It could be said that we’re living in the Age of Fear when it comes to finances—it’s been a human lifetime since we’ve had such an intense combination of negatives occurring at the same time.
With the state of the economy—a stagnant job market, declining house values, volatile financial markets and the daily boatload of bad news from the media—it seems as if there’s plenty to worry about.
But there is a silver lining to financial fears. Generally speaking, we have more control over our finances then we do over the most severe problems we can face when it comes to health, family crisis, legal entanglements and certainly natural disasters. To a large degree, we can prepare for and mitigate financial problems far more than we can in other areas of life.
Fear and the Christian
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”—2 Timothy 1:7
If you’re a Christian you’re probably familiar with this verse. There are dozens of Bible verses dealing with fear and how the believer should react to it. The verses are mostly a comfort, often containing the words “fear not”—as the believer is to adopt a spirit of peace even in the face of threatening circumstances.
But is that how we really feel? Do we banish fear from our lives the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior? Somehow I doubt it, and I have to confess that it isn’t always how I react. The human side of my character is very much intact when it comes to fear! I’d be willing to bet that’s the case for most believers. Some people are more disposed toward fear than others, perhaps because of genetics, upbringing, personal experience, or a bit of all three. But if you’re feeling a bit guilty over this, don’t. God knows that we have fears, and here’s how we can tell…
According to Answers.com the word “fear” appears in the Bible 365 times, and according to Word Nuggets, “fear not”, “do not fear” and “do not be afraid” appear a combined total of 107 times (NASB version). Why does God see fit to repeat this phrase over and over in Scripture? Because He knows we fear! Jesus assured his disciples not to fear again and again—and they had fears even though they walked with him every day! So what about us?
Here’s a fact: we fear because life gives us plenty of reasons to. Even in one of the most comforting verses in the Bible, Jesus gives us ample reason to believe this to be true:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33 (Emphasis added.)
Do you see the bolded portion of that verse? OUCH!!! Our troubles will NOT be removed from us! That’s the part we fear, and we fear it because it has the very real potential to hurt us.
Constructive Responses to Fear
One of the areas we have control over—especially when it comes to finances—is our response to fear. That response can either be destructive, keeping us locked in our problems, or it can be constructive. That part is up to us.
When we focus on our fears at least five negatives kick in:
- we procrastinate—“I don’t want to face it right now”
- we retreat—“I can’t take it”
- we doubt ourselves—“I can’t do it”
- we doubt others—“I’m in this all alone”
- we doubt God—“He’s abandoned me”
Fear is not a way forward. We move toward what ever we focus on, and if we focus on our fears, we’ll move in that direction—if fear is what we set our sights on, then it will determine where we’re headed. We can never camp out in fear!
What can we do if we want to turn fear from an obstacle into a motivator?
Begin with—and stay in—prayer.
When we worry, when we begin to fear, it’s time to get down on our knees. Scripture gives strong reassurance on this:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”–Philippians 4:6-7
Seek the company and counsel of others.
We often like to think that our problems are unique to us, or that our fears make us appear weak in the eyes of others we trust. But rest assured, there is no problem we face, no fear we harbor, that others have not or are not facing as well. Just talking about your fears to others can give you a perspective on them that can make them less scary.
Set up an action plan.
Often the source of our fears is the absence of a way to deal with them. Setting up an action plan can go a long way toward giving us the confidence we need to overcome our fears.
Let’s consider a few typical financial fears and action plans that—along with prayer and the counsel of others—can help put the deepest concerns behind us…
Fear: I’ll lose my job and won’t be able to find another one.
Action plan:
- Work to be the best employee in your department or company
- Take on additional responsibilities that will make you indispensable
- Take courses that can train you for a career in a different field
- Take a part-time job in a different field—if you do lose your job, you’ll already have some experience in a new one
- Start a side business that you can eventually grow into a full-time venture
Fear: I won’t have enough money to retire on.
Action plan:
- Save as much money as you can
- Begin now to lower your basic cost of living
- Pay down and payoff your debts—less debt = more cash flow
- Begin building a business you can run in retirement
- Consider a move to an area where the cost of living is lower
Fear: I have more debt than I can possibly repay.
Action plan:
- Stop using credit right now
- Make the minimum payments—if you stop adding new debt, the old ones will gradually disappear even if you do nothing more
- Negotiate lower balances, or have a qualified person or organization do it for you
- Take a second job and build savings that will provide you with some options
- Move to a cheaper home, take in a boarder or sell a car with a large payment on it
- If you’ve exhausted all other options, consider bankruptcy—it’s there for a reason
Prayer, plus counsel, plus a workable action plan can minimize or even eliminate any financial fears you have. You’re doing all that you can, and trusting the outcome to a loving God. You’re creating forward motion and as you do, your options will increase and so will your confidence. The fear you once had will turn out to be the force that moves you in a positive direction.
How do you cope with financial fears in your life? Meet us in the comments!
Image by Sergey Mironov/Shutterstock
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
You know what you are exactly right. Instead of fearing, we need to just worry about what today is bringing us, not tomorrow. Many times we doubt ourselves way to much.
