FINANCIAL BONDAGE

Regardless of having a little or a lot, as Christians, we have to

handle our finances God's `way if we want to see his blessings in

this area. I'm not talking “Prosperity Gospel” here. Not even

close. Prosperity Gospel teaches that if you aren't financially

blessed, you aren't in God's favor. That is wrong on so many

levels.

God won’t force you to follow His ways. The world will tell you to

follow your heart and do what makes you happy because "you

deserve it". Encouragement to indulge and splurge is

everywhere. If this is the path you choose to follow with

managing money, you will never be in a position for God to

break the stronghold of financial bondage.

You can be in financial bondage regardless of how much money

you make. Having more is almost like a sickness with some

people. They never think they have enough and worry

constantly about keeping it and getting more.

LIFE APPLICATIONS FOR

GOD’S FINANCIAL FREEDOM

YOUR MONEY ISN’T REALLY YOURS

Your money isn't yours to do with as you wish; you are a steward

of this gift. This is a mindset that only God can help you with. He

isn't interested in you hoarding your funds so you can have the

biggest bank account when you die (Matthew 6:19-21). He

doesn't even want your money. What he wants is your heart,

your obedience, and to see how you bless others with the gift of

money He blesses you with.

Money is nothing to God. You can't buy your way into

salvation, buy a single one of God's blessings, or buy your way

out of death (Psalm 49).

RELEASE YOUR GRIP

Regardless of the amount of money you have, release it back

into God's hands to do with as he will. You do this by asking

God to create in you a new heart. A heart that isn't seeking

money but Him. Ask him to reveal who he would like you to

bless. Sometimes he will want you to bless someone financially

and sometimes he will want you to bless them with other gifts

he has given you. The point is you must be open to his leading

and willing to obey.

HAVE A VISION

Once you understand that your money isn’t yours, you need to

seek God for a vision, an idea, a direction. Without knowledge

(vision) the people perish (Hosea 4:6 and Proverbs 29:18). But

you can’t just pull a vision out of thin air. Ask God to reveal his

vision for you. Ask for details. God wants you to be wise with

knowledge and understanding so don't be surprised at the

amount of detail he shares.

When God shares with you, share your vision with your spouse.

You need to both be on board (Luke 11:17). Pray over your

vision together; pray that God would help you to have open

hands to receive AND give. Don't forget to pray to resist the

temptation to stray from the vision.

Write your vision down (along with any verses God gives you) so

that you can refer to it when doubts creep in and your faith is

low. Because you have determined to manage your finances

God's way, the enemy will attack, tempt, and distort God's truth.

Base your financial decisions on whether or not it will help you

reach your God-given vision.

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Reaping and sowing are principles of God that you can't get

around. It plays into all his other principles (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

A perfect example is "give and it will be given to you" (Luke

6:38). This verse is used a lot just before the plate is passed at

church but it doesn't just apply to money.

It applies to all things in the spiritual and physical.

If God blesses you with something (like money, possessions,

spiritual gifts, etc) and you refuse to use your blessing to bless

others (James 2:15-16, Luke 3:11-14), you will suffer

consequences. Read the parable of the talents in Matthew

25:14-30.

This doesn't mean you should give everything away out of fear

of God's hammer coming down. Remember, God is detailed

and has a plan already in place for your family. Just because

someone has a need doesn't mean God wants you to fill that

need this time. He may have picked someone else to do it. This

is where prayer and discernment come into play.

Giving (and receiving) begins in the heart and mind then flows

into your actions.

BE A BLESSING

When you are out in public, find ways to bless others even if you

think you have nothing to give. There are always those who have

less than you have. But don't just hand money off. Always pray

over it first.

As you are out to eat, look around, and ask God if there is

anyone present he wants you to bless. It could be your waiter,

the old couple sharing a meal, the young couple outnumbered

by their kids, the lonely man off by himself...don't discount

anyone regardless of their outward appearance. God knows

what is going on in their life and who needs his blessing at that

very moment.

Anyway, quietly talk to your waiter and tell him that you want to

bless this person. Make it clear that you want it done privately.

Ask the waiter to pass on to them whatever message God puts

on your heart specifically for this person. Make it short and

sweet (“God loves you and is thinking of you” for example).

Leave the waiter money for their meal and maybe even the tip.

Or pay for them to have dessert added to their meal...whatever

you feel led to do.

Then pay for your own meal and quietly leave. Let God do what

he does best.

Please, please, please don't be like some and tell others what

you have done or put it on social media! I know everyone likes

the pats on the back when you announce you "paid it forward"

but you know what friend? DON’T DO THAT! Read Matthew

6:1-4.

God has his reasons for wanting to bless this person and for

choosing YOU to bless them. No amount of fist bumps can

come close to the blessings God will bestow on you because

you obeyed his desire to bless without seeking glory for

yourself in the process. But, if you choose to tell everyone what

you have just done, you have just cut off God blessing you. The

praise and glory you get from others is your reward. (Matthew

6:1-4)

LITTLE THINGS MATTER

The Bible talks a lot about seedtime and harvest. A seed is small.

