21 Days to Building a Faith Filled Family - Audio DevotionalSample

Cultivating Spiritual Freedom in Finances

Hello friend, welcome back. Today is day 19. We’re almost to the end, but we still have some really important topics to cover. Today, we will be discussing the topic of stewardship and financial management in your family.

Let’s pray before we begin.

God, we thank you for the resources you have given us, and we pray that you help us to be good stewards of them. We want to honor you and glorify your name in how we view our finances. Guide us in managing our resources in a way that honors you and blesses our families. Amen.

I encourage you to give the next 15 minutes entirely to Jesus. Find a comfortable place and remove any distractions. If you’re listening to the audio, you can let the sound of my voice guide you.

Jesus frequently addressed the topic of money and finances in his teachings and parables. It wasn't because money consumed his thoughts, but rather because he understood its profound connection to, and often entanglement with, our hearts. Money can serve as a direct pathway to our innermost desires and beliefs.

How do you feel about money? Is there never enough? Is there too much? Is it a stressful topic in your family? Is it one of those things that keeps you up at night?

What is your relationship with money?

[PAUSE FOR REFLECTION]

In many cases, finances can evoke a profound sense of fear. This fear can influence both our present and future decisions, and it’s easy to use our bank account balance as a measure of success or failure. Consequently, our hearts become ensnared by the potential outcomes of our financial decisions.

Jesus’ teachings emphasize that financial decisions are a reflection of our priorities and fears.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:21

For many, these priorities center around safety, security, self-preservation, and the aversion of potential financial struggles. Managing fear through finances becomes the priority.

As we surrender our fears to Christ, we come to realize that He is the ultimate source of provision. Understanding that our Heavenly Father owns all things can give us the courage to release our anxieties and embrace His calling for our lives.

We can shift our focus from worldly security to Him, and can find freedom from financial fear.

Many have walked a similar emotional journey lived out through finances. I pray that you, friend, recognize the importance of aligning financial decisions with God's plan and recognize the role of money as a tool to support family identity and fulfill God's purpose.

It's about stewarding our resources in a way that reflects faith and values, to glorify God, not win the game on the scoreboard.

Has money entangled your heart? Do you use it as a scorecard to judge yourself, or others?

[PAUSE FOR REFLECTION]

Money can be a sensitive topic in families, especially if finances are tight. Money can be used for manipulation or as a weapon, and I pray that has never happened in your family. But finances can be used for great purposes as well.

The Lord calls us in His Word to be great stewards of what He has placed us in charge of. Stewardship is not ownership. As Christians, we are called to live in the perspective that our finances belong to the Lord, and we are managers of that situation.

Your financial situation to manage will not be the same as others, guaranteed. Your life is full of different circumstances and choices. Some people will have more to manage, and some will have less. Our calling is to be fully responsible for the situations God has provided for us.

In Luke 16:10, Jesus tells us through a parable,

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

In that same passage Jesus tells the listeners that you cannot serve two masters. He positions serving money directly in conflict with serving God. I encourage you to serve Christ as your master, and let finances be the tool of service, therefore you can be trusted with true riches.

Money is an essential aspect of our daily lives and can have a significant impact on our families, so, of course, we have to approach the topic of finances and stewardship as a family. As always, I encourage you to begin with prayer.

Seek the Lord for His wisdom on how to approach your personal finances. If finances are tight, pray for God’s blessing and provision. If provision is adequate, pray for God’s wisdom on how to steward what you have. If you have an abundance, seek God on what He would want you to do with it. No matter what, you need a plan for your income and finances.

You might have the gift of stretching a little money a long way. You might have the gift of earning money. You might have the gift of managing a budget, or identifying inefficiencies in spending plans. These are all great gifts and blessings.

However you can contribute your gifts to benefit the family, do it.

Financial management and stewardship are typically learned through behaviors and relationships, primarily beginning in the home. So, however you lead, and whatever your situation, let your light, and stewardship, shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

I will leave you to pray for each of your family members. That they would have a heart to serve the right master, and a selfless heart to prioritize the family above themselves. Pray for your parents, grandparents, brothers, and sisters, that everybody would desire for your family to share an identity of stewardship and generosity.

I’ll leave you to do that now.

I’ll talk with you tomorrow.