JBP–It’s hard to do, but that’s also what faith is all about–going forward inspite of our fears. It may never “feel good”, but with prayer, counsel and preparation, it won’t feel as bad. They may be all we need to get going.
I’m curious how to reconcile certain “Action Plans” with things we’re told by other Christians.
For example:
My biggest fear is that I won’t have enough to retire on. I make around $5,000 year. Yes, you read that right. $5,000 a year. I’m a super-low earner, who has been trying to increase their earnings will little success so far. I have no spouse, and no help from others, except from my parents. I am middle-aged. I’m told that I need to be tithing AT LEAST 10%. Then, I’m told to “save all I can”. Obviously, when you earn around $5,000 a year, ‘saving all you can’ and ‘tithing 10%’ don’t really mesh, especially when you barely have enough to pay off basic bills.
So how do you reconcile “Tithe at least 10% or more” with “Save all you can” for super-low earners who fear (correctly) that they won’t have enough to retire on (I barely have enough to live on NOW!)
XJ–Most of the standard advice (save more, tithe, payoff debt, etc) is generic advice. For example, a person in your situation doesn’t earn enough to save for retirement. A person facing foreclosure or bankruptcy is in no position to tithe. All advice doesn’t (and shouldn’t) apply to everyone. As writers however, we’re writing for a general audience, not anyone specific. Does that make sense?
As to your situation, it looks like it’s income related–I think you suspend all other actions until you get that “fixed” (understanding that the fix might not look like anything you or I might have ever considered). We can only deal with one problem at a time, and perhaps you put all your efforts into dealing with your income situation, and leave the rest for later. Tunnel vision is a definate plus here!
I don’t know what your specific situation is, so I can’t give specific advice (nor am I necessarily qualified to), but there are no small number of people in your situation right now, and perhaps you can begin networking with others to see what you all might come up with. Sometimes there’s no choice but to take a chance on something new and different. That much I can say for certain because I faced a similar situation a few years ago.
Kevin,
Thank you so much for replying. I really appreciate.
I am taking steps to fix my problem by going back to college for a new degree. My old degree is in Graphic Design, and design jobs are near impossible to come by. I’ve been living on sporadic graphic design freelance income for the last 6 years.
Now, I am 1 year into college. I took on loans, and am going back for an Accounting degree, which I hope will be more useful for finding a job. I’ll be living on my small graphic design freelance earnings until 2013, when I graduate college with my Accounting degree. Hopefully, things will get better then. I try to give money when I can, but really, I can’t “tithe 10%” all the time, without fail, because sometimes, I need all of the paycheck for bills. Same with saving for retirement. I save a few dollars when I can, but it’s hard.
Still, I’ve been told by many Christians that I need to tithe 10% or more without fail, even in my current situation, which to me, seems a bit legalistic.
Thanks again for replying.
Hi XJ–Thanks for getting back with an update. Your situation is in the state of flux but you’re heading in the right direction–that means the crisis is only temporary. This is just an opinion, but for the time being, work on getting your degree, then worry about what you “should” be doing later when you have the resources. As far as giving, give what you can and what you feel led to give. I think that God will honor what ever you give with a joyous heart.
“Do not fear” or its derivation appears also in all 66 books of the bible. How great is that? If we can depend on HIM through faith, we have nothing to fear!
@XJ: I don’t have an easy answer but I do know that God is not bound by our definition of math… while I think the “prosperity gospel” is a terrible heresy and a warped interpretation of scripture, I do know that it is impossible to “outgive” God. I’ve heard many incredible stories (and I have a few of my own) of people who stepped out in faith and gave beyond what they thought was possible or prudent and the Lord made a way for them… keep praying and he will lead you!
Hi John–I wasn’t aware it appeared in all 66 books, but I’m not at all surprised. Fear is a basic human emotion, and I think overcoming it (to the degree we ever do) is part of our sanctification process. That said, we should work to minimize it’s impact, and that’s the purpose of the post.
Great article. I like how well you defined fear and gave the actions steps. Along with the praying, we have to make sure we turn that fear into faith.
Samirian–I sometimes think that fear is one of those roadblocks God puts in front of us precisely to lead us to faith. Do we face a situation with faith (Him) or fear (our flesh)? It isn’t an overnight change, but a process. The more we rely on Him, the closer we come toward perfecting our faith. Perhaps there’s no other way–we’ll all find out when we get to the Other Side, I suspect…
Excellent post. Much of the fear is created is a result that many of us have managed and thought of our finances in the same way the unbelievers have. We have applied worldly ideas instead of scriptural principles therefore we are reaping the same consequences. This is a God-given opportunity to turn from those ways and follow His ways in the future. The Word has everything we need to do just that.
Hi Carol–That’s brilliant! We take our cues–our notions of normal–from the world more often than we care to admit. But the world will tie us up in knots! It’s always telling us that we need to run faster, jump higher and play harder, as if we’re superhuman and will live forever. Christianity specifically tells us that we’re very flawed (not superhuman or even close) and that we’re VERY mortal.
How you approach life from either angle will be vastly different. The Christian approach is better for–amoung other reasons–the fact that it allows us to let go. The world tells us to cling and to keep clawing our way to the top–that gets tiring after a while. We are, after all, only human.