Financially free indeed MINISTREES
Laying a Strong Foundation
By Minister GARY O SHIELDS SR.
Part 1
1/26/2025
Our text is found in Joshua 1/8;9 which states (vs 8.) This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success (vs 9.) have I not commanded you be strong and of good courage do not be afraid nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Before I start to teach you about the strategies philosophies and skill sets required for you to participate an experience financial freedom, I would be
remised if I didn't tell you the prerequisites to what God calls good success in every area of your life.
I strongly Believe that Disciples of Christ Must embrace ownership, if we are going to experience any lasting success In this life.
At this point you may be Saying, Hey brother G that contradicts everything that we have as disciples of Christ been taught concerning all that we have belongs to Christ, And you would be right if you concluded that ownership was limited to belongings, But the ownership, In which I will be speaking to you about today has absolutely nothing to do with your belongings But rather in What I call…The Pledge
The rest of this message will require your participation so please take out a pen and get ready to sign your name if you are serious about achieving Gods good success in every area of your life in 2025.
The title of this message is my declaration to be responsible enough To make the pledge in 2025
First allow me to make It crystal clear about what we are committing to by defining the words in the title of our message.
Webster defines a pledge as…a series of promises or agreements.
A declaration is defined as…A) An act of making an official statement about something, and
B) An announcement that is made in a public way.
Responsibility means
To be morally, physically, legally or mentally accountable.
To be reliable and trustworthy.
So, if we were to combine these definitions, we could easily entitle this message as;
A commitment to a series of promises that we will consistently make known in a public way, so that we will be more of a trustworthy, reliable, moral, legal, physically and mentally accountable person in 2025.
The two scriptures that compliment This definition for the pledge are found in Philippians 2;14-15 which state… do all things without complaining or disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. And..
1st Thessalonians 4:11-12 which states to aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind our own business, to work with our own hands as we commend it, and that we should walk properly towards those who are around us, so that we may lack nothing.( for good success in every area of our life in 2025)
Now, let's dive into our declaration for the personal responsibility ,and the Commitment that it will take to live our best life in 2025.
Warning… Please put your seat belts on for we will run into turbulence up a head, and be aware that the benefits of the pledge cannot be purchased with dollars, but only with change.
MY personal PLEDGE;
As of (todays date)____________, I____________ acknowledge for the most part that 80% of my life and the path that I'm on, is exactly how I wanted to be(whether I am conscious of this fact or not). This statement must be true, for it is based on what I've invested in God's Kingdom my health, my savings, my investments, or the lack there of, my friends, my family, and my life in general to this date. Because of this fact my possessions, my savings, and my lifestyle, are the exact mirror of how committed, and dedicated I have been to the contributions of my efforts, time, the enhancement my relationship to the Lord, my mental and physical health, my relationships (and let us not forget) the sacrifices and education required to build my wealth.
What I have given I have received, and if I have consistently sown good seeds, I am absolutely confident by faith if I haven't received my good harvest, that my harvest is definitely on the way, as Galatians 6:7 reminds us: which states… Do not be deceived, God is not mocked: for whatever a man or woman sows, that he will also reap.
If I am unsatisfied with what I have received, it is because as of this date__________I have not paid the required price for what I desire, or I lacked the patience to believe God for my contentment with the hard work required on the road to receiving the desires of my heart.
(as Psalms 37:3-5 &Philippians 4:11 clearly remind me to be) which states:
Vs 3-5 Trust in the Lord, and do good: dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness delight yourself also in the Lord and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.
Phil 4:11 states not that I speak in regard to need, but I have learned in whatever state i am to be content.
For Galatians 6:9 states: let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not.
On the other hand 2nd Corinthians 9:6-8 clearly warns us that if we don't have pure motives, and a abundant mindset, Then we can't expect all of God's grace and favor to assist us in experiencing what God calls good success As it reminds us of when it states :that if we sow a little, we will reap a little, and if we sow a lot, we will reap a lot.
So let each one give as he has purposed in his heart not because he has to or because he is made to... For God loves a cheerful giver, and if he finds one, that is consistently committed to doing so with a grateful heart He will make all of his grace available towards them so that they will have an abundance of all things for every good work.
Also Romans 8;31-32 states; for what shall we say to these things, if God is for us, who can be against us? For he did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all. Therefore, how shall he not with the power of the Holy Spirit also freely give us all things.
