by Andrew Weaver

The principles of this message apply to Christians of any age, but I would like to especially share this with the young people to encourage you as you prepare for a life of success when it comes to money, marriage (part 2), and ministry (part 3). I want to give you a few specific things, some practical things, you can do right now to begin laying a foundation for success. [This article covers only the first part, money].

Success in Money

I will define success in money as: “Handling your finances in such a way that God is glorified and the world is baffled.” If God is not glorified, or if the world perfectly understands what you are doing, then something is wrong. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:2 that we are not to be conformed to the world. In the realm of business most of our interaction is with the world, with the unsaved. That is not right or wrong; that is simply the way it is.

The world should be looking on and be puzzled at the life of a Christian. The Bible says that the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. Yet too many times when the world looks on at our business, our handling of finances, it makes perfect sense to them, because our goals are their goals: we hope to expand; we want to keep pushing this business bigger and bigger; we want more customers; we want more money; we want the bigger bottom line. We’re often missing our very best and biggest opportunity to show them what it is to be conformed to a different standard, to be transformed by the power of God.

Matthew 6:21 tells us, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Where we spend most of our money is where our heart is. Is every detail of my life—even the little purchases that I make—under Gods control? Sometimes we have this attitude that God cares about anything over $1000, or over $100, $20, or whatever, but below that, it’s totally my own thing. But God desires to be a part of every aspect of our life. He wants us to be constantly communicating with Him, constantly making Him a part of our life. He will naturally influence what we do with even a one-dollar bill.

You do not need to be apologetic about the fact that you have a job and are earning money. Sometimes there is this extreme veneration of full-time workers (i.e., missionaries, pastors), and we feel apologetic for anything different than that. But the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, [what’s more basic and earthly than that?] or whatsoever ye do, [anything at all] do all to the glory of God.” It is possible to have a job and earn money to the glory of God. Working and providing for the people for whom you are responsible can be a holy thing, an act of worship.

Listen to His Voice

Our lives should be one of constant communication with God. When faced with a decision, I very naturally (as naturally as breathing) listen for His voice to direct me. For example, let’s say you are going to buy a shirt. You look at the options on the rack and find one that the price seems right and that seems to express what you want to express. You would not tell the clerk, “All right, I’ll go home and pray and fast about it for three days, and then be back with my decision.” That would be an impossible burden.

But if you are walking with God (your heaven above you is open, your conscience is free, and throughout the day you have been having communion with God) and now you are faced with this decision, if you reach for the wrong shirt and hear the Spirit saying “no,” you will say, “Yes, Father.” You will back off and get His direction. You will have a feeling of peace, a sense of His blessing or approval on what you are doing. There’s no burden in that; that’s a privilege, a joy! But you can’t expect to ignore God the rest of the day, and now when you’re faced with this decision say, “Come on now and help me make this decision! I need You.”

Many of us would probably be surprised if we knew how other people read us. The purchases we make, the cars that we drive, the clothes that we wear, the things we buy—all these things tell onlookers pretty clearly who is in charge when those purchases are being made. Is it God? Or is it my old flesh? Again, I don’t believe that God leads everyone in precisely the same details. The important thing is obedience—the kind of relationship with God where you know His voice, and you know that you have His approval for what you do.

Contentment Starts Now

I Timothy 6:8 gives us a standard that is very much out of sync with modern American thinking. It says that as long as we have food and clothing, we should be content. How many Americans do you know who actually have that as their standard? Food and clothing—maybe we could stretch it a little and say shelter as well—but having that, are they content? Isn’t there always a drive for more?

Each one of us needs to cultivate the kind of relationship with God where He has the freedom to speak to us about small details. I’m not going to make prophesies about what God will do in your individual lives, but as you consult God, I suspect some of you are not going to be given the freedom to carry a cell phone like everyone else does. I don’t know how much of a status symbol that is here, but in Latin America where I live, it still is. There are a lot of places where cell phones are new, and it’s a big thing to have one. There is no doubt that it is a big blessing even in the work of God to some people, but not everyone needs one. If you follow God, you might be the only one out in the crowd that doesn’t have one. People may not understand your reasons, and you may not be given a chance to explain. You have no obligation to make sure that everyone understands this is a matter of “spirituality.” Not at all. You just follow God, keep your mouth shut, and He’ll take care of the rest.

It may mean no Palm computer. No doubt, that is a real blessing. I’ve had one myself when I was in business in South Carolina. It was a real help. But not everybody needs one. I don’t need one now. But if we follow God on those little details, He may surprise us. We can’t just follow the crowd and spend the money because we have it available.

It is very likely that as you really put God in charge of your finances, you’re going to drive a car that is a bit older and has a few more miles and wear and tear than the cars of a lot of your friends. Again, you’re under no obligation to make sure that everyone understands that there is a spiritual reason for this, and they appreciate and admire you for it. You just follow God’s Spirit.

