We change direction instantly when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We were on our way to hell and now we are on our way to heaven. God is now free to work in us. But, even with that it often takes a long time for people to change in less major ways. They have to change their minds (attitudes and ideas) before they change their actions. The world around us (“…the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” Romans 1:18), our backgrounds and lack of proper examples or proper teaching all negatively affect the speed of our becoming more like Jesus.
We have to be patient with each other while God is changing us. We expect God to forgive us and help us change. That is what we should do for others. None of us know all the answers, but hopefully we will learn from each other.
Our false beliefs regarding the use of money can be one of the last ways we change. Often our dealings with money demonstrate our maturity as a Christian. My professor of Christian Ethics used this illustration, “Some people think it is wrong to buy and sell on Sundays so when someone has a book, tape or CD to sell after a special service, they take them saying they will pay later. They never pay. In other words, they think it was wrong to buy and sell on Sunday, but not to steal on Sunday.”
How many of us are that way. We don’t always see clearly to do the right thing concerning our money. Satan’s greatest weapon is lies and deception. We need to know the truth about any given situation to come against those lies.
That is why this book was written. Hopefully, you can add to each point. We are all learning so please forgive me if you feel I don’t see something clearly. That is why so much Scripture is quoted in this book. Only God knows everything and we should draw from God’s knowledge as much as possible.
The wisdom of God is limitless. He has promised to give us wisdom when we ask (Luke 11:11-13; James 1:5-8). To acquire wisdom on a subject: Seek wise counsel (“He who walks with the wise grows wise…” Proverbs 13:20 “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22), study His word and live His truth: “…who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14 “I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.” Psalm 119:100