There is an old saying: failing to plan is planning to fail. One of the main reasons people experience financial problems and find themselves in debt is that they fail to bring order to their financial affairs. Our goal as Christians should be bringing ourselves as close as possible to God in word, deed and action."Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48 (KJV)
God is a God of order. The dance of the stars and planets in the universe are perfectly choreographed to keep them from colliding, and to provide the proper amount of gravity. The earth is positioned precisely to provide an environment that will sustain plant, animal and human life. Lack of order in the universe would result in chaos and destruction.
On a smaller scale, lack of order causes chaos and destruction in our financial circumstances.
A logical step to avoid chaos is to create and follow a budget. If you're married, this needs to be a joint effort. A marriage is a partnership, and both partners need to participate in making financial decisions.
Not only will a budget bring order, it also serves as a roadmap for where you are headed. If you are in debt now, your budget needs to be developed to help you save money and get out of debt. Both need to be done at the same time.
As a Christian, we have promises in God's Word that we can rely on. We can and should live by faith in every area of our lives. Part of your financial plan should be to find the promises in God's Word that deal with finances and then meditate on them.
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." Joshua 1:8 (KJV)
Notice, God said to not let the Word depart from your mouth. In other words, don't ever allow yourself to speak doubt, fear and unbelief when it comes to your finances. I don't care how desperate your situation may seem to be, God is bigger than any mess we can get ourselves into, and he has promised a way of escape for any situation we find ourselves in.
He also said to meditate on the word. You can't be lazy about your faith. Just finding the promises and reading them isn't enough. You need to meditate on the promises. See yourself the way God sees you. See yourself the way the Word says you are. Imagine yourself out of debt and financially blessed so that you can be a blessing to others. That's what God wants for you.
The next phrase is where a lot of people miss it. We also need to be obedient. It isn't enough to name it and claim it. You have to also do your best to do what God asks of you. Will you miss the mark sometimes? I'm sure you will. God knows I have many times. But, remember, God looks at your heart not at the outward appearance. God knows if your heart is right and if you are trying to follow his Word.
Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with your finances. Look at the final phrase in this verse: "then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."
God wants you to be prosperous, and in Joshua 1:8 he gives you the key. If you want to bring peace to your finances and prosperity to your life, take these steps:
- Start getting your finances in order today by creating a budget.
- Every day, spend some time in God's Word reading his promises.
- Make sure the words that you speak line up with what God has to say about you.
- Meditate and see yourself as God sees you
My name is Cheree Miller. I'm not a financial counselor or legal advisor. In fact, I've made some poor choices in my life. I've been broke, with creditors calling, writing, and sending court summons. I've had my bank account garnished and wondered how I was going to feed my family. But, I can tell you that you can learn to make good choices where your money is concerned. You can get out of debt if you remain focused on the end goal instead of wallowing around in a pity pool feeling sorry for yourself. God wants you to be prosperous.