Freedom from Financial Anxiety—Yes, There Is Hope for Your Financial Mess!

By his very nature, God is the God of hope: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with joy by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).

Do you have God’s peace and joy in regard to your finances? If not, then you’re probably not in God’s will.

Regardless of how difficult your financial problems are, God, with his “incomparably great power” (Eph. 1:19), is able to solve any financial mess. It is true that God may not relieve financial pressures quickly, but it is certainly within God’s power to sustain you and carry you through any stresses or anxieties resulting from financial difficulties.

If you’re in financial difficulty, then I recommend the following:

Pray—There’s no substitute for spending quality time with God. It is through his Holy Spirit and his Word that he will provide you with his direction for your life. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me” (John 10:27).

Meditate on God’s Word—Sixteen of the 24 parables that Jesus gave us deal with money and material things. God’s Word, the Bible, is filled with God’s wisdom on finances, which is frequently contrary to the world’s wisdom. For example, the emphasis in scripture is toward minimal debt or no debt as opposed to the emphasis in the world, which is to buy now and pay later or use other people’s money. In our society, getting into debt is very easy, and as a result, many people have overcommitted themselves in their financial obligations.

Develop a Plan, That is, a Budget—This will help you ensure that you are spending less than you are earning on a monthly basis. Use the surplus to pay down debt and save for future needs. Planning is biblical. For instance, in his example of building a tower, Jesus said, in substance, that if you don’t plan ahead, then you are foolish (Luke 14:28–30).

Don’t Give up!—When someone is in financial difficulty, generally it takes a few years to really get the financial house in order. However, significant changes can be made in just a few months. Even if finance is not your area of expertise, God has promised that he will provide what we need. Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9, nkjv).

Investing—Diversification (2 of 2)

As explained in my previous Financial Moment, God’s Word recommends the diversification of one’s portfolio into different types of investments that will likely react differently to any particular market condition.

There is no “perfect portfolio allocation” for all Christians. God’s Word provides general principles regarding investing—not specific details. That’s why it is critical to spend quality time in prayer and in dependence upon God (John 15), asking the Lord for his wisdom (James 1:5) and specific direction (Psalm 32:8 ) for the investments that God has entrusted to you.

By the way, if you have absolutely no peace in investing in equities because of the related risks, then perhaps God is directing you to invest solely in very safe categories, such as government of Canada bonds, GICs, etc. The return on “a very “safe” portfolio” will be modest, and therefore you will likely have to save more money to meet future needs, compared to an investor who assumes a reasonable amount of risk within biblical guidelines.

In summary, God’s Word recommends diversification of one’s portfolio into different types of investments that will likely react differently to any particular market condition. Since no human knows the future (James 4:13–15), in order to follow God’s will with respect to investing, it is necessary to be connected to and dependent on God for his specific direction for your life.

Financial Deception—It Makes Sense to Buy Now and Pay Later

Today almost anything can be purchased with little or no down payment—automobiles, furniture, boats, snowmobiles, etc. Advertisements enticing you with “no payments and no interest” for one to two years are very common. Obtaining credit today is very easy, and it is not uncommon for banks to encourage people to take out a line of credit against the increased value of their homes. “Easy credit” creates a big temptation to “buy now and pay later.” As a result, many people buy things on credit that they cannot afford and frequently do not really need.

 

God’s directive is for us to wait for his provision and his timing. Psalm 37:7 states, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him” (nasb, emphasis added). Lamentations 3:24 states, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him”

 

Over the past 27 years, I have seen many situations in which Christians have prayed and asked God to meet a particular need. For example, several years ago a Christian couple with a very modest income needed a new vehicle. They prayed and asked God to meet this need, and they waited for God’s provision. Within a few months, someone in their church gave them a used van that was in excellent shape. Clearly, God did provide in a manner that was glorifying to him! Praise God!

 

If you have a need, and if you pray to wait upon the Lord, God can provide in many ways—such as an unexpected income, a better deal, or perhaps another alternative.

