My hope for my children must be that they respond to the still small voice of God in their own hearts. Andrew Young

Walking In God’s Favor: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 1Corinthians 13:11 NLT

Change Starts in Your Thinking

Moving from a life of struggle to a life of stability is an individual choice. Many of you cannot see yourselves  maturing from a life of struggle to a life of  stability; therefore you remain in a life struggle.

Faithful stewards learn to live on a budget and give their money a mission.  But more importantly,  faithful stewards are accountable to God. The faithful steward has learned to say “no” to the person in the mirror,  and “yes” to God’s voice.

Leaping Forward With A New Attitude

One of the keys that differentiate the life of struggle with the life of stability is the will to delay immediate gratification for long-term goals. One sign of spiritual maturity is the will to choose long-term goals over short-term  gain.

I (Michael) clearly remember our parents teaching us the connection between work and money.  As a kid, they would give my two younger brothers and me money for doing chores like cutting the grass, raking leaves or washing the car.

As soon as I received my money, I would run down to the corner grocery store to spend every penny I had earned on Chinese Sweet & Sours Balls, Red Hots, banana flavored Now & Laters, and  my favorite, Hostess Chocolate Twinkies.

My parents would comment how  I had holes in my pocket when they observed how quickly I spent my money. They found teachable moments  to encourage me  to save.  They planted seeds of wisdom like ” Money don’t grow on trees” in  my life.  My parents were the first teachers who sowed into my life the importance of working hard and saving money.

Trust the Process: Time has a way of showing you what really matters 

My truth (Michael) is, even today as an adult I struggle with delaying immediate gratification for long term goals. Sharing My Testimony  The desire to spend money I don’t have, to  buy things I don’t  need, to impress people I don’t know.  That desire to spend money grew into an uncontrollable desire to have wealth without going through the process of  developing the financial skills necessary to manage wealth.

In order for you to move to a life of stability you are going to have to go through the process. It’s your choice. You have the ability to become a better steward of your wealth. We are a living example that God will empower in your life  to do that which you cannot do on your own. Remember keep praying, keep believing, with God all things are possible.

Prayer of Blessing: Lord, give us transformational power.

Michael J. Vance is the co-founder of Stewardshipofwealth.com and the co-host of a weekly podcast Better Husband Father Man your hub for all things marriage, parenting, and self-improvement. Michael J. Vance is a senior account executive with Hundley Batts & Associates Insurance Agency. Ardella Vance volunteers her time, talents, and financial resources to causes she is passionate about. 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 30 years and share their lives with four adult children and seven grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog from their financial workbook  “The Stewardship of Wealth“.