Israel saying to them Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: this statement suggests that it is action time! It is the time to change the mind; it is time to focus on new ideas! and move in a new direction. God commands the Israelites to venture into new areas around them and begin to explore and conquer them. In verse 8 God assures them that He has already made provision, they must posses the land which He has already given to them as a nation. This statement is very relevant to South Africans, it is time that Africans start breaking the

tents where they have camped for a very long time and start doing what God said they must do, to posses (own) the land and all that is in it. However many people want to posses but they dont know how. We are briefly going to discuss a few principles that can help us to posses. 7.1 You cannot posses before you are possessed. The earth and all that is in it belongs to the Lord. Psalm 24:1 the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell in therein. Your entire life needs to be possessed by God, then you will have a direction of what and how to posses. Only sons of God born through the blood of Jesus are entitled to be heirs of the heritage: John 1:12 but as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. 7.2 Take the lead to posses, Deut 28:13 says.You shall be the head and not the tail, you shall be above and not underneath. Apartheid has damaged the minds of African people; their self-esteem has been so lowered that they fail to recognize the God given potential in them. To possess the land we need people who will know and discover that they have Gods creative ability within them and all they need to do is to unleash what is within them and allow God to move in His 43. creative ability within the individual. We need to spend more time discovering our talents, skills and develop the God given ability within us. Africa needs people who will think big ideas! Gods thoughts are beyond human limitations. It is not wrong to think big! Our God is a very big God, let us ask God to enlarge our capacity to think and let it extend beyond any limitation. Never stop thinking, if you get tempted to stop thinking big, continue to think and even to start thinking for those who have not started to think big as yet. Whilst you think your own thoughts, do not undermine or overlook thoughts that have been thought by others, read about their ideas, analyze them, let them challenge you and them use them selectively according to your suitability.

When God gives you new ideas, and you test them and find that they work, register the idea and enfranchise it. Africa has been very careless about good ideas, some of them if they were registered and enfranchised, could have increased the number of black millionaires in the country. Instead, other nations took the concepts, registered them and today they have the sole right to sell the product. [Examples of these are Amasi (sour milk) and Amahewu (Mageu)]. Spaza shops could have been a workable franchise had the first man thought about registering the idea. He could have become a millionaire just for thinking big. Another concept that could have produced another millionaire is that of the roast chicken on the road (chicken dust). We have lost golden opportunities on the ginger gemmer, which is a traditional drink; this is now a product of Coca-Cola yet its roots are in Africa. 7.3 Venture into every area in life and explore it. Deut 1:7 is challenging us to venture into virgin territories and look for business opportunities. Mountains, plains, hills, valleys. Seaside, land, rivers, etc. are mentioned as possible areas for exploration. Africans must come out of the idea that business is only in the cities, we need to go all over the country and look for business opportunities, if there is need to study, let us study and utilize all possible resources. People must be broad-minded and be willing to learn and also know that there is a great element of risk - taking that is involved when you have to possess the land. They must be prepared to 44. face both opposition and competition but within them, they must strive to produce nothing but the best. 7.4 Multiply your leadership ability In Deut 1:10 we learn that God is a God of multiplication, every good leader must make sure that he/she multiplies his leadership ability. African traditional healers had accumulated vast knowledge of herbs that were able to cure many sickness and diseases but because they never trained somebody else for taking over their business, when they died, they died with all their knowledge and ability. African leaders must aim at becoming excelling leaders, they must multiply their leadership ability, they must equip themselves through networking and studying. They must not be weary of spending money on knowledge, seminars,

workshop and books in order to get knowledge and expertise. They must not only focus on self-development but must also extend their ability to the empowerment of their subordinates. They must develop, train and empower the workforce that God has given them. Their subordinates must also go for skills development in the areas of their own needs. Africans must not fear to venture into the previously so called no go areas where only white people dominated the fields. We need a lot of our young people in the field of aviation, technology as well as many other new avenues. Africans must not fear to venture into profitable virgin territories, as they must be conquered. 7.5 Go for silver and gold and all the minerals Abraham was greatly blessed of God because God had given him flocks and herds, silver, gold, servants, camels and asses (Gen.24:35). In Haggai 2:8 the Almighty God reveals that He is the owner of silver and gold and this makes it difficult for one to understand why this has become the sole privilege of a few individuals or a group of selected people only to own minerals. One wonders why Gods people who so need riches are deprived of the God given opportunity to own the mineral wealth of this nation. Minerals like iron, tin, brass, copper, diamonds are amongst the resources that should be freely accessed by all mankind so that the creation of wealth can be an opportunity for all. Haggai 2:8 the silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. 45. Our country must sincerely consider the equitable distribution of land, mineral wealth and resources. Africans must feel the sense of ownership of the land and all its contents. People have been granted political rights but what people really need is the actual possession of wealth in the form of land, property, livestock and mineral recourses. Politicians must support this move soon by expediting legislation pertaining to equitable distribution of the above natural resources. 7.6 Go for every available opportunity The reason why many people fail is because, they see problems in everything they do. Africans must stop seeing problems in every situation instead they must look for opportunities that will brighten their future. The bitter past that many people went through is the cause of stagnancy in many peoples lives. Africans must knock at every door where they see an opportunity. Let us not sit in a waiting room somewhere waiting for an opportunity to

come, instead let us be adventurers and go around looking for opportunities that will brighten our future. Remember, only hunters catch the prey, although many feast on the carcass. 7.7 Go into the depth of things, dont be shallow When the fisherman want to get the greatest catch, they launch deeper into the oceans (Luke 5:4). People who want to possess must fish deeper and get the best catch. Go deep into the things, gold, the most precious metal is found in the belly of the earth. Whales, the biggest of all fish are found in the depth of the oceans and they die if kept in the shallow waters. Big buildings are not built on a shallow foundations, but they are built on a deep and solid one. Africans need to research issues, go on fact - finding studies before they venture into life projects. There is a great need to know the needs of our community, our competitors as well as their strategies if we want to advance to greater heights. Know your threats and strong points. You can only know this if you dig deeper, go deep and fish deep into things.

46. 7.8 Give to worship God When it comes to giving, the motive behind giving is very important. The word of God says the giver is more blessed than the recipient (Acts 20:35). Furthermore it goes on to say God loves a cheerful giver (II Corinthians 9:7). I would like to encourage all givers to give with the intention of worshipping God. When you worship God with your substance God is able to bless you with His substance. In Malachi 1:14 God warns us not to offer a corrupt thing (unacceptable offering) but instead we must offer a pure offering (Malachi 1:11) because He is a great God. We must look for the God of things and then He will bless us, many people do the opposite, they go for the things of God and leave the God of things behind. If you give to get you will end up frustrated but if you give to worship God, you will flourish like a tree planted by the waters (Psalms 1:3) and people will envy you. Africans must get rid of the wrong focus on giving i.e. giving to get, this

mentality can give a false impression about Gods principles of blessings and falsify them as if they do not work. Let us worship God with our offerings and help to build cities, empires for the Kingdom of God. Let us buy every empty building available and establish Gods empires all over the world. Let us learn to invest in the visions that promote the kingdom of God. Learn to be generous in giving to the work of God. Gain all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can. John Wesley 7.9 Some Biblical Truths on the possession of the land 7.9.1 Remove the iron gates (Judges 16:3). Let us teach our children to start living a blessed and a prosperous life. Let them know that they can also be millionaires if they start planning today for tomorrow. The young people must study and compete with all other nationalities: they must remove the gates of inferiority and face all challenges without feeling intimidated. Parents must open good investments for their children so that when they 47. want to study or start life, there must be no financial constraints. Let us leave them a good inheritance (Prov.13:22). 7.9.2 Do not kill your brother ( Genesis 4:1) Cain, who was a farmer, killed his brother Abel who was a stock farmer, this is negative competition and it only leads to hurt and bitterness. Jacob also robbed his brother Esau of his birthright (Gen. 25:24) and his blessing (Gen.27:18). Africans must refuse to be used as fronts to companies that are only using their names to give a false impression of black empowerment. People who co-operate with this crime are selling both their birthright as well as their blessing. Remember, the blessing of the Lord make rich (Prov. 10:22). Africans must form partnerships especially with born again children of God. Draw up proper legal contracts with people: dont conduct business in a loose fashion.

