Discipleship
Eight Habits That Lead to Financial Blessing
You likely didn’t get into ministry with the hope of getting rich. In fact, you’re probably putting in long days of work for much less pay than you’d make if you had never responded to God’s call to ministry. But the Lord still wants to bless you financially. He wants you to get out of debt so you can be financially free.
The Bible is filled with incredible promises of financial blessing that lead to financial freedom. But every promise in God’s Word has a premise. God always attaches a step of faith to his promises.
Here are eight habits that lead to financial blessing:
- Trust God to be your source and supply. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (NIV).
Our jobs are not our suppliers. They are tools God uses to provide for our needs. When we forget this, we start to worry.
Worry is the warning light that we are trusting something other than God for our security and our supply. If that’s where you are right now, ask yourself: “What or who am I trusting to provide for me rather than God?”
- Do your work as an act of worship. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as though you were working for your real master and not merely for humans” (GW).
It doesn’t matter if you’re pastoring a church or sweeping the streets, God wants you to see your job as a way to honor him.
At first glance, that’s easy for those of us in full-time ministry. But we all have parts of our jobs we don’t like as much as others. God wants us to put our whole hearts into everything we do—not just the things we enjoy doing.
- Keep good records of your finances. Proverbs 27:23 says, “Know well the condition of your flock, and pay attention to your herds” (CSB).
When the Bible urges us to “know the condition of your flock,” it’s describing how carefully we should watch our money. In biblical times, wealth was measured in the livestock people owned. We should know where our money is going, too. If you don’t know where your money is going, you’re already in trouble.
- Give 10 percent back to God. Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest” (CSB).
God doesn’t need our money. He could have asked us to give 90 percent of our money back to him. He doesn’t want our money; he wants what it represents—our lives.
- Save and invest for the future. Proverbs 21:20 says, “Wise people’s houses are full of the best foods and olive oil, but fools waste everything they have” (NCV).
God’s IQ test is our savings. Proverbs 21:20 tells us we’re foolish if we don’t save. And it’s not even about how much you save. It’s how consistently you’re doing it. Sadly, most people don’t save or invest because they spend everything they make.
- Set up a repayment plan to get rid of your debt. Proverbs 3:27-28 says, “Don’t withhold repayment of your debts. Don’t say ‘some other time,’ if you can pay now” (TLB).
God wants us to get out of debt so we can be more responsive to him. If you’re in debt, you’re in bondage to that debt.
- Budget your spending. Proverbs 21:5 says, “If you plan and work hard, you will have plenty; if you get in a hurry, you will end up poor” (CEV).
A budget is simply a plan that tells your money where to go, so you control it rather than it controlling you. When you don’t have a plan, you’re more likely to spend impulsively, which leads to debt.
- Enjoy what you have. Ecclesiastes 6:9 says, “It’s better to enjoy what we have than to always want something else, because that makes no more sense than chasing the wind” (CEV).
God’s blessing comes when we’re satisfied with what we have rather than complain about what we don’t have. Don’t get caught up in the rat race of wanting more and more.
As you consistently live out these eight habits that lead to financial blessing, know that God is faithful to his promises.
Photo by Visual Stories || Micheile on Unsplash
