Proverbs 3:5 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."
In the example above the player believes he is holding the best hand, and is willing to to risk all he has against the others, known as going "all in". In following God's Word for our finances, we are holding the best hand. God has proven it to be true for thousands of years and will continue to do so forevermore... that is why we can go "all in" with Him.
Consider how you already trust the Lord to be true to His Word regarding your salvation, spiritually you are "all in". Here, we are talking merely about trusting our finances to the One who created us, loves us, keeps us and promises to always be there for us.
Let's first go over what is not being "all in", which is saying to yourself that...
I will tithe once I have more money or get a raise
I'm not waiting until I have the money, I want it now
I deserve this regardless of what the cost is
I have to have this or what will my friends think?
God's Word has shown us the "champions of faith", and the main characteristic of them is they went "all in" with what God said. The book of Kings has two accounts of widows who gave the last of what they had, Noah built an ark on land that had never seen rain, David came against a giant with five stones, Esther risked her life and approached the king unannounced to save her people.
I'll share what took place in our household once I got the revelation that God wanted us debt-free and was behind us 100%. We took out all of our savings down to the last $200 and put it towards our mortgage. My wife Karen said she felt more peace at that time than having the savings in the bank, because she had hope. I took second and third part-time jobs and Karen a second part-time job to help pay down our debts faster.
God responded to our being "all in". My manager called me into her office and seemed concerned if I was happy there (which I was), but after assigning me some minor duties I was given a 10% raise. Karen received out of the blue a reclassification of her job position with the county government and was given a 15% raise. God has and continues to show himself mightily on our behalf and others we have heard the testimonies of.
You may not choose to push as hard as we did, but you can still go "all in" towards handling your finances as God directs and becoming debt-free. If you get quiet before the Lord and seek His face, He will show you what to do. Here is a basic framework of what it should look like:
First, give to the Lord in tithes and offerings
Seek contentment and identify what your needs are versus your wants
If you cannot make ends meet, find a way to bring more money in, but do not borrow it
Pay down and pay off your smallest debt first, then move to the next one and so on
Be generous when you feel prompted to give
Lastly, take with you this "all in" verse that Pastor Aaron has been focusing on with us this past month - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27)
God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,
Paul
