Financial Anxiety
When you think of money or finances, is your stomach in knots? Is the upcoming holiday season starting to stress you out? What about the current financial crisis? Are you living paycheck to paycheck? Are you constantly fretting layoffs or “restructuring”?
Finances can be a very anxious experience for many, even those who are well off. Managing money can be very stressful. Many couples that divorce in the US do so because of problems with money. It’s an incredibly serious issue in people’s lives.
Can you find peace in stressful financial situations? Can finances really become a place of peace and rest, or must they always be feared and anxiety-provoking?
When it comes to our financial economy, our country is in serious trouble. Consumer debt is at an all time high. Credit companies have made it so easy to “buy now and pay later”. For one small monthly fee, you can have whatever you want. How many of those “small monthly fees” do you have?
This credit-driven lifestyle has made it too easy to spend more than we make. I recently read a statistic on consumer spending in America. Through most of the 1900’s, people spent on average about 30% less than what they made. That means people were saving money. Today, the average American spends more than they earn. That means nothing is being saved. Nothing is put away for unforeseen circumstances.
I can see why financial anxiety is rampant these days. The loss of a job, an emergency house repair, the car breaks down, again–all can be terribly stressful when it comes finances.
So, is there hope? Can you be free from financial anxiety? I shout a hearty YES. You can be free. But, it may take time and serious discipline. It probably took you years to get where you are now. For many, it’ll take years to dig yourself out of the financial pit. But, here’s the beautiful thing–God is faithful and he cares for you, even your finances.
Today, my wife and I live in financial freedom. And it’s not because we have lots of money. On the contrary, we live very modestly. As a freelance producer, our finances ebb and flow depending on projects. Our financial freedom is a result of solid money management skills and the discipline to live by those skills.
We live on a budget, we no longer use credit cards, we only buy used cars, and at the end of each month, we have money left over. Amazingly, we don’t feel at all constricted by this lifestyle. Quite the opposite. This lifestyle has given us incredible freedom.
“But you don’t know where we are. We’ve maxed out our credit cards? My husband lost his job. These medical bills keep getting higher and higher. We can barely get by.”
Here’s the most important message I learned about finances: it’s not a matter of how much or how little you make; it’s a matter of your heart. Financial freedom starts in your heart. Listen to what Jesus said, “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be” (Matthew 6:21).
Where is your treasure? A new car, a big house, a pair of jeans, your 401K? Or, is your treasure in your family, your peace, or God? You see, where you put your money is where your heart is. Your money always follows your heart. So, make sure your heart is right when it comes to finances.
When my wife and I first got married, we were in debt. I was into new cars, new stereo equipment, new things. So when I prayed for financial freedom, I expected God to deposit a big sum of money into my account. What he did, though, was deposit incredible financial wisdom into my heart. You see, financial freedom starts in your heart.
If you’re struggling with finances, I want to encourage you that you can be free from financial anxiety. God desires to help you, first with your heart and then with your finances. I have seen God move in amazing ways when it comes to finances, both in my life and in the lives of those we have counseled. There are great resources to help you in this journey towards financial freedom. Dave Ramsey and Crown Financial are two great resources to get started.
Prayer: Father, I need your help with finances. Financial anxiety is consuming me. I’ve made some bad money decisions in the past, and the financial consequences are overwhelming. First, change my heart. Then, give me a strategy to get my finances under control. Help me start down the road to financial freedom.
Another “random” thought?
This week, I had another “random” thought that turned out to be more than just a thought.
A few weeks ago, I purchased some new video production equipment for a project. It wasn’t a big deal, just something I needed to do. The piece of equipment is kind of rare—not everyone has this equipment. There’s probably only two or three in the Dallas area.
This past week, I was on the set of a friend’s production. They are shooting a new web series. And, my friend is using this special piece of equipment. He bought his last year. While I was on set, I had this thought, “I guess with me purchasing this same equipment, he could always call upon me in case there are any problems.” Random thought, or was it?
A couple of days ago, my son and I were driving down to Austin for some business meetings. While driving down, I received a phone call. The caller ID revealed it was my producer friend. That’s odd, I thought. He’s in the middle of production. He shouldn’t be calling me. I hope it’s not about the equipment.
Sure enough, his rare production equipment had broke, and he needed to borrow mine to maintain his tight production schedule. Interesting.
I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal to most people. In fact, most would just call it a coincidence. But, I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe it was that “still, small voice of God” that was simply giving me a “heads up”.
The struggle we all face is how to distinguish which thoughts are mine, which thoughts are God and which thoughts come from the devil. It’s a struggle because they all sound the same. It’s the words, the content that helps us know who is saying it.
Prince of the Air
This past weekend, my wife and I were driving back from a baby shower of a friend. It was a nice peaceful drive. We were talking about our pastor’s message this weekend. He was preaching about how God has chosen to limit himself to our faith, to what we believe. It was an excellent message and right on.
As we were driving, I made this blanket statement, directed mostly towards my own attitude and unbelief. I said, “I wonder sometimes if we don’t see answers to our prayers because we don’t really believe God.” My wife got quiet all of sudden—something was stirring. I realized later that it wasn’t a good stirring.
When we got home, she was very upset with me. I asked her why. I didn’t understand what I had done wrong. (That’s pretty normal for me.) When I made that statement about our prayers not being answered because we don’t believe, here’s what she heard me say, “Angela, it’s all your fault. You don’t really believe when you pray. You’re the reason God doesn’t answer our prayers.”
Whoa! Where did that come from? That’s not what I said. Nor was that what I intended. I was speaking totally about myself. Yet, what she heard was a condemning accusation about her faith.
Immediately, I knew exactly where that came from. Ephesians 2:2 calls Satan “the mighty prince of the power of the air.” He has this “gift” to mix up the words we say so that the hearer receives them completely different than what we speak. He can manipulate thoughts and ideas so that when the words come into our minds, we misinterpret them and immediately become offended. It’s an incredibly effective strategy, especially when people are completely unaware of it.
Thankfully, my wife is the kind of person who likes to talk things out (sometimes in gory detail). So, we talked about my comment and my intentions, and she quickly realized that I was not accusing her nor pointing my finger at her faith. It was more about me and my walk with God. Not hers.
Think about your own life. How many times have you said something only for it to be completely interpreted wrong? Or, how about those times when you sense something is wrong with your spouse, and she comes in crying, “You said this and you said that.” And you can’t recall every saying that. The prince of the air is at work.
The other side of distraction
In my own experience with hearing God, I have found that it is very easy to become distracted. There are so many things in this world fighting for our attention. We are bombarded with hundreds of marketing ads each day. Companies spend millions of dollars simply to get your attention. “Buy our products!” Commercials, billboards, logos, advertisements, telemarketers, solicitations–they are everywhere.
Then, add to that what we feed our mind with on a daily basis. The average American spends almost 9 hours a day consuming media–television, movies, internet, iPod, music, computer games. Nine hours a day! Considering we spend 8 of our 24 hours a day sleeping, that leaves only 7 hours a day that we’re not consuming media. That’s amazing.
I think one of the key tactics of the enemy is to fill our minds with so much stuff that we don’t have time to listen. Think about how hard it is to just slow down, clear your mind and be at peace. I know for me, Mr. Adrenaline Junkie, it’s near impossible. Yet, God commands us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
Be still.
Try it. Try being still after a hard day of work and stress. Try being still after watching some action flick or romance movie. Try being still when there’s bills to pay and work to do. It’s hard!
Just yesterday, I was playing this computer game called Combat Arms. (I’m usually not a gamer, but my son likes this game, so I try to spend time with him playing Combat Arms.) When playing this game, you’re in this virtual world, and images are constantly in front of you–soldiers, snipers, guns, explosions. And, it’s a real-time game, so we’re playing with other players all around the world. So, you’re adrenaline gets pumping.
Here’s what happened last night. I was playing the game at about 8 pm, a couple of hours before bed. After I finished playing, I shut off the computer and then sat down in my recliner to pray before I climbed into bed. But, each time I closed my eyes to pray, I would see those scenes–the soldiers, snipers from the game. So, I had to open my eyes to pray. But, I would forget and close them. Again, soldiers and snipers everywhere. It was very frustrating and distracting. How could I pray and be still when my mind was still in the game? I think the enemy has done a pretty good job of creating so much distraction around us.
Just to clarify, I’m not some anti-media person. Actually, it’s my profession. I’m a producer. I produce media. I believe there are some redemptive forms of media, but I think it all comes down to balance.
Ask yourself these questions:
1. How much media is enough? When do I cross over from media enjoyment into media gluttony?
2. What is my refuge, my safe place, the place I go when I’m stressed? Do I flip on the television to “veg out” for awhile. Soap operas, reality shows, news? What’s your escape?
3. Are you finding it harder and harder to dedicate time with God? Would you rather get up first and check your email? Turn on the television? Listen to some music? Fill your mind with something?
I encourage you to spend some time this week “being still”. God is waiting for you on the other side of the distraction.
Intimacy with God
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down with a close friend of mine and listen to him share his own experience on hearing God.
Early on his walk of faith, his desire to hear God was strong. In almost every situation, he would ask, God, is this what you want me to do? Or, Was that you, God? Are you trying to tell me something? His mind was constantly on the lookout for a “word from God” regarding every area of his life.
I’ve wrestled quite a bit with this notion of knowing God’s will in every area of our lives. It seems almost impossible; yet there are numerous scriptures supporting this idea:
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“Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6).
“If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life” (Matthew 16:25).
Even Jesus only did what he knew the Father wanted him to do: “I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19).
I also think about Brother Lawrence’s writings from 300 years ago, where he learned to “practice the presence of God” in his everyday life. He was able to achieve a profound intimacy with God.
I believe this is the life God has called us to, a life of intimacy with him. And not just, “Lord, bless this food” prayers, but deep, profound, soul-searching, mind-engaging conversations with our Father. I believe this is God’s greatest desire for us. It’s not about giving, serving, working, helping, and doing. It’s about being. Being a child of God. Being with our Father. Spending time with him.
After all, what’s the greatest commandment? To love God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our strength and with all of our mind. That’s loving God with everything.
My friend and I talked some more about this intimacy with God, and I could sense some cynicism in his voice. He had been wounded years ago. I could hear it in his voice. So, I asked him about it.
He went on to explain that what started out as a desire to hear God soon became a bondage, a stress. He would wrestle over every decision, every “word”, every situation. His peaceful prayer time soon became filled with pressure. He had moved from listening to straining and striving.
When he told me this, my first thought was, That’s the enemy. Think about it for moment. If the devil could do one thing and one thing only to cripple your walk with God, it would be to disrupt communication between you and your Father. It’s a common military tactic—the first strike of a successful engagement is to take out communications. With that gone, surely confusion and disorganization will follow. My friend agreed.
Just as God has a plan for your life, so the devil also has an evil plan for your life. He does not want you to hear God, so he will take you to one of two extremes:
1. The devil wants to take you to a place of frustration, like my friend, where hearing God becomes full of pressure and stress. And who wants pressure and stress? It’s just a lot easier not to listen.
2. Or, the devil will convince you that God doesn’t speak at all. Cut the communication cord early, before it even has a chance to work. Sadly, this is where most believers are today.
God has great plans for you, and for you to live out those plans, we must hear what they are. I encourage you, today, to listen. God is speaking.
Swing chair prophecy
Outdoor barbeques and Texas summers go hand in hand. This one Texas summer was no different. I was a young boy, probably in my early teens, when we had the “swing chair incident.” I remember it so clearly. We were over at a friend’s house, and we were having lunch outside—barbeque, cole slaw, corn on the cob and some cold iced tea.
My buddy, Chris, and I had just got our lunch plates, and we were looking for a place to sit down. Glancing around, we noticed that the swing chair was empty. The wooden chair was suspended by two chains that held it to a branch about 25 feet in the air. It could easily seat three people.
As we sat down and started to eat, I looked up at the branch and then back down at Chris, and said, “Wouldn’t it be weird if this thing broke right now?” He laughed. I laughed.
WAM! It broke, and we tumbled to the ground with food all over our laps.
Neither of us moved. We just stared at each other, our minds were trying to sort through what just happened. Had I not said anything, we would have just laughed it off, but the swing chair prophecy had come true within seconds.
I can’t say I was walking with God when this happened. I had been to church a few times. I had probably even prayed a few times. But, as for a devote believer, no, I wasn’t there yet.
So, where did that thought come from? Was it God? Was it the devil? Or, just a very odd coincidence?
I believe that it was God speaking to me at an early age. At that time, I didn’t have any clue what I was doing, or that God would even speak to me. It was just a thought. But today, I understand that this is how God speaks to us most of the time–through our thoughts. The challenge is learning to discern which thoughts come from him.
When I have a God thought, it doesn’t sound any different than my own thoughts. It’s my voice, my language, my improper grammar, my tone and even my emotion—which makes it really hard to discern at times. Had I known how to discern his voice back then, I might not have had to bathe myself in potato salad.
The Crisis God
When I booted up my computer this morning and opened my journal, I realized it has been quite awhile since I really connected with my Father. And thought, Why?
Well, it’s easy—life is good right now. Really good. When I think about all the things that people struggle with—marriage, finances, rebellious kids, sickness, and in-laws, I’ve got it great.
- My marriage is wonderful and healthy!
- We’re completely out of debt!
- Our teenage son is an absolute joy!
- I’m training for a half-marathon and feel great!
- I get along with my mother-in-law. Mostly.
Life is good.
And when life is good (and in control), I often just go through my day doing my thing on my schedule my way. I have this impaired sense of, I don’t need God. Life is good.
Rarely, do we call upon the God-who-is-Lord. Rather, we call upon the God-who-is-only-there-when-I’ve-got-a-problem.
Think about it for a moment. How would you describe your prayer life with God? Think of a scale—on one side, the number of times you go to God in a crisis, with a need. The other side is all the times you went to God just thank him, talk to him, spend time with him for no other reason than to just be with him.
I know what my scale would look like, and it’s not pretty. In fact, it’s quite lopsided.
I think about my son and the times he comes to me. Usually, it’s a request for more computer or tv time. Or, he wants to watch a show with me (only because he’s run out of his own computer/tv time for the day). Or, he wants to go to the lake or swimming or over to a friend’s house. Or my favorite, he has used up all his computer/tv time, finished reading all his library books, and he has nothing to do. So, out of boredom, he comes to me wanting to play a game or something.
Boredom. My daddy status is one step below boredom.
Yet, here’s the beauty of it all. My love for him is no less. Even in those times when he comes to me because he has exhausted all of his other options, I still love being there for him. I love it when he comes to me. I enjoy being with him. Sure, it blesses me when he comes to me first, but the fact that he just comes to me is a blessing beyond measure.
I think it’s the same with God. Sure, he loves it when we come to him first—first in the morning, first in a decision, first to be thanked, first in a crisis. But, his love does not waiver when we call out to him as a last resort, when things have escalated beyond our control.
With all the great things going on in my life, I have become more thankful to God. I spend sporadic times throughout the day in simple thankfulness. Just this morning, I was walking our dog, Misty, and saw this beautiful sunrise.
Thank you, Father, for this exciting, wonderful day!
Created for relationship
I just finished a week-long break from my marathon training schedule. My knees were a bit sore and I wanted to give them time to recover a bit. We’re upping our miles and I wanted to make sure I was ready for the longer distances.
So, early this morning, I donned my “dry fit” shirt and shorts, running shoes and strategically programmed iPod and started back on my running program. It was such a great time! But, something interesting happened this morning. God spoke to me through his creation during my run.
As I finished my short warm up run and started stretching, I saw this flock of geese fly over me. They weren’t way up in the sky, like when I’ve seen geese before. No, this was a small flock of Canadian geese, and they were only 30 or 40 feet of the ground. It was amazing! They were swooping over the houses in their lopsided triangle formation, but perfectly in sync.
And when I saw them pass over, I had this thought, “Geese instinctively know that they’re created to live and function as a group.”
It was an interesting thought, and immediately I start thinking about how God has created us for relationship–relationship with himself and relationship with others. I mean, when you think about the two greatest commandments, according to Jesus, it’s all about relationship: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).
You see, we too are created instinctively to live and function as a group. We function better, more efficiently, more effectively as a group. God created us for relationship.
As I started my run, I thought more and more about this need for relationship. As I turned this one corner in my run, I looked up ahead of me, and there they were–all six geese. They had landed in the grassy area of a closed school, and they were grazing off the fresh cut grass. I was pretty surprised to see those same geese from about 20 minutes earlier. And again, another thought, “Not only do that fly together, they eat together. Now, that’s something you can relate to.”
It’s true. I like to eat. And, I enjoy having meals with friends and family. Even in my business, I often have business lunches or coffees, and I enjoy the time of just talking and listening to people. We really are created to live and function as a group.
We are created for relationship.
Rain
The most interesting thing happened this morning: rain.
I know, that may not sound so interesting, but let me explain.
