The Legacy JourneyChikamu

Now: Providing for Your Family

I’ve noticed that people go through a natural process when it comes to handling money. They start out basically broke—behind on their bills and just trying to put food on the table. Sharon and I have been there. It’s been a while, but I can still remember it. Maybe that’s where you are.

In the biblical framework of The Legacy Journey, that stage is known as Now. It’s the stage when your head is down and all you can think about is now, now and now. You’re overwhelmed with what’s happening in the moment. It’s all right in front of your face, and you can’t really dream about the future because you’re trying to survive the present.

Well, here’s some good news. If that’s where you are, you absolutely need to be focused on the Now. You need to be intense about your current situation. In fact, tackling the Now is the first step of your legacy journey because this is where you take control of your money and start cleaning up financial messes. You make sure your Four Walls—food, shelter and utilities, clothing and transportation—are in place and that your family is secure.

In 1 Timothy 5:8, Paul said that believers have a responsibility to provide for their families. He said that those who don’t are “worse than an unbeliever.” The Now pushes you to take care of your household first, so it’s a good place. You don’t want to stay there, but you almost always start there.

If you’re in the Now, get your nose down into those bills and get that budget going. Secure your family so you can move forward into the next stages of the process: Then, Us and Them. We’ll talk about these stages over the next few days.

If you’re struggling to find stability and financial independence, now is the time to get your money in order. Financial Peace University is a biblically based class that teaches people how to handle money God’s ways. Learn how to get rid of debt, manage your money and spend and save wisely.