Need A Financial Upgrade? 5 Practical Strategies that Will Change Your Life

So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? (Luke 16:11 NIV)

If someone walked into the room you’re sitting in right now and handed you a check for your personal use for 1 million dollars, would you know what to do with it?

Let’s call it the million-dollar question. Maybe that’s a lot of money to you, or maybe you live in a major city where it would buy you a one bedroom apartment that’s really just a converted studio. Either way, I think this question reveals a lot about our desires.

You have a relationship with money. It may be dysfunctional, ambivalent, or healthy and biblical. The fact remains, we all need it, and we all need to make our peace with that fact. You may not think of anything to do with money as a spiritual discipline, but here’s where you’d be wrong. Jesus talks about money more than faith and prayer combined in the gospels. This gives me the sneaking suspicion that God really cares about what we do with it and how we steward it.

My personal relationship with money has been dysfunctional up until just a few years ago, and we’re still working out the kinks. We still argue now and again, but for the most part we have made our peace. I endeavor to one day say what Paul the apostle states in Philippians 4:11-13 (ESV):

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

For the most part, that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” is used as a catch-all for being able to do impossible things for Jesus. What Paul is actually aiming at here is letting the Philippian church know that he’s thankful for the financial gift that they sent, but if they don’t provide, God will and the job will get done because Jesus is the one who is really in control, and Paul is content with that.

There are two ends of the spectrum when it comes to money that I will use as extremes to make a point. Try your best to avoid placing yourself outside these categories of idolatry even though I am using hyperbole to force my argument. We all live in this space somewhere and need to land where God wants us to when it comes to money— living as good stewards of a temporal tool that is used to expand the eternal Kingdom.

Here are the categories we all fall into at some point more or less, and both can leave us stranded on the rocks, shipwrecked and grasping for something that simply floats.

1. The unsatisfied and rich worshiper of mammon

2. The unsatisfied and poor worshiper of mammon

When I speak here about dissatisfaction, I’m not talking about a holy and righteous fervor that drives us closer to the King and out of our placid and boring routine Christianity. That is a good dissatisfaction and it should be steeped in like a good pot of cowboy coffee in the wild. Let it be as thick and as potent as possible, and drink it to the dregs.

The dissatisfaction I’m speaking about is the kind that is thankful for very little, frustrated at their current financial position in life, envious of others’ success and happiness, and constantly accumulating “stuff” to fill some kind of gaping hole in their heart.

Both types are frustrated, and both types serve the same god of money whether they are aware of it or not.

Take a moment and truly look at your life when it comes to money and your relationship with it. Is there any part of you that is envious of others’ gain? Any portion of you that hates the rich simply for the fact that they have more than you? Is there part of you that can’t let go of your possessions, whether it be wealth or even control of relationships? Is there any part of you that needs to accumulate the things of this earth without a thought toward eternal reward?

Simply put, whether it is a lot or a little, is money keeping you from full communion with Jesus? This is not a judgment on the rich or the poor. It is a judgment of the heart. Where are your true riches? You may never be rich and, God bless you, you may never be broke, but where is your heart?

There is a simple answer to break free from this cycle and from this false god. If you serve God with your life and habits, everything in you will tell you that this is not the way. That what I am about to say is Old Testament or religious or pharisaical. That, in short, you are entitled to your feelings and your patterns of behavior. But if you really want to be free, this is where you will start. Tithe.

There is a lot of talk in this generation about whether or not this is a New Testament concept. It is clearly a biblical principle that fits the entire narrative of scripture, and those who deny it are usually stingy and not trying with all their might to find a way to be New Testament generous (sell everything and lay it at the apostles’ feet). But here, let’s just view it simply as a spiritual discipline.

When you learn to give your money, specifically, to your local church, you take yourself out of the position of victim and beggar and into the position of provider and giver. You are acknowledging the fact that it is God who provides and cares for your needs.

The issue with money is a simple one, but for many a difficult wrestle. Not everyone will be rich, but everyone can be rich toward God. Wealth in the Kingdom is not necessarily seen as “How much do you have?” but more “What did you do with what you were given?”

Neither poverty nor great accumulation of wealth are inherently holy. What matters is how you honor God with your wealth in the end. Truly, in the end. You will not be judged based on what someone else had or be compared to another. You will be judged based on what you did with what you were given. This is the focal point of stewardship in the Bible. Everything that you have has been given to you. Gifts, talents, ability, upbringing, all of it. So now, what will you do with that in order to stay on the path?

The choice is yours.

The Path to Monetary Discipline

As almost everyone knows, money needs a plan before it arrives in your bank account so that you are managing your money and it’s not managing you.

Whether you have a lot or a little, here is what I suggest. Sit down with your spouse, if you have one, and write these down.

1. Pray and Begin Tithing

Money can be a sticky issue for many people. It’s best to invite God and His word into your financial planning. What He says goes. Everyone has different gifts, values, and goals; these first need to align with what God wants you to do with your money.

You should immediately begin giving to your local church; this is the first step in biblical generosity. If you don’t want to tithe, that’s fine; go with the New Testament standard—sell everything, and lay it at the feet of your spiritual leaders with no strings attached.

2. Write Down Your Values

What are your actual values when it comes to money? Investment for the future? Memorable experiences? Over the top generosity? Frugality? Luxury?

Write a few down and then find common ground if you’re “negotiating” with a spouse.

3. Set Financial Goals

This may seem obvious, but most people don’t have them. The way my wife and I do this is that we choose an amount at the beginning of each year that we would like to give away. The fact that you are tithing to your local church should go without saying. How much over and above that do you want to give? Generosity is the main thrust of our financial goal setting. We find our needs are well taken care of since this mindset shift.

4. Write Down a Budget

This is another obvious one, but very rarely seen practice. Use whatever system you need to. If your income fluctuates, use a percentage system in order of biblical values. Our basic order is: give, invest, take care of needs, vacation saving, holiday saving, wants or extra toward goals. This is simple, and life throws curve balls, but at least you can be ready for them when they come.

5. Be Grateful

Cultivate a sense of gratitude for every single solitary thing that happens to you. This is often learned in difficulty, but it doesn’t have to be. Start a list of things you are grateful for. You can start with intangibles, but when it comes to actual provision from God, celebrate it like crazy. You may seem crazy to your friends, but if you’re going to be rich, be joyful, and if you end up broke, be joyful.