DIVINE PROVISION: BIBLICAL FINANCIAL STRATEGIES

Read Pages 6-11 

From Genesis to Revelation, God clearly reveals that He always provides for His people and that financial blessing is His will. The prosperity He has planned for you to enjoy is abundant provision, both materially and spiritually, enabling you to fulfill your divine destiny.
God doesn't want you to view Him as stern and uncaring. He wants you to embrace Him as a loving and giving Heavenly Father who wants to bless His children in every way--including financially. From the time Israel became a nation, God expressed His desire to bless His people.

He declared:
Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto
thy fathers to give thee. (Deuteronomy 7:12-13)

Read Pages 12-21

Do you consider yourself to be a needy person? In some ways, it is good to be needy. We are not talking about needs that lead to dependency on others or deprivation, rather about being needy before God. It was said of the church at Laodicea: Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and
knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: Icounsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (Revelation 3:17-18)
Because they failed to perceive their true needs, the Laodiceans became lukewarm and self-sufficient. Perhaps because of their material wealth they thought they had no needs, but spiritually they sure did!

Read Pages 22-28

Our study of biblical financial guidelines is for purpose, not privilege. We are not advocating a "name it claim" it mentality, where one seeks material blessings and claims them "by faith." We are seeking divine provision in order to free us financially to extend the Gospel to the nations of the world and accomplish our God-given purpose.
As we have learned, the divine provision we seek is not to provide luxury, but to meet our basic needs so that we can be freed financially to be part of God's end-time, harvest-time cycle. The word "luxury" comes from a Latin word that means "excessive". It refers to having an abundance of money, time, and comfort which one uses selfishly.
It is necessary to understand, however, that in western nations some things are necessary that people in other nations might view as luxuries. For example, in Los Angeles, California, a car is considered necessary for a pastor to fulfill his duties. The city is huge and in order to visit his congregation, the many rest homes, hospitals, etc., he needs transportation. In a small village in India  where one can walk everywhere, a car might be viewed as a luxury. More finances might be needed in America to build a church than what is needed to construct a building in a rural village in India.

Read Pages 29-36

Fear was the first negative emotion experienced by Adam and Eve as a result of their sin, the details of which are recorded in Genesis chapter three. After the couple sinned, their spiritual eyes were opened to their true condition and they were fearful:
And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. (Genesis 3:9-10).

Fear resulted in shame and shame led to hiding from the presence of God.

Read pages 37-45

This chapter shares a revelation that is a bit different in relation to finances, but it is one that is vital to the subject of divine provision. There is a major barrier that will prevent you from receiving God’s blessing, even if you implement other scriptural teachings on finances. If you do not remove this barrier, then the windows of financial blessing may remain closed despite your best efforts.

Of all the barriers that prevent God’s divine provision, this is perhaps the least wellknown. As we start this chapter, here are three questions to consider:
-Are you ready to learn about this barrier?
-Are you willing to do whatever necessary to break through it?
-Are you willing to do whatever necessary to never again be hindered by this barrier?

If your answers are “yes” to all of these questions, then you are ready to begin!

Read pages 46-56

Would you like to live under an open heaven where all of your needs are met—financial, spiritual, and physical? The key to doing is so simple, yet so profound that it will change your entire life and ministry.

Let’s examine Malachi 3:10-11 in the Amplified Version of the Bible:
Bring all the tithes-the whole tenth of your income-into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of Heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine drop its fruit
before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts.

Read Pages 57-64

There are many people who are under such a bondage of debt that they think there is no possible way for them ever to get out of it. If this is you, then this chapter is written to encourage you to believe God for supernatural debt cancellation.
A mistake that many people make when doing financial planning is to focus on debtreduction. While this is important and is the subject of this chapter, this should not be your main focus. Your main focus should be fulfilling the spiritual destiny that God has for you. If you keep your focus on your financial situation, you will never dare to believe that God can release the finances necessary to enable you to fulfill your vision. God wants you to focus on His unlimited resources.

Reads pages 65-73

Perhaps you are one who has lost it all. Your job is gone, you have lost your house, and your investments have vanished. You have lost everything. God's Word is a marvelous record of divine restorations. To the Israelites who had lost their economy due to plagues resulting from their sin, God said:

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. (Joel 2:25-26)
Even though the economic devastation Israel was experiencing was the result of their sin, God promised restoration when they returned to Him. Perhaps your financial crisis is your fault because of unwise decisions or violations of scriptural principles. On the other hand, perhaps the losses are not your fault and you are an innocent victim of circumstances. Regardless of the reason for your financial crises, God wants to restore all you have lost.

