Trusting God with our Finances- Accept Help!

A great way to learn to better trust God with our finances is to accept the help he gives us! However, sometimes the help provided to us, doesn’t look like we might expect.

Have you ever heard the story of the Drowning Man? I’ve heard it used many times in sermon illustrations. (I can’t find the author/origin of the story.. so if you find it let me know!) Basically, there is a man sitting on the roof of his house as flood waters rise quickly below. A motorboat comes by and the occupants offer rescue. The man declines and says “No thanks, God will save me.” Then, a row boat paddles on by and offers help, the man declines again saying, “No thanks, God will save me.” Lastly a helicopter flies by and the pilot offers help. The man refuses rescue again and declares that he will wait for God to save him. The waters rise, the man drowns, and wakes up in heaven. Confused, he asks God why he didn’t save him. And God responds saying, “I sent you a motorboat, rowboat, AND a helicopter! What more help did you want?” The man had faith that God would save him, but he was close-minded in terms of how God would provide that aid. We can learn to trust God with our finances by being open-minded to the types of provision God uses, one of those is our community.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ”

— Galations 6:2

Whatever our circumstance, if we are struggling to make ends meet or we realize we need to cut back on spending to save for retirement. We might ask God for financial help and expect him to answer with more money coming in. If we are only looking for one possible answer to that request we could miss out on one of the best ways God provides for us… our community! Our community, whether that’s friends, family, church, or co-workers, has a lot to offer us. Sharing resources can go a long way! Next time you are struggling financially or just trying to be a better steward of what God has given you, consider looking first in your community for help. Maybe, there is someone in your community who can actually provide you with a needed service for cheaper. In the process you strengthen relationships and probably help that person out, even while saving money! Now, I’m not saying you can’t buy nice things for yourself ever, but there is something beautiful about sharing power tools with neighbors, giving rides to the airport, and having a potluck style dinner instead of going to an expensive restaurant. A friend of mine is planning a “clothing swap” for friends to get together and trade pieces of clothing! What a cool idea, it’ll be a great way to freshen up my wardrobe without spending a ton of money on new clothes. Not to mention the time spent with friends will surely be good for my soul. :) God often provides for our needs when we live in community with one another. I have found that by making our needs known within our community, God really will show up and provide! The more that you do this the easier it will be to trust that God will provide, one way or another, for all of our needs.

Can you think of a time when a need you had was met by your community? Share it in the comments!

~Kara

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

— Hebrews 13:16

Trusting God with our Finances- Equip yourself

Learning to trust God with our money is so hard! We’ve all been there! Let me share with you one practical way to move in the direction of fully trusting God to be our provider…

Equip yourself with scripture and prayers for the moments you feel the financial worry creep in. You’ll need scripture verses and prayers that you can recall to help you trust God in the midst of financial uncertainty. This will help you fight Satan’s attacks to steal your peace! One of my favorite verses for these times comes from Matthew 6:25-34. I just love the reminder to put God’s kingdom first and everything else will follow.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

~Kara

What’s your favorite scripture or prayer to help you trust God with your money? What verses do you lean on when you just aren’t sure how it’s all going to work out? We would love to hear from you in comment section! :)

Trusting God with our Finances- "Let it go!"

How often do you worry about your finances? For me, a couple of years ago I realized I was not trusting God with my long-term finances, specifically when it came to tackling my debt monster. There was actually a time in my life where I would check my bank accounts multiple times a day, then I would check the balances on my student and car loans, it felt like I was constantly doing the math in my head trying to find out how soon I could pay my loans off. Don’t get me wrong, a little sense of urgency when it comes to paying off debt can be great to keep you motivated but don’t obsess over it, like I was! The “letting go” part was particularly hard for me. I wasn’t saving any money (or time!) by obsessing over my finances and I surely wasn’t trusting God in the process. My obsessing was not resulting in any extra cash to put towards my debt, it was just stealing my peace.

Eventually I gained peace by taking the time to create a financial plan and deciding to “let it go” and let the plan do its job. As part of the plan I actually decided to check my loan balances only at set intervals and again when anything major changed with my finances. For example, I spent a lot of time rethinking my plan when I got married and when my employment situation changed. I also set up all my loan payments to happen automatically, so that I didn’t have to stress about remembering to pay and subsequently fight anxiety over the amount of interest I was paying every month. Once I knew that my automatic loan payments were working correctly, I promised myself I wouldn’t check the overall loan balance unless it was time for me to review my financial plan, this “letting go” part was actually crucial for my freedom from debt related anxiety. If you don’t know how to make a financial plan, talk to someone who does!

Scripture basically tells us that worrying is a waste of time , so now I can spend that time taking care of myself, developing relationships, and getting closer to God. I’m still working on my debt, but I’m deciding to trust God with my finances by letting it go. This gives me the peace to not be miserably anxious until I’m debt-free.

~Kara

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ”

— Matthew 6:27

Trusting God with our Finances- Journaling

For some of us, trusting God with our finances is one of the hardest things to do. I’ve discovered some ways that have helped me to gain peace enough to believe that, even though my financial situation is not perfect, I can still trust God to be my provider. Journaling is one practical step we can take in the direction of fully trusting God with our finances.  

It’s simple! Keep a journal of all the times God has been faithful before. Have you ever had a moment where all of a sudden what you were worrying about doesn’t actually happen?? Write it down!! Try making it a habit to write down all the times you had a higher-than-expected paycheck, or a friend invited you over for dinner when you were low on grocery cash, or a desperate prayer was answered. Those are not coincidences, they are God’s provision! Being able to remember those moments can give you so much peace when you are looking at a bill and you have no idea where the funds will come from.

