Developing a saving culture 2

Developing a savings culture is a foundational principle for achieving financial stability and long-term wealth. Dr. Olumide Emmanuel emphasizes that saving is not what you do with excess money, but a disciplined habit you build regardless of your income level. It requires intentionality, consistency, and self-control—prioritizing your future over immediate gratification. By setting clear financial goals, tracking expenses, and committing to regular savings, individuals can create a safety net, fund investments, and seize opportunities. Ultimately, a strong savings culture empowers you to take control of your financial destiny and build lasting prosperity.

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Welcome to church. Welcome to Success Business and Leadership School. Success Business and Leadership Service. Welcome to part two of Developing a Savings Culture. Last week's Sunday was out of this world, and I believe very strongly that as we continue in this series, wisdom will be released, grace will be released for us to be able to walk in the manifestation of that which God has in store for us. Because of the brevity of time, we will not be able to do an extensive um uh recap of what we've done last week. But all we focused on last week was to lay a foundation and to deal with the scriptural insights on the subject of savings, and then we looked at a lot of scriptures that if I have to go back there, I'll be tempted to begin to do exegesis. So let's just leave it there. So today let's continue with vital facts about savings. Vital facts about savings. When we talk about developing a savings culture, it means that it is something that you have to consciously develop because spending is natural to everyone. You don't need grace to spend, you don't need anointing to spend, you don't need wisdom to spend, you don't need discipline to spend. Spending is normal. It is that saving aspect that requires you to consciously, intentionally, strategically develop in order for you to work in it. So let's look at vital facts about saving. Fact number one if you prepare for bad times, you will always have good times. If you prepare for bad times, you will always have good times. What do we mean by that? If you save regularly, it means that you have saved enough for the seasons when challenges will come or seasons when resources will not flow as they used to flow. So if, for instance, like we said last week's Sunday, in the seven years of plenty, you are putting 20% aside. When the seven years of farming comes, you will not be affected. We saw last week out that in Egypt, by the wisdom of God, through the life of Joseph, they saved 20% of everything that came in the years of plenty. And when the years of farming came, the bad time came, they still had good times that the entire world had to come to them to be able to benefit from what they had. Why? Simply because if you prepare for bad times, you will always have good times. So savings is one of the things that helps you to prepare for the bad times and the downtimes of life. Number two, if you don't save, you are not safe. Fact number two, if you don't save, you are not safe. You need to understand that savings saves you. What you save today will save you tomorrow. There are many people, I shared some examples with you last week, Sunday, of a brother that lost his job, but what he saved helped him, of uh the pastor that was saving money for his children, and when there was a little wilderness experience, that money was able to save them. You need to understand that the money you are saving today will save you. Many people have been embarrassed because of 60,000, 10,000, 250,000, or daddy, 4 million. Somebody's embarrassing you. Why? Because you don't have it. So you need to save because what you save today will save you, and you need to understand that there's a difference between savings and investments. Saving is setting money aside for a purpose. Investment is sending money on assignment for a return. Savings is setting money aside for a purpose. Investment is sending money on assignment for a return. So you save so that you can invest. And that's very, very important. Number three, savings is not a natural culture to many people like spending ease. Savings is not a natural culture to many people like spending ease. Like I said earlier on, spending is natural. Everybody can spend. You are very ready to spend. Money is for spending. Let us eat and drink and be merry. And if you're operating that kind of life, you will not be able to experience the best when it comes to your financial work with God. So it's very, very important for you to know that savings is not a natural culture to many, like spending is people naturally spend. Spending is normal to a lot of people, but for you to begin to save is something that you require the grace of God, the wisdom of God, and the discipline of the spirit to be able to operate in. And that's very, very important if you are going to experience all that God has in store for you. Number four, you must be intentional and deliberate about developing this culture. Sorry about the grammatical error there. You must be intentional. Not intentional. You must be intentional and deliberate about developing a savings culture. So when it comes to developing a savings culture, it's something that you must be intentional about. It's something you must be deliberate about. I think it was last week's Sunday. I was talking to us about unconscious competence. You must come into a place where, you know, when you start driving a car, um you have to think of almost all the process. Oh, am I doing the right thing? Am I using the right idea? Am I putting my leg on the right pedal and all those stuff? But once you begin to drive after a while, it becomes normal to you. A lot of you can do a lot of things now because it has become normal. That's the way savings