(This podcast was previously recorded and published on July 11, 2020)
Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney ...
Pam Padgett, put her car up for sale. Her neighbor was interested in buying Pam's car. The neighbor borrowed the car and took it to her mechanic to examine the car. That seemed so strange to me for she knows Pam well and should know Pam would conceal nothing from her concerning the car. Further she knew Pam took good care of the car through the years and the car was priced at a low price for the quality of the car, $6,500. A new car of the same model and equipment would cost $55,000.
The people who bought my house in Texas wanted a sure thing so they hired a man to inspect the house. They seemed to need a guarantee from another human. The inspector found a few very minor things wrong at the house. (He was being paid to find things wrong, so of course he had to find things wrong to justify the amount he was being paid by the buyers.) The buyers could have fixed these things themselves but they wanted me to fix them.
So I just added $7,000 to the price of the house to allow me to fix these things. I didn't know how much it would cost, so I had to guess at the cost, and I raised the price of the house to cover the cost.
It ended up costing less than $3,000 to fix the items. The buyers could have saved $4,000 by just fixing these things themselves.
Being wise in your own eyes can cost you money. But this is the way people of this world live.
Also the people who bought my house wanted a "warranty" which cost $600. I added this to the cost of the house and these people ended up paying for that warranty themselves.
Recently I had some sound materials added to a car. They tried to charge me $700 for insurance on the speakers. I told them I did not want that insurance. The way I live is this: If I can afford to replace the item. I don't buy insurance. If I cannot afford to replace the item, then I will consider insurance, such as on a house or medical supplement. I had difficulty in getting the store manager to remove the insurance from the cost of the project. But I insisted and he removed the insurance.
We had exactly the same problem when we purchased the car. They wanted to add an extended warranty. We insisted that they remove this. They really fought us. But we did get it removed. The dealer must make a great deal by getting people to buy these "warranties".
Pam's neighbor, Jim, bought warranty on his house but he could never get them to fix anything. When it broke, they just said, "The warranty does not cover that."
I manage to have money left over after purchasing something and I keep that money in my savings and pay for the item, if something goes wrong. I find it is less expensive for me to do it that way.
But I find the people of this world usually want this world to protect them. And often it ends up costing them more than it would have cost if they had just saved money to replace that item after the lifetime of the item.
Also when something goes wrong, the company issuing the "insurance" sometimes files bankruptcy if there are too many claims and they don't cover the warranty anyway.
It is better to trust in God than to put your trust in humans.
I like to be sure God is showing me to make "that" purchase. That is my peace. But this world has no peace in God. Their peace is in their plans. It is a very hard way of life.
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Proverbs 3
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge HIM, and HE shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil
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Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
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James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
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II Peter 3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of HIM in peace, without spot, and blameless.
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Does God approve the purchase you are considering?
To me, this is the starting point. I ask God this question, "Should I buy this? or should I do this?
Examples:
* Fireplace: changing from gas to wood burning
* Defective TV: what God showed me to do
James 3
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
James 3
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.