Today, I’m starting a new 3-part series on causing your finances to Overflow.
My goal?
· I want to see you with zero debt.
· I want to see you promoted in your jobs.
· I want to see you earn more than enough money to do the good works that God wants you to do.
· I want to see you prosper in your finances so that you can prosper the people God sends into your life.
I’m not just saying these words. I’m prophesying. In my mind, it’s a done deal. This will happen. I’m declaring to you words of blessing. If you agree with these words and receive it, then it is a done deal. This will indeed happen.
I have an announcement to make: God isn’t against the idea of wealth. In fact, He was the one who gave you the ability to produce wealth. The Bible says, But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth… (Deuteronomy 8:18)
So here’s my message today: Use that ability.
Note. God didn’t just give us wealth, He did something far better. He gave us the ability to create wealth.
I was talking to a very rich man. I asked him, “If you lost everything–your properties, cars, investments–all your wealth… How long before you can rebuild your wealth to where it is today?”
He thought about it for a few seconds. He then looked at me straight in the eye and said matter-of-factly, “Five years.”
Wow.
Here’s the truth. Your real wealth isn’t cash, houses, or stocks. Your wealth is your ability to create wealth.
I repeat. Use your ability!
How Do You Create Wealth–Naturally?
I’ll be giving a controversial talk today, so be ready to be shocked.
There are many ways to create wealth.
But the easiest, most effective, most powerful, most prolific, and most natural way of creating wealth is to answer God’s call for your life. This call is based on your unique, tailor-fit, God-appointed gift that He wants you to give to the world. To me, that’s the only way to create financial overflow.
I know what you’re thinking. “Bo, this is the height of heresy. This is insanity. What you’re saying is a sacrilege! God’s call has nothing to do with money. It’s about serving others.”
Exactly! You see, a good business is not about money. To me, business is about serving others. Business is about mission. Business is about blessing people. Business is about love.
Let me give you an analogy: If you want a cup to overflow, put it directly under an open faucet. Do that and the water overflows in the cup. But if you put the cup on the far right or far left, it won’t overflow.
In the same way, you need to stay under the faucet of God’s call for your life. If you stay under that call, I believe that your financial life will overflow. But if you stray away from your call, you may never experience financial overflow in your life.
Let me tell you my story…
It Was Under Our Noses–And We Didn’t See It
In the prehistoric era of the 1990’s, I met my small team in Shepherds Voice Publications. During the early years, we were literally giving away Kerygma magazine. We reasoned that no one would buy a religious magazine.
“We need more money,” I announced to our staff. We only had 5 employees then. “We need to buy computers. And an Apple computer and laser printer costs P300,000. Let’s list down how we can raise this money.” I got my pen and paper ready.
During that era, P300,000 was a gigantic amount of money–especially for a bunch of poor missionaries.
One of my team members raised his hand. “I’ve a great idea. Let’s just rob a bank. And our problems we’ll be solved in a day.”
“Very interesting,” I said, “but I think we’ll face two problems. First of all, my face is allergic to nylon stockings. Second, I’m not sure how our readers will react if they find out we’ll be publishing our spiritual magazines from prison.”
“How about if we just sell drugs?” someone else piped up. “I heard it’s a very profitable business.”
“Oh yes,” I said. “But I’m not sure. Imagine, our messengers will be distributing Kergyma and shabu at the same time… The products don’t seem to match. Can anyone please think of something legal?”
“I’ve got a brilliant idea,” one of them said. “Let’s produce a movie. Let’s make a money-earning, blockbuster, megahit, top-grossing movie. Did you hear that Tom Cruise’s latest flick earned $100 Million. But of course, instead of Tom Cruise, you’ll be the star…”
I said, “Well, I understand why you’re suggesting this. Tom Cruise and I have some similarities. But I will only allow this if it is written in the contract that I don’t do kissing scenes.”
