Yesterday we talked about living in a culture of fear that causes our world to shrink instead of expand. Today, I want to share with you a specific example of how society encourages fear in our finances.

When I was in college, I got my first credit card. My mom thought it would be a good idea for me to have this card in case of any emergencies. She didn’t want me to not have money to pay for a hamburger or to fill my gas tank, so she instructed me to use it as needed. Ah yes, I remember the day I got that shiny new Discover card in the mail — it felt like I had just won the lottery! It was a live card and I didn’t have to apply for it; all I had to do was activate it. Naturally, I decided to test it out fairly quickly and before I knew it, everything was an emergency! At the end of the month, I got a bill for over $800!! With trembling hands, I went to my mom and told her. Having mercy on me, she graciously paid the bill and then graciously tore up the card. I lost the privilege, and looking back on it, I’m okay with that!

You see, we live in a society that allows us to spend money before we make it and then to pay off just a little bit at a time. While it seems like that’s a benefit to us, it’s really a form of entrapment because it introduces fear and nurtures bad behavior. As subtle as it may seem, that unpaid debt weighs on your mind and brings fear of lacking into your life.

Friend, this is in no way condemnation for those who have made a habit of using credit cards, but rather, it’s a reminder of the sufficiency of God. No matter how you find yourself sitting financially, whether knee deep in debt or with stockpiles in savings, Jesus is your provider and deliverer; in Him, you lack nothing! I’m not advocating getting yourself into debt, but there is no debt that He can’t deliver you from and no financial need that He cannot meet — you need only to look to Him, trust Him and put Him first in your life. You can rely on His fullness and sufficiency and remember that it all belongs to Him anyway! When you surrender to Him, He can do more than you can even imagine because He wants the best for you, today and always!