Including God in The Three Envelopes

One of the resources we as SMART Moms have at our disposal, is the resource called Prayer! This week we are talking about the three envelopes method of learning how to manage household finances. It is typical that one of those envelopes, the one labelled “Giving”, contain at minimum, 10% of the blessings God has given you and to ensure this 10% gets to your local congregation. However, this envelope may contain other money you’ve put in there as well, money over and above your minimum 10% and after putting your tithe in the offering plate, you’re left wondering what to do with the rest.

This is one of the areas where prayer comes in. Talk to God about where that money should go. He knows the needs around you and those needs that would resonate with you better than you do, so take it to Him and wait for Him to answer. God will respond through the Scripture you read, a song lyric you hear, a conversation you have, a sign you read, a memory jogged, etc. When you get that answer, put that money toward that answer.

[bctt tweet=”Because God wants to be an integral part of your home, it is important that you discuss your finances with Him as you would with another caring adult.” username=”songdovemd”]God wants what is best for your household and knows best what to put your money to where, how much, why, and for how long. God knows the nutritional needs of your family and can help you decide what to buy that week at the store. He knows what you children’s school needs are, how soon they’re going to grow out of something, when you’ll need that extra gas tank’s worth of funds.

One of the lessons we learned in our home, was not to be too quick to spend extra cash just because it landed in our laps with nothing directing it’s use. We learned to hold onto that money and let it sit in the bank. One year, I was given over $600 and didn’t know why. A month later, my daughter had a bad cycling accident and most of those funds went to paying for dental work following that accident. Another time, I was given $300 and thought I’d buy a small stuffy with it. Then two large needs showed up, and one of them I was short the exact amount of that stuffy to pay!!! Ever since those two examples, it doesn’t matter who in the house the money comes to, if it is an unexpected amount with no immediate directive attached, we hold onto it. Eventually, sometimes within days, or weeks, the reason for that money will become apparent and we’ll be glad we didn’t spend it.

God has tested us in this way on occasion and we do our best to be obedient and wait. I want to encourage you to be obedient with your finances as well. Don’t spend that large sum of money just because you can. God may very well have a reason He dropped it into your lap unannounced. Instead of spending it, ask God what He provided it for and wait for the answer to come.

Prayer is an integral part of life as a single mom! God is leading me into a larger role in prayer again, and you’ll see new things showing up on the website reflecting a new service offering from The Solo-Mom Agape Resource Tactician. Just like there are tactics involved in wise use of your time and your money, there are tactics in prayer as well, though perhaps not for the slot-machine-style behaviour many demand from God when they seek His answers. The tactics I engage in range from being in sync with what God wants to sending the enemy scrambling when they try to make life difficult around house and home. SMART Prayer Chaplaincy services will be open to not just single moms, but housewives, business owners, and others. Stay tuned for more information on this in the near future.

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