Life of discontent

 

In yesterday's post, I want to clarify that it's understandable for someone who's poor to focus on money. In our society, it's extremely difficult to get by without it. What happened though, with my husband and me, was that inability to be satisfied with what we did have.
     I can't help but put a lot of the blame on him, my husband because he couldn't hold down a job, yet he loved to shop. My part in the blame was trying to make it so that he could have everything he wanted. I'm the one who allowed us to get buried in debt. If I hadn't been afraid to stand up to him, I would have shown him our income and our expenses and I should have left it to him to work out. If hindsight were foresight..., and woulda, shoulda, coulda...
     All of that is in the past and he's gone now so I hate to blame him, but I also want any who read this to know I understand the struggles of being poor. However, now I know that had I put forth as much effort in prayer as I put into finding ways to make more money, and had I paid tithes and helped those less fortunate than myself, that God would've helped me. He would have guided me, encouraged me, shown me the way. I never ever asked Him. I quit praying years before that and just basically tried to live my life without Him. That's exactly the same time that my life turned around for the worse.
     Because I was saved, He did help me, though; I didn't realize it was Him, at the time. God dug us out of debt several times and helped us get back on our feet, but since we didn't seek His direction, we just kept making the same mistakes over and over again.
     It wasn't until I reconnected with God and turned my focus on Him that my life turned around for the better.

Keep your life free from love of money, 

and be content with what you have, f

or he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5 ESV

*********

Please join me this week in praying for those who put the love of money above their love of Jesus. Let's pray that their eyes are opened to how it separates them from God. May they see that money cannot provide the peace and joy that knowing Christ can. Money doesn't fill that void inside of us. The Holy Spirit does.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible  #money #idols #evil #faith

Love of money

 

This verse was mentioned yesterday during Bible Study, and although I've heard it many, many times, it finally hit me that maybe part of the reason I didn't search for God during my first marriage is because I was always pursuing money.
     We didn't have much and so I was always trying to find the get-rich-quick scheme. I was kind of the female, real-life version of Ralph Kramden and Fred Flintstone. The next opportunity was just around the corner. Our credit cards were always maxed out and we could barely afford the minimum payment each month. It was a hopeless, no-win situation. Whenever something did happen that allowed us to pay off our debt, we would just start the whole process all over again. Part of that was wanting to live beyond our means. We coveted what others had, mostly vacations. Instead of being content with what we had, we always "needed" more.
     The energy and effort spent craving and pursuing money would be better spent on Jesus. He provides for our needs. When we put all of our faith in money, we are really worshipping an idol.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

1 Timothy 6:10 ESV

*********

Please join me this week in praying for those who put the love of money above their love of Jesus. Let's pray that their eyes are opened to how it separates them from God. May they see that money cannot provide the peace and joy that knowing Christ can. Money doesn't fill that void inside of us. The Holy Spirit does.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible  #money #idols #evil #faith

Too much stuff

I grew up in a middle-class family and as far as I knew, we never wanted for anything. Part of that was because my parents never talked about finances in front of us, but still, we had a house, food, clothing, transportation.
     Then, I got married and found out what it was like to be poor. We lived paycheck to paycheck and were always robbing Peter to pay Paul. During that time, I remember thinking, "if we only had more money," as if that would solve all of our problems.
     We did eventually make more money, but, like so many others, with a higher income came a more expensive house, a more expensive car, premium cable channels, etc.,... in other words, the more we made, the more we spent and so I was still thinking, "if we only had more money."
     Each time we moved, we needed a bigger and bigger moving truck which meant we were accumulating more stuff every year. Our basement became a storage space full of bins and I didn't even remember what they contained.
     All of this was during my dark time when I wasn't with the Lord. I wasn't in the Word, I wasn't going to church, I wasn't even praying, and I attribute the darkness of life during that time as a result of trying to go it alone. God was there, I just never spoke to Him. Therefore my possessions became my "god" so to speak; they were what I wanted, so in reality, they were what I "worshipped". I thought I could find contentment in storing up treasures on earth. I was wrong.

And he said to them, 

“Take care, and be on your guard 

against all covetousness, 

for one's life does not consist in the 

abundance of his possessions.”

Luke 12:15 ESV

*********

Please join me this week in praying for someone who is discontent.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe
Instagram @archadia27
Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power