Read pages 74-80

As believers, we do not look to the strategies of the world for principles to govern our finances. We look to the truth of God's Word. There are five basic principles that should distinguish the believer's attitude from that of the world:
-The master of our money is God. We are guided by obedience to His Word in regards to finances. We are only stewards of the resources He has given us.
-Our motivation is different from that of the world. Instead of amassing wealth for selfish purposes, we are motivated by a desire to use our resources for God's glory.
-Our mindset differs from that of the world. We seek contentment with what we have and we own our possessions instead of being owned by them.
-Our means of attaining finances differ. Scriptural boundaries are honored to prevent fraud and deceit and we live by principles of honesty and integrity.
-Our management of money differs from that of the world. Our budgets include categories like tithes, offerings, and giving to the poor.
In regards to our management of money, there are four basic questions about giving and receiving which need biblical answers:
-Why should we give?
-How should we give?
-To whom should we give?
-What can we expect to receive when we have given?
All believers should be able to give biblical answers to each of these questions.

Pause now and write a brief response to each question so you can compare your answers with the
scriptural directives that you will study in this chapter.

Read pages 81-94

Having answered some basic questions regarding giving, we will now examine the records of biblical givers and additional scriptural principles of finances recorded in the Old and New Testaments.
This is one of the most important chapters in this book. Because of the many principles presented, this is a lesson you will want to study carefully. Some scriptures are financial promises to claim. Others are examples to follow or commands to obey. All are spiritual stepping stones in the journey to our destination of divine provision.

Read pages 95-97

 In the previous two chapters we studied scriptural financial principles in the Old and New Testaments. In this chapter we focus on the teachings and examples related to finances which were shared by Jesus.
To get the full benefit of this summary, look up each reference in your Bible and read the entire passage. This will enable you to study each teaching within the context it was given.

Read pages 98-103

The written record of God's Word, the Bible, focuses on people, promises, prophecies, and principles. Much of the Bible is a record of people, how God dealt with them and their response to Him. There are also major portions of the Bible which record prophecies of future events and there are many promises given to God's people.
The Bible also contains important principles which you must understand in order to comprehend what God is saying to you through His Word. One of these great principles is understanding the natural parallels of spiritual truths. The word "parallel" means to be similar to something, to put one thing alongside another and compare the two. When we speak of a "natural parallel of a spiritual truth" it means a natural example is used to explain a spiritual truth.

Read pages 104-109

Satan is your spiritual enemy, and he will attack your finances as readily as he will attack any area of life where you allow him access. This is why the Apostle Paul admonished, "Neither give place to the devil" (Ephesians 4:27). Don't let Satan get his foot in the door! Why is the enemy be interested in your money? He has a two-fold purpose for attacking your finances:

Read pages 110-115

A pure stream of God's divine provision is being poured out upon the Body of Christ. It is a spiritual anointing that is being released to enable us to accomplish the divine commission of reaching the world with the Gospel. It is a miracle-working anointing that will result in supernatural signs following the proclamation of God's Word.

A vital part of this outpouring is a financial anointing that is going to move believers to a new level of financial freedom where not only will their needs be met, but they will have a surplus to sow into the work of God.

Read pages 116-125 

Through the biblical strategies you have learned in this study, you now are prepared to enter into divine provision, a supernatural dimension where you can experience financial victory.
You have studied in detail the biblical approach to finances. You have learned about the importance of tithes and offerings, identified keys to living under an open heaven, and learned how your debt can be supernaturally retired. You have received practical guidelines on how to avoid new debt and live within your budget. You also learned how to eliminate barriers that would prevent you from receiving financial blessing, strategies for spiritual harvest, and how torelease the financial anointing God has given you. You have also learned how to do spiritual
warfare in behalf of your finances. (By the way--as in other areas of life--that battle will be continuous, so remain vigilant. Keep on fighting and winning!)

Please review appendix 1-3 at the end of study for more helpful information.

Please be advised, to earn the certificate below, all 3 courses must be completed.  Certificates are NOT issued to single courses. 

Certificate: Biblical Principles for Financial Management 
The Benefits of Godly Wisdom
Principles of Money Management  
Divine Provision: Biblical Financial Strategies

Please advise that this course form is only for students working on the certificate program listed above.  It requires all 3 courses to be completed to earn a certificate of completion.   

 Download attached form and submit your answers via school page link below

https://www.swordofthespiritbibletraining.org/Submit-Tests.php

or via email at training@swordofthespiritbibletraining.org