This is why anyone can become successful/rich, all that is required is to understand the system and work the principles to a point of advantage.

What is money?

Money is a medium of exchange. It allows you to get what you want in exchange for something of value. Before money became the de facto medium of exchange, there was a barter system that enabled people to exchange goods and services. A person who wanted milk and had fish simply had to look for someone who had fish but wanted milk, indeed, it was a complicated system.

People’s wealth was measured by the number of things they had, their net worth was represented as the number of cattle, horses, slaves, gold, and silver they had. Money has now become the global standard of measuring wealth since it provides a uniform standard of measure. In this era of cryptocurrency and technological advancement, the dynamics are changing, but still, the idea of money remains the same; a medium of exchange.

The System of Money

Like every other system, the system of money is built on certain principles, those who work by these principles reap the benefits of the system. There are 3 major components of this system that I have interacted with over the years;

1. Money respects those who respect it.
2. Money enslaves those who worship it.
3. Money returns to those who honor it.

I will further explain these components as we look at the principles of the system of money.

What are these principles? 

Let me start by saying that the principles listed below are the principles I have used personally and are by no means exhaustive. I have listed the following so that I can write and discuss from the point of experience, rather than write fiction.

I have categorized these principles into two areas:

• General principles
• Faith-based principles

Let us take a quick look at the general principles:

1. The principle of seed (sowing and reaping) – The principle of seed is one of the oldest principles. This principle can be found in every sphere of life.

A farmer who takes a seed and buries it into the ground expects it to yield. When a male (Animal/Human) mates with a female, a seed is planted and the result is the creation of a new life.
What I find fascinating the most about this principle is that it applies to everything, including money and finances. Galatians 6:7 makes this clear; “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

Proverbs 12:11 goes further to make it clear by saying that “Those who work their land will have abundant food” and that’s the only requirement; to work the land by planting seeds.

As it concerns money, let’s look at some of the ways to plant seeds:

• Giving  –  Proverbs 11:24 says this best;   “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty”.
  
  The way to have more is to give more. It will be difficult to find any truly wealthy person who doesn’t understand this principle.
  Every one of us must find ways to give in three directions; give to those above you, give to those beneath you, and give to those at the same level with you.
  When you give to those above you, you are using your seed to attract the things that they have that you admire/want/need.
  When you give to those beneath you, you are creating goodwill and attracting favor.
  When you give to those at the same level as you, you are unknowingly building a network of support. Giving is one of the fastest ways to unlock more blessings. If you want more, you have to learn to give more.
• Labor – Committing your time to other people’s welfare is a seed that yields greatness.  I will spend more time talking about this under the principle of service.
• Savings and Investments – Savings and investments can be in the form of having a bank account where money is kept, joining a thrift and credit cooperative society, investing in things and organizations that yield returns, buying government bonds, etc. Any means chosen can be seen as a form of saving and investment, combining different options increases the chance of success. Anyone who doesn’t cultivate the habit of putting money aside will struggle through everything in life.
  You can argue about how much you earn and how much expenses you have to deal with, but the reality is that those who find a way to reduce their expenses while increasing their income are the ones who can find success with money.My personal experience is that each time I save money, more money looks for me. I am often presented with more opportunities that give me more money as a result of choosing to save, no matter how little. This is why I mentioned earlier while talking about the components of the system of money that money respects those who respect it.
  Before you complain that you don’t even have anything to save, let us look at the parable of talents.

  In this parable, Jesus was teaching economics and talking about unproductive people and investments. For example, a bank will loan money to someone who has managed money well (bank account history), but the same bank will ignore a person with a poor history of managing money well. If you had two friends, one who usually takes money from you, creates more of it then returns what you gave initially.  And another who repeatedly takes money from you and always returns to complain about how bad the economy is, then asks for more. Who would you give more of your money to?

  In other words, the system of money expects us to be productive with the things we have and the refusal to be fruitful and productive will only lead to having less of the things that we have. The reason a person is broke is most likely because he/she has been unable to manage opportunities well, not because of the lack of opportunities. This parable clearly shows that each one of us has been given at least one thing from which he/she can profit on earth. No matter how difficult it may seem, we must all find ways to put money aside. I remember about 5 years ago when it became difficult for me to put money aside without spending it. After struggling for a couple of months, I decided to start a thrift society. I looked for friends and associates having the same challenge and we built a system together.

  Having such frequent commitment to save has changed my life completely. Today, not only am I able to keep money without spending it, but the thrift society has also grown and now has different groups contributing frequently.

2. The principle of service – The principle of service refers to serving others, especially those who are unable to pay you in return for your time. You can serve your organization by showing commitment at your workplace, ensuring that whatever is committed into your hands is successful.
You can serve your community by contributing to projects that help grow the community. Volunteering one’s time for activities that do not directly impact one’s life is a fantastic way to serve.
Luke 16:12 captures this exceptionally well; “And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”.

Coaching, mentoring, and finding opportunities for others without charge is also a fantastic way to serve. Your commitment to the things that raise others is a direct investment that leads to your greatness. You are simply planting seeds that will yield unprecedented open doors and breakthroughs for you.

3. The principle of accountability – The principle of accountability refers to our willingness to be open to scrutiny. One of the reasons why most people avoid this, in my opinion, is because they do not keep records of their income and expenses. Since 2012, I have created a Microsft Excel template that I use to track all my expenses and income. This means that I can go as far back as 9 years and give an accurate account of how much I made and how much I spent per month since 2012.

Anyone who desires to be successful with money must keep records. Further to keeping records is being transparent to those you are responsible to/for financially. Accountability is one of the key foundations required to build trust, without trust, it is impossible to build lasting wealth.

4. The principle of integrity – The principle of integrity refers to our ability to stay true to our words. It is also an important factor in building trust. Integrity is like a person’s reputation, it is difficult to build and easy to destroy. Many great men have built empires on the wings of keeping to their word. Your ability to show others that you can keep your word is directly proportional to the number of opportunities that open up to you.

5. The principle of living debt-free – Living in debt is spending your money before it arrives. As much as possible, we must strive to avoid debt. One of the ways I have been able to do this is by understanding the difference between my wants and my needs.

For example, some things you buy are unnecessary and above your level of income. We often justify this by categorizing those things as important or urgent to our needs. The reality is that if you didn’t have many of the things you have today, your life would not be less interesting. We often assume that we must appear in a certain way or buy certain things so that we can continue to keep up with the people around us. Keeping up with those around us is the beginning of unhappiness.

Your need to communicate is basic, you need a phone that can make phone calls, send messages, and connect to the internet. Going for a high-end product when all you can afford is a low-end product is one of the fastest ways to stay in debt for a long.  This is the same with your needs for transportation, food, and many other things. Fortunately, the people you desperately want to impress by buying all the things you can’t afford don’t care that much about you, they are quick to move on admiring and talking about other people. My ability to keep my wants away from my needs is one of the ways I have used to keep myself away from unnecessary debts. I only attend to my wants when I have excess money. This is why I mentioned earlier while talking about the components of the system of money that money returns to those who honor it.

6. The principle of association – The principle of association refers to our ability to surround ourselves with the kinds of people who can help us succeed. Proverbs 13:20 captures this principle succinctly; “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”

A person will always be an extension of their network. If you have friends who spend lavishly, you are likely to behave the same way too as you will always be tempted by their lifestyle. Surround yourself with people who are doing the things you want to do more of or who are at least learning and doing all they can to do so. The more people you have in your network, who understand these systems and principles, the better your chances are of finding success.

The other side of this principle is that your relationship with quality people has the power to give you the same things you would have spent so much money and time to acquire.

7. The principle of preparation – This is one of the most underrated principles. It shows us that planning and preparing on time is the easiest way to meet our financial responsibilities and hit all our targets. This cannot be overemphasized, especially in this generation that expects everything to happen overnight.

Luke 14:28-29 captures this principle perfectly; “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you”.

Genesis 41:48 summarizes the story of Joseph and how his ability to plan and prepare saved an entire generation from famine and destruction. The verse simply says “Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city, he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.”

Your ability to see ahead and plan/prepare accordingly will greatly enhance your chances of becoming successful. This brings us to the end of the list of general principles. As I have said before, these principles have no regard for the color of your skin, your location, your tribe, or if you are religious. Anyone who follows the principles will reap the benefits. If you are not a person of faith, you do not need to read any further, simply let me know in the comment section if you found this useful and if you have some changes and adjustments to make.

Let us take a quick look at the faith-based principles:

As a person of faith, if I don’t need faith to get money and if I do not have to pray to get money how then does my faith connect with getting wealth? And what is God’s plan for me as it relates to money? There is only one faith-based principle, the irony is that the name of the principle is already included in the name of the category.

The principle of faith – The principle of faith refers to our consciousness and surrender to a higher being, knowing that all that we are and hope to be are in the hands of a being higher and far greater than we could ever be. It is on this principle that everything else exists.

Hebrews 11:6 gives us a background for this; “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

If we indeed believe in the existence of God, then we have taken the first step in inheriting the blessings he has prepared for us.

Hagai 2:8 makes it explicitly clear that God is in charge of all the resources that we require; “The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty.” This doesn’t mean that the people who are not of faith cannot access money or wealth. They surely can, so long as anyone follows the general principles, he/she can create wealth.

What this scripture is saying is that those who put their trust in God have an inheritance that is accessible to them. I will carefully explain this as we explore the components of the principles of faith.

One of God’s many promises is to bless His people but the blessings are for His purpose on earth.
Deuteronomy 8:18 makes this clear; “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”

It is important to note that Kingdom principles only work for those in the Kingdom, and are subject to the King. This means that the blessings that we are promised are available so long as we remain in faith and these blessings are not meant to meet our selfish needs, they are specially for the expansion of the Kindom of God.

James 4:2-3 puts it succinctly; “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Our ascension into this promised wealth is on the wings of Trust, Surrender/Submission, Productivity, and Patience.

• Trust – Our ability to trust God in the little things is a reflection of our capacity to trust Him with the big things. A popular litmus test for our trust in God is the principle of tithing. Malachi 3:10 makes it very simple and clear; “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
  Our ability to give 10% of all our earnings in faith, expecting God to do all that He has promised is our stepping stone into gaining access to the wealth that he has prepared for us.
  Our inheritance comes from the promises of God, but the possession of those inheritance comes from our obedience to Him. Sometimes, our obedience is in following general instructions such as tithing, other times it is in following specific instructions that God has given us.
  Hebrews 4:2 puts this succinctly; “For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.”
  Isaiah 26:3 puts a final nail on this; “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.”
  
• Surrender/Submission – God wants His people to surrender their will to His will and submit to His plans and purposes. What sets the people of faith apart from everyone else is our consciousness that all that we have didn’t come from our efforts only. 1 Corinthians 4:7 puts it nicely; “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”
  Our surrender and submission are where we derive our humility, not because we feel lower than everyone else, but because we know that our essence and all that we have is in God and that we are nothing without Him.
  A person of faith in total surrender and submission to God will not struggle to sponsor the things of God and therefore God will not hesitate to move kingdom wealth in his/her direction.
• Productivity – God wants you to be productive. James 1:22‭-‬25 makes it very clear; “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”
  It will be of no use to pray and claim all the blessings of God without getting your hands to work. Exodus 4:1-7 tells us the story of Moses when he made every excuse possible not to go on the mission to rescue God’s people, the question God asked him was “What is that in your hand?”.
  I am asking you the same question today, What is that in your hand? What has God put into your hands as a tool for you to succeed? The parable of talents as discussed earlier makes it clear that every person has at least one thing in them that is meant to help them succeed.
  The miracle is already in your hands, you just may not see it as your miracle until you work it.
  Hebrews 6:7-8 clearly explains this; “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.”
• Patience – Hebrews 6:11-12 makes this very clear; “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised..”
  Our inability to patiently wait on God to fulfill His promises is seen as laziness.

In the end, no matter how much money we have, life isn’t for sale, and good health cannot be bought, this is why money in the hands of a believer must remain a tool for the kingdom, and our source must remain God through our faith.