(James 4:2-3) You lust and do not have . . . Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
There will times where we will really have to budget because certain things have transpired in our lives. It could be a job loss, your salary was cut, you want to go back to school, pay off debts, retire early, a mother wanting to quit her job to stay at home with the kids, or some other kind of life transition. You need to know that you really can live on less if you take these simple steps:
RECOGNIZE THAT GOD PROVIDES ALL YOUR NEEDS: (Phil 4:19) And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. The basic thing you need to know when your budget is drastically cut is that God is in control and He has promised to provide for your every need. It is time to trust God for everything in your life and to walk by faith. Being dependent on God is a good place to be. So often we are too self-sufficient, and God will bring us to the place of total reliance on Him. It might be scary at first, but you have to remember if God brought you to it . . . He’ll bring you through it! You will see miracles of provision like you’ve never seen before. These will be stories you will tell your kids and grandkids about. They, too, will be encouraged by how God takes care of His own! (Mat 7:7-11)
REEVALUATE WANTS VS. NEEDS: The apostle James says it the best. He states we have desires that we have to put down because those longings can get us into trouble. And that includes living for greeds instead of needs. We live in a covetous culture that teaches more is better. But in God’s economy, less is more. We can live without all the things we think we need. What we need to do is curb our desires and use discipline to say no to our impulses. You’re craving your favorite burger, but you drive past that fast food place and head for home to make yourself a sandwich instead. And that is a thousand times over when you’re at the store, online, and etc. You learn to say NO to yourself. It’s that time in your life where you just have to let go of a lot of things you want and desire. But that is the mark of a true disciple of Jesus Christ! (Mat 16:24) Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
BUDGET TIME!: It’s time to establish a budget. When you have a financial plan, you tell your money where to go instead of it telling you where to go. You have allotments for certain items and you stick with it without budging. (Pro 6:6-8, 27:23-27; 1 Cor 4:2; Eph 5:15)
On a personal note, Cheryl and I have had to live on half our income more than once and God has provided each time for us. He brought us through to greater abundance! (Gen 26:13)
Louie