Life Will Find A Way To Repay You
We wanted to raise funds and we didn’t know how. We didn’t know that the answer was right under our noses: Our gift of writing. Our gift of editing. Our gift of putting a magazine together. There was no need to rob a bank or sell drugs or make a movie. Because today, Shepherds Voice Publications sells P85 Million worth of inspirational literature every single year. (Note: We’re a non-profit organization, so we use our profits for ministry.)
Let me repeat my message: The best way for you to create wealth is to answer God’s special call based on His Divinely-designated gift for your life.
Stay directly beneath the faucet!
But when you serve others with all your heart, life will find a way repay you. As long as you don’t prevent the financial blessings from flowing to you, you’ll be amazed at how your financial rewards will come flowing into your life like the waves of the sea.
Why You’re Not Prospering
“But Bo, I’ve been answering God’s call, serving others by using my gift. But I’ve not yet increased my income…”
There are two common reasons why you don’t see increase:
First, wrong beliefs.
Second, wrong strategy.
1. Wrong Beliefs
Once upon a time, I thought God wanted me to be poor. Because of this, I frowned upon Entrepreneurship.
But Jesus talked about Entrepreneurship.
He talked about a man who had three servants. Before leaving for a journey, he gave 5 bags of gold to the first servant, 2 bags of gold to the second servant, and 1 bag of gold to the third servant.
When the master returned, the first servant said, “I invested the 5 bags of gold you gave me; here are 5 more bags…”
The second servant said, “I invested the 2 bags of gold you gave me; here are 2 more bags…”
And then the third servant said…
I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant!” (Matthew 25:25-26)
What I’m about to say isn’t the main message of the parable. But it’s still in the story: That profit is encouraged. (And NOT profiting is condemned.) Investing is encouraged. Business is encouraged. Selling is encouraged. (How did those guys double their investments if there was no selling involved?)
But in religious circles, it’s the other way around. Profit, business, and selling are frowned upon as materialistic.
Some religious leaders, however, are getting it…
What Kind Of Vow Should You Make?
Last week, a priest came up to me and said, “Bo, I like reading your financial books. Because your books are slowly correcting my thinking about money. You see, when I was in the seminary, I was taught that poverty was desirable. I was taught people should be happy with poverty. I was taught that it was a sin to desire to become rich. But I now realize that this kind of thinking was for celibate priests like me, not for people I preach to every Sunday…”
I couldn’t agree more.
The vow of poverty is a very high call from God for a tiny segment of the Church–such as celibate priests and nuns. It’s a very heroic call. But this segment is not even 0.0001% of the world’s population. (There are only 400,000 priests and 800,000 nuns around the world.)
To the 0.0001% of the population (religious celibates), God is calling them to the vow of Poverty. To the 99.9999% of the world (that’s us), God is calling us to the vow of Generosity. The vow of Surplus. The vow of Abundance. The vow of Prosperity.
I believe that God is calling you to give your special gift to the world and receive financial abundance in return–so that you can be a channel of blessing to others.
Yes, you have a special call in your life.
God has given you a special call to serve others in a specific way. Perhaps your special gift is to cook. To manage. To listen. To sing. To dance. To draw. To design. To compute. To plan. To repair. To organize. To sell.
If you want to increase your income, answer God’s call. Because this is themost natural way for you to earn a profit.
Profit Is Sacred
For many people, business and profit are dirty words.
Friend, banish this kind of thinking or money won’t come.
For me, profit is sacred.
Why? Because the purpose of profit is to serve more. Because with profit, you can improve your product. And you can create more products. And you can even create new businesses to serve more people.
Let me give you an example.
In 1990, when we were giving away Kerygma magazine for free, we only impacted at most 6000 readers. But when we started selling the magazine, we gained the financial muscle to reach millions people with God’s Love–through our magazines, books, internet, TV, Radio…
I Was Poor Because I Wanted To Be Poor
Perhaps you were like me in my early years as a missionary.
I didn’t want money. So money didn’t come to me.