And finally,1 Timothy 6;17 commands those who are rich in this present age, not to be big headed, and trust in their uncertain riches(that has been entrusted to them by God) but rather to trust in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
So from these scriptures, and because I believe the scripture found then Hebrews 6:18,which clearly tells me that it is impossible for God to lie, I have come to realize if I am not experiencing the joy of being on the road to the abundant life in its fullness as promised in John 10:10,
it is due to the fact that I have lingered too long in the worrying, complaining, overindulging, or procrastinating stage of this precious life that God has so graciously desired for me to enjoy.
I fully understand that if I am not experiencing the Lords abundance in which I have come to realize that is rooted in gratitude and productivity,
as of this date:__________, this is happening because of the sin of procrastination, a lack of patience, a lack of clarity about what I truly desire and why, and most importantly, a lack of gratitude that is rooted in faith and a persistent determination to maximize the unique potential that God has entrusted to me, so that i can experience what God calls good success in every area of your life in 2025.
I also realize as of this date____________although many of my friends and family members have come with me to this point in my life, I have realized and except the fact that many of them will not be willing or even desire to go on this journey of good success an abundance in every area of my life, so as of this date___________I am willing to go it alone until the Lord provides the support that I need in order to maximize this precious gift called a rich life in Christ.
For Galatians 1:10 states: do I now concentrate my efforts on pleasing men or God? For if I am committed to please men, there is no way that I could be a bond servant of Christ.
I realize as of this date___________, that if I am bored and complacent with my life, it is because I have not sharpened my creative skills, and figured out ways to not only enhance, but also enjoy my life, with what i have. One thing I know for sure, and have realized as of this date___________that my past mistakes belong to me and no one else. And at this very moment, I am purchasing another 24 hours of the present, that will quickly dissolve into the archives of my past.
Although my future will quickly change until my pass, I_______________, and fully responsible for the highest and the best use of God's great gift of the irreplaceable now that has been completely entrusted to me by God.I____________________, accept full responsibility as of this date____________, for both the successes, and the failures in my life. If I am not where I desire to be at this point in my life, where I am, is because of my own compromise or poor choices.
If I am committed to my success holistically, then as of this date:______________, I choose to no longer compromise with my undeveloped potential. For I am aware, that what is seen in my life as of this date:____________,is the sum total of God's direction, wisdom, and perseverance(which in time always results in success)or my direction, lack of patience, and pride ( which always results in a mess) therefore, i'm required as of this date____________by God to choose to live in his life of abundance or my mess of scarcity, lack ,doubt and fear today! Please believe, it's one or the other.
What I now put under examination, as of this date___________, is the value of each upcoming choice. For therein lies the quality of my future destiny.
Will my future belong to the procrastinating, old excuse making me ,or the new empowered me that is depending on the wisdom and power of God?
That answer depends on my commitment to consistently make the sacrifices of time, and energy to work towards my personal growth in God at this very moment.
For what time is left, it's the only time that counts, and the remaining time, is solely my responsibility to choose whether I will live in my past injuries and mistakes, or my present unlimited possibilities,
But there is one thing for sure, if I am committed to thriving rather than just surviving, from here forward there is one thing that I am committed not to do any longer if I want to live my best life in Christ in 2025, and that is not to blame others, the devil, or my enemies, for my choices.
Because of my commitment to this new found maturity, as 1 Corinthians 13:11states:
when I was a child, I spoke as a child, understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man or woman, I put away childish things.
I pledge to be successful in God, in every area of my life, more so than my years prior for as of this date____________, I accept full responsibility of how great/consistent I will become because of the service that I'm committed to not only offer God, but also my family, friends, community, how well I take care of my mental and physical health, the relationships that God has placed in my life, and the financial resources that God has entrusted to me to manage and multiply.
If I do not know how to do these things, as of this date___________, I am committed to do whatever it takes to learn. For at this point, I accept the fact that this very commitment will be the key to my success in the here and now.
Although I_________________, I'm totally dependent on God's wisdom, word, direction, and I am aware that none of this can happen on a consistent basis without His power in my life, therefore with this commitment I accept the full responsibility as of this date____________, to be completely responsible for my choices, the direction of my life, my motives for desiring and traveling in that direction, my attitude while traveling in that direction, and my consistent actions in pursuing the destination that GOD, And I have chosen for my life. For truly, as of this date____________, I thoroughly realize that these choices are the only things that I can control in this life.
Please allow me to reiterate What I expressed in the beginning of this message, Which is this level of maturity and commitment cannot be purchased with dollars, but only with change.
Sincerely committed
(Your SIGNATURE REQIUIRES)