David Diga Hernandez - How to Prepare for the Coming Crisis

Everyone seems to be talking about the coming financial crisis. Darkness is looming, doom and gloom, they say. Currencies are losing their value; inflation is on the rise, and economies are on the verge of collapse. I don’t know about you, but I choose faith over fear. If you’re with me on that, write that in the comment section right now: three simple words—faith over fear. Let that be your public declaration that you will not bow to fear-mongering or what others are saying. The scripture says this in Psalm 37:25: «Once I was young, and now I am old, yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.» Look, this isn’t financial advice; I don’t know which way the economy is going to go, but I do know this: whatever way the economy goes, God is still on the throne. Even some Christians, sadly, are getting in on the doomsday saying, waiting for something to go wrong. I believe that for the child of God, no matter what is happening in the world, the future is bright. We have something to look forward to. We belong to our Father in Heaven, and He will take care of us. Now, this message is not to scare you, but to prepare you. Let’s say what they’re saying is true; let’s say that there is a financial crisis, such as we’ve never seen before, just around the corner. That could be the case; it might not be. In fact, you will notice throughout history that often the media and the powers that be really like to hype things out of proportion. That’s not to say that bad things don’t happen—they do—but don’t allow fear to infect your heart. Choose rather to see through the eyes of faith. I want to show you how to prepare. These principles regarding finances are biblically based; they’re solid and tried and true. From Genesis to Revelation, we see a common theme all throughout the scripture: it’s not a sin to have money, but it is a sin for money to have you. Now, this idea of prosperity, we all know, has been very much abused in times past, but when we look to the scripture, we can see a balance beginning to form. It’s not all about health and wealth; not every Christian is going to be a millionaire. In fact, there may be times when you will struggle. The Christian life is one of trials, tribulation, and sacrifice. Yes, we’re blessed; yes, we have good things from above, but we must learn to balance this. The gospel is not about wealth; the gospel is not about having everything the way you want it. The gospel is not all about you receiving all the miracles you could ever ask for, but we do see in scripture principles of financial fruitfulness. We do see in scripture that God does provide for the needs of His children, even materially. Now, religious minds get offended at this idea, saying, «Don’t talk about money,» or «Poverty is a virtue.» These are lies of the enemy that keep the believer bound and more ineffective in the kingdom of God. Because when believers have resources, we actually fund the kingdom of God, thus being more effective in the work of soul-winning and in the building of the saints. Financial fruitfulness is beneficial to the kingdom of God. Think of the wealth of Heaven; think of Abraham and the New Testament example, Joseph of Arimathea. We understand that biblical wealth has to do with others. Biblical wealth has to do with using your resources to further the kingdom of God. There is nothing wrong with having money as long as money doesn’t have you and as long as you make sure that you understand the center of the gospel is not financial prosperity. It’s a side doctrine—a truth we see in scripture—but prosperity is not the gospel, though it is something that can benefit the believer. So, biblical prosperity is when your needs are met, and when there’s enough left over to care for others. Now, here’s what the Bible says concerning the love of money: 1 Timothy 6:9-10 says this: «But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and some people craving money have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.» Thus, the scripture establishes very clearly that the love of money—greed—is very sinful and destructive to your life, but money itself can be used for the benefit of the kingdom of God. Let’s jump down now to verse 17. Just a few verses later, the Bible says, «Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.» So, not just what we need but He also gives us what we need for our enjoyment. The next verse tells them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. Verse 19: this is powerful: «By doing this, they will be storing up their treasures as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.» So, the scripture here tells us that you can actually use your finances to benefit others and the kingdom of God. Proverbs 10:22 says this: «The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.»