My special gift is to speak and write. That is God’s special call for my life. But for almost 20 years, even if I was using both gifts to the hilt, I remained poor. Why? Because I wanted to be poor. All those years, I blocked the flow of financial blessings that God wanted to give me. Because I defined myself as poor.
But when I hit 30 years old, when I knew I was going to get married, I hit my turning point.
I realized I couldn’t tell my kids, “Children, be happy that I can’t send you to school because your Daddy has no money. We’re suffering for Jesus…”
Also, I saw so many needs in the ministry, I wanted to be a help, not a burden. My favorite fantasy was seeing a ministry need and pulling out my wallet to fund it.
For the first time in my life, I decided to become rich–for the purpose of blessing more people. I set a goal. I committed myself to make it happen.
Which brings me to the second block to creating wealth…
2. Wrong Strategy
I threw away all abandon and dove head first into all sorts of businesses. I sold engine oil, memorial plans, squid balls, ice cream, and hotdog sandwiches. Thankfully, most of these businesses failed gloriously.
Yes, I removed my wrong thinking.
But I was still poor! Because I had the wrong strategy.
After praying to God asking Him how I could prosper, I realized none of these businesses were using my special gift. (Goodness, what did I know about engine oil and memorial plans?) None of these businesses were about God’s special call for my life.
Don’t Compare Yourself With A Few
Super Entrepreneurs
Let me insert this here.
Sometimes, we meet a few rare individuals who are good in diverse businesses. So we think anyone can be like them. That’s not true.
I think these are mutants. Like X-Men. (My Business Mentor, Dean Pax Lapid, is one such super mutant. He builds one business a year in the most diverse fields. He has a fuel business, an IT business, a vegetable farm, a convenience store…)
These people are fantastic in any business because God’s special gift to them is business.
But for the rest of us, especially if you’re starting out, don’t stray away from your God-designated gift that He wants you to give to the world.
Now it’s also true that as you grow as an entrepreneur, you can do more varied things. (This year, I’ll be starting a new business selling USB drives. That has nothing much to do with my gift of communication.) But it takes time to do this.
So let me say it again: Stick to your gift.
Find A Monetizing Strategy For Your Gift
If I stuck with my gift (communication), I had a dilemma.
I only used it for ministry. And for most of my life, I gave talks for free. How could I monetize my anointing? (Asking that question felt so scandalous to me.)
It seemed impossible.
But I didn’t give up. I kept asking the question, “Lord, give me a monetizing strategy for my gift. Help me to earn money.”
What the Bible says is true: Ask and you shall receive.
I studied. I read. I got mentors. I became a sponge. And soon, I found the right strategy to monetize my special gift.
At that time, companies were already inviting me to speak.
And when they asked me to speak, they also asked for my speakers’ fee. So I told them my usual answer: I’m free. And they were happy.
When I did speak in their corporate events, usually held in 5-star hotels, I noticed that they paid everyone. They paid the hotel, the director, the lights, the sounds, the waiters–except me!
So I wondered–perhaps I could charge.
I still preached for free in prayer groups and in churches. But if big companies invited me, I charged an arm and a leg.
I first charged P10,000 per talk. I noticed the companies who were inviting me were still smiling. So I charged more.
I charged P20,000. And they were still smiling.
So I decided to charge P50,000. They weren’t smiling anymore. But they still kept on inviting me.
Today, I charge P75,000 for a talk and P150,000 for an out-of-town engagement. Some companies stopped calling me. But some companies still invite me. (Note: I donate my speaker’s fees for the ministry. I earn enough from my own businesses for my personal needs.)
What’s my point? That answering God’s special call for your life is the easiest, most effective way to create wealth for your life. You just have to find the right monetizing strategy.
Employee Or Entrepreneur?
I’ve got news for you: You’re an Entrepreneur.
Even if you have a job, you’re still an Entrepreneur.
How come? Because you’re the CEO of your own business, (1) where your service is your main product and (2) your first customer is the owner of the company that you’re working for.
