Check out this video to learn how to break free from financial and spiritual bondage. It starts with just one thing.

Lesson 1: Money Isn’t As Reliable As God

Gain makes people feel safe and successful- even little children. Make a point to teach your kids that money is just another form of gain that will disappoint. Remind them often how God is the only one we can rely on for everything.

You might try to:

• Talk about the different kinds of money existing throughout history and how money has failed previously.
• Share a Bible story about someone who lost their gains or security to highlight how God is the one who provides for and cares for that person –and your child too!

Lesson 2: Money Isn’t As Important As You Think

At a young age, many kids identify differences in lifestyles, clothing, activities, and other parts of life related to income and spending habits. As a result, it’s easy for kids to see money as really important. They can naively begin to correlate money with happiness.

Demonstrate to your kids how money just isn’t everything:

• When financial frustrations arise for your child (like not getting an expensive toy to be popular with friends) explain how friendship isn’t about having what’s cool.
• Point out opportunities to give and receive that money can’t buy, like hugs, time with loved ones, or praying for someone.

Lesson 3: Money Is a Responsibility

Stewardship is a concept that applies to everything from money to taking care of one’s own body. The concept is essential for raising children to value what God has given them and act responsibly in light of His provision.

Create a short term lesson for your kids:

• For one month, offer an allowance for completing “jobs” like taking out the trash. Let your kids use their allowance for wants, but also require them to pay for some needs. This makes the point that money isn’t just for desires, but also for taking care of necessities.

Lesson 4: Money Isn’t Something to Worry About

Some kids are natural worriers and savers. They like the security of having stuff- just in case they need it. As they grow older, money may become one of the things they cling to a little too tightly. Help you kids (especially worriers!) to understand that money is just another something God provides.

Teach your kids to:

• Pray with you when they are worried or when you face a need. Share with them when and how God answers your prayers.
• Read Bible stories about God’s provision.

Lesson 5: Money is Meant for Honoring God

A big part of stewardship and viewing money from a godly perspective is treating money as just another gift given for God’s glory. Just as you teach your kids humility and grace regarding their talents and natural abilities, teach them to treat money as something to honor God with, not be proud about.

Give your kids opportunities to learn about honoring God with their money:

• Select family giving projects your kids can participate in financially and otherwise.
• Encourage your kids to give away things they don’t need, including their small change.
• Teach lessons about investment in God-honoring things, like by steadily giving to a cause your kids can see the resulting fruit from.

The Best Lesson: Your Example

To truly teach your kids what they need to know about money, gain, and God’s way, you need to live by example. Your kids will pick up on your spending habits, worries, and perspective on things like finances. Consider your own example in everyday life as you seize opportunities to teach (and learn!) these financial lessons.

Article submitted by Bethany McIlrath:

Bethany McIlrath is a freelance writer who is grateful for the Gospel. She writes on a variety of topics, but her favorite subjects connect faith to real life. You can connect with Bethany on her website or on social media.

That’s what you have to do when you say “yes” to Jesus’ calling in your life.

No, you may not need to leave everyone behind and follow Jesus around the Middle East to fulfill your calling. However, God does have a purpose for your life. To participate, you’ll need to give some stuff up. You will also need to invest in His purpose for  you.

Here are 4 great ways to start investing in God’s purpose for your life:

1. Invest in Learning

Even people with natural talent need time to practice and learn before they master their skills. Achieving your God-given dreams requires learning. Whether it’s furthering your education formally, simply completing free tutorials, or reading intentionally, learning is always a part of the investing process.

God has always encouraged people to learn. From early in the New Testament, He wanted His people to learn His Word and ways. God sets forth examples of seeking wisdom- like Solomon, Daniel, and Joseph. Everything from learning a new language to learning how to do a job well is to be praised when it is done for God’s glory. Invest in learning so that you can master the skills the Lord has called you to.

2. Invest in Equipment

If you look at the world around you, it’s not hard to see God created beauty. He loves fine workmanship. God laid out plans for the tabernacle, the temple, and the whole world to be made well. His attention to detail is astounding, and God has the best tool around: His hands, His breath, and His Word.

Use the best tools you can to produce the best you can for God’s glory. Invest in equipment to ensure your workmanship represents the kid of high quality God Himself exemplifies. That may mean spending a little more on technology, software, or supplies. If the return on investment is pursuing God’s plan for your life, it is worth it.

3. Invest in the Time

Another critical component of growing into God’s plans for you is spending time practicing and honing your skills. God has plans for your whole life, including preparing for you big tasks and purposes He has. When you get a glimpse of a big purpose or opportunity, stay encouraged as you keep preparing. Take your time because God’s timing is best.

4. Invest in Others

God has always been focused on people. The one thing we bring to heaven with us is people! Invest in other people in anything you do. Make connections, take the time to listen, and develop genuine relationships. Mentor and be mentored. Give of your time and your skills to serve other people.

Most importantly, be sure that as you invest in God’s plans for your life, you realize those plans aren’t just about you. God’s greater plan is always to draw people to Himself. Your investments and your plans should always be focused on God’s goal!

Article submitted by Bethany McIlrath:

Bethany McIlrath is a freelance writer who is grateful for the Gospel. She writes on a variety of topics, but her favorite subjects connect faith to real life. You can connect with Bethany on her website or on social media.

However, money marriage problems are not uncommon, even among faithful believers.

Do any of these financial marriage challenges sound familiar?

Challenge 1: You Spend Money Wastefully!

A huge complaint in Christian marriage, spouses often argue over what money should or should not be spent on. You might think $250 on groceries and $100 on dining out per month is smart, while your spouse would rather spend $50 on a nice meal out and $250 on groceries the rest of the month.

Often, these issues come down to a few personality differences. Financial personalities include:

• Spender vs. Saver
• Materialistic vs Thrifty
• Practical vs pleasure-seeking

Solution: Practice Accountability

None of the financial personalities mentioned are necessarily wrong. Spenders can spend for good, but they can also be excessive. Savers, likewise, can save for godly purposes. However, they can also hoard their money, withholding it from God.

You can operate as a team in marriage by avoiding extremes and sticking to your number one priority as a Christian: honoring God (Prov 3:9.)

Recognize your differences and encourage each other about the ways each financial personality can glorify the Lord. Then, consider the temptations each personality faces. Strike a balance with accountability on what you agree money should or should not be spent on (and how much!)

Challenge 2: Your Financial Priorities Are Not Mine!

So many spouses argue about their savings accounts. It’s easy to do. You might think saving for a home should be your number one priority. Meanwhile, your spouse may think savings are unnecessary or want to save for something else, like a better car.

When priorities go unreconciled, you might incidentally work against each other. Your savings account won’t grow as well or as quickly as it would if you both operated as one unit with one goal.

Solution: Set Priorities Together

It’s important to remember that when two become one, your unity with your spouse is in the sight of God. You’ll still struggle with having different priorities. Some of the priorities you need to reconcile and make as a unified couple before God will be financial.

Set aside regular times to discuss financial priorities with your spouse. Be prepared to explain why you prioritize as you do. At the same time, be sure to listen. Remember, God’s way is humble (Phil 2:3!) Identify a shared financial goal with your spouse and focus on that priority.

Challenge 3: You Give Too Much (Or Too Little!)

Being generous is something God encourages in the Bible, so much that He even says He loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7.) You might be surprised to learn your spouse loves to give- but so much that your finances are lacking! On the other hand, your spouse may not be as generous as you are.

Differences in giving can lead to many divisive feelings, like jealousy, selfishness, judgement, and pride. As a result of these differences and emotions, you might find it hard to trust your spouse with money.

Solution: Honor God Wisely

Since generosity is a godly trait, it’s great to encourage each other to be giving people. However, money is also a way that God provides for you to live your life clothed, fed, housed, and taken care of. Wisdom should always have a part in deciding when and how much to give.

If your spouse seems to give (or not give!) in a way that concerns you, tell them. Look through Scripture together to recognize what God says about money. Agree on how you want to use your money to honor God through giving as well as through spending and saving.

Honoring God With Your Money is a Process

As every solution highlights, the best thing you can do to use your money as two become one, honoring God, is to work together on your budget and financial planning. This is a process. You will have different budgets and priorities over time. Get in the habit of regularly talking about finances and honoring God with your money together.

Article submitted by Bethany McIlrath:

Bethany McIlrath is a freelance writer who is grateful for the Gospel. She writes on a variety of topics, but her favorite subjects connect faith to real life. You can connect with Bethany on her website or on social media.

-Nelson Mandela

I attended a church service one Sunday that changed my view on possessions. After each mass, we have a discussion about various topics revolving around faith. The topic that Sunday was finances and this being a touchy subject, I was awkward to even take my seat and listen to the speaker.

The preacher came out and introduced the topic on hand- Giving. Giving away money, to be accurate. Yikes.

He then had the entire audience do a simple exercise before his talk. “Could everybody breathe in deeply?” he said, as he counted “Inhale. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 …” and then said “And now, hold it in, and do not breathe out…”

The whole room burst out laughing knowing he made a point- You cannot try to take in everything and keep it in all for yourself for the rest of your life, the same way you cannot keep on exhaling without having the need and compulsion to inhale. Giving away, he says, is a natural technique to allow us to have space to receive more. We expand our lungs as we practice more deep breathing, and naturally, we also increase the length, and depth, of our lives. Our lungs are pretty much like our finances. It expands as we learn how let go more. Giving acts as a vacuum and the universe rushes to fill in what we gave away, and more!

Whenever we give, we create space for more blessings and miracles into our lives.

1-  Giving: Tithing as a Promise, not an Order

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” – Luke 12:34, NIV

Tithing is one of the Old Testament concepts that could be very hard to swallow and even harder to live by. After all the government taxes, rentals, phone bills and debt payments, are we really “required” to give 10% of everything we earn to the Lord?

Truthfully, we are not demanded to.

Tithing is not an Order

Tithing is not an order with an equivalent punishment if we do not obey. We do not get punished by the Church or by the Lord by not giving our tithes. However, not receiving the rewards of tithing could be enough punishment that we have inflicted upon ourselves. Simply put, we are not cheating the Lord by not tithing as much as we are cheating ourselves from the possible rewards tithing could bring.

If we look at the book of Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) which says “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops” and at the beginning of Malachi 3:10 (NIV) “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house”, it may seem to us that God is ordering us to tithe and give Him the first fruits of all the fruits of our labor to show that we honor Him and so there may be food in His house.

Here, we may see tithing as a law and an order we need to obey. However, a closer looks allows us to see tithing as a favor… not for God, but for ourselves. Clearly, God doesn’t need our money since He is the source of everything we have and everything we are bound to receive.

If we read the above verses in its entirety, Proverbs 3:9-10 reads as “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops, THEN your barns will be filled to overflowing  and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

“Then” being the operative word, the above verses suggest this-

Tithing is not an order but a PROMISE.

It is a promise of God to His people that if we honor Him with the first fruits of our crops, then we will be rewarded with so much more. Overflowing and brimming over, that is His promise.

The complete version of Malachi 3:10-12 (NIV) reaffirms this “’Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this’”,  says the LORD Almighty, ‘”and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

God, the Lord over all of creation, wants us to test Him to bless us!

Think about this: When a real estate broker finds a buyer for our property and closes the sale, do we not pay him a percentage of our sales? If we win a settlement fee for a case on court, do we not repay the lawyer who fought with us and led us to the win compensation for our victory? God did not only lead us to the victory or the sales, He gave it to us through His will. He closed the sale for us long before we even thought of selling. He fought for us and gave us the victory long before we even thought of asking for His help.

Again, tithing is not an order or a law- it is a promise of love and a covenant of abundance.

God didn’t have to promise us anything for us to follow Him. He could have chosen to rule with FEAR and use it to threaten us to follow his orders but He chose to rule with LOVE and use love to promise to us how much fuller our lives would be if we listen to His word.

Do not steal away from yourself the rewards of tithing! Breathe out such that you may breathe in again.

Article submitted by Aichu Therese Congbalay:

Bethany McIlrath is a freelance writer who is grateful for the Gospel. She writes about a variety of topics but usually focuses on the topic of budgeting, travel, relationships, goal-setting, entrepreneurship and women’s interests.

Could money be mastering you, even though you know God provides? 3 signs to pay attention to:

Sign #1: Money Makes You Worry

It’s no accident that the famous verse “you cannot serve both God and money” comes right before “do not worry” (Matthew 6 NIV.) When money is your master, you worry about your finances. As the Scripture passage says, you forget that it is God who provides for you, so you act like financial gain is your security.

It’s understandable. Money really does matter.

But when finances are what you put your hope in, you are led to make most decisions in life based off of projected financial gains and losses. For many people, this equates to living in fear and using money for selfish pursuits.

Live freely instead.

The truth is, your finances will never be enough to provide for everything you need- but God provides for everything. He will provide for you in ways that money can’t. For example, God can give you love, peace, and growth as a person of character. Money can’t buy those priceless qualities.

Sign #2: You are Afraid to Use Your Money

Another Biblical example of letting money master you is found in Matthew 25 (ESV.) Also called the parable of the talents, this Bible passage explains how three servants responded to being made responsible for stewarding the masters’ money. Two put their talents to good use, causing their blessing to multiply. One servant hid the money because he was too afraid of what would happen if he lost it to steward it properly.

God is clear in this parable, so listen up.

When fear of money leads you to hide it or horde it instead of using it for good, you may be fearing money more than you fear God. After all, God wants His people to use their money along with everything else He provides to live life to His glory.

In the Bible, God encourages generosity, earning an honest living, and using money wisely in order to be equipped for good works. God gives talents, including finances, to His servants. He is pleased when you use what He gives you.

Sign #3: You Compare Your Finances’ to Others’

Jealousy is often a culprit behind the mismanagement and idolization of money. For most people, jealousy is behind a lot of poor decisions!

In Matthew 20, Jesus tells a story about workers in a vineyard getting upset when the owner of the business paid them unfairly. Money often masters people when they get jealous, feeling that God is only allowing others to succeed financially.

However, God says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10 NIV.) Jesus, in explaining the parable, also said that it is up to God to give as He pleases.

What God has given you is good. Your finances are a blessing.

Be grateful for what God provides for you instead of getting jealous about what others have received. Otherwise, you may let money determine your perspective on God and life. As a result of letting money master you in this way, you will feel more limited and less loved than you truly are. If God is your master instead, you will know that His gifts are good, even others’ gifts are tempting.

What To Do If You Are Being Mastered By Money

Each of these three signs that money is mastering you is common. Many people struggle with these perspectives at different times in life, myself included.

The key to dismissing money as a master and obeying God alone is remembering who God is and what He promises you.

God is a good master who loves you and takes care of you. Unlike money, God is not worldly. God does not encourage selfishness, but asks you to trust Him to provide. You don’t need to let worry, fear, or jealousy make money seem more powerful than it is because you know God almighty!

When you feel like money is more powerful than God, think about the limitations of finances:

• Money can’t provide everything you need
• Money is just a tool
• Money is temporal, it has no effect on eternity
• Financial institutions fail; God does not

Keep the truth about money in your mind as you keep the truth about God on your heart. God is a much better master and the temptations of money are hollow.

Article submitted by Bethany McIlrath:

Bethany McIlrath is a freelance writer who is grateful for the Gospel. She writes on a variety of topics, but her favorite subjects connect faith to real life. You can connect with Bethany on her website or on social media.