Yesterday we talked about living in a culture of fear that causes the world around us 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. Of course, I was already going through school on borrowed money, but 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 tank with gas, so she instructed me to use it as needed. I remember the day I got that shiny new Discover card in the mail — it felt like I had just opened the magic bullet! It was a live card and I didn’t have to apply; all I had to do was activate it. Naturally, I decided to test out my newfound credit fairly quickly, and before long, everything was an emergency! At the end of the month, I got a bill for over $800!! When I saw that statement, I freaked out and with trembling hands, I went to my mom and told her what I had done. 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 glad I did!

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 can be a form of bondage because it introduces fear and has the potential to nurture bad behavior. As subtle as it may seem, that unpaid debt weighs on your mind and brings fear of lack to 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! There is no debt that He can’t deliver you from and no financial need that He cannot meet — all you have to do is look to Him, open your hands to Him, and trust Him. When you surrender to His best, He will do more than you can even imagine because He wants good things for you, today and always. Rely fully on his sufficiency and remember that it all belongs to Him anyway! Isn’t that an encouraging thought?