These past few days have been very heavy for me. Heavy. I don’t really know how to explain it except that it’s just heavy–heaviness in my soul. Heaviness in my heart. Heaviness, burden, lethargy, sadness, subtle gloominess. It’s almost like a low-grade depression.
I awoke this morning again feeling heavy. Lord, what is this?, I prayed. Then, off I went to make my morning hazelnut latte. As I sat down at the computer to journal, again I prayed, What is this heaviness? I don’t like it.
Quietly and gently, the Lord began to show me some of the internal thoughts I had just a few days ago, thoughts about my weight and my appearance. My wife and I have been training for a marathon, and I’ve enjoyed the morning runs–the increased energy and the weight loss. I started feeling pretty good about myself.
Then, as we got back from our vacation this past weekend, I saw a picture of myself in the river swimming. Up to that point, I thought this initial weight loss would have some outward appearance, but I still looked big, and it was very discouraging. Then, over the past couple of days, my knees have been bothering me, so I decided to slow down and not run as much, which again was a bit discouraging.
Lord, is it something I said or thought?
When you saw the pictures of yourself in the river, you were very discouraged at your weight. Even after running for so long, you are not happy with yourself.
He want on to explain to me that how I view myself is essential to the joy (or lack of joy) that I will experience. Joy is an attitude of the heart that we choose to receive or push away. Joy is not the result of circumstances–good or bad. It’s a choice. And, the moment I saw those pictures, I was hit with discouragement, the enemy of joy. Rather than fight it off, I chose to accept it. Nothing has changed. Here I am running and working hard, and for what? I still look the same.
So, I talked the Lord about it. I told him I was wrong for not fighting off those ungodly thoughts, for not choosing joy. I reminded myself that losing weight, training for a marathon, getting into shape takes time. It took time to get out of shape, and it’ll take time to get into shape.
After spending some wonderful time with my Father, the discouragement lifted. I feel lighter in my soul. Joy is coming back. Discouragement is leaving. It feels good!
So what does rain have to do with it? Here in Texas, it gets really hot in the summer. This week, we’re having 100+ degree days–dry, cloudless, hot, summer days. So, this morning as I’m praying through this issue with discouragement, it starts to rain. I heard trickling water outside but thought, That can’t be rain. The only forecast this week is hot, hot, hot.
Then, boom, the thunder rolls in–all this around the time that God is helping me deal with this heaviness. I peek outside, and sure enough, it’s raining. It’s raining when it shouldn’t be raining. Very odd. Very God.
Immediately, my mind goes to Isaiah 55:10-13,
“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD’s name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”
God is sending his word, his promises. I will live in joy and in peace. What an amazing promise!
Thank you, Lord, for the rain!
Heart Monitor
My wife and I are runners. We’ve signed up for a marathon training program. She’s training for a full marathon, and I’m training for a half. I guess that makes me half the woman she is. Not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing.
After coming back from vacation this past weekend, we couldn’t find our running watch and heart monitor. It’s a cool little device that monitors your heart rate while you run, and then calculates calories burned (never enough) while monitoring your time (needs to be longer) and your heart rate (a little high).
We searched the house over. Still couldn’t find it. I’m starting to think that maybe we left it at our vacation spot. While driving home, I had this thought, “I should check the red backpack.” Then, immediately I thought, Is that you God?
When I got home, I told my wife to check her red backpack. Sure enough, it was in there. We had searched all of our bags quite a few times over. But, for some reason, we missed the red backpack.
So, the big question–was that God? Was he whispering that thought into my mind? Did I hear the voice of God? Or, was it just a memory, a coincidence, a random thought?
I believe it was the voice of God. Why?
First, my wife and I often pray and ask God to show us where things are when we can’t find them, and we often hear him tell us where they are.
Secondly, the followup thought I had was quite interesting–Is that you God? That’s not a normal thought for me. I didn’t necessarily pray for God to show us where the heart monitor was, but I think about that one scripture that says, “your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). It’s like I had this thought, I should pray.
And thirdly, we often think God is only concerned with big issues–world hunger, presidential elections, war in the MIddle East, getting along with my mother-in-law. But, it’s not just the big things that God cares about. I have learned that God even cares for the little things in our lives. He’s not like man that gets burdened with many things. He can handle them all–lost keys, electricity bills, should I take this job, help me with my mother-in-law.
He desires to be involved in every area of your life, even the heart monitors.
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