Seven Keys To Financial Faith By Terry Somerville

When I was first saved I saw some amazing provision from the Lord.  I just trusted Him and didn't even think about it.  The most remarkable provision was when I entered university to begin training for ministry. I walked  into a brand new pizza store and walked out with a delivery job earning over $100 a night! This was 1975 when  minimum wage  was $1.65 an hour!  A few years later Karen and I were getting married. A month before the wedding we had only a few hundred dollars for a small honeymoon. A few weeks later we had $3000!   God is amazing. We just trusted Him and provision and blessings happened frequently.

For the next twenty five years I  received  a church salary.  The congregation became my source.   It was easy to preach "trust God" but frankly I lost my simple faith.  Six years ago I climbed out of the secure financial boat into itinerant ministry and a "tent making" business.  Now I was in the storm of supplying for my family, and it has been a challenge learning to have faith for finances.  Pastors, I can tell you, we don't know anything about financial faith until we climb out of that boat and have to walk on water.   Since that time I've experienced  quite a transformation in trusting God. Sometimes it's been difficult, sometimes exciting, but I would never go back.  Here are six keys I have learned.

1. Desperate Rowing Doesn't Work.  
Many times I've been rowing desperately in my financial life.   I'm praying desperately. The bills can't be paid, there's no work for my company or the offering in the meetings were not sufficient.  I'm like the disciples in the storm. "Lord! Don't you care if we perish???"  Jesus says "where is your faith" and calms the storm.  Many of my prayers for finances had no faith at all.  (Actually they were worrying on my knees.)  I finally learned that desperate rowing does not work. I had to believe the Father actually loved me.   There comes a point in trusting God that you stop rowing and let Him work. You have to believe that He will care for you and let Him.  

2. I had to Repent Of Religious Performance
Once I could no longer depend on a salary, the Lord wanted me to learn to depend on Him.  I was tithing and giving yet I was going deeper and deeper into debt. Finally Karen and I took a weekend away and just sought Him about finances. As I poured over the scriptures the Lord convinced me that I was depending on my self righteousness, believed that tithing was a condition for grace! I was not trusting what He had done in Christ!   When I saw this I was astonished. What a stupid, sinful, dishonoring thing for a Christian to be doing.  "No one is justified by works of the law" and "Christ fulfilled the whole law".  Here I was trying obtain the Lord's  help by fulfilling an Old Covenant  ritual law . Yet He is wanting to bless us and meet our needs just because He loves us.  

Religion is a tremendous stronghold, with demonic power. I came under this stronghold through years as a pastor  and giving myself over to religious tradition. Yes, the modern teaching of Christian tithing is a man made tradition that will keep you from faith in this area!  We need to repent of and renounce every form of religious performance before we can begin walking in financial faith.

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. Matt 8:7

3. We Can Build Our Financial Faith
Like faith in any area, financial faith is not  automatic, but we can increase it.   

• We start with a measure of faith because we are seeking  Christ. 
• We  plant the seed of the word of God about finances  in our hearts. 
• We dealt with the bad soil of our hearts.
• We begin to know He loves us and will takes care of us.  
• Like a good habit, eventually financial faith rises up in our hearts.

You are not stuck. The Lord has ample provision for you. Like the disciples, you can start where you are and see your faith grow.  Be encouraged.

4. We Must Deal With The Soil Of Our Hearts
 The parable of the sower and the seed  (Mark 4) tells us our hearts can be stony, thorny,  or good.   You can tell when the soil of your heart needs to change because the word disappears.  For example, how does your heart react when you take in the word of God on finances?  You may quote "my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory" but you immediately go back to worrying. This means the word is not taking root, growing and bearing fruit in your heart. You need to deal with the soil! You can repent and CHANGE your heart.  The bible says you can "break up the fallow ground" of your heart, and receive the new one He promised.

Heres what happens in various soils according to Jesus.

• THE WORD DISAPPEARS  15 These are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

• NO ENDURANCE 16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

• OTHER INTERESTS  18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

• THE WORD WORKS 20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

A Note on "Confessing the Promises"
  Confessing the promises is not actually  faith, but trying to build faith. That is OK, we need to do it, but real faith  doesn't need to talk itself into trusting God. It just does.  Much of what we call faith is actually "make believe". We are trying to make ourself  believe the word. Recognize what your heart is  doing,  and start tilling the soil.