For example, at the start of this past month, I looked at our budget and realized we didn’t quite have the expected income to cover all of our expenses for the month. My husband is a full-time student and we both have part-time jobs with limited hours. We considered taking some funds out of our savings account but somehow, by God’s grace, I heard myself say, “I’m excited to see how God will provide for us this month.” I’m typically an anxious person, so to be totally honest, I surprised myself with that declaration. We continued along the month, being careful with our spending and waiting, then God showed up! My husband was able to get extra hours with his job, I was offered a month-long paid project, and accepted a new job for next month. As we are now at the end of the month I am amazed at how perfect God’s timing is and how he really is our financial provider! You can be sure this is going in my journal! God may not always chose to provide for us in the same way, but the next time I have financial doubts, I’ll be so thankful to have this example to lean on, and hopefully it will help me trust God with whatever we are facing.

What comes to mind when you think of God’s faithfulness? Share in the comment section a time where he has provided for your needs unexpectedly!

~Kara

Hebrews 10:23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Trusting God with our Finances - Setting the Agenda

When it comes to money, this world has an agenda for us all. We can see it everywhere we go. Advertisers spend millions and billions of dollars each year to put their products and services before us to ensure that we are exposed to what is available to be purchased. Where there is no need for a product or service, they even create a need by telling you about a problem you didn’t even know you had. Ever seen a commercial for a kitchen gadget that solved a problem you didn’t have until you saw the product? Something like an egg cooker, when regular pots and pans suited you just fine. Or a butter dispenser, because a regular knife just won’t do.

Every company is after our money in some way or another. And that is why we must learn to trust God with our finances. It’s not just a Christian cliche. It the truth. If you don’t set an agenda for your money, someone else will set one for you. And if you don’t set the agenda to be intentionally focused on God then you will undoubtedly be following a worldly one, because the temptation to do so is too great. There is always something enticing to buy or a reason to focus on accumulating more money. There has to be intentionality in how we earn, spend, save, give and invest our money to be aligned with the faith we say we have. Otherwise, we are falling prey to an agenda that is not like God’s. And it’s too easy to do.

Scripture tells us to "set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:2). To set something means to put, lay, or stand (something) in a specified place or position. When it comes to our finances, we need to “set” our minds on the things of God, or we will succumb to the things of this world. If we don’t “set” our own financial agenda and submit that agenda to the Lordship of Christ, then it may become “set”on other things. Or worse yet, it won’t be set at all and will waiver here and there, having no fixed place of rest.

Once something is set, everything else around it has to adjust to it, because its position is fixed. A financial life that is not set on anything has no plan; no strategy, no goals. It just uses money and hopes for the best. Maybe they will get there. Maybe not. But a financial life that is set on God has already settled on the truth of where they are going and aligns everything else up with the end goal in mind: to see Jesus. If my finances are not set on God, then I may set it on things that are not trustworthy. Maybe it’s set on a career that could end the moment the Board of Directors changes their mind. Maybe it is set on a certain amount of money in the bank, which could go away in the next financial crisis. Maybe it is set on making our businesses undeniably successful, but ends up taking a back seat to health issues. In any of these cases, what your financial life is “set” on is shaky at best. Jesus is actually the only solid foundation, because he has not changed, and won’t change. So why not set your financial mind on him? How does Jesus talk about money? How does Jesus teach us to engage with money? Find out.

Start today by considering what you truly value. Are those values in alignment with scripture? Is how you currently manage your money in alignment with those values? If not, take some time to consider how to be better about becoming more aligned. It’s very possible to do. And if you need help, that’s why we’re here. Request a consultation today. Let’s talk about setting the right agenda for your financial life.

~Shayna

Interview on Race On Main Television Show

Check out this interview I did about Money On Purpose!

A Statement on Prosperity Theology→

Back in March of 2014, I was invited to participate in a global consultation on Prosperity Theology in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Pastors, Professors and Ministers from around the globe gathered together for about 5 days to come up with a unified statement on how the church should consider the Prosperity Gospel.  It was humbling to sit in a room with people who have ministered in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Argentina, Ireland, South Africa and of course Brazil.  It was humbling because I realized that I was participating in a thought leadership conference that would impact the world.  I was intimidated to try to offer my opinion in the presence of so many who have served in ministry for so long.  What did this little financial advisor have to offer here?  But as we went along, my heart was warmed by the sincerity of the faith of each person in the room.  We all came from different denominations, different ethnic backgrounds, different cultures, different everything.  With the exception of one thing:  We were all Christians who deeply cared for those we minister to, and want to help to present a whole gospel removed, as much as possible, from human agenda.  And that was enough for me to loosen up and both contribute to and receive from a wonderful group of Christian men and women, who came together after not always agreeing, on one unified statement that reflects our hopes, our concerns, our commitment and our position on the issue of Prosperity Theology.  To read our final product, click here or in the title above:

https://www.lausanne.org/content/statement/atibaia-statement

The Bankrupt Theology of the Prosperity Gospel→

The Prosperity Gospel, otherwise known and the "Health and Wealth Gospel" has gotten a lot of press in the last couple of decades.  People have a wide array of opinions on the matter, myself included. As a matter of fact, here's a published opinion of mine, written in 2014 for PRISM Magazine.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

http://issuu.com/prismmagazine/docs/prism-winter-2014/43