Overcoming the Fear of Finances || Living With a Kingdom Financial Mindset

Have you ever found yourself on the hamster wheel of fear; endlessly running away from the very thing you’re afraid of just to find yourself right back where you started? So often in life, we can find ourselves in this endless cycle as we fret; spinning around and around until we regret ever taking a step on the wheel of dread. 

I’ve been there myself, holding on to fear until the very thing I incessantly worried about became a self-fulfilled prophecy. I’d propose, sometimes we fear something so much that we grasp it with all our might as if we are the savior of our own lives. When living in this state of fear, our actions quickly become consumed and dictated by the fear we are living in. What I am getting at is, sometimes the very reason we are in lack is because we didn’t take the seed we were given and do anything with it, instead we held it tight until we suffocated the life in it. Often, the question isn’t how much seed were you given, but what did you do with the seed? 

We see this very scene played out in the Parable of the Talents. “Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed? Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival, I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore: take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ (Matthew 25:24-28)

Did you catch that? The servant said, “I was afraid.” Fear is not our friend. Now, let me be clear, this doesn’t mean you should go out and spend all you have because fear is the only thing keeping you back. Rather, fear is not the emotion to operate out of, wisdom is. 

We are in a unique economic climate in history with much fear and uncertainty in the air. I recently sat down with Matt Moseley, the CEO of Cornerstone Bank in Redding Ca. During our conversation, Matt stated, “If you are holding onto your seeds so much because you are so scared of dropping any of them, then you’re definitely not planting any of them.” It’s a biblical principle to invest the seeds we have been given in life. That might practically look like starting with shifting your mindset and being generous even when you feel like you have nothing to be generous with. 

I’d propose that often we misdiagnose a poverty mentality because we don’t recognize that it is connected to our identity. 

But, the truth is the promised land of princehood is filled with the Father’s blessings. God wants to lavish His love on us, pour out His blessings in us, and give more than we can contain! The Psalms put it best, “How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever” (Ps. 112:1-3).

I want to challenge you this week to examine your beliefs about who God says you are. How have your beliefs about your identity affected the way you approach finances? Invite Holy Spirit to partner with you in finances to show you areas of your life where you can grow in generosity and open your hand in faith.