When you’re looking at the options on cars, take Jesus with you; hear His opinion. Again, I don’t believe He’s going to tell us all exactly the same thing. He has work for some people that involves a lot of traveling. They’re going to need a better car, something reliable. That is fine. God is going to show you what is best for your circumstance, and of course, He may do that through advice of other people too. It’s not just a matter of between God and me alone. It’s all balanced with the input from your parents, from godly leaders, from other people.

It’s very possible that your clothes will stand out as being obviously from the second-hand store, instead of the name brands that are popular and everybody recognizes. That would be a real embarrassment for some people. What if God tells you: “I have much better use of the money you’ve earned. I want you to go do your shopping here, to buy your shirts for a dollar a piece”? Would you be willing for that?

That’s a small sacrifice. That is nothing compared to what you’re going to do if you go to the mission field. And I hear lots of dreams and visions (very good ones) about how you’re going to live when you get into these difficult circumstances. But you can start practicing right now.

Giving Sacrificially

When God has gotten this lesson of contentment into your heart, I believe that He is going to begin to teach you to give sacrificially. Most of us don’t know much about this. We are so blessed materially that it is hard to give enough that we are actually sacrificing, that we actually suffer genuine need because we’ve over-given.

I hear the visions of the young people, especially the ones with a desire to serve God in foreign missions, to live like they do, on their level. I hear people talk about being content with a dirt floor, not needing a vehicle, but walking or riding a bicycle everywhere. That’s great. I believe in that vision too, but my question is, “When are you going to start?” Are you going to wait until you get there? Are you going to pamper yourself with everything you can afford here, and then get there and expect to become a tough soldier overnight?

It’s not going to happen. The way this world operates with all the transportation and things you can ship, it’s going to be very easy for you to indulge yourself even in a foreign country. I could get basically anything I want shipped up the river to our house. If you haven’t learned to live sacrificially, to give sacrificially, to be content, you will take every means at your disposal to make your life more comfortable, and you won’t be true to that vision you have. But you can start right now.

God Meets Our Needs

I never had an opportunity quite like this as long as we lived in the States. A while ago we were completely out of money. There was not one dollar in the house. As it was, we still had food to eat, but the groceries were getting low, and it was time to buy some food. I knew that there was a little bit of money left in our bank account. But the town was about an hour away and we did not have the one dollar it takes to ride the bus there so I could withdraw it. So we had an opportunity to trust the Lord, and say, “God, here’s a need; we need one dollar. Would you please provide that?” And of course, within a very short time, someone came and wanted to buy a little bit of fruit. I sold a basket of fruit, I got one dollar, I went to the bank, I got what I needed for that week’s groceries. I would never have had that privilege if I had been living in such abundance that God never had that opportunity.

I also feel very privileged that my children got to see that. They are too young to understand it yet, but I hope those things will happen again.

When I bought my first car I didn’t spend much time consulting the Lord. I bought what I wanted. It was a very nice car, but in retrospect I regret the amount of money I spent on it. But I was only learning then to walk with God. Then I got an opportunity to spend a few months in Central America after hurricane Mitch had devastated several countries there, and I had my parents sell the car for me while I was there working. Being in the midst of all the poverty and homeless people, I couldn’t come back and drive a car like that again. When I came back I told the Lord, “This time I want You involved.”

It was a terrible experience dealing with used car salesmen. I walked out on one. Though he dropped the price, I knew he was lying to me about the car. I told the Lord, “Maybe you don’t even want me to have a car, that’s fine. I quit. I’m not going to keep on going out there trying to find something I like." And I asked the Lord for a figure, "How much to you think it is right for me to spend on a vehicle?" And I felt he clearly gave me a dollar figure, so much, but not more.

The very next day I got a phone call, and our neighbor said, “Hey, are any of you boys looking to buy a car? My mother-in-law needs to get rid of a car. Her husband is going to a nursing home. He has a nice car and we need to get rid of it.” I asked, “How much is the price?” And he named the exact dollar figure that the Lord had given me. I said, “I don’t need to see the car; I’ll take it.” And it was a blessing. It was a good car, it was nothing fancy, but it never made any serious problems for us. God went out of his way to prove to me that he can do a much better job at choosing a car than I can.

Stay Out of Debt

Another practical bit of advice that I would share, is to try, as much as possible, to stay out of debt. I know that opinions vary on this, and when I concluded that I, with God’s help, was going to stay out of debt, the reactions I got from people were very interesting. They did everything short of just patting me on the head and saying: “There, there, little man. You know, stay calm about it. Nice thought, but it’s just not realistic in today’s economy. It’s just not possible.” And they all warned me: “You know you will never own your own home. You realize that the way things function today, you will rent for all of your life.”

