Why We Need To Be Diligent

By James Abola

Personal Finance Management From A Christian Perspective

This week’s reflection is on diligence as an employee or an entrepreneur. The word diligent means steady application in business of any kind; constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken; exertion of body or mind without unnecessary delay or sloth; due attention; industry; assiduity.

Diligence is what a diligent person does. Therefore a diligent person is focused, persistent, action oriented, careful, productive and attentive. A diligent employee or entrepreneur is bound to be extremely successful.

Let us take a little bible survey to examine six blessings that accrue to the diligent person.

Diligence leads to dominion while laziness results in being dominated. Proverbs 12:24 “The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.”

Not many people are noble by birth, nor well connected; but they can still get ahead and become leaders and managers by being diligent. Joseph and Esther offer biblical examples of how otherwise ordinary people became rulers because they were diligent. Instead of hating or disliking the boss, be diligent and perhaps you will end up becoming boss one day.

Diligence makes the difference between being rich or poor. Proverbs 10:4 “He becomes poor who works with a slack and idle hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

A person who is diligent in work or business is able to increase his/her income through higher productivity and exceeding the expectations of the employer or customer.

Diligence is necessary for seizing opportunities. Proverbs 12:27 “The slothful man does not catch his game or roast it once he kills it, but the diligent man gets precious possessions.”

Many people either miss opportunities or don’t see them at all but being diligence will help you to both recognize and seize opportunities.

Diligence leads to profit and satisfaction. Proverbs 13:4 “The appetite of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied.”

Even when all doors are shut in her face, the diligent person will persist until they find a way.

Diligence leads to growth and promotion. Proverbs 22:29 “Do you see a man diligent and skilful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”

The diligent employee makes himself indispensable, by producing quality work. Similarly a diligent business owner will exceed the expectations of his clients making them repeat customers and unpaid marketing agents for his business. When you purpose to become excellent in something be it work or business, the quality of your work and your good reputation will open better doors for you.

Diligent planning avoids daydreams and nightmares. Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.”

Many people have lost money and even their reputation because of get rich quick schemes. The key to having more than enough or getting a financial breakthrough is by laying diligent plans. Diligent planning is not only well thought out but also gets implemented and is committed to God according to Proverbs 16:3. There is a Japanese saying that captures it well: “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”

Religion Vs The Kingdom Of God

Seems calling ourselves BORN AGAIN is like another religious sect. 

When I read through the scriptures, What Jesus preached wasn't anything to do with a sect. Today while introducing myself sometimes I have to emphasize that I am a born again Christian yet saying I am "A CHRISTIAN" should actually be enough (My life is Christ Jesus should actually reflect him in all I do, Paul declared It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God... - Galatians 2:20 ) (This probably means the word born again determines the depth of your Christianity but from my simple understanding, to be born again is to have access through Christ Jesus). 

The first place the disciples were called Christians was at a place called Antioch (Acts 11:19-26) These guys walked with Jesus, they could testify, his effect upon their lives was evident even though some denied him or they got scattered, the influence of the king spread through these few people. They saw him, touched him, experienced him at a deeper level, they were bond servants of the Lord, they spoke about what they believed not only what they heard about. They did not even have to introduce themselves as Christians because they were Christians, it was in their DNA and it is what they lived by.

Being a Christian makes me a Kingdom Citizen. Nicodemus was told by Jesus that he wouldn't enter the Kingdom of God unless he was born again(John 3:1-21) (This calls for a spiritual birth - spiritual renewal). When Jesus was baptized, the words that came out of his mouth were REPENT for the KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND (Mathew 3:2). Why do we focus so much on religion yet this is what Jesus actually dispelled so much and tried to focus the pharisees and many other people to an eternal kingdom of which he was and is the King.

I am also reminded that some people thought the Kingdom of God would come by observation (Luke 17:20) but he told them that the kingdom of God was within them or in their midst (Luke 17:21), you can not say look or see here it is or there it comes. When you invite the KING (Jesus) into your heart, you have invited the whole Kingdom with the King within you.

There are so many camps coming up in this day and era and it is like in the days when some where saying am for Paul, am for Apollos (1 Cor 3:4), people will do whatever it takes to defend their faith or religion or leader etc if we are to have one religion let it be that of the Kingdom of God, where we are all citizens, and we are sent out as ambassadors to disciple nations.

