Financial Foundations

Welcome back, we’re up to article three and it’s time to back the truck up and get some perspective on where all this is going. Yes I am going to share on tithing, on offerings, on receiving God’s abundant release and all those things, eventually. And yes I am an ardent believer in all of the above (in spite of my provocative article titles).

But if you’re going to build a building, the first thing you build is the foundations. Foundations are the part that is hidden underground and pretty much never seen, but without them the building will not last. In fact the bigger/higher the building, the deeper the foundations need to be. Tithing, offerings, etc are all the building. They are the parts we see, touch and feel. If I build the building of tithes and offerings etc without laying the foundations first, I’m doing you a major and potentially catastrophic disservice.

The deep unseen and sometimes unconscious issues around money, finance and God are the truly important ones that are rarely if ever discussed by Christians, and depending on your church they may not emanate from the pulpit that regularly either. Over and over we wonder why we’re not getting the results we expect in life (even though we are tithing and giving offerings) and the issue is we’re looking at the building but not checking our foundations – another reason tithing won’t help your finances!

In my first two articles I drew attention to the issue of source (who is our provider) and opened a window on who mammon is, his influence on us and his intentions towards us (not good if you’re wondering). I want to continue the focus for the next few articles on these and other foundational issues. These are the real issues where the rubber hits the road. These are the reasons why we look to our financial resources (i.e. our wallet) rather than to God when an offering opportunity comes around.

My objective is to expose these heart issues (faulty foundations) and give you the tools to rebuild them. The rest will be simple because we’ll be coming at it from a sound foundation rather than clouding it with our own misconceptions around money.

I’ve no idea how we get our beliefs around money. I’m guessing they arrive via osmosis from our parents, friends, teachers, workmates etc. If you grew up where “We can’t afford that” was a common phrase heard at home, you likely will find yourself using that phrase. Maybe it was “I’d rather be poor and happy than rich and miserable.” In my view, most of the West is both poor and miserable and personally I’d rather be both rich and happy (it doesn’t have to be either/or). My point is we all have beliefs around money that we hold to as true and yet none of us can point to the Money 101 course where we learned these so called truths!

Issues around money are incredibly important to God. I’ve already talked about serving God or mammon (the god behind money). Did you know that in the New Testament there are 215 verses on faith, 218 on salvation but 2,084 about stewardship of and accountability for money and finance! There’s a clue. So how come with 10 times as many verses on money we don’t hear anywhere near 10 times as many sermons on it? If you’re thinking mammon and fear have something to do with it, you understood Article 2.

So using the Bible as our textbook, we’ll endeavour to start shifting our beliefs around money from whatever it is we currently believe (either consciously or unconsciously), to hopefully a position more in alignment with God’s Word.

Till next time.

May God richly bless you as you meditate on these things.This article is provided for educational and edificational purposes only. It does not constitute and is not a substitute for professional advice. If you require financial advice or assistance please contact a suitable professional adviser.