In America, with education and hard work, it really does not matter where you come from; it matters only where you are going. Condoleeza Rice

Walking in God’s Favor: Blessed happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly following their advice, their plans and purposes, nor stands submissive and inactive in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down to relax and rest where the scornful and the mockers gather. But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God he habitually meditates ponders and studies by day and by night. Psalms 1:1-2 AMP

As faithful Christian stewards you obtain instructions and direction in  life from the BIBLE. (Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth). Biblical principles can teach you the following:  How to communicate with God; How to overcome your struggles;  How to love and forgive yourself as well as others; How to live healthy lives and how to relate to wealth.

It’s unfortunate that when it comes to making financial decisions, you often seek solutions to your financial struggles from a secular financial world view. Regardless of your skin color, the level of your education, or the amount of income you earn, following the popular advice of  American Greed or other secular resources, can often lead you away from God’s best for your life. Think about it; How much faith does it really takes you to get into debt?

You don’t sit down and consciously decide to borrow yourself into financial bondage. Usually you are influenced by listening to others who are in financial bondage themselves and appear to be enjoying it. You know what I mean?

Your friend or family member buys a new car with the leather package, GPS , satellite radio, heated seats and sun roof. They give you a ride…and of course you ask how much they paid for it. They explain how easily the dealership leased the vehicle to them so they could afford the payments. You think to yourself, “I can afford that”  so you run down to the dealership to join the ranks of our consumer driven society that is fueled by consumer debt.

Bottom line is, you are a generation that has forgotten or never learned how to financially discipline yourself to save for purchases and avoid debt. I challenge you to raise your financial IQ. Read the word of God and Christian authors who share God’s plan for relating to money. One of my favorite books that I recommend on finances, is by Lee Jenkins entitled, “Taking Care of Business”.

Surround yourself with faithful stewards who are givers and savers. As you learn how to become more fiscally wise, share what you learn with family members and meaningful others in your sphere of influence. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results.  Remember, keep praying, keep believing,  with God all things are possible.

Prayer of blessings:  Creator God, help us to seek wise godly counsel.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and five grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.