finance |fʌɪˈnans, fɪ-, ˈfʌɪnans|noun [ mass noun ]the management of large amounts of money, especially by governments or large companies: [ as modifier ] • (finances) the monetary resources and affairs of a state, organization, or person: our finances are stretched to the limit.

I always say, “God doesn’t care that we have things, He cares if the things have us.”

Personal possessions don’t matter to God quite as much as they matter to us. I don’t think we will enter heaven one day (seeing the magnificent streets of gold and the gates made of pearl) and say, “God shouldn’t have! This is too much!”. His means are boundless. His provision is limitless. He blesses us when He knows He can bless others through us!

Surrender
Surrender is the ultimate expression of faith in all areas of our lives–including our finances. Surrendering your finances to God shows where your heart really is. In Matthew 19:16-29, Jesus challenges the heart of the rich man who comes to him asking how to receive eternal life. Jesus got straight to his heart’s desire by asking him to give away all that he owned and follow him. Challenged, the man walked away from Jesus, dejected because his “god” was truly his money.

Now, Jesus didn’t challenge every rich person he met to give away all that he owned. Owning nice things or being wealthy wasn’t the point. Jesus always goes straight to the heart of the issue, being quite often through where we put our “treasure”.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

Obedience in Tithing
Tithing can be quite scary for many people. I always hear people say, “I know God says that I should give the first 10% back to him, but I can’t afford to tithe.”

That’s why you’re under stress. You know His command, but you don’t fully trust in His provision.

I believe God asks us to give Him the first 10% of everything He gives us because it is the ultimate display of complete faith and trust in Him. Those who tithe faithfully can testify that God really does miraculously make the 90% go much farther than the 100%. Even if the numbers don’t add up logically, God is faithful to bless those that honor and obey His commands–even when they don’t make sense to us. I believe Him at His word, and I have grown to love and enjoy giving back to Him for all He has done in my life! (Malachi 3:10-12)

Learning Diligence from My Incredible Mother
Growing up with a single mother, I saw her work hard to provide all the things that my siblings and I needed. Diligent consistency, when it comes to work, is all I’ve ever known. Watching her work ethic has molded my character and made me who I am today.

Although there was only one stream of income for our entire family, I never knew that my mom struggled the way she did to pay bills and to take care of us. We had a very comfortable life (by no means wealthy), but my mom worked hard to provide for her family while continuing to achieve her goals in reaching a higher education. She received her Ph.D while working full-time and moved up the vocational ladder over the years as a Kindergarten Teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal and eventually as the Superintendent of the entire school district. She worked harder than anyone I’ve ever known and never gave up on her goals and dreams.

I know it was hard for her to go back to school to get her Ph.D, but at the age of 50, she would travel on weekends to Texas A&M in College Station to complete her Doctorate in Superintendency. She pressed on, despite all setbacks. She is the best role model I’ve ever known, and the reason I would learn to overcome obstacles in my own life.

Overcoming Obstacles for Ultimate Success
I have had the unique opportunity to live from paycheck to paycheck AND to not have to look at the price of everything I buy in the grocery store. I live a blessed life, but I also know where I came from and the hard work that is required to live the way I am able to now.

Not many people talk about the cost of success.

You have to be tough to be a able to achieve success (and stay there). You have to have courage to attain the responsibilities of winning. You have to learn to live with the criticism you’ll receive from those who don’t support you or your vision (the number of critics against you will always grow right along with your level of influence). You must choose to focus on your dreams and goals to be able to withstand the negativity that could bring you down.

Foundation First
Solid foundations are necessary for building a lasting structure. If you don’t have a foundation that is solid, God has nothing to build upon. When you ask for “more” (more influence, children, opportunity, money–whatever your “more” is), remember that there are always new challenges that come right along with that “more”. Prepare a solid foundation (faith in God, knowledge, wisdom and understanding) for yourself through God’s Word and constant prayer.

You can’t expect to get more success and wealth without more criticism and challenges. More means more! Expect for both to come hand in hand.

When God has you marked for greatness, He spends a lot of time on your “groundwork”, preparing you for the calling He has on your life. He will bring you to a place of humility where you will finally listen to Him and learn to be obedient to His voice. He takes you through things that are painful to build up your resilience–your foundation. These levels of training are necessary so that you don’t break under pressure.

Being a “good” person is not enough. You must have a solid foundation to fall back on when the storms of this life come (and they will come, without fail). We always default back to our foundation when the troubles and cares of this world come against us.

Are you grounded on a solid foundation?

Can you handle being blessed?

God is so faithful to us. He uses difficult circumstances in our lives to ground us, anchor us in Him and strengthen us for the journey of where He is trying to take us.

Believe Him at His word today, and begin to live in peace and joy through a completely surrendered life!

XO-
Sabrina

Love these photos of my mom and I.  She is forever my example!