Healing in the Realm of Finances

by Candice Blomeley
Fall 2015

I didn't pay attention to money until I was 15, when I was forced to take notice. I am the sixth of seven children from a family that never experienced abundance, yet our bills were always paid, and we always had enough. I attended private school, we always had food on the table, and our lights were always on. Everything changed when I was a freshman in high school and my mother divorced my father. A couple weeks later, I walked into the kitchen and flipped on the light switch. I looked up at the still lightless bulb and then back at the light switch. I tried again. Nothing. I called for my mom, and she came into the kitchen. She told me that my father had taken his name off the account at the power company, and because she had never earned credit, the electricity had been turned off earlier that day. She then confessed she didn't think she had the money to turn it back on and did not actually even know how much money was in our bank account. My father had always taken care of everything regarding finances. I now faced the stark reality of how unprepared my mother was for us to live on our own.

Like my mother, I was also completely unprepared and didn't know how to handle money; however, I knew that we needed the electricity turned back on. I buckled my 5–year–old brother in the backseat of our car and drove my mother to the bank. There was enough in the checking account for the deposit, with only a few dollars to spare. I slid my learner's permit across the counter to the teller and asked her to add my name to the account. I knew this wouldn't be the last time I'd have to make financial decisions in our house. The electricity was turned back on later that afternoon.

I stayed home from school for the next few days and took my mother to the unemployment office to look at listings for job openings. I also took her to a vocational school and signed her up for an evening class to learn to type. Within a few weeks, Mom had a job as a receptionist and I soon got a job working the night shift at UPS. I took on the responsibility of pooling our two paychecks and the child support check to pay the bills. At 15 years old, I learned to use money as a tool and I decided that there was no time to be emotional about it. Ultimately, that experience prepared me to become a Financial Health Coach.

I have now been teaching people about managing money for more than 20 years. I know how to create a successful spending plan and I love to teach people how to manage their cash flow. I have, however, discovered that managing cash flow by way of a good spending plan is only one part of the formula for financial success. It is equally important, and perhaps even more important, to delve deeper and look at my clients' relationship with money. I look at how money affects relationships with God and with others. Before starting on the numbers, together we walk through a process to discover the real truth about money: what they think, feel and say about money. No one ever talks about his or her relationship with money, but it directly affects the quality of our lives and it can determine our financial success or failure.

You may already know your numbers (what you spend, give and save), but maybe you have never truly looked at your relationship with money: what you think, feel and say about it. God reveals everything we need to know about money in His Word, and the Scriptures tell us exactly what to think, feel and say about it. Sometimes we need healing in this area before we can go further.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MONEY?

For many of us, there is great opportunity for generational healing when it comes to what we think about money. In Exodus 34:7, Moses says that the sins of the parents are passed down to the 3rd and 4th generations. Often, by default, we just think what our parents thought, but what if we were not taught the real truth about money? What if we continued to live under a belief system that does not accurately reflect the truth about what God wants us to think about money?

Where do your thoughts about money come from? Ask yourself these questions:

• Growing up, what did my parents or someone significant in my life teach me about money?
• From what I observed or heard, what did they think about money?
• Does any specific event where I saw them deal with money come to mind?
• What is the first thing I think of when I think of money?
• Is money on my mind all the time and do I obsess over it, or do I avoid thinking about it at all costs? Do I think about money only when I have to pay a bill or spend it?
• Have I used money to control others (spouse, ex–spouse, children, or friends)? Was it used for their benefit or their detriment?
• If I had more of it, do I think my life would be simpler and less stressful, or do I have so much money that I find it stressful just figuring out how to steward it wisely?
• What would it take for me to stop worrying about money and do I think I will ever be able to stop?

Examine your answers to see what was passed down to you regarding money management. This may be either a difficult process or an affirming one.

There are many inherited beliefs that inhibit our freedom around managing money. Here are three important ones: fear of poverty, prosperity gospel teachings, and greed. If your parents were close–fisted with money and talked about how expensive everything was and that you would never have everything you needed, perhaps a fear of poverty may have been passed down. This fear of poverty may also show up as part of your heritage if your parents spent more than they had and found themselves in excessive debt or bankruptcy. Not knowing your family's financial status can also create a fear of poverty.

A belief in the prosperity gospel, which teaches that faith and generous giving will lead to material wealth, may lead you to be disappointed in God because He has not always increased your financial status and given you prosperity when you give to His work. Maybe you think as long as you are obediently giving your tithe you will get back ten times that amount as a financial reward. In Malachi 3:8–10, the Lord asks us to give our whole tithe and to test the Lord; in turn He will pour out His blessings, which include the protection of crops from pestilence and the fruit to remain ripe on the vine. Here, God does not say that His blessings would be solely monetary, but that He does have abundant blessings in store for you when you tithe. In all of our giving, the Lord calls us to give what we have decided in our heart to give, not halfheartedly or under obligation, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).

Greed can also be passed down through the generations. Your parents or grandparents may have felt that no matter how much they had, it was never enough; wealth was the central concern as they constantly chased monetary gain and/or more possessions. Having been raised in that environment, you may find that you continually strive, but your answer to the question "How much is enough?" seemingly evades you.

