Season of Peace

Finding hope from fear, depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

personal experience

Financial Anxiety

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Financial Stress and anxiety and fearFinancial Anxiety

When you think of money or finances, is your stomach in knots? Does tax season stress you out? Are you living paycheck to paycheck? Are you constantly fretting layoffs or “restructuring”?

Finances can be a very anxious experience for many, even those who are well off. Managing money can be very stressful. Married couples often cite finances as the leading cause of conflict in marriage. It’s an incredibly serious issue in people’s lives.

Can you find peace in stressful financial situations? Can finances really become a place of peace and rest, or must they always be feared and anxiety-provoking?

When it comes to our financial economy, I’m terribly concerned for our country. Consumer debt is at an all time high. Credit companies have made it so easy to “buy now and pay later”. For one small monthly fee, you can have whatever you want. How many of those “small monthly fees” do you have?

This credit-driven lifestyle has made it too easy to spend more than we make. I recently read a statistic on consumer spending in America. Through most of the 1900’s, people spent on average about 30% less than what they made. That means people were saving money. Today, the average American spends more than they earn. That means nothing is being saved. Nothing is put away for unforeseen circumstances.

I can see why financial anxiety is rampant these days. The loss of a job, an emergency house repair, the car breaks down, again–all can be terribly stressful when it comes finances.

So, is there hope? Can you be free from financial anxiety? I shout a hearty YES. You can be free. But, it may take time and serious discipline. It probably took you years to get where you are now. For many, it’ll take years to dig yourself out of the financial pit. But, here’s the beautiful thing–God is faithful and he cares for you, even your finances.

Today, my wife and I live in financial freedom. And it’s not because we have lots of money. In fact, I’m a freelancer and so our finances ebb and flow depending on projects. Our financial freedom is a result of clear, money management skills and the discipline to live by those skills.

We live on a budget. We no longer use credit cards. We only buy used cars, and at the end of each month, we have money left over. Amazingly, we don’t feel at all constricted by this lifestyle. On the contrary, this lifestyle has given us incredible freedom.

“But you don’t know where we are. We’ve maxed out our credit cards? My husband lost his job. These medical bills keep getting higher and higher. We can barely get by.”

Here’s the most important message I learned about finances: it’s not a matter of how much or how little you make; it’s a matter of your heart. Financial freedom starts in your heart. Listen to what Jesus said, “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be” (Matthew 6:21).

Where is your treasure? A new car, a big house, a pair of jeans? Or, is your treasure in your family, your peace, or God? You see, where you put your money is where your heart is. Your money always follows your heart. So, make sure your heart is right when it comes to finances.

When my wife and I first got married, we were in debt. I was into new cars, new stereo equipment, new things. So when I prayed for financial freedom, I expected God to deposit a big sum of money into my account. What he did, though, was deposit wisdom into my heart. True financial freedom starts in your heart.

If you’re struggling with finances, I want to encourage you that you can be free from financial anxiety. God desires to help you, first with your heart and then with your finances. I have seen God move in amazing ways when it comes to finances, both in my life and in the lives of those we have counseled. There are great resources to help you in this journey towards financial freedom like Dave Ramsey or Crown Financial.

Prayer: Father, I need your help with finances. Financial anxiety is consuming me. I’ve made some bad money decisions in the past, and the financial consequences are overwhelming. First, change my heart. Then, give me a strategy to get my finances under control. Help me start down the road to financial freedom.

The Power Within

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lightning power strikeBy the time 1991 rolled around, I had struggled with anxiety and panic attacks most of my life. Yet, 1991 was a pivotal year for me. That’s the year I gave my heart to Christ completely. I was 26 years old.

When I became a Christian, I expected the fear and panic to go away. I expected those daily battles with anxiety and panic to stop. But, they didn’t. My logical mind really struggled with this. After all, didn’t Jesus defeat death on the cross? If so, then surely anxiety and panic were easy for him. Right? Yet, I prayed. I begged. I pleaded with God to free me for the fear. But, nothing happened. God was not moving on my behalf.

Or, so I thought.

Turns out, God already moved on my behalf. God already defeated fear and panic on the cross 2,000 years ago. You see, I was waiting on God, but the whole time, he was waiting on me.

Let me share a scripture with you. It starts out like this: “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” Ephesians 3:20a. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Here’s what God is able to do:

  • Exceedingly.
  • Abundantly.
  • Above all.
  • We can ask or think.

God can do a lot in our lives; yet, there is one thing that can limit him. There is something that can still the hand of God. That “something” is described in the second half of that scripture: “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.”

The word “according” here means “to the limit of”. God can do amazing, wonderful, powerful things in us, but we can limit God with our thoughts, our unbelief and our choices.

When it comes to panic and anxiety, we can’t wait on God to answer our prayers. You see, he’s already answered them. Through Christ, we have the power in us to stand against fear. We have the authority to resist the enemy. We have everything we need for victory.

It took me a few years to grasp this truth after becoming a Christian, but once I did, fear lost its power in my life. Fear no longer told me how to live. Fear lost its grip in my life, because the power of Christ was already inside of me, and if Christ lives in your heart, then you too have the power of Christ in you.

Let me share a recent example of how this work. Years ago, when fear reigned in my heart, I was terrified of driving. I hated driving long distances, and I hated going to places I had never been. Panic would sweep over me as I drove. Often, I would give into the fear, and it would consume my body and mind. Total panic.

When I realized that I had the power of Christ in me, I decided to no longer obey those fearful thoughts. Sure, they still came, but I wouldn’t give in to them. Fear would say, “Don’t go there. Don’t drive. Don’t leave your house. Don’t go this way.” But today, when I hear those thoughts, “I make it a priority to do those things that irrational fear tells me not to.”

In the summer of 2006, my wife was finishing up her one-month stay in Mexico. She had flown down Guanajuato, Mexico to study Spanish. She was scheduled to fly home on the weekend, but my son and I decided to drive down into deep Mexico and surprise her. Now, fear was saying, “That’s stupid. You could get lost or hurt or worse.” And, others around me spoke similar words of fear. But, the more fear spoke, the more determined I was to go.

My son I and made the 17 hour drive into Guanajuato, Mexico and surprised my wife. Then, we drove 18 hours back. It was a wonderful trip! We had the best time. My wife was so surprised, and this is now one of our most cherished memories. It was a great time! The drive was amazing, peaceful and beautiful. There was no fear.

But, if I had listened to fear, we would have never had such a wonderful experience. My son and I documented our entire trip on video. So, if you would like to share in our journey, check out this link.

Prayer: Father, show me where I have limited you. Teach me to release your power through me so that you can do exceedingly, abundantly above all I can ask or think, in the name of Jesus.