Well, that certainly was not an appealing thought to me. But, I said, “All right, but I feel that is what God wants me to do.” I will say, I don’t believe there is a clear Scripture that I can give as a law of God that it is wrong to borrow money. There are verses that I think might be suggesting that, but it is not something that I condemn someone else for. But in giving control of these little areas of my life to God, that was one thing I felt He told me—that He wants our family to stay out of debt, no matter what.

So my wife and I agreed that maybe we’re going to waste our money all of our lives paying rent every month—well, that’s the Lord’s problem. It’s His money. But, we’re not going to put ourselves into debt and put ourselves under bondage where we’re not free to go anywhere that God calls us to go.

Our Own House!

One year after we were married, we bought a house and almost two acres without borrowing one cent. Yes, God did intervene and worked a miracle. The price was so low that most people wondered if we had bought a tent! But God did that, and again I sensed that He was saying: “I’ve got all this wealth. You know I can do anything, why don’t you just give Me a chance?”

So when people tell you, “It’s a nice thought, but it’s an impossible dream,” I just want to tell you: please don’t accept it. You don’t have to defy them, but it is not true. It is possible that God will work on your behalf. I admit I have not proved that in Lancaster County. I know that the land prices here are much higher than they are in South Carolina, but the $15,000 that God provided for us to buy a house is a drop in a bucket for Him. There is no limit to what He can do. He can be trusted. Even if He may not call everyone to that exact standard, I believe that He honored our obedience to Him in staying out of debt. He provided a place that we could afford.

The next year I was busy starting a new business from scratch. We had no real income that year. We only broke even. Yet, when the call came for us to go to the mission field, somehow God had provided so that we were able to buy another place there. So, without ever having been in debt, we owned two homes! I will admit that neither of them would quite meet Lancaster County standards, but they’ve been beautiful homes for us. One of them is a third-world shack, 15x20’. Most people would not be content with that, but it’s the perfect house for the place that we live. It fits in with our neighbors; it doesn’t stand out as being anything extraordinary.

I know other people who have made that commitment to remain debt free and God has honored their vision.

The New Testament on Money

There is something that I did a number of years ago that I would like to encourage young people, especially young men, to do. Sometime you are most likely going to be earning money and responsible to provide for your family’s needs. I encourage you to know God’s heart and develop convictions now.

I read through the New Testament, from Matthew to Revelation, with a notebook in hand, and I copied out every verse that I felt applied to the issue of possessions, covetousness, money, borrowing, lending—everything. The book of Proverbs also has a lot to say, but I just chose to go through the New Testament because I wanted Jesus’ heart on the matter.

All this in one notebook is one powerful formula for success, by God’s standard! You go back and read over all that—all the warnings about covetousness and greed, the dangers of those who want to be rich, and the things that Jesus had to say about money and contentment. Fill your heart and mind with God’s principles in preparing for a life of success when it comes to handling your money.

Send More Missionaries

I have a vision of people in the States being willing to live sacrificially. Sometimes there is this mentality that only those who go to the foreign field are the ones called on to sacrifice. Those at home give of their extra, and “everything’s all right.” But I believe we could do so much more. I know that it would be entirely possible for one family in the U.S. to support one family in a foreign country. It’s going to vary from one place to another in the expense. Maybe sometimes it would take two, three, or four families to support one. But where we live, one family could very easily support us with the amount that we need every month. I think it would be such a blessing for a family to feel so connected to God’s work in another part of the world.

I’m not talking about striking out on your own and two families forming a mission. I mean under the blessing and the authority of the church, where they would approve the plan: “We’re sending this family out, and this family at home is committed to living sacrificially.” The family that stays lives sacrificially, just like the one that went, and they support them in all their financial needs.

It’s a dream that I have, but I know that it’s possible. I know that a church of even ten families could send three or four of them out and support them. They would not continue living the same standard of living they do now. There would be real and practical sacrifices that would need to be made, but it could be done. And who knows what would happen in God’s kingdom? Who knows what He could do if a church would send half of its families into the mission field and the other half would stay home and sacrifice, lowering their standard of living to whatever is necessary in order to support God’s work? It’s an exciting possibility just to dream about.

Your Personal Walk

Again, I want to emphasize that the most important thing in this success in handling money is a personal, close relationship with God. There is no substitute for that. You cannot take my experiences and make a law out of them—or anyone else’s for that matter. But it takes a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, of walking with Him every day, where He has the freedom to speak into your heart whatever He wants, and you say, “Yes, Lord.”

This article is transcribed and abridged from a sermon given at Charity Christian Fellowship. The full message entitled “Prepare For Success” is available from Charity Gospel Tape Ministry. Click here to order or listen to it.

Andrew & Elizabeth Weaver with their two children are missionaries in Latin America.