Financial Growth & Habits

As someone who chooses to live out their Christian faith, it feels good to connect with companies that share in those personal values. It provides instant common ground, shared interests, and a baseline for expected values.

Let’s be real, though.

Sometimes that claim is nothing more than a marketing ploy at best… and an outright trap at worst.

Other times, though, it can totally transform your experience.

Thankfully, God gives us the gift of discernment to recognize a scam. We always encourage prayer and discernment accompany any important decisions.

Here are 4 instances where seeking a Christian company could make sense.

Christian Daycare

Where you send your young children to school is a huge decision. These are the folks who will give your child their first regular social interactions. It is great to know that not only do the teachers/caretakers share your beliefs and values, but the other children are probably being raised in a similar manner to yours.

Christian Counseling Services

Life get’s tough, and sometimes it is helpful to seek professional counseling to help us navigate those difficulties. For Christians, it can be incredibly helpful if the person who is helping you try to find the needed direction in your life is also seeking His guidance. Having biblical references accompany clinical suggestions can make the appointments doubly effective.

Christian Real Estate Agent

Buying a home is a huge deal, and while this one may not hold quite as much weight as some others, it can be helpful to work with a Christian Real Estate Agent. For most people, their home will be the biggest purchase they make in their lifetime. It gives a great deal of peace of mind to know that you are working with someone who lives their life in accordance with Christian principles.

Christian Debt Relief Company

If you are struggling with your finances, a Christian Debt Relief company can help you to put you on track to reach your financial goals. Many debt relief programs are long-term, lasting 3-5 years. Since you will be working so closely with the company and their support team, it is very helpful for them to share your values and principles.

Plus, handling your finances according to Biblical principals– such as including a tithe in your budget– is not always in line with suggestions made by traditional secular companies. When working with a Christian company, you know that your counselor understands and appreciates the deeper elements of your experience.

If you need a plan to deal with debt, FaithWorks Financial is a team of Christian financial counselors here to guide you on your way. Schedule a call and speak with one of our Advisors for a free consultation.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
1 Timothy 6:6-10

There are many reasons individuals find themselves in the midst of financial difficulties. Some of these reasons are unavoidable such as medical expenses from an illness or a job loss. However, oftentimes financial difficulties are the result of some poor choices made along the way.

At the root of these poor choices, discontentment is often found. After all, the desire to have a nicer car, bigger house, more advanced degree, nicer or longer vacations, better clothes or to live in a nicer area very often stem from discontentment with a current life station. Discontentment can very easily lead to the accumulation of excess debt, and eventually financial hardship.

Several years ago, a study stated that Americans who made $25,000 yearly felt they needed at least $54,000 to attain their American dream while individuals who made $100,000 felt it would take at least $192,000. The interesting point about these numbers is that each group of individuals felt it would take almost twice as much money as they were currently receiving in order for them to reach their financial goals. In other words, no matter how much money a person made, they felt they needed more to be content. While this story is a few years old, the message is still valid today.

Here are a few actionable suggestions on how to become financially content:

Lower your expectations

Unrealistic expectations set yourself up for disappointment and failure. Be reasonable with your goals and work hard to achieve them.

Image credit cnn.com

Help Others

Few things are more meaningful than helping someone in a time of need. Whether it be something as simple as lending an ear or something much more, getting outside of ourselves and our circumstances will almost always lead to renewed gratitude. This is one we can learn from the Pope.

Trust God

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”- Philippians 4:11-13

This verse shows what God desires we understand about contentment. He teaches in His word that we should strive to be content with our situation in life. Does this mean we cannot strive to better our circumstances and work to move up in the world, or should never own anything nice? No, this simply means that God wants us to only acquire what we can afford and to be pleased with what gifts we have been given.

If you are finding that you are overwhelmed with obligations from your past discontentment, you may want to seek help through the FaithWorks Financial Christian debt management programs. Once you have gotten out of debt, you can then strive toward living a financially content life.

In our years walking alongside individuals and families through challenging financial seasons, we’ve noticed something encouraging: freedom from debt isn’t random. It’s often marked by a handful of shared habits, mindsets, and values.

The people who live debt-free tend to approach money—and life—with a distinct posture.

