Whats The Most Effective Way To Increase Your Income?

Today, Im 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. Im not just saying these words. Im prophesying. In my mind, its a done deal. This will happen. Im 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 isnt 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 heres my message today: Use that ability. Note. God didnt 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 everythingyour properties, cars, investmentsall 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.

Heres the truth. Your real wealth isnt cash, houses, or stocks. Your wealth is your ability to create wealth. I repeat. Use your ability!

How Do You Create WealthNaturally?

Ill 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 Gods call for your life. This call is based on your unique, tailor-fit, Godappointed gift that He wants you to give to the world. To me, thats the only way to create financial overflow. I know what youre thinking. Bo, this is the height of heresy. This is insanity. What youre saying is a sacrilege! Gods call has nothing to do with money. Its 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 wont overflow. In the same way, you need to stay under the faucet of Gods 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 NosesAnd We Didnt See It

In the prehistoric era of the 1990s, I met my small team in Shepherds Voice Publications. During the early years, we were literally giving away Kerygmamagazine. 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. Lets 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 moneyespecially for a bunch of poor missionaries. One of my team members raised his hand. Ive a great idea. Lets just rob a bank. And our problems well be solved in a day. Very interesting, I said, but I think well face two problems. First of all, my face is allergic to nylon stockings. Second, Im not sure how our readers will react if they find out well be publishing our spiritual magazines from prison. How about if we just sell drugs? someone else piped up. I heard its a very profitable business. Oh yes, I said. But Im not sure. Imagine, our messengers will be distributing Kergyma and shabu at the same time The products dont seem to match. Can anyone please think of something legal? Ive got a brilliant idea, one of them said. Lets produce a movie. Lets make a money-earning, blockbuster, megahit, topgrossing movie. Did you hear that Tom Cruises latest flick earned $100 Million. But of course, instead of Tom Cruise, youll be the star I said, Well, I understand why youre suggesting this. Tom Cruise and I have some similarities. But I will only allow this if it is written in the contract that I dont do kissing scenes.

Life Will Find A Way To Repay You

We wanted to raise funds and we didnt know how. We didnt 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 Publicationssells P85 Million worth of inspirational literature every single year. (Note: Were 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 Gods special call based on His Divinelydesignated 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 dont prevent the financial blessings from flowing to you, youll be amazed at how your financial rewards will come flowing into your life like the waves of the sea.

Why Youre Not Prospering

But Bo, Ive been answering Gods call, serving others by using my gift. But Ive not yet increased my income There are two common reasons why you dont 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 Im about to say isnt the main message of the parable. But its 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, its 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 couldnt agree more. The vow of poverty is a very high call from God for a tiny segment of the Churchsuch as celibate priests and nuns. Its a very heroic call. But this segment is not even 0.0001% of the

worlds 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 (thats 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 returnso 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 Gods 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 wont 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 Kerygmamagazine 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 Gods Lovethrough 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 didnt want money. So money didnt come to me. My special gift is to speak and write. That is Gods 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 couldnt tell my kids, Children, be happy that I cant send you to school because your Daddy has no money. Were 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 richfor 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 Gods special call for my life.

Let me insert this here.

Dont Compare Yourself With A Few Super Entrepreneurs

Sometimes, we meet a few rare individuals who are good in diverse businesses. So we think anyone can be like them. Thats 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 Gods special gift to them is business. But for the rest of us, especially if youre starting out, dont stray away from your God-designated gift that He wants you to give to the world. Now its also true that as you grow as an entrepreneur, you can do more varied things. (This year, Ill 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 didnt 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: Im 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 waitersexcept me! So I wonderedperhaps 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 werent smiling anymore. But they still kept on inviting me. Today, I charge P75,000 for a talk and P150,000 for an outof-town engagement. Some companies stopped calling me. But some companies still invite me. (Note: I donate my speakers fees for the ministry. I earn enough from my own businesses for my personal needs.) Whats my point? That answering Gods 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?
Ive got news for you: Youre an Entrepreneur. Even if you have a job, youre still an Entrepreneur. How come? Because youre 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 youre working for. The earlier you act this way, the more prosperous youll be. Today, I want you to forget about job security. Theres no such thing as job security anymore. Youre only as good as your last performance. But thats okay! Because the best employee has an entrepreneurial mindset. Even if hes a janitor, he believes that hes part owner of his company. In Tagalog, may malasakit. And so hell constantly find ways to save costs and earn profits for his company. Guess what: That guy wont be a janitor for long. Because if his company wont promote him, someone else will. You cant put a good man down forever. The laws of this universe will see to it that hell get rewarded. Money isnt coming? Keep serving. Today, I run 12 businesses. Hear me out: Its not about the money! Its about serving people. Its 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 Ive 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

Dont be like that third servant. Dont bury your gift. If you dont use it, youll lose it. Go out into the world and share your gift. Whether in a job or in a business. Yes, its a risk. People come up to me all the time and ask me, But Bo, I dont know my gift. Let me tell you why many people dont 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? Heres my 100% guarantee: You will be rejected. You will be laughed at. You will be ridiculed. You will be called dirty names. But therell be enough people who will accept you. Therell be enough people who will like your product. Therell be enough people who will love you and become your lifetime customer. And therell be enough people who will be willing to pay you for your service.

2. Reproduce Your Gold

If you dont use your gift, you lose it. But if you use it, you reproduce it!

Dont 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 cant lead another broke person to abundance. As Casey Graham would say, you wont 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 dont own your wealth or the ability to create wealth. You dont own your special gift, talents, and skills. All are borrowed from God. Youre 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