Managing our Money - Part 1

We all know that it is not Gods plan for us to be living under the strain of debt, but what we often forget is that neither is it in Gods plan for us to have everything we want – and yes, even everything we think we need. “But I need it” is not justification for a purchase, no matter how big or how small. God tells us that we need to look to Him to fulfill our needs, and sometime that means waiting even when it doesn’t make sense or is not comfortable to do so.

It is like anything else, Satan leads us into temptations often in small ways so we don’t see right away what he is up to. Satan speaks what is partly true, but is never truth. We can convince ourselves that we “need” a lot of things that if we first asked God if we needed them, He would say no to. For example, at this time I need a new van. My van is falling apart, piece by piece, things are going on it and I question it reliability. Plus, I will be honest, it is not very “pretty”, it is kind of old and the paint isn’t very nice anymore, there are a couple of stains I can’t get out of it (alright, they were made by my coffee, but that is not the point!!), basically, it is not fancy or new or even have a CD player (gasp!). I have my eye on a very pretty van, it is fancy, all the bells and whistles, when the sun shines down on it and it sparkles I can almost hear the Hallelujah chorus. But alas, whenever I pray or even take small steps forward, God keeps telling me I don’t really need a new van. He reminds me that my van gets me from point A to point B, that it is paid for free and clear, and saves us from living under the pressure of a large loan, and that when it is clean and well taken care it is pretty enough (only a few tears escaped on that one).

In our culture, finances are one of the leading causes of divorce and marriage breakdown. It is time that we open our eyes and to admit that temptations to not be good stewards with the money that God has blessed us with is a sin, plain and simple. When we are serving ourselves, it is impossible to serve God. In other words, when we buy what we think we need, without consulting God, we are giving Satan a foothold into our marriage and family.

Christine