We have so much personal debt in our nation that the average person has been described as someone driving on a bond-financed highway, in a bank-financed car, fueled by credit-card-financed gasoline going to purchase furniture on an installment plan to put in a mortgaged home”.

But over leveraging is just one financial trap.  Let’s consider a several financial traps that many of us can relate to or have experienced at one time or another.  Such traps impact our ability to save, give and experience true financial freedom.

Get Rich Quick Mentality

Photo © by nicubunu.photo

It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to get rich quick.  Many people take shortcuts in business or in their personal finances to try to get rich, thinking money will solve all their problems.  Consider many movie stars who have all the money you could imagine, but once wealthy, find themselves empty.  The problem with chasing after money is that it becomes your focus or idol and ruins relationships with loved ones and impacts your relationship with God. There is no short cut when it comes to earning money.  We need to always make sure we perform our work with integrity and if entrepreneurs, look for opportunities that ethical and certainly, legal.

Keeping Up with the Joneses

Everything on TV and in our culture will tell you need to have the nicest car, house, clothes, gadgets and more to feel good about yourself and “fit in” with society.  It’s easy to fall into this trap.  We find ourselves sometimes wanting things our friends have and we’ve even made purchases because of these wants in the past.   It’s important to not let what others have influence our spending decisions.  We have to learn to be content with what we have.  As with the pursuit of money to get rich quick, pursuing material items leaves you empty.  It can be an exhausting pursuit that never ends.

Worldly View of Retirement

I think a worldly view of retirement can be a financial trap too.  Such a view is the one you see on the cover of many retirement and investing books.  You know the picture…the happy couple sitting on a perfect beach in front of the beautiful ocean.  It leads you to believe that you should retire wealthy, happy and young to spend the rest of your life relaxing on the beach with your spouse.  This is not the biblical picture of our lives God has for us.  Retirement isn’t really talked about in the bible.  Rather, God speaks of work and fulfilling the purpose he has for our lives.  It doesn’t mean work won’t be different in the future, but in reality, I think God desires us to work as long as we are healthy and able to do so.

Too Much Debt

I already mentioned debt as a financial trap and provided you the quote that helps us gain perspective on debt in society today.  Debt is really one of those traps that can sneak up on us.  While debt isn’t a sin, it’s definitely something that can impact our ability to have financial peace.  I think debt most often creeps into families by way of car loans, too much house and definitely, credit card spending.  It’s very easy to obtain credit to buy something we can’t afford.  Such credit is often used for consumer electronics and furniture.  You can also become over leveraged when purchasing a new car every few years.  Car payments and credit card payments use money that could otherwise be used for saving for college, tithing and other important family financial matters.  Before you know it, you have too much to debt to manage each month and it absorbs a large portion of your monthly spending.

Budgets are for People with Money Problems

The last financial trap I’ll mention is to not have a plan for your money.  You wouldn’t ever want your home builder to build a house without a plan.  Or, we certainly wouldn’t want our school teachers to instruct our children without a plan to properly equip them for the next grade.  Nor should we manage our finances without a spending plan each month and a larger plan to save money, give and spend wisely.  But society will tell you that  a budget or spending plan is bad, or only for people with money problems.  It means you have a problem with your money.  Not true!  Without a plan we’re much to susceptible to all the things I’ve just mentioned.  A plan actually provides a great foundation to communicate about money and the ability to grow closer to your spouse as you plan your financial future.  We’ve found having a plan keeps my wife and I on the same page and it allows both of us to take part in managing our finances.

Most of these financial traps are obvious, but how easy it is to let them take hold in our lives.  I know my wife and I have fallen into these traps at one time or another and they certainly have impacted our financial peace and ability to be faithful stewards.  But, as we’ve learned to be more content and get on the same page with our money by using a monthly spending plan, we’ve been able to stay on track better with our finances.

What do you think about these financial issues or traps?  Have they impacted your financial peace before? 

Bible Study © by DrGBB

I’m reading through a new version of the Bible – Complete Jewish Scriptures (it has both Old and New Testaments hence the complete at the front of the title.), so I have never read all the way through this particular Bible nor do I have it all “marked up” like I like my Bibles to be.

So this year, I’m coloring my Bible green.  You might ask me, “Green, why green?”  Well, I have taken a list of all the bible verses on money – all 2,350 verses and made it a 5 page list of references only.  You can get a copy of my list by clicking here.  I printed this list out and placed it in my Bible.  Each day after I finish my reading, I see if there were any money verses in that passage, and if so, I highlight them in green.

