A Biblical Perspective on Work and Money

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NLT
Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. [12] Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.

I have become convinced over these past years that God is very much concerned with every aspect of our lives (Psalms 37:23). He wants to be our Lord, Counselor, our Wisdom, and Father to us in every area, and especially those which are difficult and require us to make decisions.

Choosing a job or career path is one of those decisions which will impact your daily life significantly for years to come, and possibly for the rest of your life. Trust me, our Heavenly Father wants to be very involved in guiding those decisions!

Let’s just think about some of the basic human needs and questions that arise regarding this
topic:

• How will I support myself and family, and how much money do I need?
• What will happen if I run out of money, what will I eat and how will I have shelter and clothing?
• Will my choice for a job or a career be something that I enjoy and find fulfilling?
• What about the future? Should I save and plan for later?

Beyond the natural questions that every person in the world asks themselves, you also might be asking some additional questions as a Christian:

• Will secular work be something that can glorify God?
• Are the types of work that a Christian should not do?
• Am I supposed to work for money, since Jesus said “do not work for food that perishes?”
• Is it wrong to have extra money or assets, or should I just give away what I have since Jesus said, “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth”, and “sell what you have and give to the poor”.
• Should I make job and career choices out of necessity, or wait on God to tell me what to do?

I am sure there are many other such questions, but I want to let you know that I have asked myself all of these questions, and have even struggled with the opinions of other people on these topics and have been really discouraged at not feeling like I know what to do about my own life. Please take comfort that I also struggled with these, and have been very frustrated with the process of learning to know God’s will for my life.

1. Forget about the opinions of others

 

Psalm 49:18b NKJV
..men will praise you when you do well for yourself.

I want to use my experience and life as an example, and the very first thing I hope to impress upon you, is that what God directed someone else to do and the strong convictions He gave me might not be for you! You have the right, even obligation, to learn from the examples of other people, however, to completely forget about their opinions so that you have a clear ear to hear from your Heavenly Father. Don’t allow your mind to be clogged, and have a closed ear to God’s voice because you have filled yourself with teachings, advice, opinions, counsel, and direction from other men. If you listen to them, you are going to be completely miserable and always wondering if you did the right thing. You will invariably begin to doubt your choices, and wonder if someone else’s differing opinion was what you really should have done. If you don’t do what you believe is God’s specific guidance for you personally, then you will always doubt and be tossed to and fro. You might even forfeit the peace, help, and grace from Him because you made your own choice by the direction of other men, your parents, or your pastor. Throw away their opinions, and make your own decision based on God’s direction for you! Yes its scary, and yes you will be the only one responsible for your actions, and if you are not an amazing success, others will say “I told you so”, but you will have peace, divine help, God’s presence, and amazing Grace every single step of the way! I would rather make choices in faith and know that I was completely convinced that I was obeying God, than to listen to other men! And I have news for you which I will explain more later: God can redeem your “mistakes” when you make them in FAITH!

Think about how He has done this already by redeeming your life from sin. He could have told you, “You sinned and have to pay the penalty, and there is no help until you fix your own problems”, but He didn’t do that to you. In fact, He came and found you when you were at your worst, full of sin, and brought you into the family to take away the weight and burden of your sins and mistakes! He unraveled your mess, set you on a new path, gave you opportunities and options you didn’t know existed, and literally opened prison doors to free you! He can do this in every area of your life if you trust Him, and take all your situations, cares, and questions to Him. Clear the air of the voices and opinions of others, and now
begin to listen to God’s voice as you continue. This principal applies to many areas of the Christian walk, however the area of jobs and career advice is especially full of opinions simply because most people care more about money than they do anything else. If you have people in life that are always talking about and concerned with money, you should completely avoid their advice. We should “walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners”, and know that all of their advice will be be based on how to make the most money. Godly advice will help you to keep in step with His spirit and encourage you to honor God.  It won’t be about guidance into what will make you the most money.  

If you are a young person, or someone who is prone to making poor choices and feel you must consult with others, I would suggest finding a humble and Godly person in your life and tell them of your desire to obey God in this area, and that you are looking for their spiritual support, not their opinions for you.

In general, you should surround yourself with people who will applaud you for your heart for God and who will encourage your faith in action, not your ability to make money. In addition to this, I must mention that you might even have an over-zealous brother or sister in Christ who will condemn you for needing to make money, and make you feel as if you are less than a real Christian because you are looking for a secular job. You might find their opinions to be especially piercing and painful as they might tell you to ”trust God rather than work a job”. I would not want to be such a person and have to stand before God and answer for those words and poor influence. There legitimately might be people that God has led not to work for a time, or to fulfill some ministry. I have been through a period like that, but I learned that it wasn’t for everyone!

God’s promises don’t apply to you if you are making your decisions based on other men.  Whether it’s a money-loving friend or preacher trying to direct you with their covetousness, or a super-spiritual brother who has strong opinions and condemns you for a good desire to provide for your needs and those of your family, they are going to lead you astray from God’s direction for you.  The only promises for God’s help apply only to those who obey Him, and desire to do His will and are prepared to ignore the many opinions of other people.

2. What are God’s promises to me for provision and money?

 

Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your
heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

2 Corinthians 9:8-9 NKJV
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. [9] As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness
endures forever.”

Psalm 37:25 NKJV
I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.

I hope that when you read these scriptures that you are encouraged as I am to know that He knows all of the needs we have before we ask. He clearly cares for our bodies and earthly needs, and has in His mercy provided food, air, sun, and shelter for those who are His children, as well as others who are not. How much more does He care for those who are His children and “not withhold any good thing to those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84)?!

I realized and decided to believe several years ago that He did not create me to destroy me, but to save me and keep me for His good pleasure. He has said that we are His special creation, His workmanship, His inheritance! How do you treat your precious possessions? Are you careless with valuable things or do you treat them with care, and protect them from being damaged or stolen? He is much more careful and caring than we are, and you and I are of much value in God’s eyes. All that we need to understand is that God spent the life and blood of Jesus to pay for you and I; from this we know our value.

