Dwight Fletcher | Money and the heart

IN MONEY matters, our heart is critical and important. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 (NIV). Persons who have tried repeatedly but failed in doing a proper financial plan and failed to reduce their debt and build up their savings, know that it takes more than just the desire to get it done. It’s a matter of the heart.

Our hearts and our money and possessions are tied together more closely that we realise. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 (NIV). We need to know what the priorities in our hearts are.

We live in a very materialistic world and are bombarded with materialistic thoughts from television, social media and all around us. We’re all susceptible to materialism attacks, like needing specific things to be happy or to help us make it in life.

We can easily be drawn into this cycle, and when we make it the most important thing in our lives, we end up chasing it. We buy more than we should and find ourselves in debt in ways we don’t want to be. We then throw our plan out the window and become discouraged again.

To make a healthy financial plan work, we need to take the time to let God check our hearts and anchor our security on someone who doesn’t change whether life is easy or hard. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” (The love of money occurs when we make money our goal). We can keep our hearts free from the love of money and be content because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”.

Our ultimate security shouldn’t be in money or possessions; our security should be placed in the One who made everything. Don’t depend on the supply rather than the supplier. God is our supplier, and He should be our goal. He will give us the strength to implement all that we need to emerge from financial bondage.

The Bible says financial pressure can be a symptom of deeper issues. Out of control finances are often a symptom that our heart is in the wrong place.

Part of getting our finances under control is to put it in the hands of God and ask Him to help us. We must have the courage to face the reality of our financial situation. If there is unproductive debt, then there needs to be a focused plan to deal with it. Unproductive debt is one that does not carry a return on investment, such as credit cards. Productive debt gives a return, such as a mortgage. Ensure that no new unproductive debts are added while trying to get rid of the ones that already exist.

The next step is to be wise and plan our spending. We live in a world in which spending has become an end in itself. We need to think before we spend, because impulsive spending can cause our financial downfall. We must prioritise our responsibilities and needs and set smart financial goals. Saving needs to be part of every good financial plan because life changes and savings will provide a buffer when it does.

Finally, “Honour the Lord by giving Him the first part of all your income, and He will fill your barns...” Proverbs 3:9 10 (TLB). This is a 10 per cent tithe. Start breaking the cycle of financial bondage in your life today. Begin by putting God first in your finances, planning and making wise decisions.