The new master your money ron blue

HEART HEALTH

HABITS HOPE

The 4 H Tool

MONEY ISSUES are HEART ISSUES.

As you think about your money, what are your hopes? Do you want to understand your finances better? Do you want to be able to successfully face financial challenges and meet financial goals? Do you want to be able to communicate effectively about money with those you love? Ultimately, I want you to handle money from a confident place — empowered by biblical financial wisdom. No small task, right?

In this short guide, I will offer a framework for thinking differently about money. It comes from a few simple truths about money that I’ve condensed as I’ve shared biblical financial wisdom with people over a five-decade career. Based on my experience of delivering financial advice to individuals and families in all circumstances of life, I know with certainty that God’s Word speaks authoritatively, timelessly, and simply to all financial planning and decision-making.

For more information go to: www.RonBlueInstitute.com/FourHTool © Ron Blue Library LLC 2018

RELIGION / Christian Life / Stewardship & Giving

RON BLUE is the founding director of Kingdom Advisors and the author of nearly 20 books on biblical financial topics, including Never Enough? Three Keys to Financial Contentment. He has most recently created a small-group curriculum, God Owns It All. Ron is the chief executive officer of the Ron Blue Institute for Financial Planning at Indiana Wesleyan University. In 1979, he founded Ronald Blue & Co. (now Ronald Blue Trust), the largest Christian financial planning firm in the country. He and his wife, Judy, have five children and thirteen grandchildren and live in Atlanta, Georgia.

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The 4 H Tool

HEART

I want you to handle your money from a confident place — empowered by biblical financial wisdom.

HAT IF I TOLD YOU that it is possible to understand financial issues without having to know all about spreadsheets and retirement plans? Would you feel relief?

As you think about your money, what are your hopes? Do you want to understand your finances better? Do you want to be able to successfully face financial challenges and meet financial goals? Do you want to be able to communicate effectively about money with those you love? Ultimately, I want you to handle money from a confident place — empowered by biblical financial wisdom.

No small task, right?

The roadblocks are many, and you know them well.

First off, starting a money conversation — even an internal one — can feel like kicking an ant pile: you never know how many poisonous things will come out!

Know this: money issues are heart issues.

When money comes up, you and I instinctively fear conflict, exposure, shame, or loss of control. These fears are real, and they come from the heart. Examining financial priorities and motivations, trying to untangle what’s messy, or charting a course toward what’s true unearths heart-level priorities, motivations, and truth systems. Financial conversations take you to places that require courage and deep honesty. These places can be uncomfortable, and that’s okay!

The beauty of having an honest money conversation is that you open yourself up to profound change that yields both financial and heart-level freedom.

Have you ever struggled with financial fears or with the temptation to use money as a mechanism for control? This doesn’t have to be your reality anymore.

In this short guide, I will offer a framework for thinking differently about money. It comes from a few simple truths about money that I’ve condensed as I’ve shared biblical financial wisdom with people over a five-decade career. Based on my experience of delivering financial advice to individuals and families in all circumstances of life, I know with certainty that God’s Word speaks authoritatively, timelessly, and simply to all financial planning and decision-making.

Simplifying the Money Conversation Heart, Health, Habits, Hope

W

SIMPLIFYING THE MONEY CONVERSATION2

God’s Word speaks authoritatively, timelessly, and simply to all financial planning and decision- making.

Biblical financial wisdom is profoundly simple, and it works.

Over my working lifetime, I have had the opportunity to work on both Wall Street and Main Street. I have served in the marketplace as a CPA, financial advisor, business owner, entrepreneur, and communicator. My life’s passion has been to help Christians plan and manage their finances so that they are financially free to follow God’s purposes. Along the way, I’ve discovered something: biblical financial wisdom is profoundly simple, and it works. It works on Main Street and on Wall Street. Pursuing biblical financial wisdom will lead to firmer footing — for your money and your heart.

I am excited for you and with you as you learn more!

In this guide, we will explore the four key elements of financial confidence: Heart, Health, Habits, and Hope. These elements unlock a foundational framework empowering a lifetime of excellent financial decisions.

In the Heart section, you’ll learn four biblical perspectives that provide a solid foundation for every financial decision.

In the Health section, there’s a simple tool to reveal your current financial reality and identify how well it is aligned with your desired financial situation.