Religion is creeping up even more and events of the bible are just repeating themselves. Whatever we revere must have reference to God and not the other way round. Follow Christ, Be his disciple and disciple others with reference to him and not to yourself.

Read

Matthew 15:1-20

Mathew 23:1-3

Mathew 23:23

1 Corinthians 3:4

#Impact #Empower #Transform

Sexual Immorality Is Something That Is Either Not Being Talked About...

SEXUAL IMMORALITY is something that is either not being talked about or something they (We, You, The Church, Govt etc) just talk less about. The more we all keep quiet about this demise, it will eat up anyone and everyone.

It starts by destroying the moral fabric, destroying homes, destroying individuals, children are left without a father or mother, they become rejects (they called them un-planned for
or un-wanted pregnancies) of the perpetrators and also of society.

Thousands of abortions happen everyday sometimes not because of a medical condition but just because people have allowed the pleasure of this trap take them to that final straw, some have even thrown in the towel or committed suicide saying I can't live like this, how we people look at me..... You reach a point where you no longer care and you say, "It's my life, I live it the way I want" Such thinking is a decaying one that needs to be treated Asap.

We all need to come out and help those struggling, help those about to jump into that ship because they have been deceived that the destination is beautiful and that there are #NoRegrets. This stuff is not about how holy a church or individual is, it is not about whether you come from a good family and the name has to be kept, it is not about whether you are up there and such things can not reach you. There is a generation that is silently being wiped away while we see them do what they do, It is like a real movie with a beginning and an end and we just can stop watching, you pause and replay and even rewind without saying a thing or two.

The bible reminds me that it is the will of God for us to be SANCTIFIED (1 Thess 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification:[b] that you abstain from sexual immorality;)

How can people keep their way pure?
Psalm 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word. (We have to take heed in the word of God - unfortunately the word is something we all remember when our lives have hit rock bottom)

This immorality is being fueled by all sorts of things like the media which takes a large chunk and also by us who are keeping quiet, call the plague of silence (is it because it sounds so hard to talk about or is it that it is not a feel good message). I hope we can wake up and talk to the young people around us, so that they may not repeat the mistakes of very many people have made. Untrained, Undiscipled, Unloved people are the ones who are modelling you and I and our children or children to be.

We need to take a stand to preach, share, teach and disciple ourselves the right way. Talk about how self pity is making people wind up in the arms of very canny people, talk about how policies are weak to either stop or govern us, talk about how we are the weakest link in spreading the truth and living by it, how we aren't good examples to many young people in society, talk about how ignorance is leading many to do crazy stuff (You see headlines in redpepper saying you can now have sex live since there no chances of catching HIV because of a certain drug that you can take)

If we are to prosper as a nation, family, society our moral fabric is an important piece we need to deal with whether you like or not or even though everything seems to be spinning out of control

You and I are the solution
#Impact #Empower #Transform

Here are 10 characteristics of good leadership:

1. Recognizes the value in other people, so continually invests in others – Good leaders see a large part of their role as developing other leaders. Leadership development takes place in an organization as good leaders begin to share their experiences, good and bad, with others.

2. Shares information with those in the organization – There is a tendency of some leaders to hold information, because information is power, but a good leader knows that the more information the team has that collectively the team is better, which directly benefits the leader.

3. Has above average character – There are no perfect people, but for a leader to be considered good, they must have a character that is unquestioned within the organization. Leadership always draws criticism from someone, so a leader may not be able to get everyone to believe in him or her, but the people who know the leader best should trust the leader’s character.

4. Uses their influence for the good of others – Good leaders are as interested in making a positive difference in people’s lives as they are in creating a healthy profit margin. This doesn’t mean that balance sheets and income statements aren’t important. In fact, they are vital for the success of an organization (even non-profits), but a good leader doesn’t separate a desire for helping others from the desire for financial success. Good leaders find ways to leverage financial health to strengthen the well-being of others.

5. Is skillful and competent – Good leaders can be depended on for their professionalism and follow-through. You don’t question whether a good leader is going to be able to complete a task. If they don’t know how to do something, they will find someone who does, but they will ensure that a job is done the best way it can be done.

