Welcome to Ralph & Cindy's Place!
It has been a while since I have added to our page. May 28, 2008, I had a brain tumor taken out. It was large and had done some damage to nerves which affected my balance and the left side of my face. Through surgery and recovery, with some setbacks, the Lord never left me. At particular low times, He was faithful to send just the right person to encourage and lift me up.
I can't say my trust and faith was always high. Deep down, I knew He would not forsake me. My husband's favorite verse Jeremiah 29:11; "for I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope," was a constant reminder that I would get through it all.
Now after nine months, my healing has not completely manifested, but I know my God is faithful. Everyday I declare His healing through the stripes and blood of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to stand on God's promises no matter your circumstances. Walk with our Father in peace. Only then will you know, His love and provision.
Cindy Warren (Feb. 18, 2009)
THE ROLE OF WEALTH FOR THE BELIEVER
Wealth. This word confuses many Christians. Some want to stay far away from it because “the love of money is the root of all evil”. They think poverty is close to godliness. Others tap in to the prosperity gospel, thinking we all deserve whatever our hearts desire, no matter what. They see God as a glorified Santa clause. But how should wealth fit into the equation of our Christian walk?
Let’s look at several passages in the Bible to see what it says about wealth.
Deut. 8:18 says God gives the ability to us to create wealth. So God must mean for it to be in our lives if he gives it to people.
Deut. 28:1 and following says God will bless us with many things, including wealth if we obey Him. The bible talks a lot about blessing. One definition of blessing is to invoke God’s favor and prosperity on someone. We see in the Old Testament that all of the patriarchs were blessed abundantly by God. They were all extremely wealthy and enjoyed good health. The Word tells us that all of Abraham’s descendants would be blessed. If you belong to Jesus, then you are a spiritual descendant of Abraham, and should expect to be blessed.
God says we are blessed to be a blessing. As we bless others and God, He in turn blesses us in like measure. MalachI 3:10-11 says “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try me now in this, Says the Lord of hosts,If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour our for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it”.
Luke 6:38 says “Give, and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put in your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
Wealth is more than just accumulating a lot of money and hoarding it. Most rich people are miserable because they are selfish and are afraid they will lose their money. Wealth is just a tool to be used to make us more effective in our ministry. It takes money to spread the Gospel. The ability to make money is a gift from God. He gives us God ideas on how to be creative and create wealth, but ultimately, it is all from God. The more wealth God gives us, the more responsibility we have to use it to serve others. Zig Ziglar says that if we help enough people get what they want, we will get what we want. God has a unique plan for each of our lives, and that plan includes blessing us. Jeremiah 29:11. Money is necessary for us to meet our need and to help others get their needs met.
It looks like we are entering into tough times, economically, speaking. There are 4 goals, that I believe are given by God to see us through these times and allow us to have victory in our finances as well as other areas of our lives. Life is always a challenge and a struggle. Seldom do things work out exactly as we want them to. We all go through tough times from time to time. It is not what happens to us in life that matters, it is how we handle it that counts. Here are the four goals we need to really follow.
1. GOD IS MY SOURCE.
No matter what happens in life, no matter how bad things may be, God is always there for us.
Joshua 1:9--Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Remember that there are only two things that are consistent in this world, God’s love and change. Life is always changing, there are always ups and downs. People change, jobs change, friends change, everything changes in life. The only thing constant is God. So build your life on the belief that no matter what happens, God doesn’t change. He is always there.
Psalm 121:1----Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
When times get tough, there is great comfort in the fact that God is my source. He is the only thing in this world that doesn’t change. In fact, it is God’s blessing that brings every good thing into our life. Be thankful and acknowledge that God is in control, and He is
always our source.
2. CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS
Successful people know that you move in life towards your most dominant thought. Therefore, keep your mind on the things you want and off of the things you don’t want. When times are tough, we tend to focus on our problems, how bad things are, what bills we can’t pay, who doesn’t like us, what a mess we are in. This only creates more of what we don’t want in our life.
Instead train your mind to think of where you are headed, not where you are now. Understand you may be in a world of hurt now, but you must quit thinking of where you are, because it is temporary. Focus on where you are going. No matter what thoughts you dwell on, good or bad, you will create more of it in your life.