7.9.3

Fight to restore what has been taken away from you (Nehemiah 4:14) Christians must use all forms of legal channels and legislations to restore or recover what has been unlawfully taken away from them. Nehemiah 4:14 states: and I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses. Because of the resistance and opposition to change, Africans need to know that whilst they try to posses the land, there will be giants trying to stop you from possessing the land. Corruption of leadership, racism, immorality are amongst the giants stopping us as we run towards the progress of the African nation. These forces are strongly used by some 48. institutions to retard the progress and development of the millions of African people. It is the time for the restoration of lives and wealth of African people. Their good cultural heritage, which has been both degraded and down throdden must be revived and fully implemented with all confidence that it is not an inferior culture. The land belongs to the people of God, the indigenous people; it has been given by God to them to posses and occupy. The word posses imply that the land has been unlawfully taken away from the people, it is in illegal hands. The land is the only God given natural heritage to people to allow them to accumulate health. With the land goes the mineral resources, the silver and gold, uranium and all other resources. People who own the land can farm and produce the crops (Agriculture); they can breed livestock (cattle, sheep, goats and poultry). They are able to manufacture and

produce goods that can be sold to earn livelihood. As you posses there might be resistance i.e. there were giants in the land of milk and honey. Also in the possession of land there might be a giant of racism where certain races may not want to share or even hand back what is due to other races. There might be financial giants who may hold the finances and cause financial limitations for those who want to posses. There might be resource giants, where there might be inadequacies, where there might be scarcity or even unavailability of resources. There might even be giants of complexes - the spies reported that they were grasshoppers as compared to the giants, some people have a grasshopper complex (inferiority) and some have a giant complex (superiority).

49. Possessing the land means controlling the economy While the political struggle is over, the economic struggle has just begun. The economy means the total control of the wealth and riches of the country. Africans can only say they are in control of the country whey they are in control of at least 80% of the total economy of the country. You cannot exercise power and influence over the nation if you do not have money. Money gives you a voice louder than the votes. Money makes you rich. No money, no riches, we all know that riches go with respect and hohour. 7.9.4 Declare Spiritual Warfare In possessing the land, let us also declare spiritual warfare on the enemy who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), the devil. Poverty and lack is a spiritual manifesting itself in the physical. Ephesians 6:12 says, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places. We have to fight poverty from all angles. Let the weak say I am strong, let the poor say I am rich! This is a confession we have to

make and let us remember confession leads to possession. Prosperity leads to liberation as children of God we should always confess against being poor. There is no possession without confession. We need to confess a debt free life continuously until we are debt free. Confession is not enough, action and talking go together. For us to get out of debt we need to work and work until we achieve our goals. We need to work beyond getting out of debt, we must aim at being rich. Deut 8:18 Remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to become rich. He does this because He is still faithful today to the covenant that He made with your ancestors. (Good News Bible) God has made a covenant with us, let us continue to confess and know that there is no way we can be rich without God. Remember, we have a covenant with God and it is to be rich, borrowing

50. is not part of our covenant with God; You will lend to many nations, but you will not have to borrow from any. Deut 28:12. A person who is borrower serves and becomes the slave of the borrower, we need to serve only one master, the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to apply our faith so that God may be manifested in our lives. Make a decision to stop making borrowing a lifestyle as from today. Decide to fight against the borrowing spirit. If you are a borrower today you will not be a lender in the future. Remember God favours lending or investing over borrowing because this principle promotes freedom from debt and stimulates or generates wealth. 7. 10 Business People to form Partnerships Business people must conduct their business professionally. If possible they should form partnership and consortiums. I suggest that if possible they should get into business with a Christian partner. They must ensure that all legal documents have been drawn before entering into contracts, with people. They must not forget to give in full to those who are needy and also not to forget God as a shareholder of their business. African business people must start bursaries to help the disadvantaged to achieve their life desires.

