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• Money is one of the most powerful forces in life.
• Illustration: Quote from Alexander Titler that a democracy can exist until the public discovers that it can vote itself more money from the public treasury.
• Money is one of the most private secrets of our lives.
• Scripture wants to break us free from this stranglehold of private absorption.

• The first checkpoint is "Who owns this stuff?"
• Illustration: Extended poem of rich oil man, who decides to keep all his money.
• Keep transferring ownership of everything to God.
• Every spending decision is a spiritual decision.
• Recognize and reject the lie of the media.

• This is where intention meets application.
• Establish your giving first: tithe.
• Pay for what you have: no debt.
• Prepare for financial breathing: save.
• Learn some skills to take care of what you have: stewardship.
• Illustration: Father who insisted his sons learn a craft.

• Illustration: Just as Little League Soccer and the Symphony have costs, so does the church.
• Invest in a solid local church.

• Start.
• Speak to someone else about it.