Tips for Managing Money

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

Avoiding financial problems will help give you the peace of mind to focus on the more important things in life. Different budgeting methods work for different people, but it is important to have some kind of system. The following tips will help you to become more financially responsible.

Make a Budget

The first thing you’ll need to do is write out a monthly master budget. List all expenses including your tithe, bills, groceries, gas, savings, etc. Don’t be a perfectionist during this step, or you might end up not writing down a budget at all. It’s okay to estimate in categories you aren’t sure about because you can update the amounts as you receive your bills. If you find that you are spending more than you make, you either need to cut back on spending or find a way to make more money.

Plan for Every Payday

Using your monthly master budget as a guide, write down a specific plan before each payday. Every month is different. Perhaps someone has a birthday or the car needs an oil change. Check the due dates on all of your bills to determine which ones need to be paid this payday, and pay those bills as soon as you get paid. Do not spend the remaining money, especially if you get paid more than once a month. Only spend the amount that your monthly master budget allows since some of this check might be needed to help pay a future bill. This may seem obvious, but people tend to be short sighted.

Keep Track of Due Dates

When it comes to writing down your master monthly budget and payday-specific budgets, you can either do this on paper, a computer spreadsheet or on the notepad app of your phone. Even if you don’t write checks or have a checkbook register per say, having some kind of record of when you paid each bill will help you keep track of approximate due dates in case a statement gets misplaced. This register could be right below your budget in your notepad app or spreadsheet since it’s best to keep everything all in one place.

Remember that Something’s Got to Give

If you go outside of your budget in one area, you will need to make that up in another area. For example, if you have to pay a speeding ticket this month, perhaps you can plan meals around whatever food is already in the pantry or spend less on gas by staying home more. Budgeting is about making choices because you can’t have everything.

Savings

Having at least a few hundred dollars in your savings account is important and will help prevent you from borrowing money. Build up this emergency fund even before trying to pay down credit cards. If you use money from your savings account, make yourself payments to build it back up as soon as possible.

Debt

Pay off credit card bills by paying the minimum payment on everything except for the one you are focusing on paying off. Some experts say to pay off smaller balances first for a sense of accomplishment, while others recommend starting with the one with the highest interest rate. Just be sure that you are making a larger payment on one of your bills. Once you pay off that first bill, use the extra money to make an even larger monthly payment on the next bill you want to pay off. In this way, you will build momentum, and your debt will decrease more quickly.

$200 is the New Zero

When it comes to your checking account, avoid letting the balance get too low. If you make a mistake, you don’t want to end up in a vicious cycle of paying overdraft fees. If you only have $200 in your checking account, then that should mean that you have no money left to spend. Keeping some kind of cushion is especially important if you are like me and don’t write down every purchase.

By taking a few minutes to look over your finances every day or every week, you will remember to pay your bills on time and avoid spending more than you can afford. There will likely be times that you don’t have all of your financial ducks in a row, but a little bit of planning will help you to be a good steward and decrease the frequency of financial problems.

“Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.” Proverbs 27:23

Here's a sermon to go with this article

Gay Bar Massacres Then and Now

In 1973, someone knocked on the door of a gay bar in New Orleans and lit a trail of lighter fluid on fire, killing 32 patrons. This arson was barely investigated and many people refused to identify or bury the victims. Families were embarrassed and homosexuals were afraid of losing their jobs if they admitted to knowing anyone in that bar. Radio hosts made light of the situation, and public officials remained silent. At least three bodies were never claimed. The following is a quote from this New York Time’s article:

“Churches refused to bury the victims’ remains. Their deaths were mostly ignored and sometimes mocked by politicians and the media. No one was ever charged. A joke made the rounds in workplaces and was repeated on the radio: ‘Where will they bury the queers? In fruit jars!’”

The same article refers to the early 1970s as “a time of pernicious anti-gay stigma.” You see, back then more Sodomites were in the closet, and those that came out were usually disowned by their families.

No, the killer wasn’t motivated by some fundamentalist Christian preaching hard against sin. The primary suspect was a homo who had been kicked out of the bar earlier that day. Just like with Orlando, it was a case of one wicked murderer killing other evil people.

Among the charred remains found at the “UpStairs Lounge” was the body of a Sodomite minister. He was the pastor of a community church that was notorious for welcoming homosexuals. Even though this man pastored what was probably the most liberal church in town, he had not come out to his family as a homo. When his mother found out what had happened and realized what he was, she refused to accept his remains.

Just like after the Orlando attack, hate mail was sent to a church--but to a different kind of church and for a different reason. People were furious with an Episcopal bishop for holding a memorial service for the victims. A Unitarian church and a Methodist church also had services, and mourners had to be ushered in through a back door. Are you noticing the stark contrast from the way things are today? Apparently, mourning Sodomites was not in vogue in 1973.

“For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” Ephesians 5:12

Here is a sermon to go along with this article.

Forgetting Those Things Which are Behind

Often people commit sins with serious consequences and do irreparable damage to their lives. If that’s you, don’t get the attitude that you’ve already blown it so you can’t serve God. Don’t compound the punishment by going into even more sin. All of us have veered off course in some areas of our life, but God can still greatly use us.

“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” Proverbs 24:16

Children of Israel

When some of the children of Israel found out they weren’t going into the promised land, it wasn’t time to give up and forsake Moses. They still had the responsibility of staying with God’s people and raising their children. Just because a parent has made mistakes in life doesn’t mean that the parent can’t be greatly used of the Lord to raise godly children. Perhaps your children will grow up and do whatever it is that you were supposed to do.

Woman at the Well

The woman at the well had made a mess of her life, yet she was still used to tell others about Christ. Maybe you’ve been divorced multiple times or have done some other irreparable damage to your life. That doesn’t mean that there’s no place for you in your local church. Obviously, the Bible has specific criteria for a pastor or a deacon, so that door is closed for you. But there are many other jobs you can do for the Lord, and everyone should go soul winning.

David

In Psalm 51, we read David’s prayer unto God where he wants to continue to live for God after his sin with Bathsheba. When David was confronted by the man of God, he repented. He confessed his sins and went on to do more for the Lord.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Psalm 51:1-13

Samson

Samson was raised by godly parents and had a great gift, but what did he end up doing? He broke his Nazarite vow and chased women to the point of completely ruining his life. At the end of Samson’s life, the Philistines enslaved him and actually poked out his eyes. When Samson’s hair began to grown again, the symbolism there was that God was still able to use him. The purpose of Samson’s life was to deliver the children of Israel from the Philistines, which he did end up doing in the end. Ideally, he wouldn’t have had to die in the process, but there are consequences for our sin. Even though Samson messed up repeatedly and was a failure in many ways, he probably had satisfaction in knowing he was still fulfilling his purpose.

Hopefully, we won’t ever commit the same sins as some of these Bible characters, but we will all fall in some way. Don’t ever give up. God’s mercies are new every morning. As long as you are on this earth and still breathing, then God has something for you to do. Confess and forsake your sin and keep moving forward in your Christian life. Even if it’s not his first choice, God does still have a plan for you.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

Here is a sermon on God’s Plan B for Our Lives.

How to Have Unity in the Local Church

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

Have Humility and Be Longsuffering

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3

Have the Right Doctrine

“One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:5-6

“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” Philippians 2:2

“Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. Philippians 3:16-17

“For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” 1 Corinthians 11:18-19

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” Ephesians 4:1-14

Avoid Clicks and Factions

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Learn How to Forgive

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27

Here’s a Sermon on Unity in the Local Church

A Time to Hate

If the only Sodomites you see are on the “hell-e-vision,” then you will gradually become softer on them. TV is not real, friend. Many Christians, if they are honest with themselves, would probably have to say that they were somewhat indifferent to what happened in Orlando. Well, having no love for the Sodomites is a start. I mean, good night, I would hope that most fundamental Baptists weren’t mourning a bunch of perverts carousing in a “gay” bar.

