Obviously, he was making some money as a taxi driver, but he was also reckless in spending. He would visit the canteen in the midst of work to squander a major chunk of his earnings. His wife had complained bitterly about how tight things have been at home. The man was irresponsible.
His pastor positioned one of the associate pastors to corner him during the day and collect part of his earnings for savings. After a while, he built a house, bought a new car for his transport business, as well as stabilised his family. All from the same transport business. All thanks to an accountability relationship in his life.
Friend, you need financial accountability. You cannot be more financially stable than the voices of caution and counsel in your life (Proverb 21:20). The problem of most people is not little income. It is little or no accountability. It is financial wisdom that would make a rosted plantain seller build a house while a bank manager has no land, let alone owning a building.
What you need may not be more money. It may be more wisdom and accountability. A lot of people are asking God to make them millionaires, whereas the millions are in their stomach (Genesis 25:29-34). They have built more stomach infrastructures than physical infrastructure or building. Some people are wearing their houses on their wrist or body.
The first person to be accountable to in your finances is God (Proverbs 3:9). When God tells you to be accountable, He is not trying to take from you. He wants to help you maximize what He has given you. I have noticed that tithers have a more stable financial life than non-tithers (Malachi 3:8-11). The secret is that tithing already establishes a financial structure and accountability that would help other areas of your life.
If you marry right, you should not have financial problems. Your spouse is another accountability relationship that God gives you (Proverbs 18:22). In an ideal home, one of the partners would be a saver, while the other, a spender. If both of you are spenders, you would be in soup. Your spouse should be a voice of caution and wisdom in your life if you allow him or her to speak (Proverbs 31:10-12).
As we have read from our opening story, what role does your pastor play in your financial success? I know the scepticism and suspicion that people have towards pastors. However, the right pastoral relationship in your life is a major leverage for financial health (2 Chronicles 20:20). How accountable are you to your pastor? Does he know what is happening in your financial life (Hebrews 13:17)? How much caution and counsels do you receive from him? How has your relationship with your pastor helped your financial life? Think about it!
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria