Prospering Financially

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:13-16 NIV https://www.bible.com/111/psa.145.13-16.niv)

As it is coming up to a year since I stepped out of 'normal' day to day work for however long that may be, I have been pondering about what it means to trust God as Jehovah Jireh, my provider. I have been 'living by faith' although I have come to realise more and more that we are all called to do that and so the principles of faith and finances I have been learning for myself, really apply to everyone in whatever situation you are in.

The concept of prosperity, particularly in the realm of finances has been stolen from the church by those who hold extreme views on both ends of the spectrum on this matter. From both those who believe that God wants all believers to be poor to those who believe all followers of Christ should be financially rich to those who spiritualise all talk of finances and choose to believe that when the Bible talks about blessing people, the only option is spiritually. I am still fully convinced that God wants us to prosper in every area of our lives and that means financially as much as any other area. Does that mean that we will never know want or lack in our lives? No. Does that mean that if we put £10 in the offering we are guaranteed that God will miraculously provide £100? No. But equally, does that mean that we should be restricted in our ability to all that God wants us to, due to financial lack? No. Does that mean we should always be looking to the minimum and cheapest in all things? No. Please don't misread me and do read to the end of this post to understand more fully where I am coming from. 

However, I do believe that God is a loving, gracious and generous father who pours out His blessings on His children abundantly and freely. So, I think that in the last year, I have learnt three key principles of how to live prosperously in the area of finances. They probably aren't the only ones, but they are three that have helped me as I have looked to God as the source of all provision (whether that comes via a salary, a benefit, or a miraculous provision). 

Generous

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NIV (https://www.bible.com/111/2co.9.6-8.niv)

I cannot get away from the fact that when we live generously; our hearts, minds and emotions are turned away from our own needs and desires - however valid they may be - and turned towards others and also towards the One who is the source and owner of all that we or do not have. As give to God's house or any number of individuals or organisations both at home and across the world, we are declaring to God, the devil and everyone around us, including ourselves, that our trust and faith is not in a job, the government, our investments or anything else, other the One who "owns the cattle on a thousand hills." 

Generosity is not about the amount of money we give but the attitude of our heart as we give. As the passage from Corinthians says, "God loves a cheerful giver!" To stop ourselves from falling into the pit of despair, generosity lifts our head and our heart and focuses our attention the Creator of the Universe, who loves as a father loves his child. 

I'm not saying we should be stupid and reckless and if we feel God is challenging us to give away large amounts of money or items of significant value, we should be very cautious and ideally seek Godly Christian counsel. But whenever I am now presented with a challenge to sow into something in God's Kingdom, I always try not to say "should I" but instead say "how much?"

Finance is seed for the Kingdom of God and no farmer keeps hold of most of his seed. He sows it so that he can see a harvest. God is no person's debtor and the Bible promises us that as we are generous so our generous father is too. As I said earlier, does that mean that if you give £10 you are guaranteed to get £100. Of course not. That is twisting scripture. But this Corinthians scripture does promise us that God is able to bless us abundantly, so that in all things and at all times and having all that we need, we will abound in every good work. That's quite some promise!

Content

“Don’t be obsessed with money but live content with what you have, for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t he promised you, “I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!” So we can say with great confidence: “I know the Lord is for me and I will never be afraid of what people may do to me!”” Hebrews 13:5-6 TPT (https://www.bible.com/1849/heb.13.5-6.tpt)

The next key to prospering financially is to learn contentment. Nothing will  break the hold that money can have over us, than being generous and learning contentment. As with everything, we should stop comparing ourselves to those around us, and especially to those we see on social media or on the mainstream media. We should understand that we don't need the latest car, outfit or piece of tech (ouch, that one hurt!). I'm not saying that we should be stingy or wait until everything is completely worn out and broken before replacing them, but equally, we don't need to be queuing outside the Apple Store for the latest Apple Watch (or fill in the blank for your temptation financially - chances are we are all have them!). 

Being content in life is about being "satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else" (dictionary.com). If God is enough for us, then God really needs to be enough for us and our level of contentment shows how much trust we put in God really. We can all say words but if we are constantly anxious, wanting more and not being generous, then are truly content and do we really trust God.

You don't get much blunter than the writer to the Hebrews in this passage - "don't be obsessed with money but live content with what you have, for you always have God's presence." Is the presence of God in our lives sufficient? If not, perhaps that is what needs to change rather than having more money or the latest thing.

Supplied 

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 ESV (https://www.bible.com/59/php.4.19.esv)

Thirdly, and I believe once we know some degree of generosity and contentment in our lives, we then need to remember and believe that God WILL supply our every need. Not our every greed. As I mentioned earlier, God is no person's debtor and we can stand firm and assured that He will make sure that we will not go under. Oh, there may well be challenging times financially but He promises that He will supply what we need. Perhaps we may need to reprioritise what we think we need. However, if we are seeking Him (for who He is, not what He can give us), when we are generous with what we do have (however small - remember the widows mite) and when we learn to be content with what we have, I believe that is the soil into which God can pour His seed. I have known some people who earn very large sums of money. For those who have sought God, have learnt generosity (some of them have given significant proportions of their income away) and have been content in their lives (they have lived in such a way that you would never really have known how much they earnt), I have seen a level of peace and faith that I don't often witness. Equally, I have seen some of the poorest people in India when I was there, who were generous beyond belief and content with God and they saw the provision of God in their lives. Were they prospering financially? Absolutely. Did they have lots of money? Not really. Prosperity is not about how much money you have, but about how much money has you.

This last couple of years (both in health and financial provision terms) has taught us that our help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, not from the NHS (however fabulous it is), our employers, savings programs, friends or family. We have drawn closer to God, known His presence like never before … oh, and we have never been in want financially and God has blessed in some amazing practical and tangible ways.

Yes, we must budget. We must be wise. We must work (where possible). But we must also bring the tithe into the storehouse (the local church). All of our money is Gods and He only asks for 10% back. But we must also be generous and content, which are emotional and spiritual attributes, more than practical tips. If we do, we get to see a glimpse of God's riches in glory in Christ!