Financial Success: Yes, You Can Have It Too!: Yes, You Can

By Don A. Rice

If you have ever been short of money or have had arguments with your spouse about money, this book is for you. Read it and find answers to your financial problems.

Family arguments are almost always about money. Even when they begin over something else, they seem to end up being about money. Most families seem to never have enough

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Aug 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781647732875

Book preview

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Financial Success:

Yes, You Can Have It Too!

If you, or your family, have ever been short of money, or have had arguments about money, this book is for you.

Dr. Don A. Rice

Trilogy Christian Publishers

TUSTIN, CA

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2020 by Dr. Don A. Rice

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

For information, address Trilogy Christian Publishing

Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, Ca 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/ TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-64773-286-8

ISBN 978-1-64773-287-5

Contents

Dedication vii

Foreword ix

Acknowledgements xi

Part I

1. Money Problems 3

2. Other Family Problems 9

3. Common Misconceptions About Christianity and

Wealth 13

4. God’s Ultimate Desire for You Financially and

Materially 17

5. Gaining God’s Protective Power 21

6. The Good and Bad About Material Wealth 27

7. Some of the Bad Things the Bible Says

About Money 31

8. Are You Spending More Than You Can Afford? 35

9. What You Can Do 37

Part II

10. Developing Financial Objectives 47

11. Developing a Livable Family Budget 55

12. Guidelines for Developing the Budget 59

13. Learning to Live Within Your Budget 67

14. What You Need to Do 69

15. How to Handle the Money 73

16. The Source of All Wealth 81

17. Assessing Your Attitude Toward Money and

Other Worldly Wealth 85

18. Who Should Keep the Family Budget, Envelopes,

and Checkbook 91

19. Using Money to Confirm God’s Protective

Power 97

Part III

20. What You Must Do to Gain Financial Success 107

21. Transferring Ownership of Your Money, Time,

Possessions, and Earning Power to God 123

22. Establishing Giving as the Primary Purpose for

Earning and Having 129

23. Building Your Life Around Money 147

24. Striving to Get Rich Quick 151

25. Other Virtues Necessary for Financial Success 157

26. Summary 161

Part IV

27. God at Work Within the Author’s Life 167

Author’s Professional Biographical Data 191

Notes 193

Dedication

This book is dedicated to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to all of the Christians who strive daily to lead others to accept Him and live full, responsible lives as they follow Him.

Foreword

Not too long ago I received a phone call from a member of the church I pastor, requesting a meeting with me as soon as possible. Hearing the concern and panic in his voice, I rearranged my schedule and he came to my office. He was a middle-aged businessman, a husband, and the father of two teenage girls. He indicated that he had made a total mess of his finances. With his voice cracking and tears streaming down his face, he shared the pattern of poor financial decisions he had made that had caused a recent marital separation and potential divorce, including the possible loss of his children and business.

But then he said something that I believe will forever stick with me: Oh, if only I had done things God’s way! My friend’s story is, unfortunately, like so many others. Names, titles, salaries, and family dynamics may be different, but the conclusion is still the same: regret for not following God’s plan.

Thankfully, when it comes to the inescapable reality of money matters, God hasn’t left us in the dark or left us to navigate its waters with only our own wisdom. No, the Creator of life, and the One who knows best how life should be lived, has graciously given us His wisdom through His Word, which is the pathway to financial success.

In his book Financial Success: Yes, You Can Have It Too, Dr. Don Rice, a successful Christian businessman and friend, has clearly and practically outlined these biblical principles.

I do not know what prompted you to pick up this book, but whatever the reason, I’m glad you did. I believe with all my heart that if you apply the principles in this book, they have the power and potential to change your financial future and the future of others around you. They will also have a profound influence for good in the kingdom of God. So, let the journey begin; may you stay the course and be on your way to financial success God’s way.

Jim Heiligman

Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Bryan, Texas

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to express appreciation to the many young married adults—and some not so young—who participated in the Financial Freedom Seminars the author has conducted over the years. These individuals proved the concepts herein to be both workable and useful in improving their financial situation and in relieving stress in their lives.

The author wishes to convey a special thanks to Dr. Curtis Vaughn, Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, for time spent reading the book for clarity of thought and soundness of concepts.

The author also wishes to express sincere appreciation to:

His wonderful wife, Pat Allen Rice, for her patience, graciousness, and meaningful additions to the text,

Mike McWhorter, McWhorter Financial Management, for his clarification of various concepts, including the future value of money.

Kaye Matejka, a professional colleague and personal friend, for her depth of understanding of the message being conveyed and for editing the manuscript, and to Heather Rice, accounting manager, for her time and valuable suggestions.

Part I

1

Money Problems

Do you and your spouse ever argue about money? Even when you argue about other things, does the argument usually get around to you not having enough money? Do you seem to never get ahead because you cannot earn or save enough money? Are you aware that this is a common problem in most homes in the world today?

It is unfortunate, but most married couples do argue a lot about money. There never seems to be enough of it, nor does it go far enough when it comes time to pay the bills or buy something you want or need.

I have been counseling married couples on financial matters for over forty-five years and have spent many nights in the homes of couples torn apart by financial problems. Not too long ago, while working late in the study, I received a call from a couple in their early thirties who had been married about five years. They were financially desperate. In the first five years of marriage they had overspent their income by an average of ten percent of their take-home pay each month, by charging on their credit cards. They owed about $15,000, which was drawing from eighteen to twenty-one percent annual interest. The interest payments alone were now up to $250 per month.

They had begun to argue a lot about money. The stress of the bills drove them to the brink of divorce. They separated, gave away their home, and each one moved into a cheap apartment, which did not help. Their marriage was failing because of money problems, and they had no plan by which to put their marriage back together or to get out of debt. They were continually hounded by bill collectors until they disconnected their phones.

Distraught and in tears, they called for help. The man loved his wife and wanted her to have the best of everything, right now. The fact that they could not afford such a lifestyle did not come home to them until it was too late. Unfortunately, this heartrending case is too often true of young married couples today.

There was a way out for them, as there is for you if credit card abuse proves to be the problem. The way is hard, but necessary. They had to cut up their credit cards, take second jobs, and completely change the way they lived, in order to get out of debt. They survived, and so did their marriage. They have since bought another home and are on the road to financial recovery. They have learned to praise God for the ability to survive using His plan of sound money management.

One afternoon, I was working in my office at the university when a freshman student asked my secretary if he could see me. A very nervous young man appeared at my door. He seemed to want to visit about almost anything but the problem he came to discuss. In time, I asked why he was there. As the story unfolded, he told me that his high school sweetheart was pregnant with his child, and that they had run away and gotten married without the consent of their parents. Both families were angry with them to the point of refusing to provide them with financial or moral support. They were in deep personal distress and severe financial trouble. He wanted to know if he should drop out of school and go to work to provide for his family,