Financial Freedom Through God’s Wisdom

Introduction

When you are financially healthy, money loses its grip on your life—it’s no longer a source of stress, worry, or control. Imagine the freedom that comes when financial anxiety is replaced with peace, where money serves its purpose rather than dictating your choices. What a profound blessing that would be! But how do we reach this place of financial health? Is there a secret formula or a financial guru with all the answers? The truth is, the path to financial freedom begins not with a budget or an investment plan but with a shift in our hearts and minds, aligning our financial lives through God's wisdom. Today, we will explore how we can become the kind of people who live in this freedom, guided by biblical principles that transform our relationship with money.

Surprisingly, the way to become financially healthy is not to talk about money. It’s really about your spirituality. By paying attention to three vital realities of your spiritual life, you will learn how to relate with money in a healthy way.

1. Know Christ more deeply. (Ephesians 1:15-19a)

A lot of people do not know Christ correctly. Because of wrong beliefs, they reject Him completely. But many do know Him correctly, and yet they are bored in their Christian lives. Even though they know that Jesus is Lord and Savior, they are still easily attracted by worldly wealth. The enemy deceives them and lures them away from a sincere devotion to Christ. Why? It’s because their knowledge of Christ is shallow. It’s shallow because they believe they have exhausted everything there is to know about Christ. Like a husband who loses interest in his wife because he thinks he knows everything already about his wife, a believer whose knowledge of Christ is shallow will eventually get bored. He will look for more exciting things to focus on. But there is more to Christ than what most of us think we know. By knowing Christ more deeply, even though we will never exhaust such knowledge in this life, we will be able to resist the deception of worldly wealth.

2. Face yourself more honestly. (Revelation 3:14-18)

Sometimes we think we are okay basically, and we just need some help from the Lord. The truth is, we are so in need of salvation in all areas of our lives that we cannot really make it on our own. The greatest lie that the enemy can implant in our hearts is that we don’t really need to be saved. We only have some minor problems that need a little fixing. Like the owner of an old house, we just want Jesus to repair a few things. When He starts tearing down everything to rebuild a new house, we are shocked! The world wants us to believe in ourselves. It even teaches us that God believes in us. But the truth is that God knows us far more deeply than we can ever know ourselves. He knows that our hearts are desperately wicked. Our basic intentions are always toward our sinful selves. He knows that we need a Savior, not just a repair man. By facing yourself more honestly, you will avoid the traps of the enemy and become more financially healthy.

3. Walk with Christ more intimately. (John 15:1-4)

The Christian life is a journey that needs careful attention and intention. We cannot live it on autopilot. Our salvation is not something that God starts and then we are on our own to make it work. It is also not something that only God does while we sit and watch. Another common mistake is to think that we are in a 50/50 partnership, where God has His part and then we do our part. The truth is, God is in us and we are in Him. Through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, He works in us to make us willing and able to do His will. As a result, we desire and do His will not by our own efforts but by His power that is at work in us. When we neglect to pay attention to our relationship with God, the world will slowly squeeze us into its own mold. We will become just like everyone else, pursuing riches as an end in themselves. Those who do not walk with Christ more intimately cannot become financially healthy.

Conclusion:

To be financially healthy, we must be spiritually healthy. This is the way to freedom. Only Jesus can save us from the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of worldly wealth. Apart from Him, our tendency will be to love money rather than love God. We will not serve the Lord. Instead, we will just serve ourselves and so destroy ourselves eventually. But through Jesus, we can be set free from the love of money.

Discussion:

1. How does your current relationship with money reflect your spiritual health? Discuss the connection between your financial concerns and your walk with Christ.

2. In what ways can knowing Christ more deeply help you resist the lure of worldly wealth? Reflect on how a deeper understanding of Jesus impacts your financial decisions.

3. What are some areas in your life where you need to face yourself more honestly? Consider how self-deception might be affecting your financial habits and spiritual growth.

4. How does walking with Christ more intimately influence your financial priorities? Explore the practical changes in your finances when you are closely connected with Jesus.

5. What steps can you take this week to align your financial life more closely with God's wisdom? Identify actionable steps to bring your financial decisions in line with biblical principles.