Matthew 10:31 NKJV
Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

 

He has led me numerous times to Matthew 6:33 to let me know that if I am keeping the focus of my life on Him, His kingdom, and in growing in the righteousness of Christ, that the most important things in life would be mine, and in additional all the things I need for this earthly life would be provided to me as well! He has made this personal for me, He has given me His word, and this promise is coming from Him Who cannot lie or fail.

When I set out to follow God, I wholeheartedly gave up all that I had In my heart. I surrendered the ownership of my possessions, home, car, job, life, and body to be His and to do with what He pleased. I remember a particular prayer of worship to Him where I promised to live in a tent in the woods if that was what pleased Him, and that I would not allow any thing, person, or circumstance to hold me back from doing His will. In looking back I am surprised at how real His Spirit made that moment for me, how difficult it was, how fresh and powerful it was, and how I literally thought that the next day He might tell me to walk away from it all. That is what true love and commitment looks like to the Lord Jesus, and that is what real worship looks like. Yes, if your home is taken away from you or burnt down, you can mourn the loss with tears and can always fight and work towards getting one back. However, if you are committed to Jesus Who tells you to walk away from things and people, then there is no fighting, no going back, no replacing what was given up. Yes, there is a tremendous difference between mournfully losing something versus giving it up willingly and with joy. The act of the will is what He is looking for, and He wants all of your will, all of your heart, all of your mind, all of you soul and strength. Set your priorities right, and you will begin to be considered “rich” in God’s eyes (Rev. 3:17-19).

I was pleasantly surprised at the following days, that I still had a house, clothes, and food. I became incredibly thankful for the things He had allowed to remain in my life, and the basic comforts and needs that He was meeting for me. They weren’t mine any longer to own and possess, but a gift back from God. I started to be thankful to have water to drink and wash my hands with, I was glad to have food to eat, and very thankful that I was able to steward and live in the old 1950’s house that I had. I would sit down to eat and would find many times, as I began to thank Him for the food, that I would be in tears of gratitude, love, and amazement at all that He was doing for me; how He has given me a new life and hope, only to find that by the time that my prayer was finished that my food had gotten cold. Cold food with a heart full of joy and thankfulness is better than any feast! Truly the spiritual food that does not perish is the best, and the little that the righteous has is of great value! (Psalm 37:16)

These first steps into a life of faith are going to be shaky; don’t be hard on yourself for not walking perfectly at first. However, you must take them and they are not optional. Do not make a single excuse for yourself if you don’t take steps of faith as led by God or in obeying His word. Unbelief, fear, stubbornness, and doubt will lead you straight to the pit of hell. I will not go much into the perils of faithlessness, however I trust that you are fearing God and obeying the countless commands in the Bible to trust and obey God with childlike faith. I was a spiritual child when I prayed those prayers and started out, and had such a hard time believing that if I just focused on God that He would take care of me and direct my life. I had a difficult time with leaving the safety of ”crawling on the floor” with other worldly people and lukewarm Christians, and standing up and saying “yes I might fall, but I want to walk and take steps of faith, I am aware of and accept the risks”. God will only be glorified in your life with that attitude. We need to be determined not to slither and crawl around in the dirt and dust of life like a cursed snake (Gen. 3:14). The first steps are the scariest, but I want to you know that God has already planned for and accounted for every accident and fall. Stand up again, and step in faith in Jesus’ name! (Prov. 24:16, 2 Cor. 5:7)

Have you been too afraid to prove God’s word and promises in your life? Have you been unbelieving and faithless in this area? Are you afraid that if you refocus your attention toward Him that He will let you down and fail in His promise to provide the “everything else”? Now is the time to count the cost, repent, and give glory to God for being the One who is taking care of you and providing for you. You are a terrible keeper of yourself, and are missing out on the relationship, life of trust, and provision from God! I encourage you to turn to Him today, giving Him your whole life and holding nothing back, and begin wholeheartedly relying on His faithfulness for these needs and natural things as well.

You are going to hear examples of when I have done this, how I was tested in it, mistakes I made, and how I am still here alive and well to tell you about how He can be completely trusted in this area! Not only has He naturally sustained my wife and I, but His plan to cause us to grow in character and Christ likeness was through these experiences.

We are sadly forfeiting the glory of God, the full blessing of spiritual wealth, and earthly provision from Him because of our fearing and remaining unbelieving! Believe in God, fear only Him, Trust His promises, they are solid ground and a path of certainty to all those who make Him and His Righteousness their aspiration!

God has never promised to make an easy life for you, or to never allow a time of poverty for His purposes of testing you and for His glory to see that you trust Him in that. There have been multiple times in these last several years where my bank account has been reduced significantly because I obeyed God. At other times, in an effort to keep my conscience clear, have done what I felt to be the right thing, and have turned down money, or paid extra, or even given what I had away to others who were in need. Lastly, there have been quite a few temptations to gain money in an unrighteous way, or avoid paying a tax, or mis-state a number on a tax return to benefit myself financially, all of which I have resisted to the praise and glory of God. Doubtless I have passed up the ”opportunity” to gain anywhere from $80-100,000 more in the last few years because I obeyed God, kept my conscience clear, and resisted sin and evil! I can tell you whole heartedly that God has not only provided for the basic needs of my wife and I during this time, but has since helped us in miraculous ways, and also helped us to recover much of what we have lost. At this point I would be lying if I said “God, you have taken away from me and have not given back, and you owe me”. He has promised, and fulfilled, and given back to me exponentially:

Matthew 19:29 NLT
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.

Let me give you a couple of specific instances.

When I first started seeking God, I was immediately presented with an “opportunity” to lie about something at work and gain a discount on my health insurance of around $400. I decided to do the right thing and make this a turning point in my life to never lie again, and I mark my report showing that I failed to meet the requirements to receive the discount. A few months prior to that, I would have lied and taken the money, however God’s Spirit in me was keeping me from making such a decision. When my coworkers asked me if I completed the requirements, I told them gladly and confidently that I had not, and I was ok with that. I had so much joy in my heart at this small decision in faith, that I couldn’t believe it! I wondered, “was this what obeying God actually feels like, how could I be so glad about this?!”. Ironically, someone notified me later that I had missed one check box, and once I had done that I barely met the requirements to receive the $400 discount. I was very excited about the extra money, however more importantly I felt that God was teaching something, that I should obey and trust Him over and above anyone or anything on earth, and that it would be up to Him to provide for my needs. I have proven Him in this though the years and with much larger challenges.

