HOW TO IDENTIFY A FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS BONDAGE

1 UNLESS the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.
2 IT IS USELESS FOR YOU TO WORK SO HARD FROM EARLY MORNING UNTIL LATE AT NIGHT, ANXIOUSLY WORKING FOR FOOD TO EAT; for GOD gives REST to HIS LOVED ONES."
Psalm 127:1-2 (NLT)

• Those who had a large surplus and live in fear or pride are in a bondage.

• Those who owe more than what they can pay, are in financial bondage.
• Financial bondage is any material thing that interferes with your relationship and fellowship with God.
• The individual who has surplus to invest, but spent all of his or her waking thoughts worrying about how to multiply it and protect it, is in a bondage Scripturally, as someone else who cannot pay his or her bills.
• Your attitude to money or material things in general, is the key, the thing that reveals, whether you live in a bondage or not.
• When material things bind a believer, such cannot fulfil his or her function—whatever God has for him or her.
• Financial bondage does not apply merely to debts, neither does Business bondage apply only to failures.
• A Christian whom his Business involvement is pre-emptive to God's greater plan for his or her life; is in a bondage.
• Material success or how large the sum given to God's work, would never impress God. What He wants is your obedience to His Will for your life:
  “NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS. The person will hate one master and love the other, or will follow one master and refuse to follow the other. YOU CANNOT SERVE BOTH GOD AND WORLDLY RICHES" (Matthew 6:24 New Century Version).

• Business bondage symptoms:
I. Over commitment to work or success (Psalm 127:2).

• Over commitment to work is usually a sign of fear, specifically the fear of failures.
• Some even work mentally when at home, after the long hours in the place of work.

II. Superiority (1 Timothy 6:17).

• False pride and self elevation, or being conceited, could hinder a Believer's consistent walk with God.
• This happens when you begin to think and feel you are superior to others, because of worldly success.
• Every believer in Christ Jesus should know he or she is a steward over God's resources. Thus there should be no place for arrogance:
  "WHO SAYS YOU ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS? What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given to you, WHY DO YOU BRAG AS IF YOU DID NOT RECEIVE IT AS A GIFT?" (1 Corinthians 4:7 New Century Version).
• If you are in the management of a Business, or the ownership; there is a tendency to assume this characteristic.
• It starts with an internal attitude that says: I started this Business, I can do whatever I want with it:
  "JOHN answered and said, “A MAN CAN RECEIVE NOTHING UNLESS IT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO HIM FROM HEAVEN" (John 3:27 NKJV).
• A social barrier between a Christian executive and an assembly worker, a junior worker, would be a spiritual barrier as well:
  8 YOU KNOW THAT THE LORD WILL REWARD EVERY PERSON WHO DOES WHAT IS RIGHT, whether that person is a Slave or a Free person. 9 As for MASTERS [employers], treat your SLAVES [employees] in the same way. STOP THREATENING THEM, because you know that both YOU [the employers] and your SLAVES [the employees] have a MASTER [Jesus] in heaven. HE DOESN'T DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF STATUS" (Ephesians 6:9 Common English Bible).

• Authority actually means a responsibility, according to God's Word.

• Maintain discipline as you get closed to the employees. However, administer justice along with compassion, it is part of God's plan:
  "FOR there will be no mercy to those who have shown no mercy. BUT IF YOU HAVE BEEN MERCIFUL, THEN GOD'S MERCY TOWARD YOU WILL WIN OUT OVER HIS JUDGMENT AGAINST YOU [also]" (James 2:13 the Living Bible).
• Justice without compassion is callousness, whilst compassion without justice is weakness.
• Treat all men equally, without partiality or being prejudicial, and do not allow sentiments and traditions (James 2:1-4).

• The cause of the symptom of superiority: It is caused by ego or pride!

• And the way to deal with pride is, when you consciously put others first in whatever you wanted to do:
  3 LET NOTHING BE DONE THROUGH SELFISH AMBITION OR CONCEIT, but in lowliness of mind let each ESTEEM OTHERS BETTER than himself. 4 LET EACH OF YOU LOOK OUT NOT ONLY FOR HIS OWN INTERESTS, BUT ALSO FOR THE INTERESTS OF OTHERS" (Philippians 2:3,4 NKJV).

III. Selfishness: indulgences (James 5:1,2)

• Most of those who control Businesses adopt "me first" Attitude.
• They poorly pay many employees and establish their own retirement plans without the THOUGHT of their employees' NEEDS.
• They reap most of the available surplus for themselves:
  1 YOU RICH PEOPLE, LISTEN! Cry and be very sad because of the troubles that are coming to you. 2 Your RICHES have ROTTED, and your CLOTHES have been EATEN by MOTHS. 3 Your GOLD and SILVER have RUSTED, AND THAT RUST WILL BE A PROOF THAT YOU WERE WRONG. It will EAT your BODIES like FIRE. You saved your treasure for the last days. 4 THE PAY YOU DID NOT GIVE THE WORKERS WHO MOWED YOUR FIELDS CRIES OUT AGAINST YOU, AND THE CRIES OF THE WORKERS HAVE BEEN HEARD BY THE LORD ALL-POWERFUL [The LORD of Sabaoth—Hosts]" (James 5:1-4 New Century Version).

• The cause of this symptom is greediness.

• Greed is the main cause! Mostly, human beings generally are selfish; but a lot have the attitude of greediness added with it—they always desire to have more.
• If such Attitude is found in your life, as a Believer who is a Business owner, or you are occupying a leadership position in an organization, you would do well to allow the Holy Spirit to deal with it in your life.
• To be a good steward of God, you should bring such attitude under God's authority (James 4:3).

IV. Confusion, or disorganization (Proverbs 20:4)

• Believers had to do their jobs with excellence (Colossians 3:23).
• A number of Businessmen and artisans operate sloppily, which shows the lack of care, thought or effort—poor work quality.
• Such a thing exists in the mediocre society, and that is not a good testimony for any professed Christian—a Believer in Christ Jesus.
• God's way is the best. And as Believers in Christ Jesus, we should accept excellence as our minimum standard.
• The quality of your personal efforts should be high, in order to draw the unsaved around you through your witness.
• Stop shoddy businesses and services! A shoddy workmanship would make you uncompetitive in your field! Excellence is the attitude that God commanded for the Believers!
• As a Believer, you cannot boldly witness Christ if you are doing your business or Job without care and thoroughness, and you are in a state of confusion.

• The cause of the symptom

• Slothfulness causes it, and it is the by-product of lacking in the commitment:
  "JUST as each one of you has received a special gift [a spiritual talent, an ABILITY graciously given by God], EMPLOY IT IN SERVING ONE ANOTHER AS [is appropriate for] GOOD STEWARDS OF GOD'S MULTI-FACETED GRACE [faithfully using the diverse, varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by God’s unmerited favour]" (1 Peter 4:10 AMP).
  IT is about "I don't care" Attitude!

• Over commitment to work and the making of money, are not God's Will for you, as a Believer—avoid them (Psalm 127:2; Matthew 6:25-27).

• Lay aside every symptom of Business and financial bondage. Know that, by physical strength shall no man prevail (1 Samuel 2:9).
• Let God be number One in your life, and you should endeavour to know His plan for your life and align yourself with it.

13 After having heard it all, this is the conclusion: FEAR GOD, AND KEEP HIS COMMANDS, because this applies to everyone.
14 GOD WILL CERTAINLY JUDGE EVERYTHING THAT IS DONE. THIS includes EVERY SECRET THING, WHETHER IT IS GOOD OR BAD."
Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 (GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

• Every hold of Business and financial bondage is broken in Jesus' name.

• If you had any ailment in your body, receive your healing now in Jesus' name.
• Whatever is contrary to your health is rooted up in Jesus' name.
  Peace!