No matter where you live in the world—money matters! The abundance or lack of finances can wind itself around the hearts of men and women to stray them away from trusting in God. Too much wealth and one is tempted to believe that they are the ones in control of their lives. Too little wealth and one is tempted to turn towards unethical means of taking care of wants or needs.
Proverbs 30:8-9 puts it best:
“Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”
Do you desire to trust God in your financial situation? If so, take the following first steps towards the freedom of trusting God with your money.
Step #1) Recognize that God owns everything
“If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it” (Psalm 50:12)
Our heavenly Father owns it all. He has unlimited resources to meet each and every one of our needs at His disposal. However, He is a good Father who gives us what we need in His perfect timing and He grants our desires according to His will. As children of God, we have the responsibility to trust in Him with all our hearts regarding money in spite of our circumstances.
Step #2) Resist the temptation of wanting to get rich
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have” (Hebrews 13:5)
Coveting more money is a plague that infects every nation under heaven. There’s never enough finances to satisfy the hearts of those who constantly want more for themselves. It is the will of God that His children learn contentment with the portion He has distributed to each of us. We must learn how to quiet our fretfulness and receive God’s peace so that we will have confidence to receive everything we need at the right time.
Step #3) Give generously in faith and in thankfulness
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion” (2 Corinthians 9:7)
A major step towards trusting God with your finances is to give generously to the building of His kingdom through the church. Our faithfulness and generosity is necessary to take care of the poor, to create more opportunities for the gospel to spread, and to provide for the needs of the church family. God desires us to give with glad and thankful hearts, not grudgingly. Stingy givers will never fully grasp God’s grace poured out on their lives in abundance.
Step #4) Strive to be a good and faithful steward with what you are given
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10)
As the caretakers of God’s blessings, we have the responsibility of disciplining ourselves in our giving, saving, investing, and spending of money. True accountability can only happen as we commit ourselves to budgeting our finances according to God’s will. We can find financial insight and direction from God’s word particularly in the book of Proverbs. There’s great freedom for those learn responsibility with their money.
Step #5) Receive God’s blessings and wisdom in finances with a spirit of humility.
“Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:4)
It’s not sinful to be wealthy. It’s sinful to be prideful, arrogant, and selfish with an abundance of treasures. The Lord gives the ability to make great financial gains. The true test of being spiritually mature and financial sound is keeping oneself humble. The practice of humility keeps our hearts tender towards God resulting in compassion to those who have much less.
Additional reading: How to remain humble in a fallen world
True Riches…
Trusting God with our finances is more about the motives of our hearts rather than how much money we have or don’t have in the bank. The Lord knows what we need to survive and He is the Giver of good gifts (James 1:17). Regardless of your financial state, the charge is the same: remain humble under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you in due time.
True wealth comes out of lives completely dedicated to the Lord and to trusting in His provision at all times.
Related Reading: Is Money The Root Of All Evil?
Resources – New International Version Bible, The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblca, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.