In another case, a couple of years ago while calculating my taxes I found that I would receive around $4,000 more than expected. I was so excited, told my wife, and we celebrated and even thanked God for helping us financially. We really needed the extra help at that time and we were so thankful! Before submitted my tax return I reviewed once more and discovered a mistake that I had made. I corrected the mistake and held my breath as the return amount recalculated; the $4,000 was instantly gone. I sighed and put my head down and asked God why this had happened. I thought “Wasn’t that His provision to help us?”, “If I hadn’t double checked, I could have sincerely taken the money”, and then concluded in a prayer “Lord, this is a test, and I will pass it in Jesus name! I would rather be dead than to be a liar. I would rather be a doorkeeper yet dwell in the presence of God, than be rich with lying sinners”. (Ps. 84:10).

I am now sitting in a home that He has provided that I thought would be impossible for us to have. We had given up our home and most of out possessions four years ago in obedience and left our jobs, and He has restored to us in several areas what was lost and many times that! There is also more to come, He has promised other areas of provision and blessing that I now expect and watch for, simply based on His faithfulness, His love, His promises in Christ Jesus.

3. The enduring attitude of humility; embracing the unknowns.

Hebrews 11:8 NKJV
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

We need to take a simple attitude of trust if we are to please God, and say to Him: “Even if I don’t understand the changes and challenges, I will love and obey You!”. Often times the changes that God brings into our lives “feel terrible” at first. He allows this intentionally to give an opportunity for our faith to be tested and grow. We really need to have our thinking adjusted and to mature, growing beyond the phase of thinking that difficulties are from the devil. God allows and sends unknowns to test, prove, and strengthen our faith. Our response to these testings make all the difference and often determines how long the trials will last. Our Father in heaven is looking to develop an attitude of humility and willingness in us.

Let’s consider Abram (later Abraham), and how his initial calling from God was to lead him away from his home, family, and comfortable life. This was not the last of the challenges, only the beginning. He immediately failed to obey God and “leave your home and family” and more specifically “your father” (see Acts 7:2-3, Genesis 12:1) . Abram took his father along with him in partial obedience to God, and was held back In the ultimate plan that God had for him, and was sidetracked by going to Haran, a relative’s town (Herb. 11:31-32). This was likely another comfortable place where he had relatives and friends to help him become reestablished. God waited until Abraham’s father died to reaffirm the call to Abraham; in short “As I previously told you, get out, follow Me, pursue the promises I have given you!”. 

I wonder if Terah, Abram’s Father, would had been spared if Abram had not compromised and delayed. God saw this resistance and fear to obey fully, yet did not give up on Abram! The good news is God does not give up on calling us to repent and obey, however the corrections to disobedience are more strict and final than many of us would like to think. Resistance to God’s call and direction forced humility into Abram that he was not capable of at first, and created a future willingness that God was looking for.

How long will you take to respond to God in humble willingness, or are you waiting for you relatives to die, children taken, possessions to be lost lost, and “good things” ripped away from you? Don’t doubt His seemingly extreme methods, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; God is intent on saving you more than He wants you to have a good and easy life. We are saved by grace, and only the humble receive grace and are saved, so He will do what is necessary to humble you (Prov. 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5). His intent is not to make you miserable and take your loved ones away from you, we will see that with Abraham and Isaac, however like a good Father He knows what is best for us and will operate in some surprising ways. Be willing to yield quickly and save yourself years of time and heartache.

We see there is a drastic change in the life of Abram as he continues to walk with God. He no longer responded the same way that he did at the beginning, and in fact there is so much change in him that God decides to give him a new name: Abraham.

Genesis 17:1-5 NKJV
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. [2] And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” [3] Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: [4] “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. [5] No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

Then God tests His work in Abraham to see if it will last and endure, as all work must be tested to see if it is worthwhile! First miraculously He gives Abraham the promised son and He then commands Abraham to kill his own son as a sacrifice, as a test to see how far the humble obedience would go. Of course Abraham was completely intending to kill his son, but also was trying to reconcile how God would still make him the father of many nations through this promised and blessed son (Heb. 11:17-19). Either way, it was not for him to know how, but to simply, humbly, obey.

Genesis 22:2-3,8,13-14 NKJV
[2] Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning … and went to the place of which God had told him. 

[8] And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together..

[13] Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

What a difference in Abraham! His attitude had changed, and his attitude had become “God will provide” lets proceed. What quick and decisive action to do exactly what God told him to do, trusting Him all the way to the end! You see none of the delays that we saw before, no compromises, no consulting his family or wife, and none of the dependence on natural means to make the command of God easier. You also see the incredible gift back from God, the blessings, the commendation, and of course the increased faith to see God as The Provider!

Genesis 22:12,16-17 NKJV
[12] And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

[16] and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son- [17] blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

God is working on you and I as well in His own way to create a humble will heart to yield all to Him, and say “God will provide – let’s give all and follow Jesus”. 

Genesis 22:14 NLT
Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the LORD will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

4. Never allow other people to have the credit for God’s blessing

In principle it is not wrong to take help from other people, in fact many times God works this way in our lives. It could be that for a time or because of a certain calling in your life that God will provide for you though a parent, spouse, a random person, or friend. There is a difference though between looking to a person for help, and looking to God for help which may come through a person. If you are going around a certain person who has money or possessions and always looking for a handout or hoping they will give to you, you are looking to them as your provider. If they provide something for you, you will likely give them the glory, thankfulness, and honor, and rob God of His glory in your life! We should be taking our needs to God, trusting in and looking to Him for all that we need while we wait patiently.

We see this incredible example in Abram with the King of Sodom. After Abram achieved an incredible victory over the men who captured Sodom with his nephew Lot, the king was very impressed with him and offered to give him some of the possessions and plunders of war from Sodom. Abram carefully declined. Not only did Abram learn that God could provide for him, he took action on it knowing that He would provide and turned down the help from others. Have you ever considered this, that you might need to turn down money, help, wealth if it is offered? Is it possible that you are not ready, or the person offering is not the right person, or maybe God wants to keep you without outside help for some time? 

Genesis 14:17,21-23 NLT
[17] After Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). [21] The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered.” [22] Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I solemnly swear to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, [23] that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, ‘I am the one who made Abram rich.’

We have to recognize when God is doing a work in our lives for His glory and for our testimony through faith in Him (Heb. 11:2, 11:5, 11:39). During this time He may not permit us to take even a cent from other people, and need to be ready to turn down their offers (3 John 1:7), and sometimes even a job offer.

Looking to other people for help will lead you to trust them and even fear them. Because people are so unfaithful and inconsistent, they will become terrible providers for you. Everyone has problems and bad days of their own, so how can you expect them to be consistent providers for you? If you have this unseasonable expectation of others, you will start to see them only as a supply of money or natural things, begin to either err on the side of trusting them or fearing them, and even become resentful when they no longer are helping you. It’s a terrible ungodly position to be in and creates greed, envy, and strife in your relationships. Yes, there are commands and instructions for those who are rich to share what they have with other believers, however if you are the one in need, that command is for them not for you! You are to trust God, be long suffering, and find contentment.

Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” [6] So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will  fear what can man do to me?”

5. Not working for money

John 6:27 NKJV
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

You might have realized by now, that as much as you try to save money and “get ahead” in this world, there are always surprises and setbacks that squash your goals. It certainly seems that money gained one way seems to “take flight” ten ways (Prov. 23:5). You also may have realized that even when you have been somewhat successful, that no lasting happiness came from it, and you were probably concerned about losing your wealth. I have concluded that if your goal in this life is to work hard and make money, you will be greatly disappointed since God has made a rule in this world that applies to every person: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Beyond that, it’s an evil and selfish pursuit that God hates and you will be left with nothing in the end. This can seem fairly confusing to the new believer, and leaves many people asking “So should I not make money at all? Should I quit my job and see if God somehow provides? If I continue to work, what attitude should I have?”. Amazingly there is a balance to God’s word, and you must learn to trust Him and “stop working for money”. Let’s set our heart to obey God’s word regardless of the outcomes, suffering and difficulties, and then we will gain understanding. If we are holding on to some secret goal to be rich (or to gain money in order to pursue a particular desire), God will not allow us to see clearly, understand, and grow in the faith. 

Proverbs 23:4 NKJV
Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease!

Luke 12:21 NLT
“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Luke 6:20,24 NLT
Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. [24] “What sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now.

If you want to be called “Blessed” in God’s eyes, and have rich abundance in the heart, you are going to need to adjust your thinking, desires, and actions in this life. Don’t think this can be ignored and that you can still go with God while ignoring His commands, you cannot. Allow these words to sink into your heart, and pray for help from the Holy Spirit to make this real in your life, and trust that God as a good Father will not have some evil intention for you but will take care of you! Take the first steps of faith, and we will go on together to consider how our attitudes should be. If you are unable to do this from the heart, I would suggest you stop reading or listening to this now, and pray for help. Wrestle with this until you are ready to submit and surrender and proceed on to knowing God and His ways more fully.

Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; [20] but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

God is about your Heart! He wants all of your heart, and doesn’t want it to be clouded and corrupted with the love of money. We live in a world now that is loving money to the max, and makes no apologies for it (2 Tim. 3:1-5). If your life isn’t on a path to make more money, improve your situation, and contribute to the money making machine, you are treated as second rate in this world. You have to understand, that God is not against money, in fact He is the one Who gives us the ability to gain wealth (Deut. 8:18), Who has provided a system to meet our needs through using money (1 Cor. 7:30-31), and even has used banking and investing principles in teachings (Matt. 25:27). Money is not inherently evil, however the way you have been taught to think about it is. We have to begin to see that money and the things it can buy are of very limited value, are very temporary, and are worthless compared to spiritual treasures. 

God may likely keep you working a daily job, however you need to stop working for money. What does this mean? Well, if God has directed you to do anything in this life, you are to do that with the goal of obedience to Him, and to bring Him glory. When you start setting your goals in this way, you will find that there is a freedom to live by faith, and trust Him for all the outcomes even if your paycheck doesn’t show up, or unforeseen expenses arise. Your goal is now to please God, and trust Him to be your provider, whether that be by sending ravens carrying food, water from a rock, bread from heaven, extending and stretching food you already have, or providing some money to go to the store. This lifestyle is not subject to economic downturns, layoffs, cutbacks, pay freezes, famines, thieves, markets, collapses, recessions, inflation, or any other ridiculous thing that the rest of the world worries about. We have a Father Who is rich and is in control of the world, Who looks after even the birds to make sure they are fed, and is never-ever concerned for a moment for how or if He can take care of you. He knows, He is in control, and He has been waiting for you and I to stop insulting Him and displeasing Him with our foolish doubts and fears. If you want to learn what this lifestyle is like and how He will do it, you will need to step into it by faith and renounce all trust in money, jobs, wealth, savings, etc. Take this step today, and then encourage and feed yourself with these words of truth:

Romans 8:35 NLT
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?

James 2:5 NKJV
Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

Matthew 6:24-32 NLT
 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. [25] “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? [26] Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? [27] Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? [28] “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, [29] yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. [30] And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? [31] “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ [32] These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

6. Seeking God First – faith in action

God will place you in situations where you need to seek Him for the help you need. Although its true, money can solve almost every worldly problem (Ecc. 10:19), He will not allow it to solve your divinely appointed testings and problems. He loves us too much to allow money, other people, things, possessions, and circumstances to meet all of our needs, and creates in us the greatest need and desire for Him. All this, ”God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27 NIV).

He is to be your Portion in life. You are to seek Him first, find Him, treasure Him, and then you can ask of Him for the things you need! If you are asking for things you need and want from ”life”, you are worshipping an idol. For example, if we say “From life I would like to have happiness, wealth, a family”, then we are seeking the things of this world from a false God called “Life”. Jesus has instructed us to hate our family and life (Luke 14:26), and lose our life (Luke 9:24), and that if you find what you want from life, you will lose all you gained eventually (John 12:25). Love and worship of life is evil in God’s eyes, and asking things from this “Life” is worshipping a false God; keep yourself free of idols! 

1 John 5:21 NLT
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

John 12:25 NKJV
He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Matthew 16:25-26 NKJV
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. [26] For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Once your mind and heart have been renewed and you have given up other loves, and said “God I want to know You, Your kingdom, and what it means to be right with you” (Matt. 6:33), and you have made His priorities for Righteousness, Peace, and Joy your own (Rom. 10:17), then You can say “Lord, and also I need you to help me with this life”. He has promised that “all these things you need will be provided”, and we can be confident that in His time and way it will be done. 

Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

When I was in a period of time where my wife and I had the most constrained finances and did not have jobs, we had time available to seek Him, and our hearts, minds, and spirits flourished! It was the best period of time we have had since following the Lord Jesus, and I look back longingly at the time we spent intensely seeking Him. Every time I even thought about money and begin to be concerned, He led me immediately to the number “633” leading to Mathew 6:33. I would see the number 633 everywhere! I would notice the time, license plates, or someone would even text me that very scripture when I needed it. He made it abundantly clear: “Seek Me, and I’ll provide what you need”. Striving over the things we need and want is a waste of time, and gaining them through our own strength will rob us of our lives! If fact if you gain everything you want and need apart from Him, I would not be surprised if He causes you to lose it all; He loves you too much to let “things” ruin you. What gain would it be to us, if we obtained everything in this life and traded it for our souls (Matthew 16:26)?  Should we not challenge ourselves to the very opposite? “Lord, I will give everything I have and am to have You, even if I have to lose my home and starve to death that would be worth it to gain You and possess the salvation of my soul”, the prayer of someone I know who was desperate for God.

So how do we practically walk this out? 

Well, I hope you already can see the emphasis on seeking Him and putting Him first in your life, and once you have done that, you have the right to approach the throne of Grace boldly in your time of need to ask Him to provide for you. Do not underestimate and insult the Spirit of Grace by thinking there is no use in asking Him! Have faith, believe that He can and will help you in this present life! Refuse to fear or over-think your needs, but rather pray about them all and practice constant trust and expectation of Him. Refuse also to trust in any current wealth or “good” circumstances, this is equally evil, but rather we should surrender what we have knowing that all we have belongs to Him and that everything that we have can be lost in a moment (thieves, fires, divorce, economy, etc.). Make sure your actions show that you have faith, which today might just be obtaining God’s joy and peace in your heart even before anything good has happened in your bank account! Tomorrow it might be giving away what you have to someone who needs it, even when you know this could put you in a difficult place financially tomorrow.

Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. [16] So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Romans 8:35-37 NLT
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? [36] (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) [37] No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

We are to live our lives day-to-day with the confidence that God can provide and send from heaven for all that we need and more! The Creator of heaven and earth is not a poor man that He is not capable of helping you in your time of need. Guard your heart and mind, keep yourself from disrespecting your Heavenly Father and from giving into the temptations and dismal thoughts of money and needs of life. Most of the troubles we have in our minds never come, yet we suffer so much just from the thought of them; worries about tomorrow are evil and we are commanded to disregard them. Instead, we need to turn to Him in our thoughts in prayers, telling Him our troubles and casting then on Him rather than trying to carry them ourselves! We need to trust Him simply for our “Today’s”. This is not a license to live foolishly today and never save a penny – there are certainly proverbs written of such people. Today you are alive, tomorrow is not promised, live today in a righteous way and God will guide the course for your tomorrow’s. 

One challenging quote that I heard from George Muller, a man who really proved God’s faithfulness in this area, said: 

“The Christian should never worry about tomorrow or give 
sparingly because of a possible future need. Only the present
moment is ours to serve the Lord, and tomorrow may never come.
Money is really worth no more than as it can be used to 
accomplish the Lord’s work. Life is worth as much as it
is spent for the Lord’s service.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NKJV
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. [7] So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

7. Learn to abound and to be abased – Find contentment in Christ

Philippians 4:11-13 NKJV
Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: [12] I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. [13] I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Are you in a state of being abased or lacking things you need? Has God seemed to have stripped your life of many possessions, money, or the ability to make money? Have you found that your seeking to change these circumstances are met with a brick wall blocking your way? It is likely for the whole hearted believer that God will bless them with a time of lack, yes, bless them. The Apostle Paul had to learn to live with humble circumstances, lacking basic necessities, and needing to depend on God for everything!

There is honestly no safer place to be as it relates to the matter of money in the New Testament. In the Old, we had “Neither make me rich or make me poor, just give me food for today” (Prov. 30:8, paraphrase), however in the New, we have “Beware of greed”, the sorrows of seeking wealth, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God”, and how you can only either love money of God. So do you think God will give all of His children lots of money, and by so paving a smooth and certain path to hell? Do you think He will so quickly give an young and vulnerable member of the family a snake or scorpion to play with? On the contrary, He will test us with lack to see our attitudes and find out if we can be trusted with worldly wealth. If we fail those tests, I cannot imagine He would provide us more of the thing that would destroy us!

Luke 16:11 NLT
And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?

Luke 16:13 NLT
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

Matthew 19:23-24 NKJV
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. [24] And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

I realize the frustrations that can come with not having what you need, or not being able to provide for your family. There are plenty of scriptures that might lead you to pray against what God is doing in your life for training, testing, and (hopefully) learning, see 1 Tim. 5:8. We have to start seeing this differently, and that is my goal in writing this. We need to see that God might be testing and training us, not trying to ruin us! If you release the firm grip of your financial and life expectations, and in fact all of your circumstantial expectations, you will probably find the freedom and liberty to trust God and go to Him in prayer for your needs simply as a child would to their parents. You will start to see that He has given you great and precious promises for the basics of life (Matt. 6:24-34), so that you can focus on Him and His will for you rather than trying to figure out what to do about money. 

If you are in a time of lack, take it as directly from the hand of the Lord for you, and trust Him enough to pray “I want Your will to be done, even if it means that I live the rest of this life in poverty, I will look ahead for my good things in my heart and in heaven”, see Heb. 11:13-16 and Psalm 16. 

As you shift your focus and priority away from wealth of this world, you will then hopefully start to place more value on the spiritual wealth and obtain it. You might find that you have different prayers coming from your heart and spirit, crying out for heavenly things, for His will being done, desiring His keeping and growth of your spiritual state, and for Him being glorified and honored! Sometimes it is necessary that children have their distractions and toys removed, so that they are able to focus and learn lessons necessary for real life. 

1 Corinthians 13:11 NKJV
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NASBS
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven

Are you in the state of abounding? Do you have all that you need and more, and also find that you have extra to give to others? It may be that your Heavenly Father has seen that it is now a good thing that you have some worldly wealth, possibly after you have been tested in a time of being lacking. He may now feel that you can be trusted with being tested with this new state, and wants to see if you will be faithful. 

We are tested in this state similarly to being in lack, and I would say that this is the riskier of the two positions to be in. Our Heavenly Father knows our spiritual state perfectly well, and knows our maturity level and ability to handle worldly wealth without it destroying us. I am a firm believer that a good father would not give something dangerous to his child to play with, how much more does our Father in Heaven use caution with the things that will send us to hell? 

The New Testament gives many specific warnings and cautions us strongly that we are not to seek after the things godless people do, and are not to have desires of being rich. If you find yourself seeking after these things and having many frustrations about money, find lack of contentment and peace, are angry at the thought of not having all that you want, then you are not ready to have more as it will become a stumbling block to you.

Deuteronomy 8:11,17-18a NLT
“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. [17] He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ [18] Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful..

Proverbs 1:19 NKJV
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.

Matthew 6:24 NLT
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

Revelation 3:17-19 NKJV
Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’-and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked- [18] I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. [19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

Paul had times of both lack and abundance and after his experience he said “I’ve learned to be content”! Growing in contentment takes time, experience, maturity, trials and testings.  A person who has not experienced different states of lack and abundance cannot say “in whatever state I am, I can be content”;  there is no experience to speak from. Inexperience can be ignorant, however stubbornness can be worse. It’s also possible to go through experiences and learn nothing from them. The Israelites had many testings and trials in the wilderness, but never learned and only complained and rebelled in every test. The result? Continued misery and eventual disapproval from God. I don’t want to be such a person, and I hope you desire better as well; lets desire to learn the lessons as quickly as possible so that we are able to move on and be useful to the Lord.

If we are always stuck on worrying about money, or desiring to have more, we will never be useful to God, never be content, and always be found lacking spiritually. Let’s heed the words and example of Paul the apostle, and learn to accept the state we are in today, and start living for the Glory of God with the lot we have. We can be guaranteed a shift in the heart so that the trials, testings, and temptations we are dealing with today no longer drag us down but rather become opportunities to grow in Grace and glorify God!

Philippians 4:11-13 NKJV
[11] … I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: [12] I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. [13] I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 NKJV
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. [7] For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. [8] And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. [9] But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. [10] For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Ecclesiastes 3:6 NKJV
A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;

Luke 3:14b NKJV
..be content with your wages.

Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” [6] So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Proverbs 30:8 NKJV
Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches- Feed me with the food allotted to me

Let us pray and ask God for wisdom on how to handle the things of earth in a way that pleases Him during our temporary stay here. May He grant us grace to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, and give us understanding of the situations that He has us in now. Let’s pray together:

“Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.”  -Psalm 119:36-37 NKJV

8. Start HATING money

Matthew 6:24 NKJV
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

According to the flesh that we are born with, we would love nothing more than to have a less radical and less decisive approach toward money. No doubt there is a natural reluctance in all of us toward obeying the words of Jesus in this area, and we would rather obey our flesh which says “well you can serve both Jesus and money right? Cant you love money just a little?”  You will see how “money talks” when you are faced with this heart issue, and are fighting towards living a true spiritual life as directed by Jesus.  Jesus calls you to take a positive stand and HATE money. Anything less than this will mean we have not kept His word and commands to hate money, and therefore by our actions have shown that we actually love money and in turn hate God.  If you are going to love and obey God, and keep the precious and life giving commands of Jesus, you will have to learn to hate money.

I use the word “learn” for a reason, as the Holy Spirit will have to translate what this means for you in your life, and what costly sacrifices you will be called to step into. I have come to realize for myself that “hating money” is something that we cannot say from your first days of following Jesus. You might agree in your mind that you are willing to hate it, a first step required for any young child of God, but those are not steps of a maturity until you have learned through experience and been tested in the unique way that God has planned for you to walk out. For one person, it might be contentment for a time with having very little. For another person, it might be a growing distaste for how money is corrupting the people around you. For another, it is being disheartened that the people around you want your money more than they want spiritual life in Christ Jesus. As we grow up in godliness, we will be given opportunities to hate money more and more, and love God as we do.

One way that we can examine ourselves to see our hatred or love for money, is the amount that we talk and think about it. Are you finding that this is coming up in your conversations with friends and family often? Are you excited to discuss new opportunities for financial growth or savings with your friends, or more excited to tell them about the costly life of obeying Jesus? Make no excuse, what is in your heart will come out of your mouth, this is a law of life that Jesus has given us to judge ourselves (and others) properly and righteously (Luke 6:44-45).

There is a proper time and place to think about it and make wise decisions with worldly wealth, but you should be finding that this is becoming a task that is done begrudgingly the more you grow spiritually. You should see a growing reluctance to manage worldly wealth, and an excitement over prospects of God’s kingdom advancing and growing!

You will also be able to judge yourself based on the things you are concerned and worried about. You are instructed to fear only God, and also instructed not to even consider your own life beyond the basic needs of today (Matt. 6:25, 34). Fearing God means that you will be doing constant spiritual checkups on yourself, to take stock of your past and current states, and to examine to see if you are on a trajectory towards spiritual success in the future. This good and godly concern will cause you to identify areas where you are losing spiritually and address those immediately to preserve what you have, and position yourself for growth! There is nothing wrong with checking your bank account or the profitability of an investment, but what do you find concerning to worrisome most: 1. Loss of money, or 2. Loss of closeness with God.

Revelation 3:2,17-19 NKJV
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. [17] Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’-and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked- [18] I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. [19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

Jesus sees your reliance on money as spiritual suicide. You and your love for money might be the reason you have been distant from the Lord, and He is convicting your conscience each time you check that bank account, worry about the future, stress over past financial failures, or simply are tossed violently by the rising and crashing waves of financial circumstances. These are the worries of life that will starve us to death spiritually and are blatant unfaithfulness to the Lord Jesus. He is looking for your spiritual strength and stability in these circumstances, not the removal of them! We are promised trouble in this life (John 16:33), and I completely believe that it will be in the form of financial stress in some way for every Christian to test what is in our hearts and provide a way of escaping worldliness. Will you let that stress test drive you to worry and cling to money more, or hate the effects of money on you and the world and learn to depend on and love God more?

Luke 8:14 NKJV
Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

Choose today to make a once for all agreement with Jesus to live in a way that learns to love Him and trust Him completely, and a commitment to hating money, wealth, and the worldly effects of it. Next, ask Him for serious and desperately needed help with your heart, mind, words, life, and actions involving money. We are handling something in this world that He has warned us about, and we cannot deliver ourselves of it. Cry out for help, and ask for thorough deliverance, no matter what the cost! What would you give in exchange for your soul; what is the price of freedom for you?

Psalm 84:10 AMPC
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather be a doorkeeper and stand at the threshold in the house of my God than to dwell [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.

Luke 19:8-10 NLT
Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” [9] Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

9. My testimony – A few gleanings

In 2017 I married my beautiful Godly wife Kristin, and almost immediately after God led us to marry — He began preparing us to move. Even months prior to that, I had felt the urge to prepare and starting selling unnecessary possessions as the Lord led me to Luke 12:15 repeatedly. Kristin and I knew that we would be moving, but unsure of when and where. I naturally started looking for a job, and I say naturally, because that is what most people reasonably do when thinking of moving and it seemed to be a logical first step. However, spiritually speaking I knew somehow in my heart that God was calling me to trust Him and make a sacrifice of my career. As I realized that we didn’t know where we were going, it became apparent that I could not find a job until God showed us where. I cried out to Him in desperation, “You have to tell me where we are going and help me to get a job if we are going to do this!”. That very day, January 1st 2018, He quietly and calmly led me three times to the words: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go… And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8 NKJV).

I started seeing the number 2424 soon after, and wondered if God was speaking to me and leading me to a scripture; I found He was leading me to this:

2 Samuel 24:24 NLT
But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.

I determined based on all that He was doing and scriptures He was leading us to that we were going to be quitting our jobs and moving without having something else lined up. This was very hard for me to understand, but we just took one-step-at-a-time; quit our jobs, listed our house for sale, and prayed and trusted for next steps. We moved out of our house on June 1, 2018 and literally never looked back.

It was such a strange time for me, we were leaving the place that I had lived my entire life, our loving families, our careers, our possessions, and we drove away without a tear, without a longing for “home”, and simply stepped ahead in faith knowing that He would guide us and provide something better. I knew He was giving us great grace and strength to do this, it was so much work and somehow we managed to complete it all and not suffer the emotions and sadness that might occur for people leaving their their entire lives behind. This gave me confidence when I saw the grace we were receiving, and once I knew the direction where grace was being provided, there was no question or hesitation that this was the right thing to do. In my heart I knew that my Father in Heaven was pleased with our act of faith, that we would obey Him and go not knowing.

I want to point out a consistent principle that I have seen Him work in our lives, that everything He has called us to do has been filled with unknowns and risks, and has required us to have faith and find grace. Without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:6)! And, if you can see how it’s going to turn out, there is no faith needed (Rom. 8:24).

Hundreds of times during this process I made the comment, “I just can’t see how this is going to turn out”. I prayed for and wanted so badly to have a vision of our future during that year of 2018, but it was sealed up. It wasn’t until January 1st 2019 that He answered that prayer and give me a promise and vision of what we would soon have! I have to admit, once the vision had been given to me, I still could barely believe that was possible! How weak and faithless we can be; He has had to prove Himself and teach me through challenging experiences that I should trust Him and never waver concerning His promises, just as Abraham.

Romans 4:20-22 NKJV
He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, [21] and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. [22] And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

We felt led of God to buy and live in a tiny house (on wheels), which seemed to be a great option for us since we really didn’t know where we would end up. Our house could be built and moved, and we trusted that God would show us where during the process. We used all of our saving and money from the sale of our home and possessions to purchase the tiny house and support ourselves for the coming year. We did not have a source of income for over a year. My Father in heaven led me to the number 633 (Matthew 6:33) hundreds of times. Every time I would even think of money, jobs, or our bank account. 

An interesting conviction that I had, was that since God called me so specifically away from where I lived and away from my job, that I would not pickup those two things unless He would equally confirm taking them back up. I would not go back to work, or even at that point receive money from others while we were being tested, until I was sure He was telling me to do so and when I was confident that I had passed His test. I committed to wait indefinitely! This was very hard, I had no idea how long it would be.

And, what if I was wrong? What if He would never speak to me concerning this, would I wait and wait until we are homeless and starving? The thoughts and fears filled my mind at times and I had to pray desperately for help to not be overcome by the temptations and fears. I was at that time recently married and now had a wife that I was responsible for. I told her about my struggle, my commitment to Him in this, and she agreed to continue waiting until He was the one who redirected us. I made up my mind to trust Him to the end and would do it no matter the cost! I learned an important lesson in that process: The only time you can have faith that truly pleases God is when your circumstances are filled with contradictions to faith! This is active living-by-faith; a God pleasing treasure never to be regretted.

In the end, we were right to have trusted Him and waited. He fulfilled on His general and specific promises to us in time. He provided us a beautiful place to live in our tiny home, exactly as the vision had described it. It all fell into place as a perfectly planned heavenly project that was largely unbeknownst to me! There are so many specifics around this that I am leaving out for the sake of time, however my wife is working diligently to collect these and share them. (Read more about the specifics, here!)

He led me to the number 411 at one point in the spring of 2019. I prayed and asked if there was a bible verse He was leading me to and to my amazement I found this: 

1 Thessalonians 4:11 NLT
Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.

I asked Him to confirm it so I could be sure, and He did. Within a day or two I came across that very scripture somewhere and knew that was the one! I was sure He was giving me the direction to return to working with my hands.

The very first job interview that I had went wonderfully, and I even saw what I thought was a confirmation to move ahead. As I was being offered the job, I looked out of the window of the coffee shop that I was in, and saw the number 1415 (See Ex. 14:15), however I had a hard time believing that this could all happen so quickly! I did wait for an entire year, so now in a moment I could have a job again just like that? I wanted to be so sure that God was doing this, and I couldn’t believe He would make it so easy for me. After some deliberation I turned down the offer and decided to keep looking. This was a mistake; I can see it clearly looking back however I learned an amazing principal of how God could work this for good! I looked for another two months and could not find a job! Finally I took a job that I really wasn’t happy with, however it was the only option I had in months. I worked there for six months and was unhappy every day. Eventually I decided I had to make a change if God would permit, and I prayed earnestly one Saturday morning from our tiny home, asking that if it was in His will to provide me with another job. As I was praying, I heard an alert on my cell phone – it was the recruiter I had talked with around eight months ago asking “Are you still interested in the job, the manager mentioned you by name and said I wish we could have Jared”. I was shocked and amazed and responded almost immediately: “yes I am interested!”. It has been nearly three years from that time, I still have the same job. The evidence is overwhelming that God placed me here.

I have concluded from this experience, that even mistakes that are made in faith and out of a desire to do God’s will can be worked for good for those that love Him. My own carnal hesitation and lack of experience is not a barrier to Him working and His will being done unless He permits. The One Who calls you is faithful (1 Thes. 5:24)! This lesson has given me the confidence to know that He is both able to direct our steps, and redirect them when needed. He directs the steps of the godly man (Ps. 37:23) and also has taken into account our wandering (Ps. 56:6).

May God use some of these testimonies to encourage you to trust Him and take steps of faith in this area. Always be sure that your heart is not holding on to some desired earthly outcome as your primary step to finding His will and plan for you! A clear heart is very pleasing to Him, and enables you to hear His voice.

As it relates to our money and finances, I will not have time to explain how much I lost due to divorce in 2016; cashing in my 401k to support us; how I couldn’t get a loan without a job; how we were surprised by taxes we didn’t expect; car troubles and repairs; buying food from the dollar store. I’ll also not be able to explain how He amazingly extended our finance, provided tax returns that I didn’t expect; how BOTH of the states we moved to did not tax 401 withdrawals and allowed for thousands of additional dollars unexpected; that not having a job places you in the best possible tax bracket to withdraw from a 401k; how people along the way allowed us to stay at their homes for free; and many many other amazing providences to help us! Surely, He can be trusted in this area, and watching your bank account decline and despairing over what you don’t have is as stupid as a bird becoming worried that they may not have the next meal. Have you even seen a worried bird? I have observed that the birds wake up and SING first; yes they sing a song of praise even before they start to look for their meal.

Luke 12:24-26 NLT
Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! [25] Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? [26] And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

I returned back to work after around 14 months, with a different heart, knowing that I was doing this in obedience to Him and not for money. He had become my help and my provider, and work and paychecks were only a temporary means to an end.

Luke 12:15
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

 

My story and example might be one you can relate to as God has chosen to provide for me by working a secular job, by working with my hands, and allowing Him to guide me through that process. In spite of this seemingly “normal way of living” I have had no lack of miraculous experiences in trusting Him in this! For some people, God may provide for them through others giving to them to support their basic needs for a time. It might also be that He has called you into a ministry that completely requires your time and attention for a time while others are blessed to help provide for your needs. I realized clearly after a while that He was testing me and teaching me to trust Him and not a job, another person, or money.

Ultimately He is trying to teach us a lesson though our experiences that we should NEVER trust in uncertain riches, or become proud our own ability to acquire them (1 Tim. 6:17). We need to lose our independence and start gaining some dependence on Him! What will it take to shift you to that lifestyle? Will you humble yourself and obey Him today, making it an easy process for Him to change you, or will you have to be torn away from your idols of money and possessions? How many times will He have to ruin your arrogant plans to send a wake-up call? Or, after so many attempts has He finally just allowed you to go your own way and find everything you wanted? God calls such a person a fool for living a worthless life of self/money dependence.

Luke 12:16-21 NKJV
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. [17] And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ [18] So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”‘ [20] But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ [21] “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Psalm 106:13-15 NLT
Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel! [14] In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland. [15] So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it.

• 10. Conclusion and Blessing

May God help to you see and understand that we have not be promised wealth, riches, or ease in this life but rather trouble (John 16:33), and in the face of questions and needs that your desire would be more than anything Godly Contentment that IS promised to all of us! May He strengthen and help you to trust Him fully, not looking at the wind and waves of bank account statements and bills, but looking to Jesus Who never changes and Who cares for you more than you do yourself. May you find proven and mature faith that rarely even cares for or thinks of money as the solution, but rather immediately prays and asks The Lord for all that your needs, knowing that He is Your Provider! May the word of God, written and specific to you, be your guide through challenging times, and be the Rock and Promise that never fails. May you have a testimony before earth and heaven that you trusted God rather than money and God came through and provided, and has become even more lovely to you through the experiences that you have persevered through, always finding Him on the other side of tough times.

Additional Scriptures:

2 Corinthians 9:9-11 NKJV
As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” [10] Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, [11] while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

1 Timothy 6:18-19 NKJV
Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, [19] storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 NKJV
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. [7] For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. [8] And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. [9] But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. [10] For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Philippians 4:13 NKJV
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Romans 8:35,38-39 NLT
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? [38] And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. [39] No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalms 37:23
The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives.