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From Overwhelmed to In Control—Mastering Your Finances

The apostle Paul unpacks the key to contentment in Philippians 4. To paraphrase, he says, “I make adjustments as needed and live beneath God’s provision level—whatever it may be. I build some margin between my spending and God’s provision, and that margin leads to contentment, which leads to peace.”

God’s provision may include some ups and downs over the course of your lifetime. Job changes, the economic climate, decisions you make and decisions made by others, and sometimes just good or bad timing will all affect your provision levels. It is our responsibility to make adjustments so we can live within God’s provision and be joyfully content whether He provides a little or a lot in any given season.

This belief comes with some implications. For starters, when God increases someone else’s provision, do you covet it? Do you become envious? Do you get angry and ask, “Why him and not me? Why her and not me?” Or are you able to say—and mean it—“Hey, you got a raise. I’m happy for you. You got a better-paying job. God increased your level of provision, and I’m glad. I’m living contentedly within His current provision for my life, and I can rejoice when good things come your way.” Can you do that?

You will only know true financial peace when you learn to live joyfully beneath God’s provision in every season of your life. Week after week, month after month, year after year, I meet with sincere Christ followers who love God but spend more than what God has chosen to provide. They incur large amounts of debt and experience the shame and pressure that accompanies it. And they wind up feeling overwhelmed.

Friend, God wants something better for you. Simplifying your life means diligently living within God’s provision for you and diligently working to free yourself from whatever debt you carry. Whether you’re in a season of plenty or in a season of less, you can live with contentment and peace.

Question for reflection: Are you living within God’s provision for you? If not, can you drive a stake in the ground and say, “Beginning today, I commit to living joyfully within God’s current provision for my life”?