I prayed to God last year....?

Question

I was having a problem last year financially, meaning I couldn't stop spending money on things I didn't need. I prayed that God would show me a way to stop wasting my money. Now, I don't spend money on things I don't need and I never have any money. I have no money even though my husband and I both make good money. Is God trying to humble me and get me on the right track by taking what money we have and making us live paycheck to paycheck? Can you give me some bible verses to read?

I thank everyone for helping me with their wisdom. I really appreciate it.

Answer 1

I am sort of in the same boat as you. I pray all the time about financial reasons. But no matter how bad I think it gets, I always manage to pull through. I honestly think that God only gives you what you can handle. Why pray for money if you are living paycheck to paycheck then yes it is rough that's what I do, but remember the people who have no income coming in.

Answer 2

I was in a similar situation until recently. If you do not have the habit of writing down your expenses everytime you spend and however small the amount may be, this is an expected problem! Start spending time to understand your spending pattern and then make changes accordingly.

First things first. Make a list of all those essential things you buy every month and make another list (something like a watch list) which you would like to control - it could be going to the bar, eating out, movies, pizzas, telephone bill etc) and then set an upper limit for those recurring expenses (in the watch list) and then stop spending on that particular item. For example if my upper limit for a recurring expenditure is $200, then as soon as I spend that amount in the current month, I no longer spend on that item in the current month.

Most importantly, consider all your savings as your primary expenses and set aside some money at the beginning of the month in a deposit which will not be liquidated for atleast an year. This will ensure that you are left with a good amount of money at the end of the year.

This method has worked for me and I hope it will make you richer sooner. All the very best.

Answer 3

Prayer is not just about words. If you truly mean it then you need to put some action into your faith. God's not going to zap you with financial savvy. God will help you along as you try to change. I am of the opinion that God will intervene when it is beyond your ability to change, but this sounds like you could do some personal budgeting, financial counseling, and some reprioritizing of what you value. Try reading through Matthew 5, 6, and 7. These chapters have a lot to say about what you value. Have you considered that maybe you and your husband have good jobs, not for you to be able to afford nice things, but to be able ot afford to help as many people as possible who don't have the bare essentials. There are hundreds of thousands of single women and children living significantly below the poverty line in communities all over this country. Find at least one person that you can help on a regular basis. If you get involved in theri life, you may find yourself far less likely to throw money away on things you don't need.

Answer 4

God does not "take your money". Sounds to me like it is more the economy of today, many people live paycheck to paycheck (I am included in that).

We should not worry though, God is in control and will make sure we have what we NEED. Matthew 6:31-33....Do not worry, saying, "what shall we eat?" or "what shall we drink?" or "what shall we wear?"
For after all these things the Gentiles seek . For our heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Philippians 4:19....My God shall supply all
your need according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ.

And the very famous: Psalm 23:1....The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want :-)

If you are a Christian, I hope you tithe 10% of your income, God deserves it and he demands it.

Hope this helps a little, any other questions or if you want some more verses send me an e-mail.

God Bless

Answer 5

No. Your spending is an attempt to find solace within yourself. You seek a peace, but are wrongly trying to fill the void by buying material things. My sister was doing this several years ago. She racked up a huge debt which my father paid. Now, she's much more intelligent with her money.

You will change your habits when the pain becomes too great. Maybe it will require a missed mortgage payment before you see the light. Maybe it will require a foreclosure on your house. But sooner or later, you will make the necessary changes to survive.

When you honestrly, truthfully and sincerely make the change, God will help you. But not until...

Answer 6

May I recommend that you check around your area and see if any of the local churches are offering the "Financial Peace University" program put together by Dave Ramsey. It is an excellent, Bible based program that will saw you how to (the dreaded "B" word) budget so that your money goes further. How to deal with creditors to get debt reductions, to clean up your credit rating, to "snowball" out of debt, etc.

My wife and I did it about two years ago and it totally turned around our finances. We have since put both our married children through the program and it has done the same for them. We are at he point of being debt free other than our mortgage.

The program is very down to earth, practical, easy to understand, and works. It has a Christian prospective to it, but is not "preachy" or just a long list of Bible verses. (He might quote one in each lesson.)

You can go to http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home/ to look for classes in your area. (Don't let the price scare you off - churches get a lower price then list on the Internet, and may discount it further or do it for free).

Please take the time to do this. It will make a difference.

(The suggestion of crownfinancial.org above is another good one. Excellence resource for getting control of your finances.)

Answer 7

If you look at your bills or checking account, see where the money is going to. Is it because a lot of your money is going towards paying gasoline for the car? Do you and your husband eat out a lot for lunch or dinner? I guess if you develop a budget as to how much to spend on the mortgage, car, clothes, entertainment, etc., I am sure you and your husband will be able to find areas where you can cut expenses.

Also don't forget to give part of your money to God. Malachi 2:10 asks us to test God when we give him our money.

"Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty.

I give 10% every month to church and God has blessed me abundantly.

Answer 8

Instead of falling back on invisible daddy-in-the-sky, you'd probably do better by taking stock of yourself. If you have a money problem, YOU need to fix it. Make a strict budget, try to put as much away as possible. I know how difficult it is to live paycheck to paycheck, but if you spend less than you make (I know that sounds simplistic, but it can be rather hard to do), you can pull yourself out of this all by yourself. I don't mean to insult your beliefs, but I can promise you that if you do everything you can to fix this instead of JUST praying, your success is much more likely.

Answer 9

I don't believe prayer is going to stop you from spending money on things you don't need............
God created Man and gave man a brain to think wisely with.
And the knowledge to know right from wrong.....
Everything you do in life, you choose to do.......
Life is tough, and you just need to make out a monthly budget of expenses ...and stick to it.(Pay yourself first !) Say $50.00 every two weeks. By that I mean have an envelope with your and hubbys name on it .It is extra for whatever comes up that you didn't have the money planned for,
Or for and inexpensive dinner every two weeks. Even if it is a trip to Pizza Hut Or McDonalds(we all need a break of the everyday rat race.< You both must plan on spending the extra you saved for........
I think things are going to start getting tougher for all of us right now because of the Israelian and Palestinian war..It will effect everyting from oil(again) to baby powder.......start planning now...I'm no guru, but I have a bad feeling about this one.......

Answer 10

It is important to have a balanced view of money. Here are some scriptures that have helped me.

"Better is a handful of rest than a double handful of hard work and striving after the wind." (Ecclesiastes 4:6)

1 Timothy 6:9,10 .

Jesus devoted a substantial portion of his famous Sermon on the Mount to teaching his disciples the right view of work and of material things.—Matthew 6:19-33.

"He that is hastening to gain riches will not remain innocent."—Proverbs 28:20.

"A mere lover of silver will not be satisfied with silver."—Ecclesiastes 5:10.