Proverbs 10:24----What the wicked dreads will overtake him, what the righteous desire shall be granted.
On, purpose, decide to think good thoughts. Take control of your thoughts and dwell on where you are going, not where you are now.
3. CONTROL YOUR TONGUE
We need to understand that the most powerful part of our body is our tongue. What you say brings your thoughts to life. The spoken word is a power unto itself.
Proverbs 18:21--the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat
its fruit.
There is a lot of creative power in the tongue. We can create good or we can create bad. Are you currently speaking words of life into your marriage, your business, your body, or are you speaking words of death? When times are tough we must understand that we be very careful in the words that come out of our mouth. On purpose, speak only positive, encouraging words, lifegiving words.
Proverbs 15:4---The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Speak about where you are going, don’t keep speaking about where you are now. What you confess, you possess. Make your words count, make your words act as powerful tools to create your success.
Gen. 1:3--And God said “Let there be light”. and there was light. God used the spoken word to create the world and everything in it. The bible says, “so God created man in his own image”. We also have creative power in our tongue. During tough times it is vital that we use our tongue for good to create a better future for ourselves. Also, it is important not to talk, talk, talk all the time. Think about what you are saying. Make your words count or don’t speak at all.
Proverbs 17:28---even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent and discerning if he holds his tongue.
The tongue works in partnership with the mind. To create success for the future, we must develop the habit of controlling what we say, of only speaking positive, life giving words in our regular speech. More than that, we can use the power of positive affirmations, to help us program our mind and tongue for success
4. WORKHARD/WORK SMART
Proverbs 14:23--All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words. Don’t just talk the talk, you must walk the walk. We teach our children that work is your friend. Work is the way you bring legs to your dreams. When times are tough, we must work harder and smarter than ever.
Proverbs 22:29---Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings.
Are you doing your best? Do you demand excellence in all that you do?
Sometimes we get disappointed when things aren’t going as well as we would like, when we don’t see the results that we want. We can’t quit because quitting is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. We just need to work harder, smarter, do our best and do more.
Proverbs 21:5----The plans of the diligent lead to profit, as surely as haste leads to poverty.
Proverbs 24:27---Finish your outdoor work, and get the fields ready, the build your house.
Proverbs 27:23--Be sure to know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds, for riches do not endure forever and a crown is not secure for all generations.
When times are tough, work had and smart and know that things will get better.
What are your goals? Where are you going in life? Have you ever set down and written out what you would like out of life? They say only 3% of people ever write down any goal they want. I promise you that if you will write down your goals, dreams and desires you will be amazed at what has been accomplished in the next 12 months.
Iwant to challenge you to do this: Spend 30 minutes to an hour and begin writing down everything you would like to have or accomplish in life. Don’t think, just write. Try to get 50 to 100 things written down. Then go back and categorize each goal or dream into one of five categories: 1. Spiritual, 2Business/financial, 3. Exercise/nutrition, 4.family relationships, and 5. Personal. Then go back and determine if each of these are short-term(30 days to 1 year), medium term (1 yr. to 5 yr), or long term (over 5 years). The pick out the most important goal in each off the 5 areas and write those goals on a 3 x 5 card and put it where you will see it every day. Speak these goals out loud every day and meditate on hour you are going to accomplish theses goals. If you do this, I promise you the your life will be radically changed for the better.
What we believe, we can achieve. I really believe we have to be blessed financially to really accomplish Isaiah 61. If we are going to set the captives free, it must be in finances as well as spiritual.
Sadly, most people are not taught about money. We get an education for everything else, but we usually have no clue on how to handle our finances and have our money work for us instead of having to work for it. Most of us are in bondage to a lack of finances. We need to change our mind about money. Most people work at jobs and trade hour for dollars. If they don’t work they don’t get paid. We need to look for ways to create businesses and opportunities that will give us a passive income. When our passive income exceeds our expenses, then we are where we need to be financially. This will give us time freedom to spend with family, do ministry or whatever else the Lord has for us to do.
There are many ways to invest to develop this passive income. Some ways that come to mind are real estate, mutual funds, network marketing, to name a few. Get creative and God will give you ideas he may want you to pursue in this endeavor. In closing, it is very important that we get a mindset of being wealthy. Most people who receive a large inheritance or win the lottery usually lose all the money in 3-5 years because they don’t know how to handle wealth and do not have a wealthy mindset. They still see themselves as poor or middle class no matter how much money they have.
This will show how the wealthy handle their money compared to everyone else.
WEALTHY ----------------------------------------OTHERS
1 earn ----------------------------------------- 1. Earn
2. Tithe ----------------------------------------2. Spend
3. Invest ----------------------------------------3. Tithe
4.Save ------------------------------------------4. Save, if anything is left
5. Spend
Money and wealth have long been taboo for Christians to talk and learn about, but I believe in these times, it is very important for Christian to be knowledgeable in this area and actively seek to accumulate wealth not only to meet their need s and their families needs, but to have more money to invest in the kingdom of God. This is a very elementary teaching on money and wealth, but I encourage you to learn more on your own. If you want more information or good books on this subject, get in touch with me and I will be glad to give you more information.
Ralph Warren
I have often been comforted by II Corinthians 1: 3-7. Our Father in Heaven is the source of all comfort. When we are troubled and suffer, He is there to wrap His arms around us. And in turn, we are able to comfort others who are going through the same troubles. Not only does God want us to reach out to others physically, but to pray for them.
And you are helping us by praying for us....... (II Corinthians 1:11)
Rise up intersessors! (all of us)
Reach out to the broken hearted and give comfort.
CHILDLIKE BELIEF
When we ask God to reveal His Word, He will.As I read Matthew 18:1-5, my eyes were open to the fact that Jesus was not only talking about children literally, but to all “childlike” believers.How many times have you seen the “religious spirit” throw cold water on a new believer because he/she was a little too zealous? Matthew 18:1 At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, "Who gets the highest rank in God's kingdom?" 18:2-5 For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. What's more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it's the same as receiving me. 6-7"But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you'll soon wish you hadn't. You'd be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don't have to make it worse—and it's doomsday to you if you do. (The Message Bible)
Cindy Warren 11/2007
WHITE WASHED SEPULCHRE
As Jesus walked the earth teaching, healing, and delivering, His greatest rebukes were to the Pharisees and Sadducees. The strong words to the “white washed sepulchers” addresses the religious spirit. A religious spirit binds our minds and hearts to only man’s law or man’s interpretation of who God is. God wants us to know Him, to fellowship with Him in spirit and in truth. Growing up in churches infested with a religious spirit has made it difficult for many of us to simply be with God and trust only Him. To repent from or rebuke the religious spirit in our lives, we must be able to recognize it’s characteristics.
Indignant or prideful. When Peter and John were teaching about the resurrection of Jesus in Acts 4:1-3, the temple leaders were indignant of this teaching. Why? Their pride in their own knowledge was foremost and this new teaching went against their knowledge or understanding. Pride does not accept
revelation.
Tradition first. In Matthew 15:8-9, Jesus says, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. (The Message Bible)
A few examples might include: work to keep your salvation; women keep their heads covered and wear only dresses; confess sins to the priest for forgiveness; teach salvation, but not the glory of God; teach Jesus on the cross, but not the resurrection of Christ; teach the goodness of God, but not the power. And the list goes on. Romans 10:3 states For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.
(New Living Translation)
Hypocritical. Jesus called the Pharisees, hypocrites, in Matthew 15:4-7 when they went against the command to honor your mother and father. A man I know told the story of his childhood in church. His teachers and mentors spoke of God and His commands in church, but he saw their lives the other six days contradicting what they taught. He grew to be a wild and rebellious young man until the Holy Spirit drew him into the Lord. The Lord called him into the ministry and later was asked to return to his boyhood church to preach. He rebuked the church on how their lives in the world kept him from receiving the Lord sooner.
No wonder many leave the church!
Judgmental. In Matthew 7, Jesus warns us not to worry about the speck in other’s eyes, but to look at the log in ours. Some may say, “I’m not judgmental.”
But do you catch yourself thinking about the person sitting in your pew who is not dressed appropriately? Or whose children are disturbing the service? Or who is covered with tattoos? Or has a “reputation”? Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
My prayer is that our eyes, ears, and hearts are opened to the true word of God, not religion. That He release us from our religious burdens and then we are able to walk in His purpose and power. Pray, now, for freedom.
Cindy Warren 11/2007
