Financial Plan: Days 11-15

Hopefully you all enjoyed that last 5 days of the plan because I'm back again with the next 5. I would love to hear from you guys on how this is going for you and how you are incorporating these things into your lives! 

Day 11: Know Where Your Money Goes

When we realize we are servants, we willingly give God control of every area of our lives - even our finances. Just like we want a financial planner to manage our money well, God wants us to manage His money well. Being a good manager of money means being cautious and aware of spending habits. A budget is a tool to help us manage our money. It shows us how much money is coming in and where it goes. It holds us accountable so we save for the things we need instead of only buying things we want. 

Questions:

1. Do you know where your money goes each month? What's your biggest challenge when it comes to keeping up with your spending? 

2. Do you have a budget? Why or why not?

3. What step can you take this week to be a better money manager? 

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Prayer:

Jesus, You have entrusted me with so much. Help me to manage Your money well

Day 12: Distinguish Wants From Needs

Most of the time, what we want isn't what we need. And if we're honest, we've been given far more than we actually need. We need food, clothing, and shelter. We want everything else. How do we find joy when we can't get what we want? Contentment is contingent on our attitudes, not our bank statements. If we're always looking to make more money, gain more resources and acquire more wealth, we're not using money how God designed it to be used. Money is a tool to provide for our needs, to provide for the needs of others and an opportunity to give back to God. Loving money more than God leads to pain, letdown and sin. But when we trust God will provide for our needs, we can find our contentment in Him. When we trust and obey Him with our money and our lives, we receive His rich love and the transformation it creates in us. 

Questions:

1. What are two things you want but don't really need? Will you trust God to provide them for you (or to know better that you don't need them)?

2. On a scale of 1 to 10, how content are you? Why did you choose that number?

3. Discontentment begins when we believe God doesn't have our best interests at heart. What are three ways God has been faithful to you this month? 

Scripture:

Philippians 4:15-19

1 Timothy 6:6-10

Prayer:

Jesus, thank You for always having my best interest at heart. Help me to be content in You and You along.

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Day 13: You Can't Love Both God And Money

When we let advertisers convince us that our possessions define us, we give greed a foothold that will only lead to destruction. What defines us will sustain us. Material items will never be enough to fulfill us forever. Only God's love lasts forever and never changes. When we let Him define our lives instead of the next best thing, we will be sustained forever.

Questions:

1. Who's influencing your spending decisions more: the Bible or advertisers? Why?
2. How can you let God define your finances today?

Scripture:

Luke 16:1-15

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, help me to be content with what I have. Show me how to filter the messages I hear each day and remain focused on You.

Day 14: God Wants You To Be Debt-Free
Debt is not God's best for our lives, because it prevents us from being able to do what He's called us to do. If God called you to move to another city, cut your hours at work or give extravagantly to someone in need, could you do it right now? Whatever we're controlled by is what we're enslaved to. When we're in debt, we belong to those who lend us money. The more debt we take on, the fewer options we give ourselves when to comes to where we work and how we spend our time. Instead of making decisions based on what we want to do, we find ourselves thinking about what we have to do.  When Jesus died for our sins, He paid the ultimate debt, a debt that we could never afford to pay. Paul encouraged the Christians in Rome to pay off whatever the owed, whether it was money or an apology. When the only debt we're concerned with is how to love the people around us, we'll do more for God than we ever imagined.
Questions:
1. What could you do for God if you were debt free?
2. What debts do you owe to those around you? What step can you take this week to start paying off those debts and living in freedom?
Scripture:
Proverbs 22:7
Romans 13:7-10
Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for giving me the ability to live in freedom. Help me as I aim to serve You and You along.

Day 15: Debt Is A Choice
Retail therapy is much like it sounds - shopping to improve mood or disposition. The world tells us we deserve nice things regardless of whether we can afford them. With no money down, you can finance a car, charge a vacation or buy a bedroom suite. It's easy to get caught up in buying new things to make ourselves feel better, maxing our credit cards along the way. As a follower of Jesus, we can be free of the burden of debt. Financial imprisonment is a choice. It's a choice to give into the temporary satisfaction of spending instead of the lasting contentment that comes from following Jesus.
Questions:
1. How have your financial burdens made you feel enslaved?
2. What do you wish you had the financial freedom to do?
3. What steps can you take to get there?
Scripture:
Galatians 5:1-14
Prayer:

Dear Jesus, You along can fulfill the longings of my heart. Give me the courage to live in freedom instead of going back to old vices.

I hope you enjoyed these next 5 days of the plan! I would really enjoy hearing from you. Please comment below or you may contact me at any of the social media sites I have listed on my home page! :)

xoxo
-k