Money Becoming a ”god”

Did you know that financial matters are mentioned more often in the Bible than prayer, healing, and mercy? It would seem that God has a lot to say when it comes to this topic. Too often finances are treated as a taboo subject – avoided from the pulpit and side-stepped in Christian conversations. However, if we identify as followers of His word, then we must learn what His word says about finances. And not only be hearers of the word, but doers! (James 1:22)

My wife and I struggled with finances for years early on in our marriage. We made good money, but somehow we never had enough. I can remember being so stressed every time we got paid because I would sit down to pay our bills and realize we only had a little left to last us for the next two weeks. “How is this possible?” I would ask myself. “We make good money and we have steady jobs!” It didn’t make sense, but yet every month would be the same constant struggle. God began to speak to me about my priorities. Money had become a “god” in my life.

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24).

What Does God Ask of Us?

I began studying the Bible to find out what God really asks us to do when it comes to finances. Many other Christians had talked to me about the concept of tithing, but I never saw the importance of it. That was until I came across this verse in Malachi which says:

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (Malachi 3:10).

This is indeed the only place in the entire bible where God invites man to test Him legitimately. I remember reading this and wondering, “What do I have to lose?” We had already piled up a very large amount of debt, and trying things my way wasn’t working. So my wife and I made a commitment right then and there that we were going to honor God with our giving, no matter what! If I am being honest, it wasn’t always easy at first. We had weeks where we were operating in 100% blind faith, not knowing if we were going to be able to keep up with our bills; but God came through every time. Whether it was a random check in the mail or just giving us the ability to control our spending, we never had a week where we couldn’t make ends meet.

As the months went on, God blessed us in our jobs through promotions and new opportunities. Most importantly though, the feeling of anxiety and fear began to dissipate. The promise we find in Isaiah became a reality in our lives:

He strengthens those who are weak and tired.

Even those who are young grow weak;

young people can fall exhausted.

But those who trust in the Lord for help

will find their strength renewed.

They will rise on wings like eagles;

they will run and not get weary;

they will walk and not grow weak (Isaiah 40:29-31).

Finding Freedom

God began to provide revelation to us regarding our debt. We had allowed money to become our master, and in return, we were its slaves.

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7).

This had become so true in our lives. We decided we were going to devise a plan and get out of the mess we were in. Fast forward a few years later and I am glad to say that we started this year completely debt free, with the exception of our mortgage. Not once have we faltered or lessened our giving. In fact, now we have more opportunities to give and enjoy finding creative ways to bless others whenever we can.

So, if you’re reading this and find yourself in a similar situation to what we were in, I hope this testimony gives you hope and inspires you. Remember, no problem is too big for God and there is no circumstance that He can’t reach down into and pull you out of.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Author: Joe Papino a member of Legacy Church

Need prayer? Click here to send in a prayer request

Would like to learn more about Legacy Church? Click Here

Featured