How I Invite God Into My Financial Life (And How You Can Too)

Managing money is tough. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been budgeting (or trying to budget). It doesn’t matter if you have debt or a million dollars in savings. Managing money is a discipline – a practice. It’s not something that you ever perfect, but it is something that you can get good at.

Our money changes as our lives change. You won’t manage your money the same way when you’re married with kids as you did when you were single and you only had yourself to worry about. Same with when you’re an empty nester – you won’t manage money the same way you did when you had kids’ sports to pay for. That’s why managing money is a practice and not something that you “achieve” because you continually have to do it.

But there’s one thing I’ve learned repeatedly as one of the most impactful aspects of managing our money: prayer. I know, I know that seems “woo-woo” or silly. But the reality is, as a Christian, I believe that everything I have comes from God, and that includes my money. And if I want to steward it well, I have to bring the Almighty into my plans. I can’t even begin to recount the number of times I’ve prayed for help for our finances, and God has provided, whether it was by a surprise deposit, a new side hustle opportunity, or even amazing giving opportunities where we’ve been allowed to give to others in need. God always provides.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

One of the first things I believe that, as Christians, we should work to cultivate in our financial lives is contentment. Without contentment, it is very hard to control our money because everything seems like it’s a need. We end up spending our money with no plan in place because we are not satisfied with what we have. We lie to ourselves and say that we don’t have enough when many times we have more than enough.

“In a world where success is often measured by accumulation – wealth, status, possessions – it can be easy to forget that true fulfillment comes not from what we have but from how we live.” (quote from Faithful Finances)

So, how do you live? Where is your treasure? Are you mindlessly scrolling, feeling less and less content with your life, or are you living your life with a contented heart and faith and trust in God?

What It Looks Like to Budget With God in Mind

Maybe you’re thinking, “Okay, that sounds great and all, but how do you actually allow God to dictate your finances?” It all starts with prayer. Pray first before doing anything – when you sit down to make your budget, pray first. Pause and genuinely listen for God’s voice in your heart. Before making a large purchase, stop, pray, and ask God if this is really where you’re supposed to spend the money. When you’re anxious over how you’re going to pay for something (a bill, a payment on a debt, or even to save money in an Emergency Fund), pray! Pray and ask God to help you. Ask for His Peace. What does he want you to do? He may not want you to do anything other than to trust that He will, in fact, provide for you. But always stop and pray first.

Tools To Help You

If you’re still struggling with this idea of surrendering your finances to God, here are a few of the tools that I have found helpful:

Bible (if you don’t have one and can’t afford one, call up your church, most have free Bibles that you can have – I’m a huge fan of a physical Bible to keep distractions to a minimum)

Devotional (I wrote this one, which is available on Amazon, and this one, which is available free on the YouVersion app)

Budget (You can create your budget with pen and paper or a spreadsheet. There’s no right or wrong answer – and hey, if you purchase my devotional Faithful Finances, you can get my Monthly Budget Spreadsheet template free here. )

Memorize Scripture (there’s no better way to combat the devil as Christ showed us in the desert than to know scripture – download these free Bible verse memory cards to help you.)