Breaking Free from Fear-Based Finances

Are you holding tightly to your money in fear, or are you able to let go of control of it for the sake of God’s purposes in faith?

THIS WEEK’S BOLD STEP DEVOTION

“She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.”
(I Kings 17:15–16).

When harnessed and controlled, electricity powers everything in your home, bringing light, warmth, and the ability to carry out daily tasks. But when electricity is mismanaged or left unchecked, it can wreak havoc. The same principle applies to our finances.

The thing that affects your finances the most is the way you think about money. How you think about it shapes everything: how you manage it, how you spend it, how you borrow it, and how you give it. More than any other element in life, your mindset will dictate the course of your financial journey. Money, just like electricity, has great potential for both goodness and destruction.

In 1 Kings 17, we find a powerful principle that can help us break free from fear-based financing and realign our thinking with God’s provision. The prophet Elijah was sent by God to a widow in Zarephath, a place where there was famine and drought. The widow, in her desperation, was preparing her last meal for herself and her son.

In this moment of absolute scarcity, God sends Elijah to her, not because she had anything to offer, but because she was the poorest. Why? God was setting her up for a breakthrough. He wanted to break her out of the cycle of scarcity and brokenness she had been living in. Her willingness to obey God and feed Elijah with her last bit of food even in the face of fear and doubt became the key that unlocked God’s provision.

This principle is just as relevant to us today. God wants to change our mindset about money and help us move from fear-driven financial decisions to trust-driven financial decisions. When we are living in fear, we hold tightly to what we have, thinking it’s the only way to survive. But God is calling us to a mindset of faith and abundance, trusting Him with our resources, even when it feels like there’s not enough.

Are you living in fear and scarcity, or are you trusting God to provide? Remember, when you step out in faith like the widow did, God will always meet you where you are and provide what you need. He doesn’t require abundance to work; He only requires faith in His ability to supply. Click the link below for further encouragement on how to break free from fear-based thinking and step into God’s abundant flow of provision.

Listen to the sermon: Fear-Based Financing

Part 1Part 2Part 3

Ministry Update from Mark

Every year, New Life Community Church, where I serve as the senior pastor, engages in 21 days of fasting and praying as a community. The purpose of this is to take our focus off of our earthly concerns and listen to what God has for us as both a church and as individuals in this new year. Jesus, when asked why his disciples didn’t fast, said that “the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast” (Matthew 9:15). Notice that Jesus doesn’t say his followers might fast but that they will fast.

He leads you and me to do the same! If you’ve never fasted before and want to understand it more fully, I recommend reading Bill Bright’s book, 7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Praying. You won’t regret it!