The real truth about money can be found when we look at what God's Word tells us to think about money. Scripture says that God is your Provider, Jehovah–Jireh. He is the provider of everything and that includes money and possessions. In Deuteronomy 8, Moses warns us not to become proud and forget the LORD your God who gave you manna to eat in the wilderness. Here, he also says that we may say to ourselves, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me" (vs. 17). But Moses calls us to remember the Lord our God, for it is He who gives us the ability to produce wealth. Our ability to earn a living is a gift from Him. In Matthew 10, Jesus tells us that God takes care of the sparrows and He calls us not to be afraid, because we are worth more than many sparrows and we will be cared for. You will find great peace in managing your money when you truly believe in your heart that God is your provider and His enough is your enough. Ask God what His enough is for you, whether you have a little or a lot.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MONEY?

Because of the various levels of wounding surrounding money, there is often a need for inner healing when it comes to what we feel about money. Judith MacNutt teaches us that inner healing touches us in our deepest suffering — that of the heart, the mind, and the inner core of our being. Inner healing of financial wounds can begin when we quit being angry with God and others and we invite Him into the brokenness surrounding our finances. Ask yourself these questions:

• Where have money issues wounded me and what is my most painful memory about money?
• Have I been betrayed or disappointed by a parent, spouse, sibling, friend, or business partner when it comes to a financial matter? If yes, when and how?
• Has an organization or employer treated me unfairly in my compensation, benefits, or termination and has that hurt me? What feelings did I take away from that situation?
• Has my source of income ever been affected by a downturn in the economy, such as a recession? How did I feel about losing that money? Have I rebounded from that loss?
• Have I made poor or deceitful decisions in money transactions and caused myself or others, even loved ones, pain when dealing with money? How do I feel about that situation and how do they feel about me now?
• Does money provide freedom or bondage in my life? What would it take to walk in freedom regarding my finances?
• Am I angry with God because of my finances? Have I told Him?

When you look at any financial wounds you have suffered, you may feel any of the following: depressed, fearful, overwhelmed, numb, shameful, angry, betrayed, hatred, cheated, unforgiving, jealous, powerless, guilty, anxious, or stressed. These emotions show us we have been hurt and have not dealt with the pain. When we acknowledge our pain and feelings of loss regarding money, we are willing to honestly face our brokenness, and when we invite God's healing and His truth into the hurt, money will no longer have a grip on us. God sets us free from our pain and restores us so that we can handle our finances as He leads.

A great example of this can be found in Luke 19. Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector and wealthy man, climbed a tree because he was so desperate to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Jesus called Zacchaeus down and asked to stay at his house. Under great conviction by simply being in the presence of Jesus, Zacchaeus proclaimed that he would give half his possessions to the poor, and if he had cheated anyone out of anything, he would pay back four times the amount. In the presence of our Savior, you are able to be freed from your inner wounds caused by mismanagement of money, receive forgiveness, and even begin to give to others. God wants you to invite Him to be in your financial decisions. He doesn't want you to hide or ignore any destructive feelings that keep you in bondage and ultimately lead you to serve the god of mammon (money).

WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT MONEY?

The words that you speak when you talk about money hold great power, the power to affirm and grow your finances or the power to depreciate and destroy them. Francis MacNutt, in his teaching on Blessings and Curses (CHM's School of Healing Prayer^®), says that judgments are like curses, and we often judge rashly and harshly. It is especially damaging to make judgments and vows about money that will, in turn, negatively affect our own finances. Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I compare myself to others when it comes to money, possessions, or my career? Do I resent what they have? What do I find myself saying about them and to whom do I say it?
• Do I say that I will not tithe because 10% of my income is just too much to give? Do I believe God provides everything I have? If I give 10%, do I judge those who do not tithe?
• Do I worry about money and find myself saying that no matter how hard I work, I will never make enough money to make ends meet? Do I realize that I have inadvertently made a vow?
• Do I judge myself for what I spend or for what I own? Do I know my numbers: what I spend and my net worth? Does spending bring me pleasure or pressure?
• Do I judge those in debt? Do I judge those who are out of debt but don't leverage their assets to create more wealth? Given my current financial situation, do I know when I will be completely free from debt?
• Do I judge those who are not generous? How much wealth do I have stored up on earth? How much wealth do I have stored up in heaven?
• Do I judge the poor for what they do not have and condemn them for where they are in life? Do I consider wealth a blessing or a curse?

Judgments and vows regarding money often go unchecked. In Matthew 7:1–2, Jesus says, "Do not judge, or you, too, will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." If you ignore a slip of the tongue when it comes to speaking about money, you may not realize that you may be speaking a financial curse upon yourself or upon others. In chapter 3 of James, Scripture says that out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. James also asks, "Can fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" We cannot hope to have our finances grow and become healthy, while at the same time speak judgments and curses that act to sabotage our success. When you start to feel negative words coming, stop and analyze them first. Ask God to reveal His truth to you in that moment regarding those words. Once you have done that, you just might find that when you begin speaking, instead of judgments and curses, you will be speaking blessing and encouragement to yourself and to those around you, because God's truth is always healing, always encouraging and always faith–building. Also, take some time and inventory any judgments or vows that you have made regarding your finances, and then break them.

What you think, feel and say about money will either bring you closer in your relationship with God or it will enable the enemy to use your beliefs, your pain, and the lies you believe to financially attack you and your family. God wants you to know the real truth about money. Believe what He said when He stated that He owns the cattle on every hillside; He owns everything on earth. Money is simply a tool to be used to meet your financial needs. Spend wisely, give generously, and save sensibly. As His trustee, you have the choice to use money for good or for evil — He has always left that choice up to you. I encourage you to invite God into your finances; it will forever change the way you manage money. God desires to be in right relationship with you on all matters!

To contact Candice send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Candice Blomeley is the co–owner of JMHC, Inc. as well as Founder and President of NINE12.