The earlier you act this way, the more prosperous you’ll be.
Today, I want you to forget about job security. There’s no such thing as job security anymore. You’re only as good as your last performance.
But that’s okay!
Because the best employee has an entrepreneurial mindset. Even if he’s a janitor, he believes that he’s part owner of his company. In Tagalog, may malasakit. And so he’ll constantly find ways to save costs and earn profits for his company.
Guess what: That guy won’t be a janitor for long.
Because if his company won’t promote him, someone else will. You can’t put a good man down forever. The laws of this universe will see to it that he’ll get rewarded.
Money isn’t coming? Keep serving.
Today, I run 12 businesses.
Hear me out: It’s not about the money! It’s about serving people. It’s about giving my life to them and blessing their lives.
My 12 businesses are just 12 ways of serving others. But as I serve others, money comes to me. Because I’ve found 12 monetizing strategies for my gift.
I repeat: Life will find a way to repay you.
As you serve others with your all, and you remove wrong thinking and wrong strategies, the universe will come kneeling down at your feet, pleading with you, “Please, I beg you, receive these financial rewards…”
Let me share with you now 3 important “Things To Do” that we can pick up from the parable of Jesus above…
1.Risk Your Gold
Don’t be like that third servant. Don’t bury your gift. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.
Go out into the world and share your gift.
Whether in a job or in a business.
Yes, it’s a risk.
People come up to me all the time and ask me, “But Bo, I don’t know my gift.”
Let me tell you why many people don’t know their gift. Because discovering your gift requires experimentation. Trying out. Going out on a limb. Risking!
“But Bo, what if people will reject my gift? What if people will laugh at me, ridicule me, call me names?
Can I assure you? Here’s my 100% guarantee: You will be rejected. You will be laughed at. You will be ridiculed. You will be called dirty names.
But there’ll be enough people who will accept you. There’ll be enough people who will like your product. There’ll be enough people who will love you and become your lifetime customer. And there’ll be enough people who will be willing to pay you for your service.
2. Reproduce Your Gold
If you don’t use your gift, you lose it. But if you use it, you reproduce it!
Don’t be content with just maintaining the special gift that God has given you.
Develop it. Expand it. Multiply it. Make it grow!
Be the best worker, electrician, engineer, mechanic, cook, speaker, writer, accountant, saleslady, farmer that you can become.
And do you know the best thing about growing? You inspire others to grow as well.
Being the leader of my community, I realized my finances are the lid to my members’ finances. Because I grew financially, I inspired many of my members to grow financially too.
Imagine for one moment that I was buried in debt. Imagine if I was broke. A broke person can’t lead another broke person to abundance. As Casey Graham would say, you won’t often hear a fat, 350-pound, preacher preaching against the sin of gluttony.
Friend, your finances may be the “lid” of the finances of the people around you. For their sake, grow your finances. Be a model others can follow. By your example, you can inspire others to grow in their finances too.
3. Return Your Gold
I find this detail in the story shocking.
The first servant was given five bags of gold. When he used it for business and made a profit of five more bags, he returned all ten bags to his Master.
The second servant was given two bags. And he did the same thing: When he earned two more bags, he also returned all four to his Master.
They gave back both the principal and the interest.
Message? You don’t own your wealth or the ability to create wealth. You don’t own your special gift, talents, and skills. All are borrowed from God. You’re merely a caretaker.
At the end of the day, we remain humble before Him.
Always ask the Owner how He wants you to use His wealth.
And you will be at peace.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
PS. Grow closer to God this Lenten Season. My friend Preachers, Jon Escoto and Migs Ramirez, will be giving a Lenten Retreat on March 24 and 25 in Angels Hills in Tagaytay. Grow closer to God this Lenten Season. For this “stay-in” Retreat–which includes first-class lodgings, meals, and manuals, Retreat fees starts at P2475 only. To sign up, email Beckie at beaconlightevents+seminar@gmail.comnow!