6. Not afraid for others to succeed (even greater than their own success) – Good leaders realize that some followers will outgrow the leader’s ability to develop them any further. Good leaders, however, aren’t threatened by another’s success. They are willing to celebrate as those around them succeed.

7. Serves others expecting nothing in return – Good leaders have a heart of service. They truly love and value people and want to help others for the good of the one being helped, not necessarily for personal gain.

8. Continues to learn – Good leaders are always learning and implementing those learnings into the betterment of the organization. That could be through reading, conferences, Web-based learnings, or through other leaders, but also through people who report to the leader.

9. Remains accessible, approachable, and accountable to others – Good leaders don’t isolate themselves from people regardless of the amount of responsibility or power he or she attains. Good leaders willingly seek the input of other people into their professional and personal lives.

10. Is visionary: Thinks for the organization beyond today – Good leaders are always thinking beyond today. “What’s next?” is a common question asked by good leaders, knowing that someone must continually encourage change, growth, and strategic thinking for an organization to remain healthy.

By Ron Edmondson

Unfortunately We Are All Trapped

I have been following a discussion on a forum where some one got so agitated and shared a message from their BANK (I will not mention the bank) Titled "CHANGE OF INTEREST RATES ON YOUR PERSONAL LOAN".

The person wrote to the bank and told them, "Please stop cheating/exploiting customers". The person wrote that and brought out the fact that the Central Banking Rate (CBR) issued by Bank Of Uganda had gone down to 11-13%. They wondered why the Banks rate hadn't gone down and they called that predicament names like, "DAY TIME ROBBERY" .

In response to the discussion, one person wrote and said, "Banks are here to cheat us and that is how they make their profits." So this brought many questions to my mind, Are Banks really in for the development of people or they are here to trap people? When you look at television adverts from Banks, they rush to tell you how easy it is to get a loan and that mind control of making it look like you can purchase your dream very fast has become a phenomenon. 

People are getting loans to wed, loans to consume and have luxuries (cars, mansions etc), very few are getting loans to invest in already existing businesses that could be probably 3% of wealthy Ugandans who get to invest, this basically means that control of money is taken away from you because some one else has chosen to control your finances. 

Each time you get paid, instead of investing first, you have to pay off your debt, (DEBT IS A TRAP), remember what the bible teaches, it says that a borrower is a slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7) and it doesn't have to be your portion .

Some one then wrote and said that, "May be we should organize a strong SACCO and lend to ourselves, they said SACCOs give out good loans at about 14% per annum. Then he exclaimed by saying, UNFORTUNATELY MANY OF US ARE TRAPPED SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO SOUND LIKE A QUICK FIX".

A good number of people have bank loans and because of inflation and the unstable economy the prime lending rate keeps changing and at times they say it affects even old loans. The reason the guy said that they are all trapped it is because, somehow everyone has a loan and they have to first clear that before they can borrow from other sources that would have been relatively flexible with their interest rates.

This brings us to a place where we need to ask ourselves, if it is sustainable to keep going to the bank or to form investment groups/SACCOs. May be it is high time people came together to form groups with proper guidelines and lend to one another. The group must be a team of committed, trustworthy, hardworking, and people willing to see others develop.

I have read about and heard testimonies of SACCOs that have helped people develop with less stress and such stories are true. They will tell you how they are able to pay back because of flexibility and the aim of the SACCO is really to empower but not destroy.

However, we all need to know that we should owe no one a debt except the debt of love, always think before you get a loan or start changing your mindset by saying let me SAVE a certain portion of my income for a certain period of time, if you need to beef up the money to do something mega then that's where you start analyzing whether you need it or not.

Financial discipline is important to the quest for financial freedom. Invest the money you get, use it wisely. One of the laws of money is that money must be increased otherwise it diminishes (The parable of the Talents is a good pointer Mathew 25:14-30).

We can not live on one source of income and the scriptures tell us that we should diversify our investments, you can read the whole of Ecclesiastes chapter 11. Use your skills, Do you have land that is idle, maybe its time you think of planting the food you buy from the market everyday, We also need to cut off expenses that aren't important, this means budgeting must become a part of your everyday life.

Debt can be beaten with such knowledge applied everyday. No one has to be trapped. People perish because of a lack of knowledge, when you get knowledge, it is like light or insight to a prevailing situation, then don't just get the knowledge make use of it by APPLYING IT.

How To Kill The Poverty Of The Mind

Our minds need constant renewal, the less you learn, the more ignorant you become. 

Our brains are created in a way that, they can learn so much, in other words, they are elastic, that's why you can read as many books and watch as many videos. Do you know how we often talk about movies of old, those movies have been stored somewhere in our memories that we can relay some scenes word for word. That's how powerful our minds are.

The question then that comes to mind now is, what are we doing with our minds? are they lying idle and wondering or are you the type that is giving it mental exercise by learning constantly so that you can rightly divide the word of truth. I once heard a wise man say that "The first ground you must till is that of the mind"

I have heard before that Ignorance is expensive especially when it comes to things to do with the law, if you don't know then, you will pay dearly.

Dr. Sunday Adelaja said, "The worst kind of poverty is the poverty of the mind"

Dr. Myles Munroe said, "Ignorance is dangerous because it permits the possibility that we will live all our lives and never know why we lived."

Finally, it has been said that people perish because of the lack of knowledge, you may have all the opportunities but if you lack the knowledge to apply at a given time, then you will have lost everything.

Do whatever it is within your means to read about your areas of interest but also diversify and know about other spheres as you improve on your area of gifting.

Deal With Consumerism

Proverbs 21:20 (NLT) – The WISE have WEALTH and LUXURY, but FOOLS spend whatever they get.

Are you the type who spends whatever you get, you might have to just check through your life and examine the things that actually make all your money go away and puts you in a place to keep borrowing, are a consumer or an investor, is your appetite for spending great or are you a person who surrounds him or herself with those who are spend thrifts? You could be eating your future a way by the decisions you are making right now - every decision has a consequence. Indeed our lifestyles really dictate our personal finance.

One of the things that we all need to agree on is that we have a large appetite for many things. You find someone having 10 fleets of cars, yet you can only drive one at a time, having 5 smart phones, yet you can only use one a time, having 100 pairs of shoes yet you can only put on one at time, in fact we have a lot of things that we have spent on that are not being used. Everything you acquire should have a purpose, because without a purpose, abuse is inevitable.

We live in a world where a phone manufacturer will release a new version of the same phone but with only one or two enhancements. The first thing that comes to mind then is that we should have the latest (keeping up with the Joneses), so we keep saying I need to upgrade and the upgrading comes with an expense that is not even planned for.

Until we deal with our urge or desire for things, then we shall remain enslaved or controlled by what's coming out there. TV adverts, music videos or even movies have been the place where many adverts are pushed forth and the more we feed our minds on such things the more it becomes normal to acquire things you don't need to impress people you don't know. It is better for adverts to come and find you prepared, because when you are prepared, your spending will be purposeful. You can't be caught off guard and it will also build self control and kill the urge to want what you don't need.

We have to delay gratification if we are to win with money. What we hunger for simply becomes a god in our lives, it becomes our master because we have failed to master money by telling it what to do.

Our lives have also been programmed. You find on such and such a day there is this big event, it isn't bad to go out but it is good to plan your going out to avoid being caught up by the crowd and having to borrow to keep spending to keep a lifestyle that is superficial and isn't adding value but only destroying your destiny.

When you make money, the first thing to do with it, is not to spend but to save. Think like a farmer, farmers always have to keep seed after every harvest for the next planting season. If you have no seed then you might as well have no food. Remember your ego can cost you, selling that car and using a taxi might look like you have dropped but it is just part of the game plan. 

I know of someone who left a very expensive house they were renting and went to a cheaper but still good place. They put off all thoughts like, "What will people think!, My standard has dropped etc", now they live a life of freedom and even have more money to support others, they have stopped living for themselves and have the others in mind.

Here are a few things to note:-

1.Don’t spend money you have not made (This makes many borrow with the hope that money will come, what if it doesn't?)
2.Don’t be under the slavery of your desire or the good life
3.Don’t try and live by other people
4.Don’t eat tomorrow’s food today (Always save)
5.Don't buy out of impulse
6.Plan
7.Work on a budget - A budget tells you where your money should go.
8. Save to Invest (Saving is not for addition, it is for multiplication (be fruitful))
9.Think long term (Be Visionary)
10.Cut down on your expenses.

Read more Is Impulse Spending Ruining Your Financial Goals?