...when self-sufficiency takes us down the road to self-destruction, God stops us in our tracks by humbling us, allowing us to live on the bare essentials until He shapes us into a vessel of His light, humility, and righteousness.
Financial strains aren’t just about money woes. For many of us, they’re also a test of trust in God's faithfulness and provision—a telling reflection of our current spiritual condition.
Challenging the Shame of Being Poor
You’ve probably heard people say that financial breakthrough is always a sign of God’s providence. It almost feels like being poor is a result of God’s divine act of judgment, a well-deserved retribution for the wrongs we recklessly pursued.
While there are times when financial hardships are God’s way of exacting justice, subjecting someone to severe chastisement, this doesn’t hold true all the time. In the same vein, financial wealth isn’t always a reward or blessing from the Lord. Think about people with fat bank accounts whose money was derived from criminal ventures, such as smuggling, gambling, pornography, and other unlawful activities.
I, myself, have experienced times of scarcity and times of plenty. And like most Christians, feelings of shame bubble up to the surface during those times when we’re stretched thin, running on empty—living in quiet disgrace. We can attribute these strong emotions of shame and embarrassment to a long-held sentiment among fellow believers regarding the curse associated with poverty and the blessings attached to prosperity.
We’re so terrified to be judged. You know—people might say, "Oh, she must have done something terrible to warrant such a blow to her finances.”
Not to mention, many prosperity pastors tout financial prosperity as a core blessing from God. Is it any wonder many fall into the trap of ascribing their financial troubles to unfaithfulness and disobedience? However, if a person duped others with their money or was involved in illegal activities, and as a consequence of his greed, suffered financial setbacks, that, my friend, is a whole different story.
“Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle, but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it.” Proverbs 13:11
Nevertheless, if that’s not the case, being poor should not be attributed to sin or disobedience to God’s will. If you were to explore stories of God’s servants in the Bible, even the most loyal would have to bear the hardships of financial deprivation like Job, Joseph, and the Apostles, among others.
The Lord Himself lived a life of frugal simplicity. Matthew 8:20 (NKJV) says, “And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.'”
Why Do Christians Experience Financial Hardships?
There are a few reasons why we, at times, experience struggles in our finances:
1. Chastisement
God would sometimes allow us to subsist on little, living with limited means to train us to trust in His faithfulness and walk the path of humility. When the Israelites wandered the wilderness for 40 years, God provided them with quail and manna, their primary staple food, a stark contrast to the selection of food they so relished in Egypt during their captivity.
God knows that a man with a hollow, fragile faith can easily drift away from Him when life is replete with riches and abundance. When success piles up, with every achievement leading to the next without a hitch, we are more prone to draw strength from our ability, instead of relying on God.
Our world today champions self-reliance, which isn’t bad in itself. But when self-sufficiency takes us down the road to self-destruction, God stops us in our tracks by humbling us, allowing us to live on the bare essentials until He shapes us into a vessel of His light, humility, and righteousness.
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18-20 (KJV)
Success and prosperity can cause us to inflate our worth if our faith is hollow and shaky, leading us to veer off God's path. And this is what God is shielding us from: being so wrapped up in our own competence that we start to drift away from Him, leading us astray.
2. Not a Good Steward of Money
We may also have to admit that, quite often, we can only attribute our money woes to laziness and poor financial choices. Many times, we have seen how many of us live paycheck to paycheck due to mismanaging household budgets.
“For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?” Luke 14:28
“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8 (NKJV)
And if we want God to shower us with blessings, helping us achieve financial targets sans the stress, we need to learn to give from the heart. Surface-level giving is not sacrificial giving as it always demands a return on investment, often driven by self-serving motives.
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again" Luke 6:38
3. Preparing You for Your Mission
Many times we have witnessed through other people’s testimonies how God uses hardships to mold their character, a way to prepare them for a life’s mission. Didn’t Moses, David, Joseph, and Paul, among others, go through life’s searing tribulations before God entrusted them with their tasks?
Thus, we have to ask, “What difficulties am I going through at the moment?” Setbacks in your finances? God may be training you to be a good steward of money. He may want to use you to provide for others, to be rich in compassion and sacrificial giving.
When Financial Strain Takes Its Toll
Find peace in the truth of God’s Word. When money runs short, we are prone to sulk in the corner. Fear and negative thoughts start to mess with our heads if we’re not rooted in His truth. Truth be told, financial setbacks can leave some spiraling down to depression and self-harm. If these are not the results of the enemy’s wicked schemes, what else could they be?
One thing I learned when going through tough times is to accept what is. Quite often, acceptance can chip away some of the burdens that weigh heavily on us. It is what it is. It’s not easy, but at times that’s the only thing we can do; to accept what’s before us and do the best we can with the situation we’re in. When things were rough, I tried to live each day one step at a time, and doing so helped tremendously with my mental health.
“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
It’s like flowing to the rhythm of the river. Let go and do not resist; let God carry you through the journey ahead. God is faithful, as can be proven through a stream of victories of His most loyal servants who after suffering greatly were able to step onto calmer ground because they trusted the Lord in their dark season.
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)
I am not trying to glorify poverty nor do I vilify prosperity. It all comes down to the fact that once we‘ve reached maturity in our Christian faith, we will realize that both can be blessings from the Lord.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
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