The purpose for the acquisition of wealth must be defined. It is this definition that influences our attitude towards wealth. It should be first to honour God. It is only when we honour God with our wealth would we make it lasting wealth.

Secondly, it should be for the provision of our families’ needs and service to humanity. These will leave you a happy fulfilled man.

Unfortunately, most people don’t discover what life is all about until just before they die. Don’t wait until you are on your death bed to realise the purpose of life and your role in it.

Often, we attempt to live our lives backwards. We spend all our lives striving to get wealth hoping that would make us happy and fulfilled. Happiness and fulfilment comes when you commit yourself, talent and resources to service for God and Humanity. That is on a purpose that honours God and makes a difference in other people’s lives.

George Bernard Shaw said, “This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognised by yourself as a mighty one, being a true force of Nature instead of a little feverish god of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and, as long as I live, It is my privilege to do for it whatever I can………..” Similarly, Al Koran wrote in “The Secrets of Wealth” that, “When you send your money out, remember always to bless it.

Ask it to bless everybody that it touches, and command it to go out and feed the hungry and cloth the naked, and command it to come back to you a million fold. Don’t pass over this lightly, I am serious.” I said it earlier that when you recognise God as the giver of your wealth through service to Him and humanity, God is committed to ensuring that your wealth lasts. He will block financial waste on your behalf. He is faithful concerning His word.

When others are talking of losses, you are talking of gains. When they are talking of low sales, you are thinking of managing your high sales. Honouring God With My Wealth. Money is the vehicle for effective evangelism (Ex 35:21-29). The expansion of the kingdom of God (evangelism) depends on our individual financial position.

Can a church organise programs, camp meetings, crusades, print tracts, build a beautiful sanctuary or sponsor missionaries on a lean purse? There is no way the work of God can progress if the individuals in the church are poor.

That is why God gave us the ability to create wealth. With this ability, you are empowered to advance God’s work, cater for your family and assist the less privileged in the society. The expansion of the work of God is directly proportional to the individual’s financial prosperity or level. Look at (Acts 28:7) Publius – a prominent and wealthy citizen received the disciples and entertained them for three days.

That is hospitality to God’s servants. Definitely, this man must have been blessed by the men of God. He also must have recognised the source of his wealth and honoured God in his own little way. Read (Rom 12:13) on how to use your wealth. Hospitality is defined as a friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests or strangers especially in our homes. Hospitality is not possible without the means to provide it.

Anyway, most times we get so carried away by our success and we assume it came by our effort only. We forget that there is a supreme being who orders the affairs of man. Do you know that there is a reward when we honour God with our wealth or when we contribute to God’s work? Read (Prov 3:9-10 and Mal 3:10).

When God blesses us financially, it is designed to service God’s work. If you ignore it, you become a victim of financial affliction because God will ignore your welfare. Read (Hag 1:2-9). We should lay up treasures for us in heaven. We shouldn’t be pushed to offer our tithes (10%) and offerings (2Cornth 9:6- 12). Your deposit determines your withdrawal and your casting determines your catching. If you cast a hook, you catch a fish. Cast a net, you catch a net breaking and boat sinking catch.

I have tested everything I have written in this article and I testify to the validity of the word of God. Finally,

Please do not neglect your health and family in your quest for wealth. If your family is in disarray and your health is being affected, you can not call yourself a truly successful person. My advice is taken from: (Pro. 23:4-5). It says, “Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle towards heaven.”

Give God your heart and you will make your mark.

Financial discipline is very vital to wealth creation and financial freedom. All our expenses can be broken into two:

• Essential Expenses – these are expenses we can’t cut like bills, food, rent etc.
• Optional Expenses – Everything else.

Our personal values determine where we draw the line. George S Clason said, “All men and women are burdened with more desires than they can gratify. And each of us with our good families has more desires than our earning can gratify.”

Please take note that our essential expenses will be equal to our income unless we protest. However, we should not confuse our necessary expenses with our desires. Even if we satisfy these desires, more will still come up. The economist says human wants are insatiable. That is true.

You must realise that we live in a society where marketers have devised sophisticated means of selling what they want us to buy and at their terms. Well, they are only doing their job. We on our own must be wise. Prioritize your needs, wants and desires.

Let us therefore look critically at our habits of living andidentify certain accepted expenses we can reduce or eliminate temporarily or completely. Select the necessary ones and others that your 80% can accommodate. Cross out the rest without looking back.

Budget your necessary expenditure. These secrets would surely create wealth for you but the wealth will ONLY last when you first recognise the unseen hand that gave you the ideas and the strength to implement them.

Here are a few examples of those who for one reason or the other failed to acknowledge this unseen hand – GOD Make a personal reflection about this………….It is as interesting as it is thought provoking. Read till the end.

John Lennon (Singer):
Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: “Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him” (1966). Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.

Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil):
During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from His party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.

Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):
During A show in Canecio (Rio de Janeiro), while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: “God, that’s for you.” He died at the age of 32 of AIDS in a horrible manner.

The man who built the Titanic : After the construction of the Titanic, an article asked him how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said: “Not even God can sink it.” The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic.

Marilyn Monroe (Actress)
She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said: “I don’t need your Jesus”. A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.

Bon Scott (Singer)
The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang: “Don’t stop me; I’m going down all the way, down the highway to hell”. On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.

Campinas (IN 2005)
In Campinas, Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend….. The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter – holding her hand, who was already seated in the car? “My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You…” She responded: “Only If He (God) Travels in the Trunk, because inside Here…..It’s already full” Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, and the car could not be recognized, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact.

The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none were broken.

Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer) Said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written. In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle. It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7): “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever man sows, that shall he also reap.

These facts are not intended to scare us but to state the obvious: God sure rules in the affairs of men and we all need to acknowledge HIM if we are to experience dominion in every aspect of our life.