Genesis 15:1-6 (NLT) - 1 Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great." 2 But Abram replied, "O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since you've given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3 You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir." 4 Then the Lord said to him, "No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir." 5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, "Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have!" 6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

Life Inside the Tent

1. My IDENTITY

A POVERTY mentality:

• I AM a poor person - If you hear the word "wealthy", do you automatically disassociate yourself?
• I will ALWAYS BE a poor person.
• I have poor pedigree.
• I am poorly educated.
• I am poorly gifted.
• I am unempowered and impaired. The government. The economy. My boss.

Wealthy but in the tent: I am greedy, I am prideful, I am not doing enough. These are all lies the enemy uses against people of wealth. God wants you to step out of the tent.

2. My BELIEFS

**Poverty belief system: **

• Suspicious belief - Everybody who is rich must be selfish and greedy.
• Linear belief - I can only EARN money, not MAKE money.
• Limited supply belief - There is a limited supply of money; if someone else has it, I can't have it.
• Humility belief - Wealth is a sign of pride, and being poor means I'm humble.
• Debt belief - Only debt will get me what I want. There's nothing wrong with accumulating tons of debt.
• Big break belief - Only a miracle or luck will make me wealthy.
• Cinderella belief - I am Cinderella and my boss/spouse/parents are the evil stepmother. One day, I will miraculously be swept into the palace.

Wealthy but in the tent: Only by guarding what I have will I remain in control and not lose everything.

3. My VALUES

MONEY is a medium to experience what we value!

• We work to gain VALUE, then we spend money to get what we VALUE. So money is just a medium to experience what we VALUE!

There are only 4 places money can go:

• LIVE - cost of living
• OWE - paying back debt and taxes
• GIVE - contributing to someone else or a cause
• GROW - investing in yourself, your family, and future

FOUR EXAGGERATED PURSUITS

• Status
• Power and Control
• Comfort
• Approval

Most couples think they have money problems, but they actually have value problems. MONEY IS A MEDIUM WE HAVE TO EXPERIENCE WHAT WE VALUE.

Trauma - The pain experienced when someone is forced to go against their core VALUES.

Life Outside the Tent

1. My Identity

• SLAVE - bondage - (Struggling)
• SOLDIER - obedience - (Stable)
• SOWER - faithfulness - (Solid)
• STEWARD - entrusted - (Surplus)

2. My Beliefs

• God and I are partners, and I have access to His resources. My responsibility is to establish a financial framework for Him to flow resources to me and through me.
• My potential is only limited by my willingness to grow and change.
• Wealth is about a perspective. The better my perspective, the more God will trust in my care.
• What you earn will be directly determined by what you learn.
• I increase my earning potential by increasing my value in the marketplace and how often I deliver that value to others. My income is not set by others but by me! I am the reason for success or failure. I accept responsibility for my financial situation.

3. My Values

• Motivated by FAMILY
• Living WISELY - Delayed gratification, cash living, not driven by image
• Driven by ETERNITY