Being wealthy is not a sin, but being greedy is. I work hard to do what I must as unto the Lord, not for the money (Colossians 3:23-24). While the money is nice, my obedience in every avenue concerning money is of the upmost importance (Luke 14:13–14).

A quick overview of my upbringing and why this is such passionate topic for me. I am a 24 year old graduate student who happens to only have one source of debt: a home mortgage. I have no student loans, no car loans, no credit card debt, and no medical debt. I’ve owned my own home for almost two years and I make an honest living with seven streams of income, of which most are nonconventional. I don’t make money for blogging or social media yet, but still work on my side hustles to generate additional income. I would also like to note that I am a single woman with no children from a military family, for which many of my opportunities have been afforded. Nonetheless, the basis of my current “prosperity” is Jesus’ faithfulness.

The teaching behind money in life is so perverted. Both in and out of the church, there are always people pushing get rich schemes and financial prosperity. The Word says that the Lord’s desire is for us to lack for nothing (James 1:4; Deut. 2:7). He will give us everything that we need (Mat. 6:26) and desire (Ps. 37:4), contingent upon our submission (James 4:7), obedience (Deut. 28:47-48), and delight in Him. Understanding this, God can choose to make you wealthy. But that’s not your concern. People quote 1 Timothy 6:10, so often that it’s fairly well known (“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”). But verses 4 and 5 hit different in this climate. He warns of those “…who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.”

Let’s start here first, God wants your heart for richer or poorer (Matthew 19:16-30), in sickness and in health (whole book of Job), for death won’t do you apart (John 3:16). So loving God and pursuing his will for you in obedience will not guarantee your wealth, but it will guarantee you have what you need.

With that aside, money is simply a tool he has given us to fulfill our mission. For this fulfillment, he requires our obedience. Getting the church basics out the way: 1. I do believe in tithing, but of the heart. The 10% is not the issue. (10% is a baseline.) It’s of the heart and your willingness to be obedient. 2. I don’t believe tithes have to be paid to a church. The Lord wants your obedience, so if your tithes are going to another ministry or an organization for which he tells you to give it, go for it. (NOTE: ONLY IF HE TELLS YOU TO GIVE ELSEWHERE!) Again, the purpose is your obedience. 3. I do believe in stewardship of money and time alike, not manifestation or attraction. (Side notes, 1. Manifestation/attraction limits God to our purview. 2. My time is of much more value than my money, but those are for another discussion.) While I’ll discuss greater this week, I do believe in the Biblical principles of storing up a savings, building an inheritance (generational wealth), and being a blessing (not just for it to be given back to you, but from the extension of your willing heart).

Now, the meat of it all: how to change your mindset about money? See it for a tool. Understand its value. And learn about managing it with wisdom.

Money is a tool. It is currency. It can be used in exchange for necessities or wants. Either way, it is a tool to curate something: the meeting of a need, the generation of a feeling, the building of an experience, etc. Once you stop looking at it to be your answer to loneliness, poverty (which is a mindset), struggle, or bondage, you will see your reality for what it is and address internal issues accordingly and financial issues accordingly.
Understand its value. The only purpose for money is to exchange, for which we used to barter. You were once able to increase or decrease the value of a glass of milk with respect to a glass of water. Now, money does the comparison for us. For example, a kid finds a dollar on the ground. That kid can trade that one dollar for 10 pennies or 5 quarters. In the child’s mind, 10 coins is more than the one dollar or 5 coins, but in reality the 5 quarters is worth more than all the rest. Realistically speaking, money can have whatever value you’d like it to have, but what you can barter with it is what counts.
Lastly, learn about managing it with wisdom. If you haven’t heard about budgeting, investing, and saving, I’d recommend doing some research (read the book Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey). While they have classes and books for days, the principles are all the same: budgeting, comparing income to expenses and working a plan to offset one or the other; saving, fore planning to offset your budget; and investing, fore planning your saving for your future budget in which the expenses outweigh the income. I would add the MOST important step, that is rarely talked about: giving. This is a concept we’ll discuss later this week.

Once you learn the basic steps, you’ll just have to work the program to do your part of this God equation.

Having your mindset tuned for positive money view and money management is a must! Always see God as the provider of all things: good, bad, indifferent. Always remember he is the author of your life, which he has guaranteed is in your favor if you love him. Always seek to be obedient concerning every place you spend your money: where you live, where and what you eat, what you drive, what job to get, what hobbies to have, what daycare center to choose, etc.

As we go throughout this week, keep in mind these simple things. They will help to inform you on your frame of mind as it relates to your hindrances with money. So excited to share with you our first hindrance of the week tomorrow! See you over on our IG page.