Stressed Out About Money? – Part 2

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

To overcome financial anxiety, you must: 1) Understand where your anxiety comes from. Unless your name is Bill Gates, the chances are that you’ll experience some degree of financial anxiety. But when fear becomes your fixed state of mind, something’s wrong; it’s time to unwrap the package. Fear can be hereditary, passed from generation to generation. And it can trap you in a cycle that’s hard to break. But you can break it! Gideon tore down the altar where his family had worshipped idols for generations—and they were angry with him when he did it
(Judges 6:25-30). But Gideon knew that in order to win in life, he must trust in nobody but God. 2) Rise above your past failures. Have you made bad investments and now you’re afraid to take a risk? Are you hoarding as a hedge against future failure? Here’s the problem: nothing ventured, nothing gained! In football, the players who score the most goals are often the ones who miss the most chances. But they keep trying because if they don’t aim for the goal they can’t win. A barn filled with seed doesn’t produce a harvest. Furthermore, when the farmer plants his seed, drought and frost and pests can wipe him out. Yet if he doesn’t plant, failure is guaranteed. Getting the idea? 3) Anticipate God’s goodness. As you get older you become more risk-averse, more inclined to look for a safe harbor. That’s understandable, but you can’t let fear control your life. The Psalmist writes, ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life’ (Psalms 23:6). When God’s goodness is what you’re believing for—God’s goodness is what you’ll ‘surely’ get!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to be wise with what you have entrusted to me so that with all I have I seek to further Your Kingdom and be a blessing to others! In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen