Memory verse 1: Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything.  1 Chronicles 29:11

Memory verse 2: “Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender” Proverbs 22:7

Memory verse 3: “the way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel” Proverbs 12:15

Sources of counsel

Yesterday we looked at one of the primary ways of finding counsel; the bible.

But as we know, God gives us principles in how to deal with finances, but what do we do when we want to know about very specific situations that are happening in our own lives? Let’s look at some other great sources of biblical counsel

1. Godly men and women

“the godly man is a good counselor because he is just and fair and knows right from wrong” Psalms 37:30-31

We’ve already talked alot about the importance of seeking advice. Seeking the experience and set of impartial eyes to your situation. But be wise in who you seek out. Don’t ask the advice of someone who is clearly is a worse situation than yourself, or who has a consistent track record of bad decisions. Look for someone who can actually help you and give you honest feedback.  But before that, for all of you out there that are married, it is very important that you seek the counsel of your spouse. Unless there are reasons that your spouse just cannot not be involved the family finances at this time (drug or alcohol addict, gambling addiction, etc..), your spouse should be your go to person for any financial decisions. I think it is very imperative that both of you are involved in financial planning for your household. I know many couples that only one person has a clue about the financial picture, and unintentional overspending happens consistently, and there are a few instances where the spouse has no clue how bad their situation actually is. You are a team. This is my opinion.

One thing that really helped us was realizing each others strengths. I was great at coming up with the budget, payment plans, saving plans, etc.., however, my wife the the one who executed the plan. We started in the era of sending cheques for all the various bills like hydro and phone bills. I was terrible at remembering to send them out on time, where my wife was very consistent with making sure we didn’t not incur any late charges. You are a team.

And let’s not forget the value of advice from our parents (or in some cases they may serve as bad examples.  🙂  and in friends, wise people in your life and actual financial counselors.

“plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” Proverbs 15:22

2. The Lord

I think this is pretty self-explanatory   He is the “wonderful counselor” Isaiah 9:6

Other that by studying His word, we receive counsel from the Lord by praying and listening.  Sometimes this includes WAITING. No one loves waiting for answers, especially when we really want to buy something.

 

Counsel to Avoid

I think it’s worth mentioning that God also warns us about who or what not to seek out.

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked” Psalm 1:1

While there is certain things that can be learned about financial handling from those who do not follow the Lord, you will never be able to get a full picture of God’s way in the secular world.

and for interests sake:

“do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God” Leviticus 19:31

Couple questions to ponder today

a. if you don’t currently seek wise counsel, what is stopping you from doing so?

b. If you are married, how do you currently seek the counsel of your spouse? Or what’s stopping you from doing so?

 

Practical Homework: click on the link below and fill in the estimated budget worksheet. Fill in the income sources which you already wrote down, and fill in the blanks with your best guess as to what you spend per month on each item. Don’t worry exact numbers, this is just your best guess. We will worry about exact numbers in days to come. Here is an example sheet for reference. Note that the spending is more than the income. That’s ok for now.

EstimatedBudgetW

 

Tomorrow- Honesty

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your Holy Spirit who you gave to us to be our teacher and counselor. Thank you for the wise people around me that i can count on to give me honest wise answers. I thank you that my wife and i can work as a team. I pray you help us all to find those wise counselors and for freedom from pride to be able to ask for help. Thank you Jesus, amen.