Financial Stress and Your Health (pt2)
Relieving Financial Stress
Greg Ulmer
October 30th, 2008
You can relieve yourself of this financial stress by following the 10 Steps to Financial Freedom (aka The Christian’s Path to Escape Financial Bondage).
- Transfer Ownership: You must transfer ownership of every possession to God. This means money, time, family, material possessions, education, even earning potential for the future. This is essential to experience the Spirit-filled life in the area of finances (Psalms 8:4-6).
- Become Debt Free: Prepare a written plan to get out of debt altogether. You must also determine what is essential for living, think before buying, discontinue using credit and practice saving. “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).
- Establish the Tithe: A tithe is the minimum testimony to God’s ownership. It is through sharing that we bring His power in finances into focus. “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6).
- Accept God’s Provision: Recognize and accept that God’s provision is used to direct each of our lives. This necessitates planning your lifestyle around the provision that God has supplied for you.
- Keep a Clear Conscience: Have a clear conscience regarding past financial practices and personal dealings. Freedom from these may well require restitution, as well as a changed attitude.
- Put Others First: Seeking financial freedom means always be willing to put other people first. This simply means that we shouldn’t profit at the disadvantage of someone else. Again, the key lies in attitude.
- Limit Time Involvement: Limit time spent pursuing material possessions thus allowing family involvement to suffer. “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens” (Proverbs 23:4-5). The first priority in life is to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The second priority is to family, which includes teaching from God’s Word.
- Avoid Indulgence: Avoid the indulgences of life by assessing your standard of living. Most of us can reduce our expenditures substantially without a real reduction in our living standard.
- Get Christian Counseling: It is important to receive good Christian counseling and not to rely solely on our own resources. “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22). Make use of the Grace Financial Ministry (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) or other Christian counseling to assess where your current situation and help you develop and follow a personal spending plan.
- Pray, Study and be Faithful: Pray without ceasing for wisdom and guidance. Study the available materials on God’s principles for managing finances and apply them to your Christ driven lifestyle. Reveal your Faith by trusting God for things you cannot see or manipulate into happening.
According to Larry Burkett: “The financial principles given throughout God’s Word are not there to see if we’re strong enough to live by them; they’re given because God knows that they are the best for us. God’s principles of finances are not an arbitrary set of rules by which to govern us; they are a loving Father’s wisdom to those who will listen and trust Him.”
As you work on improving your financial situation, you can reduce stress by practicing faith-based stress-reducing techniques and making other changes to create a low-stress lifestyle. By following the steps provided and making these lifestyle changes, the burden of financial stress can soon be a thing of the past. Then your health and your faith will be Glorious!