Get your financial habits in order.

"Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.'”

- Haggai 1:5-6 (New International Version)

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It's been almost a year and a half since I wrote these words about needing to get my financial discipline in shape and I'm sad to report that all this time later, not much has changed. This morning, God brought it back to my attention. My edges are still recovering. In short, He basically said:

Your most acute problem isn't believing that you can have or intentionally pursue wealth. It's that you don't manage money well.

BLOOP! 🙃 And just like that I saw it: This whole year and a half I've been working mostly on my money mindset when it hasn't even been my biggest problem—it's my money HABITS that are the issue. And I haven't been cultivating them like I should. And my primary excuse has been that I'm not making enough money to manage yet.

If that ain't the biggest lie from the pit!?

That's what gets us messed up. Continuing to believe the lie that more money will save us. It will not. More discipline will. In this week's scripture context God was calling His people to pay attention to the fact that He had withheld blessing from them because they neglected to build His house. As I read the whole chapter from this money habits perspective, I was convicted that I hadn't "built" my discipline. I see God wanting to rain down abundance on me but He won't until I get His "house" (1 Corinthians 3:16) in order.

You are the temple of God. Wealth, abundance & prosperity should reside in you. If it isn't present, you may need to do some temple maintenance. Patch up those holes boo! Make your temple so money-friendly that money knows it can trust you to take good care of it. As for me and my house? We gon' get our financial habits in order. What about you? 

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Still hungry? Eat some more //

• Luke 16:10 → I believe this principle applies to how we treat EVERYTHING. Money included. If you don't manage your money well now, you will not manage it well when you have more. Period. Don't lie to yourself that it'll ever be any other way. 
• Matthew 9:17 → You can't "pour" new money into old wineskins (habits). Whew! The gathering continues! 
• After snatching me bald this morning, God encouraged me that, even though I've been a poor financial steward, that doesn't change the fact that He actually made me a great one. My true self is an excellent financial steward. And with His help I will speak that until it becomes my reality. Here's my affirmation for that.
• I'm also reading this book to help me create a more strategic system for managing my money than the one I have currently. And I'm picking this book up again to help me with my habits. Feel free to join me and let me know what you’re getting out of them.