Let God’s Word speak into your financial situation
The Bible is the only book that God ever wrote. The Bible is our manufacturer’s handbook. The Bible is where we look to find how to live and thrive, how to avoid problems, how to succeed in God’s way and how to live our lives according to His Word. The Bible has something to say about prayer and faith as well as direct verses on how to handle our money and possessions. The sheer scale of what the Bible has to say about money demands our attention. God’s wisdom will help us avoid many financial pitfalls.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow: it judges the thoughts and the attitudes of the heart.”
Has God highlighted any key scriptures about your financial situation? Write them down and memorise them and bring them to mind when your problems start to overwhelm you. Remember how faithful God has been and that He will never test us beyond what we can bear.
Download the 2,350 scriptures about money on our web site using this link.
Take note of the ones that God highlights to you.
www.yourmoneycounts.org.uk/shop/foundation-truths
Take a moment to recall all the ways God has blessed you financially in the past year.
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.”
There are so many ways that God blesses us. List them and celebrate the goodness of God in your life. Sometimes, when you go through a hard season it becomes difficult to see and recognise what God is doing in your life. Writing down what He has done for us not only acknowledges Him and recognises that He is still at work, but also encourages us when things are tough. May 2020 be a year of gratefulness!
It is interesting that science proves the positive effect that remembering has on our brain and outlook in life. Psychologists at the University of California and University of Miami published a study in 2015 that looked at the physical outcomes of practicing gratitude.
They divided a group of people into 3 for the study, and each group was given a different task:
Keep a daily journal of things to be grateful for;
Keep a journal of daily irritations;
Keep a journal of daily situations with no specific emotion attached.
After 10 weeks, each group was asked to record how they felt physically and generally about life.
The group that recorded their gratitude reported feeling more optimistic about their lives than the other groups. The gratitude group was also more physically active and noted fewer visits to a doctor than those who recorded only their negative experiences.
The positive influence of gratitude also continues past a particular positive event if the emotion is relived by writing it down. It’s a simple act that can have long lasting effects on our mental health, confirming the wisdom of the Bible.
God can speak to us in many different ways. If the words of songs inspire you and you enjoy listening to music, Lauren Daigle “I remember” is an encouraging song about remembering God’s faithfulness.
Don’t overlook the small things
There is a u-tube video that shows a family waking up at Christmas, covered from head to toe in Christmas wrapping paper. They get up after unwrapping each other and go around the house noticing things to be thankful for such as electricity, light, somewhere to live, clothing and all the things we perhaps see each day and may take for granted – they are all God’s provision for us.
Small victories are important to recognise and celebrate when we are looking forward to the big victories. God is faithful, but often we need to practise the art of patience until we see the promises of God fulfilled in our lives.
Pray
“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Prayer is the way that we communicate with God. We can be confident that He hears our prayers and is always wants to encourage us and bless us. He does not put guilt and shame on us where we have made unwise choices with our money or other things instead He gives us wisdom as we pray. We can pour out to God how we feel about our difficulties just as David did in the Psalms. Start to pray and believe God’s promises for our finances knowing our prayers are powerful.
Ask for God’s help and He will give it.
“My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”