Have you every been so broke that you can't even pay attention? As i type this i I can imagine all my family members rolling their eyes and saying "here we go again with the dad jokes!" Though cheesy as it may seem this statement has some truth in it. I know what it like to be worried about your financed such that you begin to lose the ability to pay attention to anything else but your financial predicament. This eventually leads to being so worried and anxious such that you lose the ability to concentrate or pay attention as your heart becomes flustered and unstable you you live in a place of insecurity.
With any matter of the heart you have to be in a place of focusing on the right things. Your heart needs an anchor so that you can have stability and focus to navigate the issues of life. Let us take a look at a some scriptures that have called me back to a place of focusing on God as well as navigating my thoughts in the right place when I have faced financial turbulence.
1. Stand Still - Exodus 14:13-14
'But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” '
Standing still allows you to not give up but pay attention to how God wants to deal with the situation. Just like the Israelites had the Egyptians pursuing them and the red sea blocking their paths your heart can be overwhelmed with the Bills and Debt collectors chasing you but yet you have no escape as a sea of debt and worry threatens to drown you ahead. It is at such times that you have to look beyond what you can do and pay attentionn to what God is directing you to do.
2. Stay Sober - '1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. '
Gratitude brings a sober sense to your heart. Your heart can become easily distracted as your mind is inhibited by thoughts of defeat and discomfort. Don't let your heart be drunk with the highs of wishful thinking alone because the disappointments can bring you down. Be grounded with a heart that stays sober through gratitude to what God has done before and gratitude of what God is willing to do for you now and through eternity. Our View of God being with us always is the key to staying thankful and sober through any season and circumstances. So let your heart pay attention to the things you can be grateful for at any given time.
3. Stay Satisfied - Isaiah 55:2-3
'Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. '
Pay Attention to satisfaction - Being able to spend your money on what brings satisfaction is key to making decisions that help you use your finances wisely
Listening to God helps you lean in to how you can spend on what is needed and what will bring satisfaction. God's word is full of wisdom on how we should be living and what bring satisfaction
Reflect on the questions below and they may help you gauge how your level of Paying attention currently is
Have you walked away after praying and not taken time to read his word and not actively listened to God?
Have you been very impatient and thought God is taking too long to answer the urgency of your situation?
Have you expected God to answer in a specific way and not allowed God to bring his solution to you in a certain manner that he wants to?
if your answer is yes to any of these then you have an opportunity to lean in to God and use the techniques above to Stand Still, Stay Sober and Stay Satisfied. Practicing these helps you to begin to refocus your ability to Pay attention to God.
Attention Tip - Use Isaiah 55 to bring perspective
Paying attention when you are praying specifically for financial peace also means that you take God along with you in your spending, -
Pay attention to What you are spending - Why spend money on what is not bread? (Isaiah 55)- Ask God Is what i am about to buy necessary even the small things?
Pay attention to How you are working and why you are working? - Are You labouring on what does not satisfy
Pay attention to what God is saying is Good for you in this season Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, - Spending Time in God's word and prayer and seeking wise counsel from Godly people helps with this
Pay attention to your desires - Delight in the things God directs you to delight in and not what your flesh is telling you - This will bring you joy
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