I was young, and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. [Psalm 37:25, NIV]
Many face financial struggles ranging from job or income loss, economic recessions to failed investments, and several consequences come with these. Some are left to deal with anxiety, fearfulness of an uncertain future, and so on. It might even seem like there is no escape, which leaves you feeling even more helpless.
Some people think that tough times will not come to them because they are Christians. Realize that being a Christian doesn’t make anyone immune to trials, including financial crises. Even the bible tells us that as long as we are in this world, we will have such trials and temptations as is common to all men, but fortunately for the Christian folk, we have Jesus to lean on in faith during such times. Read on to see how you can stay in faith during financial crises.
What does God say about our finances?
Know that your finance has a role in God’s purposes for humanity. You are not to go all the way to do evil to get money as the unbeliever in the world would. The three primary purposes of human work as seen in the bible are;
- To reveal God’s glory
- To engage in stewardship,
- To be generous to others.
It matters a lot how you view the subject of money, and the bible teaches that God is the owner, and you are a steward: to manage your God-given resources according to His plan. You are to honor God with everything you have since all you have belongs to him anyways. God doesn’t want you to be enslaved to money or to esteem it more highly than what you have in through Christ Jesus. He wants you to understand that money is not the determinant of your worth in Christ and that it is just an ally and an auxiliary to your purpose here on earth, and he also wants you to be a master over it.
Does God really allow financial hardship?
The answer is no. God doesn’t bring financial hardships upon anyone. Believers go through hardships because they are still in a falling world filled with wickedness, greed, selfishness, oppression, extortions, etc.
How can faith help in times of crisis?
Faith is very important during crises, as it helps the believer see abundance ahead. A case study on how faith is important during hard times can be seen in the life of Isaac. During a period of recession and economic meltdown, it was only natural to run to a city with a stable economy (Egypt). Instead, Isaac had faith in the word of the Lord and stayed behind to continue his business. That same year his faith breeds forth abundance in his business (Genesis 26:12). During financial crises, faith helps you see that God is behind the background working out things for your God.
Staying in faith during a financial crisis.
As a believer in Christ, it is important that you have overcome any financial crises you are facing right now (John 16:33). However, you need to exercise your faith to lay claim of the victory that has been given to you in Christ Jesus. Here are some ways to exercise your faith during financial crises;
Meditate on God’s love for you:
First and foremost, consciously remind yourself of God’s promise never to leave you and that he has put his spirit within you so that his presence will stay ever-abiding with you. Yes! God loves you, and he is very interested in all that concerns you. One of the ways you do this is by studying the word of God, meditating on it, and daily confessions it.
Take all your care to God:
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.[1 Peter 5:7]. It is very important that you cast all your worries and fear on God. Recognize your dependence on God and bring the entirety of your consciousness to see that you cannot help yourself. It is very common to want to solve all his problems by himself, but, as a believer, you need to learn to lean on the father.
Trust in God:
It is important you settle it within you that God is faithful and committed to you. God’s integrity is not what you should question because he is consistent a0in character. What you should get on the right track is your mindset. You should ask yourself, ‘Who or what do I trust? Trusting in God means depending on God even in times of lack. You can learn to trust God in your finances in the following ways:
- Make conscious efforts to stick your life via words, thoughts, and actions to God and his words.
- Exercise trust in God by submitting in humility to each of His directives and His guidance (Matthew 6:34).
- Refuse to panic, and do not be governed by fear of the future.
- Be content and generous to others with what you have. It’s a way you exercise your trust in God because you know he will consistently provide for you.
- Again, pray and meditate on his word. It’s also a way you acknowledge his supremacy and show total reliance and trust in him.
Speak what you want to see:
The best way to enter your future is to create it with your mouth. Unfortunately, most believers who are facing hard times tend to keep their mouths shut or speak a lot of negativity on how the economy is so bad and business is not working as usual. But as a child of God, you need to keep declaring what God’s word says about your finance. The bible says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: they that love it, shall eat the fruits thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21).
Take action:
You need to put the grace and blessing that God has bestowed on you into action. It is not enough to study the word or pray every night. If you do all of that without taking action, you will never see the manifestation that God has promised you. Apostle Paul was well known to be a man of action. But by the grace of God, I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all (1 Corinthians 15:10). Taking action may mean starting up the business God has laid in your heart, or it may mean cutting down your cost of living, etc. Whatever may be the instruction that you received in the place of prayer, it is time to take action.
Whether or not you are in a financial crisis, give your totality wholly to the practice and lifestyle of your faith. The believer is always instructed to walk in faith and live by faith. Times may be hard, but your faith in the ability of God to provide for all your needs must be harder. Therefore, you need to keep speaking forth abundance and calling forth things as though they were.
