The Heart of the Matter
When was the last time you sat down and said “God, what should my finances look like this month?”
For most of us, the answer is probably “a long time ago,” or possibly “never.” You see, we get so caught up these days in the right formulas, the best money management strategies and mostly what has proven to work for other people. However, if we’re really wanting to see God’s abundant provision in our lives, we need to fully comprehend the concept that God deals with everyone differently. Why? Because the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.
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God Wants Everyone to Live in Abundance
The Bible says the following about God’s desire for kingdom abundance in the lives of all His children:
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
– 2 Corinthians 8:9, NKJV
Kingdom abundance is not just material things, but the physical, mental and emotional stability and sufficiency to complete whatever God has called you to in whatever season you’re in. In other words: more than enough to cover your spirit, soul and body. But for people who are called to steward finances for the kingdom of God, this is directly linked to monetary resources.
Old vs. New Testament Blessing
In the old testament, the blessing of God was directly linked to financial increase and material resources. It was a primary indication of the blessing of Lord upon you. This came as a result of following the commandments set before God’s people. Everyone could do the same thing (by adhering to the same laws) and expect the same blessing.
In the New Testament, when Jesus stepped on the scene, how financial issues were dealt with changed from person to person (i.e. the story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 10:17-27 vs. the story of Zaccheus, the tax collector in Luke 19:1-10). This happened because the kingdom of God was now accessible. It was in the process of coming to live in the person of every believer who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior through the Holy Spirit. Thus, the financial issues were no longer held up against a uniform law, but rather whatever was going on in each person’s heart.
What This All Means
This means that if you are totally surrendered to (or completely sold on) a single way to manage your finances, you have not given Jesus His rightful place as Lord over that part of your life. If you do not continually ask Jesus for guidance in financial stewardship or wisdom in money management, you are making decisions out of your own strength and not in step with Holy Spirit.
It’s so easy these days to get locked into a single way of doing things because it works for us, it works for other people and, generally speaking, it’s wise. However, the Lord is always doing a new thing and if we stay on the same train without asking where He’s wanting to take us now, we could miss our stop.
We believe the Lord is wanting us to engage Him on every single platform in our lives – to be in complete surrender to his lordship always. And your “heart of the matter” does not look like anyone else’s. Only He knows what you truly need to hold onto and what you need to let go of.
Practically Speaking
Practically speaking, a great way to engage God in your finances and hear His direction more clearly is to have your entire financial life organized and ready for increase. A super simple, yet extremely powerful platform to do this on is Personal Capital. Personal Capital is a FREE platform to link all your accounts, plan for retirement, monitor your net worth and evaluate your investments. By linking all your accounts and viewing all your financial information in one place asking Holy Spirit how to manage each and every piece of your financial puzzle becomes so much easier. Personal Capital also offers the ability to talk with advisors, and create plans for new ventures, upcoming expenses and paying off debt. You don’t have to hear God out of the blue which can be extremely difficult. You can take personalized information from expert advisors and ask the Holy Spirit, “Is this something you’re wanting me to do with this account?” or “Is this a path you’re leading me down today?” It’s not just about organization and management – it’s using the creative power of God to make your money work for His glory, which we can’t do without Him.
Do you need to re-engage Him today about your finances?
Don’t forget to check out these related posts:
- The Higher Courtroom of Your Finances
- Take Action Against Fear In Finances
- What If Good Vs. Bad Debt Is The Wrong Question?
- Where All True Wealth Begins