I hope and trust that after going through these ideas, you will be willing to commit yourself to these concepts, as a way of life, in order to become a good ambassador of Christ by the grace of God. May the good Lord keep us off from the claws of the debt that want to maul us.

51. CHAPTER 8. CONCLUSION The year 1994 marked a series of historical developments and transformation that moved both Africa and International community. South Africa became a democratic state where the majority of the people took over the political leadership. Black people became visible in many key political portfolios. However, whilst a lot of laws were passed to improve the rights and lifestyle of the African people, it has become clear that in the field of the economy, there are lots of serious concerns. Black people have been freed politically, but still they are still impoverished. The wealth, riches, mineral resources, land and property of the country is still in the hands of the minority people of the country. A number of people still resort to borrowing as a means of survival and this has caused debt to become an acceptable lifestyle. The majority of working South Africans owes banks and financial institutions and cannot claim to posses houses and land. This book is an attempt to motivate the African people to learn from the Israelites during the time of Moses. The Israelites fought for their freedom from Pharaoh through Moses, but it did not only end up with them

achieving their political and spiritual freedom but God also led them to enjoy economic freedom by possessing the land he had set before them (Deuteronomy 1:6-7). This land they were to posses had all the wealth, riches, property and mineral resources. God freed them from Egypt to go and posses Canaan. This is a wake up call to Africans, they need to know that it is time for possession. Possession means going around, knocking at every door and looking for opportunities in the economic, technical and all other related fields of economic empowerment. An important area of observation is that when Israelites were instructed to posses there were known obstacles hindering their possession, i.e. the walls of Jericho, the overflowing of

52. river Jordan and finally the giants. Some people saw more problems in venturing into the new territory and decided it was better to remain in the desert, those never reached Canaan. The only people who enjoyed the benefits of the Promised Land were those who had not seen the problems, but they saw a lifetime opportunity for success. Africans must not focus on problems of the past that closed doors of progress behind them, but they must knock at every door and open closed doors. Whilst seeking for blessings we need to focus on the fact that there is no way we can get blessings without honoring the Blesser of our Nation (the Almighty God), Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider. There is no way we can posses without being possessed. There is no way we can be free when we still bond ourselves to debt. We need to fight to live a debt-free life because that is Gods will for everyone. A story is told of a little boy who captured some birds in a cage. A lover of nature and animals who saw the danger of these birds in the hands of children asked the boy what he was going to do with the birds. The boy reported that he was going to unpluck their feathers one by one and watch them hack each other with their beaks until they die on by one. The lover of nature then enquired from the boy

what he could do to buy the birds freedom. The boy insisted on a reasonable payment. Then the lover of the nature gave the boy the ransom. The man then opened the cage and immediately the birds flew out. One flew to the ground and suddenly started to scratch on the ground and came out with a flattened worm. The little bird had been very hungry and started to enjoy the feed. He was freed to posses. The other bird flew directly to the nearest tree and started to enjoy the green leaves and was seen picking up some green leaves on its beak and started flying away in great haste. Freed to posses! Africans have been freed, they must now go and posses using all legal channels within availability. 53. The simplest way of getting out of debt is to live a simplified lifestyle of being content, learning to live within your means, and adopting Gods value system to be operational in your finances. This will be true prosperity.

Glossary of Terms
Debt - Owe more than you earn Lobola - Bridal price paid by the groom in a form of giftmoney. Umhlambiso - Traditional exchange of gifts by families of the engaged couple. Washing of shovels - A drinking spree after the burial of the deceased. Ten days - Cleansing ceremony held ten days after the deceased passed away. Khumula isizilo - Dropping of the mourning garment by the bereaved spouse usually after one year. Mashonisa - One who loans you money with great interest that will drown you.

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