When Money Becomes Our Focus

A life focused on money is a miserable life. When we choose to allow money and our financial well-being to become our primary focus joy becomes difficult to find.

A Life Focused On Money Can Steal Our Joy

So many things in life require money and many people spend their entire lives trying to acquire more money. So, what happens to our lives when the primary focus of our lives becomes, the acquisition of more and more money? When we choose to chase after material things our focus on money and material things pulls us away from the one focus where our hearts should truly be on a life devoted to Jesus Christ. Money in itself is not evil or wrong but a love of money is the root of all evil.  The bible tells us this in 1 Timothy 6:10 it says: For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

True Joy is never achieved by acquiring more money or possessions in fact the more you have you will often have more stress, more discontentment and your relationship with God often takes a back burner to your relationship with money. We do not always realize this is even happening right away as our financial stresses begin to take up more and more of our time it often starts subtly. Day by day, week by week we begin compromising more and more time that should be spent with the Lord. We may choose to do more things that take up our time, we might choose to work more, etc. quietly allowing our financial lives and or our comfort to gain the main focus over everything else. When this happens, we can quickly allow money and our financial goals to become an idol to us that takes presidence over our relationship with the Lord.

What Does the Love of Money Is The Root Of All Sorts Of Evil Mean?

When the Bible states that the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil it does not mean that money itself is evil or that having money is wrong. What it does mean is that placing money and the acquisition of money above our relationship with God is wrong and can lead to all sorts of evil. When our focus becomes gaining more wealth, protecting our financial status and luxury living our focus is on the things of this world and not on the things above. In Colossians 3:2 -3 the Apostle Paul taught us to “Think about the things of Heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” Our Focus should not be the things of this world as a priority it should be on the things of Heaven. This is tough enough even without money and the focus on earthly wealth and possessions. Many struggle equally with this even when they do not have wealth as they try to get by in life. In the hard times their focus can also go to acquiring more as they turn to striving for more instead of trusting our Lord to provide for their needs.

The Lord Is My Shepherd I Lack Nothing

One of my very favorite Bible passages is found in the book of Psalms in the 23rd passage. It is a very common passage that many love but throughout my life it has become so important to me for many reasons. The Holy Spirit has highlighted the passage to me as He led me through some of the darkest seasons of my life. One pof those was a season I would compare to the Valley of the Shadow of Death spoken of in Psalm 23:4 “Even When I walk through the darkest valley, (or many translations state the valley of the shadow of death) I will not be afraid for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. This passage encouraged me in some very dar seasons of chronic illness that I have endured reminding me that no matter what I walk through He is right beside me. No valley is so dark that He is not there to protect and guide me. However, Psalms 23:1 speaks to me in almost every season reminding me that if the Lord is my Shepherd I have “Everything that I need.” There is never a season in my life that my needs will not be met if I have the Lord by my side. Some seasons might appear to be a struggle financially. I might not understand what I am walking through but He will truly be with me and be my provider through them all.

How Has God Proved Himself To Be My Provider?

There have been so many ways throughout the years that I have seen the Lord provide. Some of the most noteable seasons have been the following ones.

Paying off my debt. There was a season in my life where I was in so much debt I thought I would never get out. During this season I was often trapped in idolization of wealth as I felt I was almost completely controlled by my debt. I simply could not see a way out and every day I worried and stressed about money. In hindsight I look back now and I realize that even when my focus was wrong and I was idolizing the idea of being debt free that God never allowed me to be overcome by it. He was the one who led me through and pulled me out of that season into one where I finally experienced debt freedom. I not only was able to finally pay off my credit card and loan debt but I was also completely freed of my student loan debt through public service loan forgiveness. A miracle I never really expected to receive yet God made a way for me to receive it in July 2023. Praise God! It was honestly like my red sea moment which I never saw coming but God freed me from the clutches of enormous student loan debt in just one day.

When my daughter was born I could not see quite how we would make it financially. However, God made a way for us when there seemed to be no way. I was able to receive money in various ways to help me pay our initial debt from her birth, He provided financially through various ways including an unexpected job offer and raise I never could have seen coming.

In the last season of my life my health has been a struggle. The healthcare costs associated have been at times overwhelming. However, I have to say He has still provided in each and every situation. He has seen me though so many difficult moments and provided unexpectedly. I am still mostly debt free aside from some zero interest healthcare costs that I am currently paying off. I trust that this is just another season where I will see the Lord’s goodness and provision in unexpected ways. He will always remain faithful and I can now be more confident of this because of my knowledge of his word and the testimonies of previous seasons in my life where I have seen His faithful provision. Thank you Lord that “ I have everything that I need.”

You Can Also Trust in His Faithfulness

Remember that His promises in His word are for each of us as we walk through life. There will never be a season in life that He does not provide for our every need. I have learned that it does not always look exactly as we want or expect but that it will always be enough and He will always be right beside us. Great is His faithfulness to each of us. Today I am lifting up a prayer for each of you as you walk through the various seasons in life that you find yourself in. I pray for supernatural provision, for your focus to remain on the things of heaven and not of earth & for the Shepherd to lead you in every area of your life and into all truth as you trust in Him.

From Today forward make a commitment to yourself and to God to not allow money to become your focus. Instead place your relationship with Christ above all else and seek first the Kingdom and He will give you everything that you need.