We can change the soil of our hearts by repentance, and changing our behavior.  With the help of the Holy Spirit you can bring your heart into the place of simple faith. His promise that He gives us a "new heart, and a new and right spirit".

5. It's Not What You Do, It's Who You Are
Here is the greatest key of all.  When we begin to experience financial faith we discover  it's not about what we do, but who we are. We are beloved children of the Father. Children don't worry about what Dad or Mom will feed them tonight. They don't worry about tomorrow. Why? Because they are children and it doesn't even enter their minds. Our struggle comes because we have conformed to the ways of the world. The world teaches us that we must be self sufficient. It teaches us us all we must do. On my financial faith - journey I had to repent of believing I was a "self made man".  I thought that since I was young.   But the Lord wants us to know who we are IN HIM. His beloved children. He wants to lavish His riches on us, but we can be in the way and not even know it!

Financial Faith Is Not Passive 
Now, faith does not mean we don't do anything. We don't passively sit around waiting for money from heaven.  No.  How did He bless Abraham? He blessed the cattle He herded. He worked.  We need to understand that we are His and everything we own is His. A Total Stewardship.   His provision today may be a gift. Tomorrow it may be the work we need. The next day he may do a miracle in the work we are doing -  like the  miracle catch of fish.  All is His.  Our source is God, and He works in our work, our play, our relationships.  We need to it's not what we do, (though we are doing) it's who we are.

Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work. 9 As it is written,  “He scatters everywhere and gives to the poor; his righteousness lasts forever.”
2 Cor.9:8

Total Stewardship
Besides being children we are also stewards of what God provides in our lives, ALL IS HIS.  Many of Christ's parables are about servants and stewards. Stewards are entrusted with goods and responsibilities and must be faithful. Financial faith depends on FORSAKING ALL personal ownership. If He cannot trust you with the worlds goods, how can He trust you with true riches?

6. When Doubt Ceases, Miracles Begin
Doubt is the enemy of faith. When Peter walked on the water, he looked at the wind and waves and began to sink. Jesus said to him "oh ye of little faith, why did you doubt?"  Peter had a little faith and it was enough to walk on water! But doubt stopped it.  Jesus said

“ For truly I tell you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.
Matthew 17:20

You have enough faith to receive provision from God!  You must deal with the doubts that kill it.   I found it is the same as healing ministry. When you have no doubt, miracles happen. As soon as you begin worry or analysis, the miracles stop.   Doubts come because we believe the worlds point of view. We must SET OUR MINDS on the things above, until that is our mind set!  In healing ministry I set my mind on Christs love for people, until all I see is His love. I don't see or analyze the sickness. I find  the same is true for finances.  You can kill your doubts and simply believe.  Ask the Lord to help.

7. Financial Faith  Is Easy - Enter Into His Rest
We make financial faith so hard. We add religious performance to it - pray right, tithe right, confess right, and so on. But financial faith is easy. It's found in the place of rest. I remember  Karen and I discovering this and how overjoyed we were. We had been desperately rowing, asking for help for our finances. I had no work in my business. We had been praying and begging God for help. Finally  we said "lets stop asking and start thanking.  After all, we are His children. He promised to take care of us. He said not to worry."  So we simply stopped struggling and prayed "we are sorry for worrying. Thank you Lord that you love us. Thank you that you ARE looking after us and you have work for us. Your Kingdom come!"

For the first time there was a simple rest in that prayer. As we prayed, the phone rang with work. HIGH PAYING WORK!  AMAZING!  This scenario has happened countless times.   We choose to enter His rest about provision.  Sometime we have to fight to get there, but when do, provision comes.  In fact I've been astonished how the money seems to be there when we need it.

Recently, I could see how we needed $500 more a month. Normally I would never have the extra in the company to pay myself more.  I felt a release in my heart and said "By faith I receive $500 more a month! Thank you Lord."  That was six months ago, and the  money has been there every month, even on holidays and even facing unexpected company expenses.  By faith, we decided to enter His rest and just receive.
 

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matt 6

Conclusion
Yes you can! You can enter into His provision. You can find and renounce religion. You can dealt with the soil of your heart until the seed of the word grows. You can know His love and care for you. You can become like a child and from a place of rest see Him provide.