My reasoning behind it is to help me understand just how much the Scripture does say about finances from a Biblical perspective and what it really has to say on stewardship.  It has been absolutely amazing to me.  I have done this on occasion before, and so much of the gospels turned green, but it is not just the gospels, it is all throughout Scripture.

Why is this important?  I think it says a lot not only about our finances, but it also speaks about God’s ultimate care for all the details of our lives.  It also tells us that God is a jealous God in that He does not want something else coming before Him or interfering with our relationship with Him.  So He gives us clear instructions on a major stumbling block in our lives to help us prevent trouble before it happens.  Is this not just like a loving Heavenly Father?  To care about every aspect of my life.

So I challenge you, are you willing to turn your Bible green and see what happens to your perspective after reading all these bible verses on money?

I was first exposed to the term “true financial freedom” when I discovered the Crown Money Map, created by Crown Financial Ministries.  I’ve learned true financial freedom is a spiritual journey for a Christian. It’s learning to live a life of according to principles of biblical financial stewardship and generosity. It’s a faith-filled journey of managing money for God’s purposes and not for our own personal desires.

Photo © by Moyan_Brenn

After my wife and I got married we decided to take a small group financial study at our church. It was a study created by Crown Financial Ministries and was led by a couple whom we are still friends with today. The class is still offered in many church’s and small groups. It provides practical tips and instruction across all the core areas of personal finance. However, the purpose of the study is to teach people a biblical perspective and God’s purpose for money in our lives.

The class changed our view of money forever. The most important thing we learned in that class was that God is the owner of everything and we’re the stewards, or managers, of what he’s placed into our care. It is quite amazing to stop and  realize that everything in our possession is God’s and it is only because of God we have those things.

We actually got to do a practical exercise in that class of signing all of our possessions back over to God. We had spent many years each thinking we owned those things. It’s a great exercise to go through because it helps you make the shift in your thinking.

So, back to the journey of true financial freedom. From that moment on we realized we were on a journey. We were on a journey to grow as faithful stewards and follow God’s purpose for money in our lives. I realized that God doesn’t bless with me with a paycheck to serve my purposes alone in this life. If I earn a million dollars one day on a great business deal or receive a gift, I don’t believe he is looking for me to retire, sit on the beach and grow old without purpose. I believe God desires me to be in a financial state that can honor Him and serve his kingdom.

Let me provide an example. There is a great temptation in our society to own a lot of home, shiny cars, fancy furniture, take extravagant vacations and much more. I don’t think these things are necessarily bad if you have the means to afford them and you can be wise in how you acquire them. But most people have to have a heck of a lot of means to afford all of them. It’s easy to get inpatient, compare yourself to your neighbor and put yourself into too much debt with hefty monthly payments that you really can’t afford.

The bad part about doing all of this is that you’re limiting what God can and wants to do in your life. You can’t be generous and give more of your time and money if you’re sending money to the bank each month and giving more time to your job to earn the money to pay for these things. God might want you to give to a church project, or bless you in ways that could lead you into a ministry that is dear to your heart.

As a Christian financial steward, my desire is to now give more of my time and money to God’s purposes. I’ve long decided that I can forget the tax deduction on my house because I’d rather pay it off. I eventually won’t need as much income because I won’t have that payment each month. This would certainly position me to better serve God. And by the way, that doesn’t mean I have to move my family to another country in missionary work. It might mean I have more time to help my church for a special project, or build relationships with people that may not have Christ in their lives.

I believe God’s purpose for money is freeing.   Are you on the journey to true financial freedom?  If so, let me know about it in the comments.

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Psalms 24:1).

So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful (1 Corinthians 4: 1-2).

It’s a tough question, and one that merits consideration from anyone seriously considering the call of Christ.  After all, Jesus plainly told the rich young ruler:

“Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21, NIV)

Then, on another occasion, He used an analogy to explain that a person who builds a tower will first calculate the cost, and a king who goes to war will first consider his chances for victory.  Jesus then wraps up the discussion by stating:  “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” (Luke 14:33, NIV)  Jesus did anything but make it easy for His followers to hold tightly onto money and possessions.

Give © by Tim Green aka atoach

Any way you look at it, these are tough verses to ponder.  (If you want hear my complete answer to these questions, you’ll have to pick up a copy of my book!)  However, while mulling over the challenge that Jesus’ blatant and bold statments present, and wrestling with just why Jesus would say something so bold, I had a profound thought hit me just the other day…what if He didn’t?