Some arrive there after years of struggle and hard-won lessons; others are still on the journey, carrying the weight of debt and searching for a faithful way forward.

Wherever you find yourself today, one truth remains: as your financial circumstances change, so does your sense of peace, perspective, and even your personality. Consider these common traits of debt-free people. May you meet the wisdom you’ve been awaiting to bring deeper alignment toward your own financial journey.

Practical:

They tend to understand the meaning of value in every item they purchase. For the individual living on an average American income, practical purchasing decisions are a must-have trait for anyone who wants to live a debt-free life.

Self-reliant:

Being debt-free means you do not have to rely on credit cards from month to month. A cash-only system means that you are self-reliant, and more importantly, God-reliant in your spending habits.

Patient:

Debt-free people deny instant gratification to remain out of debt. The temptation to impulse-shop may arise from time to time, but out-of-control spending does not exist for those who become and stay debt-free.

Self-confident:

It is easy to get down on yourself when you are struggling financially. Once you are utilizing Christian debt management principles, you will regain your self-confidence by taking care of your debt.

Responsible:

Catastrophes are unpredictable, but in most cases, debt-free people set enough money aside in their emergency fund that they can survive difficult days.

Charitable:

Since there is no longer a huge credit card bill each month, debt-free people often experience an increased ability to share with others, lifting everyone’s spirits and helping others in their time of need.

Not materialistic:

Luke 12:15 states, “…‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’” Those who are free of debt acknowledge this and usually live within their means, as God intended for His children.

If you read this list and found yourself wanting to be on the other side of the fence, contact a Christian debt relief counselor at Faithworks Financial today so you can start developing these traits in your own life.

It may seem unusual to bring the term “abundance” into a conversation about Christian budgeting and implementing responsible Christian financial planning, especially if you are struggling to make ends meet.

As Christians, we sometimes fail to understand the true meaning of living under abundance. Our culture tends to equate that term with the dictionary version that describes abundance as “an excessive amount of something”. Abundance is better viewed as a sufficient amount for immediate needs, plus a surplus. The amount of food in a well-stocked cupboard, for example, may likely be an abundance as it meets our needs and will not be depleted by our immediate needs. We would not be likely to consider that excessive, though.

An Old Adage Lends Itself to Christian Financial Planning

The old “a penny saved is a penny earned” mindset can be much too easy to forget!

When we find ourselves in a situation where we have unexpected money (we’ve yet to meet such a thing as “extra money”), the perspective from which the blessing is viewed has a tremendous impact on how it is managed. To view the funds as being extra or excess makes it much easier to simply spend on a luxury item. We’ve all probably said it at one time or another- “I only spent $100 at the grocery store instead of $140, let’s eat out tomorrow night!”. Viewing that instead as abundance may allow us to put that money to better use.

A Bible Perspective on Finances

In the book of Matthew, we read the account where Jesus feeds five thousand men with five loaves and two fish, and are amazed at the multiplication factor. This story has a surprise relation to Christian financial planning.

And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:19-21(NIV)

The twelve baskets of broken pieces remaining after everyone had eaten are not random happenstance.

Perhaps the remnants were a blessing for the twelve disciples based on their work feeding the crowd. This signifies that Christ not only provides for immediate needs, but He is an immense provider on a continual basis.

Too often, we think of the money that is left after we pay the bills as “extra”, whereas that abundant portion should be used wisely for immediate needs, and future needs that will follow. To put this into practice, when we find that we are under-budget and have unbudgeted monies available, those funds should be put to good use. Whether it be tithed, added to your Christian Debt Relief Program, or fund some other good measure, the important thing is that it be put to good use.

The disciples realized that the people needed to eat. They also knew they could not meet those immediate needs, and they turned to Jesus for relief, asking Him to send them a way to feed themselves. Instead, Jesus provided a way for the people to eat and the disciples to receive a blessing from the abundance. We learn that with Christ, there is abundance, not excess.

If you find that you have an abundance of funds remaining in your Christian budget, consider that to be God’s money. Help build His Kingdom and keep Christian financial planning at the center of your financial strategy.

If your financial challenges seem as impossible as feeding five thousand with a handful of fishes and loaves of bread, allow a Christian debt relief counselor to help you explore a Christian debt relief program with you today.