8 Steps to a Financial Turnaround
By Peter Salemi
What biblical steps can you take to turnaround your financial situation? Did you know there is a biblical formula revealed by God through one of his prophets that teaches us how we can turn around our financial situation? And these steps are “recession” proof. These steps were done during a time when there was severe famine in the land, but it did not matter, the prophet taught the woman how to prosper in times of financial struggle and she became prosperous in a time of no prosperity. Many rich people today do the same thing! How do the rich prosper in a time of financial famine? Easy, they refuse to participate! When hard times fall, they fall, why? Because the government or news media tell you times are tuff. And if times really are tuff, the rich find ways to prosper! “Seek and ye shall find” Jesus said. A widow sought Elisha asking for financial help and Elisha revealed to her the way of prosperity in a time of famine. It is in this example that we find the way to turn around our financial situations!
8 Steps
In 2 Kings the fourth chapter, here we see a situation where one of the wives of the sons of the prophets-a widower was in dire straits. It was a time of famine, the economy was not good and she came to Elisha seeking help. It is here the Prophet reveals to her the way to turn around her terrible situation in 8 steps:
First step-Seek a turnaround. Notice that the woman came to Elisha seeking help and Elisha said, “What shall I do for thee?” (v.2). Number one; seek to turnaround your financial situation. If one is willing to do this, you are on the road to changing your life. If you want your life to change, you have to change things in your life! Seek that turnaround if you want things to change! Talk to successful people, read books about successful people, take courses online etc.…about finances and money-seek a turnaround!
Second step-See your treasure. Elisha told the woman, “what hast thou in the house?” (v.2). One must then “examine,” take inventory of yourself. Paul said, “But let a man examine himself,” (1 Cor 11:28; 2 Cor 13:5). See what kind of treasure, gifts, and talents you have; see the value you can bring to the world. How are other people going to see your value if you can’t see it yourself? So take inventory of your gifts and talents. It could be any common thing. The widow said, “Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil.” (v.2). People who know how to just cook, are making millions of dollars by just having cooking shows on line. People who are handymen, fixing everyday things open YouTube channels and are making thousands per month. Be it a small thing or something big, whatever the case, anyone no matter what it is can make money with whatever they have. The widow had a “pot of oil” that’s it! Yet she turned her situation around! See your treasure!
Third step-Submit to a teacher. Elisha said to her, “Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.” (v.3). The widow submitted herself to Elisha’s guidance and wisdom. Find yourself a good financial adviser. Many banks have them on staffs that are there to help and guide you through tough financial times.
Notice the financial advice he gives her, “Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.” He tells her to use her problem to solve her problem. We all want to be debt free, and here the prophet shows her and us the way to do so. You getting out of debt is not the first stop on the road to financial freedom. The first stop was to “borrow.” Elisha was going to show her how to use credit to pay off her debt. Today most people borrow money to buy stuff but Elisha said “I’m going to show you how to use borrowed stuff to start a business so you can pay your debt” So seek a good financial adviser.
Fourth step-Select a team to build your business. Notice vv.4-5, He said to her “And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full…So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.” You got to have a team! No one can be “an island unto themselves” in business you have to have a team. Henry Ford said, “There is no such thing as self-made millionaires” There are only team made millionaires. Success is not achieved solely through individual effort but is also influenced by external factors such as opportunities, support networks, and societal structures. Select for yourself a team. Train them if you can, make sure they are people you can trust. The widow had her own kids as her team.
Fifth step-Systemize your task. Notice that the widow and her sons formed a system of how to work (see vv.4-6). You got to have a system. You cannot go through business or life for that matter without a system in place. God set up the 10 commandments as a system to obey for a successful life, and we are to do them “diligently.” This applies to business as well. A business must have a proven system in place for it to work. Systemize your tasks.
Sixth step-Sell your treasure. After she worked-her and her sons and the work was finished, “There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.” (v.6). Elisha said to her, “Go, sell the oil...” (v.7). He is basically saying to “take that thing that that treasure that you have that talent that you have that gift that you have and you got to go out and take it to the marketplace and you got to get them to pay you for it.” Elisha said to “Go, sell.” Selling is the way God established for his people to prosper. Notice Joseph, “And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land:” (Gen 42:6). Learn how to sell.
Most people think that selling is talking somebody into buying something they don’t want don’t need and can’t afford that is not selling that’s manipulation. Selling is uncovering the value of what you have to offer so well that people are happy to give you the money they have in their pocket for the value you’ve just revealed-that selling. You can sell for yourself or for a company but sell.
Put a package together and Sell yourself! Present or promote yourself in a favorable way. Highlight your experience, strengths, and accomplishments. Demonstrate why you are the best candidate or why someone should choose to work with you or engage with your services. What is your talent? What are you particularly good at? Promote your brand!
Seventh step-Settle the tribute. Elisha said to the widow, “pay thy debt,” (.v7). He didn’t say go sell the oil and live off the rest and then pay your debt. He said sell then pay. Do be in business or whatever the case may be, you must be a person of integrity-to be a person of your word!
Eighth step-Sustain your turnaround. “live thou and thy children of the rest.” (v.7). Sustain your business; continue to apply the Godly financial principles that got you your success so you can sustain your financial situation which includes the financial principle of Tithing. (Read our booklet on Tithing for more details).
This is God’s blueprint for a financial turnaround. Remember these things were written, “…for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Rom 15:4).
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