EXAMINING YOUR BELIEFS ABOUT MONEY — PART 1
Have you examined your belief system lately? When it comes to finances, our beliefs determine how much money we will earn, spend, save, and share. That’s why it’s critical that we examine our core beliefs to see which ones work against us and which empower us—but most important, which ones align with the Scriptures and which do not.
Let’s look at some common negative beliefs people hold in the area of finances.
Negative Belief 1: “Wealthy people are materialistic and ungodly.”
Not all of them! God’s reason for granting wealth is revealed in Deuteronomy 8:18: “You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant” (NKJV, emphasis added). God’s reason for giving wealth: to establish His will on earth.
Replacement Belief: My wealth will enable me to do more and give more to improve the quality of other people’s lives.
Negative Belief #2: “If I have abundance, my family and friends might envy me.”
How people respond to your abundance will largely be determined by how you handle it. If you brag about it, flaunt it, or demonstrate a superior attitude, they will surely be turned off. By the way, why are you anticipating being envied? Could it be that you are projecting your fear onto others because that’s how you would respond to a friend’s wealth? (Ouch!)
Replacement Belief: God will enable me to handle abundance in a way that inspires others to embrace me and to follow my example.
Negative Belief #3: “I’m afraid money will change who I am.”
Greed, dishonesty, pride, and other financial vices don’t appear out of thin air. God hates pride, and we need to learn to quickly identify and reject it, because it is one of the fastest routes to destruction.
Replacement Belief: The grace of God empowers me to consistently exercise godly behavior as I manage the resources He entrusts to me.
By identifying limiting core beliefs and replacing them with empowering, God-centered beliefs, we will become more willing to explore unchartered territories and experience a new level of God’s blessings for our finances.
