The Time For Change Is Here
The time is now to change your outlook on your money. Money has controlled you for far too long, which needs to end today. Money is a tool that we need to survive but we should never place our faith in our finances. As you look around you right now you probably see the world in chaos. Many are trying to understand what is going on but few can figure it out. That is because many of us have spent years blind to the truth… This includes me.
I have spent many years worshipping money even though I had none because the lack of money drove me to do so. I struggled to make ends meet in the hard times and in those times when I should have turned to God I turned to myself. I tried to find ways to fix my problems financially and spiritually through my strength. When I tried to save myself or fix my problems in those days I failed every single time. So how do you do things the right way and save yourself the sorrow of ending up barely treading water financially and going in circles like me?
The Time For Change Is Here
As a Christian, I believe that the only way to truly change your life is through a relationship with Jesus Christ. I discovered what it was to be a Christian as a teenager and accepted Christ but soon after I fell away. I spent years half-heartedly following God and seeking His will for my life. The result was difficult financial challenges brought on by following what the world told me to do instead of what God led me to do. I allowed the devil to rob me not only of my finances but also of my peace, joy, and hope for the future. Throughout these years of doing things my way I made the best decisions I could but it was not enough to prevent the financial heartache that I would go through. Today the Lord is bringing me out of those hard times more and more as I begin to fully trust Him every day. I am discovering the place that money should have had in my life all of these years and the Joy that comes from trusting God completely to take care of me.
How can you also find God? How can you discover the Joy, hope, and peace that only He offers in this crazy world we are living in?
John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. The first and most important step is to discover that God loves you no matter who you are and what you have done. Knowing all that we would do in our lives He still sent His son Jesus Christ to the earth. He came in human form as Jesus Christ to die for our sins. In dying for us on the cross He offers us the only chance to receive grace and forgiveness for our sins.
Romans 5:8 says “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Not a single one of us deserves forgiveness or grace but we are offered it anyway. This is only through this act of grace His son gave us on the day He died.
How to view your financial life as a Christian
As Christians, we need to recognize that God has given us everything we have. He entrusts us with our finances but asks that we do a few things with our money.
What does the Bible specifically say about money? Below you can find some Bible verses about money and how we should manage it.
Hebrews 13:5 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
1 Timothy 6: 10 ESV
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Matthew 6: 24 ESV
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Luke 12:15 ESV
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Matthew 6:19-21 ESV
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Proverbs 3: 9-10 ESV
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Malachi 3:10 ESV
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
Luke 6:38 ESV
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Acts 20:35 ESV
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
These are just a few verses in the bible that speak to how we should view our money. When it comes to our finances we need to give them to God daily and ask for His wisdom in managing them. Just like the rest of our life, we need to surrender our finances daily to Him and ask Him to help us manage them wisely.
What I always did wrong with my finances
I overspent when I did not have the money to cover what I wanted or needed
When my debt became overwhelming I allowed worrying about my debt to control me
I stopped tithing and giving to manage my finances instead of trusting that God would supply my needs
In those days I often forgot to pray and commit my financial life and financial struggles to God
When worries about money came into my life I would try to manage my finances alone
Frequently I spoke my fears into my life instead of speaking the truth that God gave me in His word. I believe that when I did this I showed that my faith was so weak and I did not trust Him to provide.
My choices not to tithe led me to steal from God through not tithing and giving back as His bible commands me to do.
Many times I would daydream about having more money. I would often find myself willing to sacrifice almost anything to have this financial security.
What changed my outlook on money, my blog, and my faith?
Spending so much of my adult life trapped in debt and despair controlled me in a way that I wish it never had. If I could go back today I would change so many things….or would I? To be honest I know that I couldn’t because the trap I was stuck in was one that I could not get out of alone. I needed to experience a revival and a fresh revelation from God. When Covid hit and the shutdowns began to happen my life just like the lives of many others was turned upside down. During this time I began searching more and trying to better understand the place that I was at in my life. When things looked the bleakest I cried out to God and he answered me. It was through months of my crying out to Him and His gentle leading in my life that I began to know Him better. I realized as this proceeded that although I was a Christian for many years I was not living for God the way I should have been. Today I can save for a fact that I have more Joy than I have ever had. I trust God with my finances completely and I know that He will lead me to that financial freedom that I have always been seeking.
If you are not already a Christian don’t wait to give your life to Christ. Do it today and commit your life and finances to Him. When you do this He will send His holy spirit to comfort and lead you from this day on. When you ask Him to lead you from this day on you will always know that you have both a future and hope. I am not ashamed to say that a life lived for God is far better than any life without Him.
Always remember that as a Christian the Joy of the Lord is your strength. When you know God and place your faith in Him a life lived completely for God will bring you Joy.
"Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." - Nehemiah 8: 10
