Financial Dependence: Real Security

Financial coaching is more than helping you to set up a budget or be able to find resources that will enable you to pay all of your creditors. It is first helping you to find your security from your faith in God and gaining the understanding that He is the One who gives us the ability to acquire wealth.  My best bet is that when our finances are out of order, so is our spiritual life.

Often we can have a false sense of security dependent upon what our check-book says. If there is a substantial balance in our bank accounts we can feel secure, especially if we find our security in money. However when there is a lack, we can feel like our entire lives are on the brink of destruction.

It just dawned on me recently after going through a faith test that it really doesn’t matter whether it is easy or difficult to trust God. As my circumstances began to “look” better, I noticed myself trusting a bit less in God and a bit more in myself. After all, my circumstances weren’t requiring as much faith. I kind of slapped myself a bit and realized that I am no less dependent on God when things are going good as I am when they are going terrible.

The good circumstances are only an illusion of security. When things look good, it is easy to understand how things will all work out. But isn’t it amazing how quickly I can go running back to God in faith when things look bad again? I quickly realize that “good circumstances” provide no true security.

The great news is that for believers, bad circumstances are only an illusion of a lack of security.

It reminds me of Jesus sleeping on the boat during the middle of the storm. He said, “let us go to the other side.” But yet when things started looking bad enough, they started to doubt that would happen. The truth is, no matter how bad things looked, they were just as secure. They had God in the flesh on the boat with them! How could they really think that they wouldn’t make it?

When they finally were freaking out enough, they woke Him up and frustrated with their lack of faith, He told the storm to calm down. They just didn’t get it. They didn’t realize who Jesus was. They didn’t realize that it didn’t matter how bad it got, He was there with them.

It is no different for us today. We have the promise of God that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. It doesn’t matter how bad things look, it is merely an illusion. Don’t be deceived: when your trust is in God, you could not be more secure.

Connie Hanten, BCMCLC

New Hope Financial Coach