 

Unfortunately, today many Christians do not pray and wait upon God’s provision. In a sense, they don’t even give God a chance to provide for their needs. Because it is so easy to “buy now and pay later,” they just buy what they want without consulting God and without waiting for God’s provision.

 

In Matthew 6:31–33, God promised that he will meet our needs: “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.”

 

 Please note that God has promised to meet our needs but not necessarily our wants and desires. God has also instructed us to be content with what he has provided:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews13:5)

 

In summary, God has promised that he will meet our needs and that it is his desire for us to wait for his provision and his timing. This is very different from the mindset of “buy now and pay later.”

Stewardship Principle—God Rewards Faithful Stewards

In Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus Christ gives us the Parable of the Talents. In this parable, the master represents God, and the servants represent you and me—that is, the people. The master entrusted different amounts of material wealth to three servants. To one servant, he entrusted five talents of money, to another, two talents, and to another, one talent. This is consistent with real life. Nowhere in scripture does God promise to provide everyone with the same amount of material wealth.

 

When the master returned, he found that the servants with five and two talents had each doubled their money. The servant with one talent had buried his, making no effort to invest his master’s money.

 

It’s interesting to note that the praise God gave the servant who had five talents and earned five more was identical to the praise that he gave to the servant who had two talents and earned two more. That praise was, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25: 21, 23). As for the servant who was entrusted with one talent, he was lazy, wicked, and unfaithful to God. In short, he was not a good biblical steward.

 

What was God’s decision with regard to the unfaithful servant who was entrusted with one talent? Matthew 25:28 and 29 state, “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him” (emphasis added).

 

It’s important to understand what this verse means. The words “for everyone who has will be given more” mean that everyone who has been a biblical and faithful steward, God will entrust with more. On the other hand, those have been unfaithful in their stewardship to God will lose even what they have been entrusted with. The servants who were entrusted with five talents and two talents demonstrated faithfulness to God, and thus God entrusted them with more. However, the third servant was not faithful, and therefore even that one talent was taken away from him.

 

I believe that the kind of stewardship that God is looking for could be summarized as follows:

 

Biblical stewardship occurs when a Christian

(1) acknowledges in mind and heart that God owns everything

(2) acts accordingly—that is, learns and implements God’s principles in managing the money and material things that God has entrusted to him or her

(3) utilizes these resources in accordance with God’s will, not one’s own will

Priorities—A Spiritual Barometer

It is a common saying that you can determine an individual’s true priorities by reviewing how she or he spends time and money. Although people may say that their relationships with God and their families are of greatest importance to them, sometimes their Day-Timer or chequebook indicates otherwise.

 

I believe that how an individual handles money is an external visible indicator of an internal spiritual condition.

 

As a practical matter, I believe that answering the following questions can help you determine where you are at spiritually in regard to your finances.

 

1. Do you give “the first fruits” to God’s work, or does God get the leftovers? Proverbs 3:9, 10 states, “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” The guideline in scripture is to give at least 10 percent of your income to God’s work.

 

2. Do you borrow money without consulting God? God warns that those who borrow money may become a servant to lender: “The borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).

 

3. Do you feel envious or jealous of what other people have materially?  Exodus 20:17 warns against this.

 

4. When you have a material need or want, do you pray and wait patiently for God to provide in a manner that is glorifying to Him? Psalm 37:7states, “ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him.”

 

5. Have you developed and implemented a budget? A budget is simply a tool used for financial planning. In his illustration of building a tower (Luke 14:28–30), Jesus makes it clear that if we don’t plan ahead, we are foolish.

 

6. Are you content with God’s provision, or do you constantly want more? “But godliness with contentment is great gain…. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (1 Timothy 6:6,8)

 

7. Do you spend quality time with God in prayer and reading God’s Word before you make any major financial decision? God has promised that he will direct us: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8).

 

May I encourage you to spend some quality time in prayer with God right now and ask him to reveal any areas it your life that God would like you to change in regard to your finances.