Harvest time varies according to the seed. But if tended to

properly and allowed to grow to maturity, that little seed can

produce a mighty harvest. That harvest has the ability to

produce many more fields of crops down the road.

God adds to and builds upon as you show yourself faithful and

obedient. Again, this is a godly principle that applies to more

than your finances. For example, God will test your faithfulness

in little ways. If you aren't obedient with the little God gives, he

will not bless you with more (Luke 16:10-11). Your faith is

another area that starts out small and takes time to grow.

Your financial blessing can seem so small, like a handful of coins.

But that handful of coins can quickly add up to be much more

significant. It's not the amount of change that God is looking at,

it is your obedience and faith.

What if God blessed you will a lot of change and you collected

it. Then when your bucket became full you turned it into the

bank to pay off a bill, or you used that bucket full of money to

sow into someone's life. Stop thinking of small things as

insignificant. God can (and does) use EVERYTHING for his glory!

As God blesses you, don't run out to spend your blessing. Pray

over it. Look at your vision and plan. If you run out to spend it

because you've had a hard week and you deserve a reward,

your “little” will not develop into “a lot”. You will be digging that

seed up out of your own field before it can become a harvest!

LIVE BY FAITH

Things of God are considered strange and confusing to the

unsaved (1 Corinthians 2:14, Isaiah 44:18, John 1:5, Luke 8:10).

Even Christians who have not sought God for a revelation on

how to manage money his way will be confused by your

actions.

But don't let that bother you. You just do what God has told you

to do, how he has told you to do it, and he will take care of the

rest.

I know first hand how hard all this is. It takes faith and conviction

to go against the grain and manage your money God's way.

Satan will always send someone to attack what you are doing.

Or he will use your own thoughts to torment you. This is why

God tells us to put on our armor. When you don't see

immediate results in your finances, you need to be able to walk

out your faith by your actions. (James 2:14-17)

In 1 Kings 17, God sent birds to feed the prophet, Elijah. It took

faith for Elijah to take off on his own. Do you think the thought

crossed Elijah’s mind that he had been out in the sun too long

when God told him to eat what the birds brought him? But God

provided.

Also in 1 Kings 17, God told the widow to feed the prophet that

God was sending her way. God gave her a vision (instructions

and a plan). She was at the end of her supplies. Instead of

making food for herself and her son, she was commanded to

make food to feed the prophet. She obeyed and (v15) she,

Elijah, and her son continued to eat from her supplies for many

days.

But no matter how much they used, there was always enough

left over for next time. I'm sure God's plan didn't make sense to

this woman but she made the choice to live by faith. And God

provided.

YOUR APPLICATION MIGHT LOOK

VERY DIFFERENT FROM MINE

Your real-life application will be specific to you and your

circumstances. It could be that God is calling you to quit your

job and stay home with your children. That may not make sense

to you financially but you will have to seek God and walk it out

in faith trusting Him to provide.

He might be speaking to you about stepping out in a ministry of

some sort. Or a potential move across the country, or

homeschooling your children...the way God wants you to walk

out your faith is between you and him but have no doubt God

has made a way along whatever path he is calling you to.

BE CONTENT

Being content means to be in a state of peaceful happiness. It

doesn't mean you will settle or never move forward. It means

you learn to enjoy the season you are in and not overly stress

over the next (or last) season. The "secret" to doing this is

putting your focus on Christ and trusting that he will take care of

you regardless of what is going on around you (Matthew

6:31-33).

You will become a slave to whatever masters you (2 Peter 2:19).

You can chase after money and never catch enough. It can

become your god controlling your every thought. Sweet sister,

the money will come and the money will go. That's life. If you are

always scrambling to get it or hold onto it, you aren't living the

life God has intended for you. You will not prosper, grow, or be a

blessing to others.

When you are content you are okay with taking time to enjoy life

because your hope and peace rest in God, not in money or

possessions that may be stolen or moth-eaten.

Being content in all situations is a mindset you can (and should)

pray for. You can have an empty bank account and still enjoy life.

Your current life situation is like Ohio's weather...unpredictable

and never the same for long. Ask God to help you learn to live at

or below your income. Ask him to help you with your impatience

and discontent. If you need to, ask him to help you gain control

of your shopping habits and bless you with wisdom and

understanding in this area.

As your income grows (and under God's authority it will),

continue this practice.

FINAL THOUGHTS

No two journeys are the same. However, God's financial

principles do not change. All throughout the Bible, God has

always been more interested in prospering the hearts of his

people, not showering them with wealth.

If he so chooses, God could bless each of his children with

immeasurable wealth right this very second. But how then

would we learn to lean on God in our need? How would our

faith have a chance to grow? How would we learn to love those

who have less (or more) than we have?

YOUR TURN

Has God been trying to show you a way out of the financial hole

your family has found themselves in? If you have been a

Christian for a while, in what ways has God blessed you? Has

your attitude about finances changed as you have changed?