But now, persecution has come. The homos have come after us with their protests and other persecution, but it isn’t working. They think they will cause people to become more tolerant, but being confronted by protestors week after week has the opposite effect. It only makes the people at these churches angrier.

For those who have only seen the protests via the news clips, you are only seeing a part of what goes on. The media will show you the “Love Conquers Hate” signs, but they won’t show you the signs that say things like, “WE’RE GOING TO RAPE YOUR SISTERS AND MOTHERS.” Yes, that was an actual sign that was held up here at Faithful Word Baptist Church. Signs seen at Verity Baptist Church on Sunday morning mocked the Lord Jesus Christ, and on Sunday evening at Verity, a sign calling Pastor Jimenez an obscene name was shown to children as they made their way to their cars with their parents.

The protestors aren’t silent either - they mock people who are trying to ignore them. Calling godly ladies whores and tramps and making fun of an older man’s gray hair are a couple examples of the heckling that goes on as people make their way out of the building. This type of behavior only serves to get church members even more fired up about being faithful to church and doing more soul winning.

Yes, there are occasional casualties because this is a war. We are fighting a spiritual warfare, and I encourage you to stay in the battle. When someone leaves your church amidst persecution, why don’t you just take that person’s place by becoming more involved?

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

I’ve seen posts on facebook where the Sodomites are discussing which type of protest signs are more “effective.” I’m not sure how they think they can quantify this since we have not backed down. The Bible is still being preached, and the faithful keep showing up for church and soul winning. Perhaps by effective, they mean that the more peaceful sounding slogans make for better propaganda. No matter what the signs say, just having these freaks show up at our churches is very effective, but not in the way they intend. It is effective in waking up complacent Christians by turning their indifference into hate.

"A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." Ecclesiastes 3:8

The Death Penalty for Adultery?

When someone says that homosexuality is worthy of death according to the Bible, people inevitably will bring up other sins that were also punishable by death in the Old Testament. They think they are somehow catching us in hypocrisy, but the truth is, Bible believing Christians DO agree with those other Old Testament penalties as well. This sermon on the Correlation Between the Old Testament and the New Testament provides an overview of the differences between then and now. In short, though, we just need to realize that God’s laws were the law of the land in those days. Today, adultery is not punishable by law in the United States, but it should be.

Yes, a righteous government would implement the death penalty for those tried and convicted of adultery. We all know normal people who have unfortunately committed this grievous sin, and of course we wouldn’t want them to die for it. If we were to somehow vote in a law making adultery illegal, it would not be retroactive--it would be the law going forward, and adultery rates would plummet and so would divorce rates.

Think about it, though. Do you really think as many people commit adultery in societies where it is punishable by death? Of course not…so you can relax about your Aunt Trudy who cheated on her husband thirty years ago. If Aunt Trudy had lived in a society that enforced the death penalty for adultery, chances are she would never have committed that sin in the first place.

How many people would risk their lives to sleep with someone other than their spouse? Occasionally someone would try to get away with it—just like some people commit murder despite the consequences. But most don’t. In countries where adultery is still a capital crime, it’s not an everyday occurrence and usually ends up in the news. Just as capital punishment is a strong deterrent against murder, it has the same effect on other crimes.

Telling us that we would not want people we know and care about to be put to death is a straw man argument. We don’t want our friends and family to be convicted of murder either, but they probably won’t kill anyone, so we don’t worry about it. When the children of Israel committed adultery, they knew the risk going in.

Here is a sermon on Preventing Adultery.

Paypal is Not our Pal

We live in perilous times, folks. Apparently, “ONE LOVE” equals one opinion. The only acceptable opinion now is to be pro-Sodomite. Anyone who does not support the homosexual agenda runs the risk of being blackballed to the businesses who serve us. The Devil does not want to see our ministry expand, and right now, he’s using his children to try to stop us from collecting any online donations. These “people,” and I use the term loosely, are relentless! Apparently, they already don’t want us to buy or sell.

"And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:17

PAYPAL is ORLANDO!

How are they doing this? The Sodomite community has shut down our online donations by complaining about us to PayPal. I wonder if PayPal’s decision to close our account has to do with them having an Orlando, Florida, address. Well, when you call their customer service department, the guy that answers does sound like he parties after work at “Pulse.”

“Q” is for...

Not only did PayPal cancel our account, but each time we’ve switched to a different service, they’ve gone after that too.  We’ve now been dropped by Givlet, BitPay and Qgiv. What does that “Q” stand for anyway?

The Search Continues

This temporary inconvenience isn’t going to stop our ministry from going forward. We’ll keep cycling through these companies until we find one that doesn’t care about getting complaints from a few vile reprobates. Our money’s green, so I am sure we’ll figure out something soon. In the meantime, we ask that those who would like to make a donation visit our website to get our mailing address and send a check.

Thank you for your Support

To everyone who helps support us financially, we are eternally grateful. Thank you for helping to further the cause of Christ. Preaching is free, and we will continue to preach the same message regardless of finances, but the donations definitely help us to extend our reach.

The Times they are a Changin’

Just a few years ago, well-known fundamental Baptists were speaking out against homosexuality, without the backlash. Unfortunately, they’ve trimmed the message, but I haven’t. Here’s a sermon from 2006, where I preached the same message that I’m preaching today. It’s our society that is changing, and things will only get worse…

26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. (Luke 17: 26-29)

Three Reasons Why People Quit on the Man of God

 As you already know, Pastor Roger Jimenez has gotten negative attention from the media regarding his sermon on the Orlando shooting. When the Sodomites and their sympathizers scheduled protests at the church, Verity’s attendance was stronger than ever, but what you may not have noticed is that not all of Verity’s regular attenders showed up. Not only that, but some have said that they won’t be coming back. Why did a few people decide to leave Verity over this? Did they disagree with the sermon when it was preached in its entirety on that fateful Sunday night? No. In fact, they enjoyed every minute of it.

What these fair weather friends did not like were the consequences of the stand their pastor took. They loved his boldness until they heard the reaction of the liberal media, the homosexual community and perhaps some of their namby-pamby friends. Sadly, a few of Verity’s active members bailed on the man of God at a time when he needed them most. There are a few main reasons why people quit during times when their pastor is particularly unpopular with the world.

Money

The love of money is the root of all evil, so it’s not surprising that the first reasons people cite for not staying faithful to church during a controversy is that they are worried about losing their jobs. They need to reread these famous verses in Matthew 6:

“24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Fear

Fear is definitely a factor when people faint in the day of adversity, but it’s not just the fear of losing their jobs. Often, people will shelter their children to the point of selfishness. When conflicts arise, we still want our kids to come to church with us. They need to be in church, and we want them to see us taking a stand against these freaks. Yes, we will arm ourselves and be ready to protect our families, but we will also trust the Lord to protect us.

“The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.” Proverbs 21:31

Worldly Viewpoint

Some of the same people who are quick to condemn others as worldly for not having the exact same personal standards that they have, are by definition worldly themselves.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1 John 2:15-16

Prioritizing money and the praise of men over supporting the man of God is extremely worldly. Not only is it worldly to lust after earthly riches, but worldly Christians are surprisingly susceptible to being brainwashed by the media, with its falsified numbers and chopped up interviews.

Hopefully, these few deserters will have a change of heart when they see how quickly this thing blows over. Verity had a record breaking turnout on Sunday in spite of those few flakes not showing up, but their absence was still disappointing. Even as Verity Baptist Church continues to grow and thrive, the shepherd will still mourn the loss of a few of his sheep.

Here is a sermon to go along with this article...

Jews are more Pro-abortion and Pro-homo than the Irreligious!

It turns out that Jews have even less godly morality than those with no religion at all. According to a Gallup poll that was just released, a greater percentage of Jews find abortion and homosexuality acceptable than those who have no religion at all. So much for "Judeo-Christian" morals! We'd better just stick with CHRISTIAN morals. Judaism is a wicked religion, and those who practice it are some of the most immoral people in the world. Yet Christians today have been deceived into believing that Jews are under the blessing of God!