When we ask ourselves “why” Jesus spoke so boldly in this area, we should stop and take a moment to think about if He didn’t.  What if Jesus simply said, “Give what works for your budget”, or “Remember the poor every now and again”?  Certainly, we could all set our Bibles down a lot easier after a verse like that.  If would definitely be more comfortable and convienent.  But, there is no tension there, no spiritual discomfort, and no pressing against our sinful selfish nature.  We would simply be free to give what works for our budget, and move on with life as we know it (reaping no growth, no maturity, and no spiritual transformation).

Take holiness for example.  Jesus said, “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48, NASB).  That pushes pretty hard against our sinfulness (to say the least!!).  And again, what if He said, “Be as holy as you can reasonable be”, or “Give holiness a good effort”.  Would it have the same effect?  Would it stir all sorts of convictions in our hearts to strive towards holiness if He described it in such a manner?  I don’t think so.

This leaves me with an interesting thought:  Perhaps Jesus spoke so radically for two reasons.  One, it casts us all back wholeheartedly upon His amazing grace.  Secondly, it forces us to realize that biblical generosity is something we will never have figured out, finished, and checked off our list.  We will pursue its high calling ever deeper as we mature.  In a sense, Jesus spoke of money, possession, and generosity in a way that challenges all of us, stretches all of us, and pulls us closer and closer to heaven all the way until the day we find ourselves in heaven itself.

Building Temples? 

“The house that is to be built for the LORD shall be exceedingly magnificent.” (1 Chron. 22:5, NASB)

Photo © by aprillynn77

Some congregations use Old Testament passages that cite the splendor of the temple in Jerusalem as justification to build elaborate churches.  Thus, they create extravagant worship centers in an attempt to build a house that is “worthy of the Lord” (and often do so by using debt as mentioned earlier).  Feel free to disagree, but I believe there are a couple things missing from this picture.

First, there are no instructions regarding a physical location for worship in the New Testament.  The Old Testament includes very detailed explanations for the creation of the temple, yet the New Testament literally has nothing to say on the subject.  In fact, when “the church” is mentioned in the New Testament, it is referencing a group of believers not a building (Rom. 1:7, Eph. 1:1, James 1:1, 2 Pet. 1:1).  On the other hand, there is an abundance of New Testament references to support a church’s usage of money to fund the work of God in the world (locally and globally), and care for the poor, needy, and afflicted.

This doesn’t mean that it is unbiblical to have a large church building or unspiritual to put any sort of amenities in the house of the Lord.  I would even go as far as to say that it isn’t wrong for a church to build an elaborate worship center—I just fail to find the biblical support for such an idea.  However, we have every bit of scriptural evidence to believe that God is glorified when churches use the resources they collect to do the things that the Bible instructs us to do with money rather than build monuments.

What do you think?

“If you could somehow, someway get all Christians to have the same financial new year’s resolution…what would it be?”

“Give at least 10% of their income to organizations that help the poor, hurting, and disadvantaged.” – FreeMoneyFinance.com

“I think it would be to honor the Lord first in our finances through regular Christian giving.  My wife and I decided several years ago to give out of faith and trust in the Lord.  We’re thankful we made the sacrifice to give first and feel very blessed that God continues to provide for our needs.  Sometimes the numbers don’t make sense on paper.  You can always say you need to save more or get out of all your debt before giving, but if that’s the case, you’ll never make giving a priority.  Giving is an act of faith and trust in the Lord.  It’s a personal decision between you and God.  My hope is that every Christian will pray about giving as the number one priority in their monthly budget.” - OneMoneyDesign.com

“If I could get all Christians to have the same financial new year’s resolution it would be to focus every aspect of their life around the Kingdom of God and to begin learning ways to make that a reality for each day.  Everything else that is needed would follow!” – ProvidentPlan.com

“I would have all Christians set out to narrow the gap between their faith and their finances.  For a variety of reasons, our financial life is an area we tend to be a lot more comfortable keeping Christ out of.  In light of this, I believe all sorts of deep and profound, spiritual and practical changes could occur in 2012 if Christians made a concious effort to marry their money to their maturity in the faith.” – DollarsandDoctrine.com

“To decide how much is enough.  I believe that we naturally consume in excess.  Without boundaries in place, we’ll find a way to spend what we make.  However, if we intentionally determine how much is enough, we’ll open the door for generous giving.” – MoneyHelpForChristians.com

“Haha, I would have to say to get out of debt and never take on debt again.  Living debt free really opens up Christian familys for greater impact in their communities and making a case for Christ.  If Christian are living in debt, how is that living like Christ?  We should be model Christians and live debt free.  If the entire Christian community achieved this, you’d see amazing things happens with money and other resources.  Here’s to debt free during 2012!” – FreeMoneyWisdom.com

“Work to get out of debt, so they all have more money to fund the Kingdom.” – ChristianPF.com

“A self-rewarding and God honouring financial resolution for this new year could be to save up $500 and give it away as an offering outside of your regular Sunday morning habits. If you earmark the funds for this very specific purpose and diligently seek the Lord’s guidance, the Holy Spirit will direct you to the intended recipient(s). Why is this act of service self-rewarding? “It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35.” – StewardshipWeekly.com

For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

So here are some suggestions about a “first date.”  And keep in mind, you can have a great first date without spending a lot of money.  All of these options are light on the wallet and will help you stay on track with your budget.

Photo © by maureen lunn

1. Play a game of miniature golf.  You’ll quickly learn how each of you handles some laid back compition as well as be able to take your time, talk, and laugh.  Then go out for ice cream afterwards and see who gets the most chocolate on them.

2.  Find the best local pizza restaurant – not a chain, but a local owned restaurant.  In our area, we have a place called Benny’s.  It has a great reputation, but we did not learn about it until this past year.  Since then, we’ve enjoyed going there a few times.  The nice thing about a local pizza restaurant is that it has character!

3. Meet up with some friends for a picnic.  This gives you a chance to have fun and get to know each other, but it also brings in a comfort level for both of you.

4. Go skating – ice or roller – it doesn’t  matter.  It gives you some great exercise.  You can enjoy talking, and you can find out how attentive you are to each other.  Does he want to skate by himself or with you?  I have wonderful memories of my daddy and I skating growing up, and my congregation’s young people will do this on occasion as well.

5.  Hang out with one of your families.  Families will tell all!  It makes sure that you are genuine.  You cannot fake it around your parents and siblings.  If his parents keep asking him, “are you okay?” you can have a good guess that something is not quite right!

The point of a date is to get to know each other and see if this is the match God has for you.  I love this quote and will leave you with it. “You don’t have to do anything but concentrate on being the right person – the person God wants you to be – instead of finding the right person.  Godly marriages are made by first living Godly lives.  It is God’s responsibility to whether you will marry and when you will marry.  The arrangement is up to Him.  How simple…God is [then] the matchmaker,” says Doctor Don Rannikar in his book Choosing God’s Best.

What do you think of these first date tips?

“If you were going to give a friend a book for Christmas from the Christian Finance genre, what would it be?”

“By far the best Christian financial book I’ve ever read is Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn. It does a GREAT job of looking at the various ways Christians think about money, then offers a biblical perspective on how we should. A close second is “Sound Mind Investing” by Austin Pryor. It’s one of the best investing books I’ve ever read — Christian or non-Christian. It really simplifies a subject that can be very difficult for people.” – FreeMoneyFinance.com

“I would have to give my friend Your Money Counts by Howard Dayton.  It was one of the first Christian finance books I read prior to my wife and I going through the Crown Small Group study.  It’s wonderfully easy to read and covers just about every topic you can think of related to money.  Howard Dayton provides practical tips that make sense and provides plenty of Christian perspective about money management.” - OneMoneyDesign.com

“I really enjoyed Chuck Bentley’s The Root of Riches when I read it this past summer.  It really strikes at the heart of many of the root causes of our financial problems.  I like that it shifts the focus from a bunch of financial fix-it steps to the core principles of the Bible.  I also had a great interview with Chuck that people can check out if they want to get a better idea of what the book is about.”- ProvidentPlan.com

“This is a tough question, but if I had to pick one I would choose:  A Life Well Spent by Russ Crosson.  It was the first book I ever read that got me thinking about the fact that as Christians, we should manage our lives and our money differently (choosing biblical wisdom over cultural norms).  In a very literal sense, this book started my journey of diving into what the Bible has to say about how to utilize all the resources God has given us.  It’s a great book that would appeal to a wide audience (not just financial gurus).”- DollarsandDoctrine.com

“At the risk of sounding biased, I’d give Money & Marriage: A Complete Guide for Engaged and Newly Married Couples to anyone who is engaged or has been married for about five years or less.  I’d give Money Strategies for Tough Times to anyone who is struggling with financial challenges.  And I’d give Money, Purpose, Joy to anyone – Christian or not – who has an interest in learning how to use money in a way that will help them fulfill the purpose of their life.” – MattaboutMoney.com

“I’d probably give them Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn.  That book does an excellent job laying the theological and biblical framework for finances.  If someone were in debt, I’d give The Total Money Makeover.  If someone were learning to invest, I’d give the Sound Mind Investing Handbook.”- MoneyHelpForChristians.com

“Definitely Root of Riches by Chuck Bentley.  He did an awesome job on combining the Christian faith and Biblican principles for money.  He conveys his thoughts in a way that are easy to understand but have many layers at the same time.  Root of Riches made a huge impact on the way I view money and I’m better off because of it.  I highly recommend this book to any Christians this holiday season.” -FreeMoneyWisdom.com

“Money, Possessions, and Eternity - Randy Alcorn” – ChristianPF.com

For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

“In your opinion, what is the “best” thing a church can do with money?”

“I think the best thing a church can do with its money is to fullfill the commandments to love God and love your neighbors. How that plays out in any given church is a matter of their specific vision.” - FreeMoneyFinance.com

“I think the best thing a church can do with money is to equip the church leaders to help people find and follow Christ.  That’s the mission of our church and I think our monthly giving commitment should be used to make sure our leaders are well suited to teach the church members but also to minister to those who haven’t found a church home or don’t have Christ in their lives yet.” - OneMoneyDesign.com

“The only one-size-fits-all answer that I think is appropriate is whatever God is calling them to do with the money.  Obviously, I don’t mean for someone to just say that they think God is calling the church to do such and such with the money.  But each church should be intensely focused together on listening to God, praying for wisdom, and seeking His will for them in their situation and context.”- ProvidentPlan.com

“As strange as it may sound, I would say to follow biblical instruction.  I fear that many churches in America handle their money more along the lines of cultural norms than biblical principles.  On account of this, I would encourage churches to seek the scripture’s counsel for their financial management.”- DollarsandDoctrine.com

“The best thing a church can do with money is give away a portion of all that comes in – at least 10 percent.  Use the money to support missionaries that have been sent from the church.  Use it to help those in the church who are in crisis.  Use it to help the poor in the community.  Use it as God leads to be a blessing to others.” - MattaboutMoney.com

“My first thought was to provide for missionaries.  However, after a little bit of thinking I would have to say that providing for the poor, downtrodden, orphans, and widows in the churches local community is the ‘best’ things it could do.  In Matthew 25:36 Jesus talks about taking care of those in need.  I think this is the single best way we can show the love of Christ, by serving those in need.” - DiscipleshipGuy.com

“Churches should fulfill their mission and calling with their money.  I know that sounds like a trivial thing to say.  However, far too many churches don’t have a clear sense of what God wants them to be doing.  They don’t know where to focus time, effort, resources, and money.  Thus, when a church has a clear sense of their purpose, they’ll have a better idea of how church funds ought to be spent.” - MoneyHelpForChristians.com

“I really don’t think there is one “best thing” a church can do with their money.  However I would have to say supporting missions abroad and helping missionaries get the gospel out there is an important one.  I feel like churches spend too much time on their flock.  So spending money on outreach in other countries and making sure missionaries have the tools necessary is a critical item that churches should use their money for.” -FreeMoneyWisdom.com

“Finding ways to translate the money into winning the lost.” - ChristianPF.com

For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

Now it’s your turn.  What do you think is the best thing a church can do with money?  Let’ us know in the comments.

We need to begin by being wise stewards.  Knowing the difference in a need and want.  Understanding that we need to provide for our families first then if we have extra left over for something special.  That we should be generous givers yet not to the point of harming our families.  That we need to plan ahead by saving for large purchases, and that we need to work to get ourselves out of debt.

We also need to walk by faith.  Sometimes this means not fully understanding what our Heavenly Father is up to and how He is going to provide.  Sometimes this means obeying and understanding later.  It is a constant walk of faith followed by obedience.  If I truly believe something, I will then live it out as reality.  Our Father is just that – our father.  He wants the best for us.  He wants to see us succeed and gives us everything we need to do so.  We do not always understand His ways since we are human and limited in our knowledge…this is where our faith comes in.

It is also being practical.  I need to know what I am spending each month, how I am spending it, and what I am getting in return.  We often refer to this as our spending plan!  And with that spending plan comes a way to track our spending such as a paper diary, software, or envelopes – whatever works best for you and your lifestyle.  I then make my decisions based on all the knowledge I have by understanding my finances practically as well doing my best to be wise in how I make decisions and at the same time trusting and walking by faith.  That can be quite the balance to keep, but if we realize that we are physical, mental, and spiritual beings, that will help us keep that balance in our lives.  So just as we have those three aspects, finances have all three as well – physical (the practical numbers), mental (wisdom), and spiritual (faith).  Therefore walk by wisdom, faith, and reality this day!