should be. You should develop a savings culture to a level where savings become a part of you. Every money you make is just so you have to save that one, you transfer this to that, and it just becomes normal. And that's very important. So you must be intentional and deliberate about developing a savings culture. You must continue to speak to yourself, you must continue to inspire yourself, you must continue to motivate yourself to ensure that that becomes a part of you. Number five. Number one, you can save it. Number two, number one, you can waste it. Number two, you can spend it. Number three, you can invest it. Repeat after me. Waste, spend, invest. Again, waste, spend, invest. So foolish people waste money, average people spend money, wise people invest money. Foolish people waste money, average people spend money, wise people invest money. So are you a waster, a spender, or an investor? And that's why you need to understand so that you will not be at the lower level of this dimension. Number six, a minimum of 10% of your income is for saving. A minimum of 10% of your income is for saving. That's what we call the 70 30 principle. Now, the 70 30 principle states that 30% of every income that comes into your life does not belong to you. 30% of every income that comes into your life does not belong to you, it belongs to your future. So when you get an income, the first 10% of every income that comes into your life is called the tithe. Now, the entire 100% belongs to God, but it gives you stewardship over the 90. And it says, Bring the 10th, the first ten, the tithe. Why? Bring it to me as an act of worship in acknowledgement of the fact that I am your source. So if God is not your source, then you can do anything you want to do with your money. But if God is your source, then the entire money in your hand belongs to God, and then you bring the first ten to him as an act of worship, then you save 20%. So if you tithe 10% and save 20%, 30% is gone. What does that mean? If you earn $100,000 other, oh you know, dollar, I love dollar. If you earn 100,000 naira a month, that means your salary is not 100, your salary is 70. Because 30% is already gone for tithe and savings. And if you begin to think in that 70-30 dimension, it will help you because every time money comes into your hand, you already know that you are not the owner of the old money. Because, like I said to you last week, Sunday, you need to understand that every money that you have, your past, your present, and your future is in that money. Every money you are going to earn in your lifetime is broken into the different money you are earning every time. So when you are collecting that money, there is a past in that money, there is a present in that money, there is a future in that money. If you don't release the future aspect, you will not end up having a future. So a minimum of 10% of your income is for savings. And if you are not saving up to 10% of your income, you remember the scriptures we saw last week, then you are not operating in wisdom. Number seven, you need to have a minimum of six to eight months of your living expenses saved up. You need to have a minimum of six to eight months of your living expenses saved up. A lot of people don't believe this, a lot of people think it's unrealistic. And if COVID did not teach you, well, your life is in your hand. I've done my part. But make sure that you begin to work towards this because cash is king, but cash flow is the king maker. And you need to ensure that you have this money because sometimes, even as a company, as an organization, there's what we call insult fund. You just put it there, satanic budgeting, just let the money be there so that when trouble comes, when unexpected crisis comes, you have money to be able to take your things that can end up messing you up and bringing humiliation. So you need to have a minimum of six to eight months of your living expenses saved up in cash. So any money you need for your upkeep every month, multiply it by six, multiply it by eight. You must save to a level where you have that in cash. Because I do not subscribe to people keeping money in cash. When you have the cash, it must be for a purpose. So you put it there for this purpose, or you put it there so that you can gather then, put it into investment, or else any money you put in the bank will be devalued right there in the bank. So those are facts that you need to note about savings. So now let's look into reasons why you should save. The reasons why you should save. A lot of people do not they just think, oh, one day at a time, one day at a time, sweet Jesus. That's all I'm asking of you. So I just take one day at a time, I don't trouble myself. What God will do, He will do. What belongs to me will not pass me by. So we have all these funny, funny myths and funny, funny philosophies that has hindered us from working in the fullness of the plan and the purpose of God for our life. So, why should you save? What are the reasons why you should save? Number one, it's the wisest thing to do. It is the wise thing to do. Saving is wisdom. So if you are not saving, you are not operating in wisdom. It's the wise thing to do. We saw scriptures last week's Sunday that helped us to understand how important and how powerful savings is. We saw the widow that saved, we saw Egypt that saved, and we saw how that it helped them. So it's wisdom, it's wisdom, it's wisdom. Even when you look at the Bible, you say, Go to the ants, use slugard and learn a way. It says, Well, in the summer they prepare for winter, they prepare, they gather their food in preparation. Why wisdom? Which of you intending to build the tar will first of all sit down and count the cost, whether you have sufficient to finish it? Wisdom. So it is wise for you to ensure that you save. Number two, it helps you to have funds to invest. It helps you to have funds to invest. So, why do you need to save? So that you can have money to invest. I just got back from Abuja. We had the School of Money um summit in Abuja. We had the VIP dinner, we have people in the dinner, amazing CEOs, people from all over the country came for the dinner. It was awesome. And then we have the School of Money Summit, and then we're for side visits. But guess what? Someone was asking a question in the School of Money Summit about why you know I have this idea and nobody wants to support me. You know, people are not ready to help. And it was going on and on and on on why the banks are not there, friends and family are not there. When they are finished, talking and say, Have you finished? I say, You are you there for yourself? Are you there? Banks are not there, friends and family are there. Are you there? I say, So, why should people give you money when you are not even ready to give yourself money? The best way to get people to support you is to start by using your own money. You have to save your own money and use it to pursue your own idea, and then you have proof of concept. Then people can now come and join you. Why should people give you money to pursue an idea that you are not disciplined enough to save money to pursue? Who is the fool? Hello? So you save so that you can invest. Because savings is setting money aside for a purpose. Investment is one of those purposes. Savings is not an investment. I keep saying that. So don't think that when you are saving money in the bank, you are investing money. No, savings is not an investment, but you save so that you can invest. So one of the reasons for saving is so that you can have funds to invest, so that when investment opportunities come, you don't need to go running elder skelter looking for funds to maximize those opportunities. You have the funds, you just transfer the funds and then you are done. Number three, why should you save? It helps you to enjoy death-free purchases. It helps you to enjoy debt-free purchases. Right now, in the UK, in the US, in Canada, in many parts of the world, a lot of people are groaning now because interest rate has increased. They bought a house, they thought they have a house, but they are not the owner of the house because they bought it in mortgage. They borrowed money to buy the house. So even though they have been living in the house for 12 years, for 15 years, now the interest rate has increased. Some people are having to look for money, some people are having to rent rooms in their houses. So, husband and wife in one room, all the children in one room, the third room for a stranger, so that they can get money to top up their mortgage. A lot, why? Why? Why? Why? Because when they bought the house, it was not debt free. It was not debt free. And I was I was in a conference in the UK, uh, online conference in the UK just this week, and I was telling them how that all this interest rate is because you are buying the house on credit. For those of us that buy everything cash, we don't have any interest rate problem. Why? Because we didn't borrow money to buy a house, we paid cash. So if interest rate, let it rise, let it fall, let it scatter. Now it doesn't concern us why our house is intact. So why do you need to save money? So that you can enjoy their free purchases, so that you will not buy a shoe and bag and come to church and go and sit in the gallery because you cannot sit in front, so that the person that you bought shoe from will not see you, so that you will not buy a cloth that you have not paid for, and then you stay in the overflow because you know that when you come inside, camera will carry you, and then they will say, Ah, whatever church, because you are buying clothes that you have not paid for. Buy now, pay later. Buy you are buying clothes and you are paying instruments and you break your life into instruments, and you see you. I don't understand how do you buy a clothes on credit and you you wear and you are okay with wash up and you still came to church, you brought it to church. Clothes you have not finished paying for. You see a lot of embarrassing situation in church. That is why you should save money so that you'll be buying things on credits. And those of you too that are coming to church, I see all of you don't think I don't see you that you'll be parking car outside, parking car in the company, and you'll be opening boots, all those boots entrepreneurs that you are giving clothes to people, giving shoes to people. I see you in the car parko. Don't think I don't see you. I see you, I see you. CC TV may I see TV everywhere. I see you. You are giving people clothes on credit, giving them shoes on credit, and then when they don't pay, you now expect church to be involved. Was church involved when you are opening boots? Did you take permission? Is it not service you say you are coming for? They are now opening boots to be selling bags. Well, the word is enough for the wives. Number four, why do you need to save? It helps you to maximize seasonal opportunities. It helps you to maximize seasonal opportunities. Listening and listening well, life is all about opportunities. I've shared in this house over and over again. It is better to be prepared, waiting for opportunities than for opportunity to come and meet you unprepared. So life is all about opportunities. So when you save money, when opportunity comes, you are able to grab it. When opportunity comes, you are able to maximize it. In the same Abuja, after sharing with them during the week on understanding wealth creation, one of the things I shared with them is wealth creation is all about maximizing opportunities. And then, in order to practicalize what I said, I was inspired to offer them an opportunity that will last for seven days. And I gave a 50% discount on a product for seven days. And people started coming to see me after I saw, and you see, yeah, I loved what you have done. In fact, it was the spirit of God, and but sir, I don't know if you can extend it for 30 days. There's one money I'm expecting. I said, No, it's not for people expecting money, it's for people that have already saved money that the money is waiting for the opportunity. And someone else came and said, Can I have 10? Because the person that already has money to take 10. Now that's what so if you take 10 at 50 percent, you can turn around and the next day you sell it off and you make back your money 100 profits. So listen to me, most of the people you are looking at that you are envying, they are not better than you, but they are better positioned. They are not better than you, but they were prepared when opportunity came. It is better to be prepared, waiting for opportunity than for opportunity to come and meet you unprepared. Number five, it helps you during emergency. It helps you during emergency. Last week's Sunday, after church, we went straight to the airport to go to Abuja for the VIP dinner and the school of money in Abuja. When we got to the airport, we bought our tickets. Over almost two months ago, the ticket was bought. We got to the airport. They said the flight was delayed for two hours. After a while, they were saying they are not sure if the flight will go. What did we do? We bought another ticket. So I bought a ticket for the entire team. We spent about 600 and something thousand to buy another ticket. If there was no money saved, where will I see 600,000 to just pay for tickets like that? That was not planned for. We have our ticket already. We have paid for tickets since August. Now we got there, we can't use the same flat anymore. We have to buy another one. That is what savings is all about. It helps you in the days of emergency. What happens when you have to rush a child to the hospital and they say pay 30,000 now? And that's when you are now looking for an ATM card that is not working, that doesn't have, and you're not looking for PUS in the middle of the night. You need to have savings so that it will save you from all kinds of emergency situations that can end up jeopardizing your peace. Number six, it helps you in the days of unforeseen circumstances. Emergency comes, that's the level. Unforeseen circumstances is beyond emergency. Sometimes something can just come from ways you didn't expect. So why is it? If you lose your spouse now, it's not an emergency, it's an unforeseen circumstance. If you wake up today now and you find yourself, you have lost your job. The loss of your job is not an emergency, but it's an unforeseen circumstances. So when we talk about emergency, we are talking of things that show up that demands you to have money. But when we talk of unforeseen circumstances, we are talking of things that show up and stop the inflow of money. Show up and can mess up the trajectory of your life. So, what does money do? Savings helps you with unforeseen circumstances. Yes, you may be a widow, but being a widow in a private jet with houses and cars and investments is different from being a widow where even before burial, the creditors are coming, that your husband is so in. Than 30 million, and there's no house for you to go to. If our rent has expired, you and your husband were already waiting for rent, and now you are moving from the two bedroom. You have to go back to the village or go to the woody house. Now that's so listen and listen. Well, unforeseen circumstances, money will save you from it. Savings will save you from unforeseen circumstances. Number seven, why do you need to save? It helps you when it comes to financial freedom. It helps you to become financially free because as you are saving money, you are able to invest. As you are saving money, you are able to maximize opportunity. As you are saving money, you are able to mitigate the effects of unforeseen circumstances, and all these things affect the quality of your life, affect your status quo, and affect your peace. So it helps you to do what? To journey into financial freedom. So if you want to be financially free, savings is one of the laws of wealth creation. If you're going to be financially free, savings is one of the laws of wealth creation. Number eight, it frees you from the anxiety and the worry of lack of funds. It frees you from the anxiety and the worry of lack of funds when there is no money. Look at oh well it's increased. Oh, ah, they say this has increased. Oh, oh, they are going to increase the price of this. Oh bread is not expensive. Oh, onion is expensive. Hey, tomato, price of rice, oh, hey, gary, oh that anxiety alone can mess up your mind. It messes up your mental health. It leads you into a life of, you know, you just see that you are not okay. Why? Because there's no money. Any school fees, house rent, oh. But when you have money saved up, yes, things may increase, but you are relaxed. Okay, well, thank God we have the money. Let's pay. Before the money finishes, another one will come. Why? If they increase the price of a product, that is life. But you should have more money than the increase. That is what should be happening. And that's where savings come is when you save, no matter what happens in the marketplace, no matter what happens with all the different products and services, at least you have enough money to buy it. If they say the price of bread has doubled, you have double money to buy it. They say that's just life because you can never change your life by worrying. Which of you by worrying can increase his height, increase his stature, increase his peace? What it messes you up. So when you are saving money, it frees you from all this anxiety and worry. A lot of people you see it's as if they carry the whole world on their head is poverty because there's no money. Even when we are praying, they don't want to pray. When we are dancing, everybody's jumping and they are wondering, Kilo Chalek, you know, Joseph. Why are they dancing? Because in their mind, they are like, hey, oh, oh, look, something happened in Abuja. Abuja was amazing this week. Now, something happened in Abuja. So we did if it were you. And the if it were you was a financial if it were you. So one of the I did like 11 questions and I told them to pick a number and then we asked the question. Now they picked a number, a young lady picked a number, and the number that she picked, the question was I brought that five thousand from my pocket and I gave it to her. I said, This is five thousand. So I asked her. You have three options. Option one, keep the five thousand to yourself. Option two, take the five thousand and share it one thousand to five people. Option three, take whatever you can and share the remaining. Three options that we gave her. Do you know the option she chose? She collected the five thousand for herself. Now so the scatter. And she gave Alizi. She said, This is a miracle that I have a friend. I've been doing the product. I'm into skincare, and one of my friends is now working in the supermarket, and they have given me permission to come and supply them my products. But I've been looking for money to produce. So this money will help me to be able to produce my products so that I can go and supply this one. So I'm taking the old money for myself. That's how people provoke. So I say, okay, why are you provoking? What will you do if it were you? One said, I'm going to give out every money. I'll give the old 5,000 to people so that I know that God will make you. I say, okay, it's sweet to say. Why don't we be you? He said, I'll give the money. One said, No, I will take two and I will give out three. Different people. Then the woman stood up and said, Ah, sir, that I can't judge out that we take the money because as I'm here now, my children have not eaten since yesterday. That even this one that I came here now is because I've been following you on social media, and I believe that when I come here, you will say something, and God will use you to change my story. And so me, I will collect the money also that I'll buy food stuff for my children. Wow. You know what I did? I brought out another 5,000. I gave to her. I said, Go and take care of your children. But now, think of where I am going to. Anxiety. Do you know the kind of anxiety that that woman is carrying around? Children have not eaten. So I said, No, children should not be hungry. Take 5,000. Go and buy food for your children. Now that means she's there sitting down, looking normal, well dressed. But she's not normal. When I say who are not normal, she's not normal. Why? Because she will be thinking, What will my children eat? How will my family be taken care of? Now, so that is what savings will save you from the anxiety, the worry. You are just going on. So you see a lot of people they are moving. When you greet them, hello, my son, how are you doing? Fine. You think they are proud and arrogant. It's not arrogance. There are many things they are thinking of. It's not, he said, that brother is a snub. He doesn't answer greeting. The guy is thinking of house rent. School fees, the child is at home, no school. And they have been calling from school. Ah, hey, mama, mama. And you think the guy will be greeting you and be jumping around. It takes the joy of the Lord to do that. Some people have lost the joy of the Lord. They are now operating the happiness of Nigeria. Because of my time number nine. It helps you to develop a good culture that you can pass on to your children. Savings helps you to develop a good culture that you can pass on to your children. I've told you over and over again, as your children begin to grow, when we're growing up, there's what we call the piggy bank. They call it colour where you put money. I've taken my son to the bank like two or three times. Take them to the bank, show them this is a bank, introduce them to the teller, introduce them to the people, and tell them where you save money. So when you do this savings thing, what you are doing is you are developing a culture that you can pass on to your children and you are becoming someone that God will be happy with because he said, I know Abraham. Why? Because he will teach his children and show them the way. Number 10. Finally, why do you need to save? It makes you a good example and a model that glorifies God. It makes you a good example and a model that glorifies God. What is the testimony in your poverty? What is the testimony in your lack? What is the testimony in your hardship? How can you be a Christian and you are serving God and you are still struggling? In what way can you now tell people that God is good? But God is good, but if you are not doing what you are supposed to do, the goodness of God that should be reflected in you will not become visible. So you need to save so that you can be a good testimony, you can be a good ambassador, you can be a good model, you can be a good example of what a believer looks like. And I pray in the name that is above every name that you will not miss God, you will not miss everyone you will not miss your destiny, that the Lord will empower you, the Lord will equip you, the Lord will enable you, the Lord will support you, the Lord will surprise you in the name of Jesus Christ. Lift up your voice as you begin to give thanks to God. Open your mouth and thank him. Thank him, thank him, thank him, thank him. Last week, Sunday, I told you about midweek service. Begin to thank him. If you are blessed this morning, imagine what will happen in the second service, imagine what will happen on Wednesday, begin to thank him for this service, give him all the glory, give him all the praise, open your mouth and begin to declare. Father, in the name of Jesus, I give you praise. Lift up your voice and pray, lift up your voice and pray. Let's continue in prayer, let's continue in prayer, let's continue in prayer. Hallelujah, hallelujah.