I once chatted up an older man who told me he does not use the ATM card. I was like; “How possible is this?” His response drove home a point; “I plan my finances, most ATM usages are what comes up that I don’t have in my plan. I discipline myself to say No to such and I find a way to deal with necessary emergencies.” I was inspired.
Friend, your habits are what determine your future. You don’t choose your future, you choose your habits and your habits decide your future. Financial habits are the structures you put around your financial life that help you to carry the weight of the blessings of God. While you are praying for the blessing, learn to put the right structures in place (2 Kings 4:6, Isaiah 54:1-3).
“When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost” (John 6:12). Fragments remain fragments when they are still fragmented; the moment they are put together, they are no longer fragments (John 6:13). One of the financial practices you can have is to have an account for fragments; home and/or in bank.
“And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake” (Luke 5:6). What do you do with unexpected income? Never upgrade your lifestyle, or be under the pressure of impulse buying when you have unexpected income. You need to have financial plan and policy? People live fine, not because they earn more, but because they are planned. Whoever fails to plan has already plans to fail (Luke 14:28-31).
“Provides her meat in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest” (Proverbs 6:8). Financial habits would help you to structure your spending. You need to have a plan (budget) before money comes (Proverbs 6:6-8). What is your financial policy. Your financial policy can be that you don’t buy stuff on credit. Another policy can be that any money you cannot afford to give freely, you would not borrow anybody.
Embrace documentation. Any money you cannot track, you have given permission to disappear. If you run a business, have a financial policy that drives the business. Separate your capital from your profit or personal income. You should be able to give an overview of your financial life for the previous week. Don’t forget this; we form habits, then habits form us. Principles make success predictable.
© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria