Totally Surrendering My Finances To God | MONEY Part 5 of 5
“ As long as I still have something, I believe I own it. But when I give it away, I relinquish control, power, and prestige. At the moment of release the light turns on. The magic spell is broken. My mind clears. I recognize God as owner, myself as servant, and others as intended beneficiaries of what God has entrusted to me. Giving doesn't strip me of vested interest; rather, it shifts my vested interest from Earth to Heaven - from self to God.” - Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle
Becoming an entrepreneur in my early twenties was the catalyst for me to learn about money and to take ownership of how I think about money and use it. It took me off autopilot. Though it was difficult, it's been extremely enlightening and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to get to learn how to view money differently. Changing how you think about your finances will be a lifelong journey.
We’ve come to Part 5 of this five-part series on money, let’s consider: what's the end goal? What's the destination that we're trying to get to with our finances?
For me, it's to live a generous and overflowing life.
As someone who's grown up in the first world and can thrive in the first world, I know that the amount of money I can make is truly limitless. There are literally thousands of different ways but I can generate income and resources for myself and others - even for people who live thousands of kilometres away, on the other side of the world and whom I will never meet. My actions can have a positive influence and impact on others life if I make my choices intentionally.
For me, totally surrendering my finances and my financial life to God is ultimate freedom. This includes my bank account balances, my credit card statements, my giving and every single outflow of money from “my” accounts into someone else’s.
I’d like to close this series with an overview and summary ways that ‘ve surrendered my finances to God and grow in the process.
I do not use the word spend anymore.
I mentioned this in the third instalment of the series. I use words like allocate, use, invest, distribute, and share. You can find the words that work for you that, That resonate for you that make you feel joyful for letting money flow out of the accounts that God has given to you and into other people's accounts.
Everytime I log into my accounts to check my statements, I check myself to see how I feel.
Am I feeling attached to this money and either happy or sad that there is more or less? Or am I feeling excited that I've made more? This to me is a sign that I've gotten attached to the money. They are not “my bank accounts” with “my money.” They are the accounts God has given me to stewart with money that is from God. I love to check in with myself and say, “right, this is God's money. I'm so grateful I got to learn how to use this money wisely. God give me the wisdom and insight to distribute and share and invest this money in the most wise fruitful and impactful ways.” This mini prayer sets me free. Of course there are times where I forget, but I never leave the webpage with my bank accounts without saying thank you. Thank you for this life.
Every time I am using my money to purchase goods and services, I like it just say a small silent prayer.
“I bless this money. Thank you for the products or services that I am receiving an exchange. I pray that this money goes into the business and blesses the people who work there, their families and their lives.”
I don't work in a job to earn money. I work because it is my joy and a part of my life purpose and receiving money for it is just a part of the process.
I prefer not to use the word “earn” because it creates a direct correlation between my time and and money. The reality is a lot of people put in time and energy and they are incredible leaders and what they earn would seem a lot less than they deserve. The spiritual laws that govern Money are much too vast to put into a simple word like “earn.” Because there is already so much emotional baggage attached to the word earn in our society, I choose to just use the word receive. It puts me in a state of gratitude for any amount I receive, instead of feeling like I should be earning more. I put in work and I receive.
When people are talking about money in terms of lack, I try to offer positive encouragement.
Sometimes in a conversation there is not a space for me to go into all the details of how I relate to money. I can notice when someone suddenly feels like they are worth more or less because they've lost or made more money. I try to hold the presence of security. If anything, I just remind them that they are not their jobs or their bank accounts. If it's a friend who is spiritually aware, I’ll remind her that she is a child of God and God is taking care of us. If it's someone who is not spiritually aware, I will remind her that when one door closes another door opens and that good things must be coming. What this does help share an abundance mindset. I've deliberately changed my perspective on money into one that is more fruitful and generous and serving. I'm not here to push it we're not ready for that shift yet, so I adopt a stance of observing and trying to uplift them. As you grow on your money journey, you'll also notice how other people relate to money. These are opportunities offer positive encouragement if there is space for it.
I give often and give freely.
This is my favourite way to really live out the spiritual money principles. Everything else I've mentioned above refers to changes in attitudes or thoughts or words. This is when we take real action. I will personally admit that at the beginning giving felt extremely awkward and sometimes it still does. But I love that it's getting easier and easier to give. It starts with giving to yourself. I know that I want to be a generous person. This means I am building a regular, consistent habit of giving money to people or paying for things. When I first discovered my resistance today I realized that because I don't even give to myself. I would never spend money on myself. That was not part of what I was taught growing up.
As I've grown, I understand now that God wants to bless us, because in the process we learn how to bless others. Nowadays I give to charities regularly. I tithe, which is the spiritual practice of giving 10% of your income to a source that feeds your soul such as a church. I also give whenever I feel the impulse. I try not to overthink it. I can always feel that little welling up a spirit in my soul and I know that it's time to give. So if I happen to have cash or my credit card I just give. I say thank you God for this opportunity to give to someone else.
I am on a journey of a completely reprogramming my inner paradigm around money. This series is like a snapshot of where I'm at right now. I expect that my paradigm around money will continue to evolve and deepen in my spiritual understanding of money and as I practice these principles.
I wrote this series because I wanted to hopefully Inspire and empower you to rethink your relationship with money. Money is truly a gift from God. As my mom says, even the ability to make money is a gift. No matter what amount it comes in it's still a gift, because there are people who will be making pennies today compared to what we can make in the first world. Even if you don't live in the first world, you have access to the Internet that opens up infinite potential for you.
Keep learning about how to steward money well. There are thousands of books on how to budget. Learn the practical aspects of managing, growing and investing money. Learn the spiritual aspects of managing, growing and investing money. Find different ways of relating to or talking about money that light up your soul. Finally, give. Give and bless others and it will come back to you a thousandfold!
Thank you so much for reading this 5-part series on MONEY! If you found this helpful, please feel free to share or bookmark it for future reference!
Dive into all 5 parts of the this blog series on Money:
Part 1: What It Means To Be Truly, Authentically Wealthy
http://www.anitawinglee.com/blog/authentically-wealthy-money-part-1-of-5
Part 2: Deconstructing and Appreciating Your Income (No Matter How Much You Make)
http://www.anitawinglee.com/blog/deconstructing-appreciating-your-income-part-2-of-5
Part 3: The True Purpose Of Money
http://www.anitawinglee.com/blog/the-true-purpose-of-money-money-part-3-of-5
Part 4: How To Spend Your Money Most Wisely
http://www.anitawinglee.com/blog/spend-your-money-most-wisely-money-part-4-of-5
Part 5: Totally Surrendering My Finances To God
http://www.anitawinglee.com/blog/totally-surrendering-my-finances-to-god-money-part-5-of-5
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Thank you so much for reading! 💛 Your presence here means a lot. Thank you for sharing in this journey with me.
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