In the Habits section, I share five biblical financial principles that, when applied consistently, help you become financially stronger.

In the Hope section, you can confidently determine your next steps by set- ting faith financial goals, aligning your financial future with God’s kingdom purposes.

The four Hs are like the four corners of a puzzle; they provide a framework for thinking, acting, and communicating. These four corners will never change. They are not only the starting point, but will always provide the framework of biblical financial management.

To start, take a few minutes to review the overview of the 4 Hs of Financial Wisdom on the next two pages. Then, I will unpack each of the four elements so that you can begin to simplify your money conversations.

3 SIMPLIFYING THEMONEY CONVERSATION

HEART: BEHAVIOR FOLLOWS BELIEF

STEWARDSHIP: Do I believe that God owns it all?

CONTENTMENT: Do I believe that what I have right now is enough?

FAITH: Do I believe that I demonstrate my faith through my finances?

WISDOM: Do I believe that God’s wisdom is true and available?

Spend Less Than You Earn

Give Generously

Avoid the Use of Debt

Plan for Financial Margin

Set Long-Term Goals

2 Cor. 8:10-11 Prov. 22:7; Ps. 37:21

Prov. 10:4

Prov. 6:6-8; Luke 14:28Eph. 2:10; Phil 3:14

HABITS: FIVE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES

THE 4 HS of FINANCIAL WISDOM

Psalm 24:1

Hebrews 11: 1, 6

Philippians 4:11-13 Hebrews 13:5

James 3:16-17 James 1:5

Stewardship

Faith

Contentment

Wisdom

SIMPLIFYING THE MONEY CONVERSATION4

HEALTH: TODAY’SREALITY

LIVE: Practice provision, contentment, and enjoyment because money is a tool. (1 Timothy 4:4, 5:8, 6:6-10)

GIVE: Open my hand to release God’s resources. He wants my heart connected to His Kingdom story. (Matthew 6:19-24; 2 Corinthians 8:9-11; Luke 16:13)

OWE (Debt): Eliminate debt because debt always presumes upon the future. (Proverbs 22:7; James 4: 13-16)

OWE (Taxes): Pay taxes with gratitude. They reflect God’s provision. (Matthew 22:17-21)

GROW: Demonstrate financial maturity by giving up today’s desires for tomorrow’s benefit. (Proverbs 6:6-8; Luke 14:28-30)

There are five simultaneous competing priorities for the use of money. God’s Word speaks to each:

Changing habits to increase margin is the only way to meet long-term goals and align our hearts and hope toward eternity.

Without margin, it is difficult to respond to God’s calling on our lives and to meet the needs of those He has put in our lives.

HOPE: TOMORROW’SPROMISE

Surviving “Living paycheck to

paycheck”

Secure “Saving for long-term

goals”

Stable “Saving some with an

emergency fund”

Struggling “Not able to make

ends meet”

Surplus “More than enough”Margin

Meter

Live Give

Owe (Debt)

Owe

Grow

GOD OWNS IT ALL

(Taxes)

THE 4 HS of FINANCIAL

WISDOM

5 SIMPLIFYING THEMONEY CONVERSATION

HEART

ELEMENT #1 Heart

All money issues are heart issues.

Jesus taught in Matthew 6:21 that, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Whenever I speak, I tell people that if they show me their checkbooks, I can tell them their priorities. The reality is that money decisions are just ancillary evidence of what’s going on in someone’s heart at any given time.

To illustrate the connection between the heart and finances, I teach four heart-level perspectives that lead to peace of mind in a person’s finances, no matter how big the paycheck or financial decision. When your heart rests on these four perspectives, you are better able to make good financial decisions aligned with your priorities. When STEWARDSHIP, FAITH, WISDOM, and CONTENTMENT undergird your attitude toward money, your use of money best reflects your relationship with God.

STEWARDSHIP: Do I believe that God owns it all?

CONTENTMENT: Do I believe that what I have right now is enough?

FAITH: Do I believe that I demonstrate my faith through my finances?

WISDOM: Do I believe that God’s wisdom is true and available?

HEART: BEHAVIOR FOLLOWS BELIEF

Psalm 24:1

Hebrews 11: 1, 6

Philippians 4:11-13 Hebrews 13:5

James 3:16-17 James 1:5

Stewardship

Faith

Contentment

Wisdom

SIMPLIFYING THE MONEY CONVERSATION6

Your use of money best reflects your relationship with God.

HEART

STEWARDSHIP is the first heart-perspective that we must adopt regarding our money to experience true financial freedom and confidence.

A stewardship perspective (Psalm 24:1) says, “God owns it all and I am a manager of His resources.” In the old-fashioned sense of the word, stew- ards were servants who cared for their master’s homes, land, and interests. Instead of holding money with a clenched fist, a steward opens their hand to God and recognizes that all money is God’s to give or take away.

To remind myself of God’s ownership, I periodically walk around my home and consider the provision of God, as well as what came before me and my home on that particular spot of land since time began. Our lives are brief on this earth, but during that time we are entrusted with His resources as a blessing from Him. It is our role to steward them well. Take the time to list some of the many resources with which God has blessed you and entrusted to your care. Thank Him for His provision and acknowledge His ownership.

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God uses money in your life to shape you. As He shapes you, you move toward greater FAITH, WISDOM, and CONTENTMENT.

■ Acting as a steward, you exercise FAITH when you hold your finances with an open hand, allowing God to direct your decisions.

■ Because God owns it all, every spending decision is a spiritual decision. God’s Word is full of financial WISDOM. He gives direction about far more than just the tithe; He cares what you do with everything.

■ Faithful stewards choose CONTENTMENT, knowing that they are under the watchful care of their Master. They rest in His provision, even when they face complicated financial decisions or assignments from Him.

Once you adopt a stewardship mentality, you are poised to go on an unfor- gettable adventure with God. In my experience, when a person surrenders to God’s ownership of their resources, magnificent and disproportionate Kingdom impact inevitably occurs.

7 SIMPLIFYING THEMONEY CONVERSATION

God owns it all and I am a manager of His resources.

Once you adopt a stewardship mentality, you are poised to go on an unforgettable adventure with God.

HEART

The FAITH perspective follows naturally from the STEWARDSHIP per- spective. Having financial faith means that you hold your finances with an open hand, seeking God’s direction in the deployment of your money.

To unpack this perspective, answer these questions below: ■ What does it look like when I seek God’s direction in my finances? ■ Am I in conversation with God about my money? ■ How have I experienced God as the ultimate provider in my life? These questions help reveal the extent to which you live out your faith through your finances.

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James teaches that faith without works is dead. Implementing faith into your financial management means regularly asking God, “What would you have me to do in this financial situation?” and then moving forward in faith based on the answer.

Years ago, I had a physician friend ask me if it was okay for a Christian to own a million dollar home. The question took me off guard, but I imme- diately knew that this wasn’t a question for me; it was a question for the Master. I encouraged my friend to spend some time bringing his question to God asking, “What would you have me to do in this housing situation?” This faith-question is appropriate to ask about any financial decision.

My faithful friend sought the Lord over a period of time and was convinced that God gave him both permission to own the home and a vision for how it could be used for Kingdom purposes in his city. Now, nearly four decades later, countless men and women have come through that home and expe- rienced it as a place of ministry, encouragement, and even transformation.

God’s answer to my friend was unique to his situation. He may answer the exact same question differently for someone else. God’s Word gives you and me clear financial principles, but working those principles out in the reality of our situation depends on a dialogue with the Lord in which we, as stew- ards, actively trust Him to uniquely guide and direct our steps. As we walk by faith, seeking God’s direction, God will sometimes use money as a test in our lives to sharpen us.

Implementing faith into your financial management means regularly asking the Master, “God, what would you have me to do?” and then moving forward in faith based on the answer.

HEART

SIMPLIFYING THE MONEY CONVERSATION8

HEART

Think back: Are there times you have sensed God leading you in a particular direction? If so, what was it like to follow Him on that faith journey?

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Connecting your faith journey with your financial journey makes way for God to use your finances to mold your heart and life to treasure Him more!

While a FAITH perspective helps you respond to God’s leading about your finances, having a WISDOM perspective helps you walk confidently according to what God says in the Bible about money. In Scripture, God provides profoundly simple principles that reveal what “good stewardship” looks like. As you think about the role wisdom has played in your financial life thus far, ask yourself, “When has wisdom guided a decision in my life? Where did I find that wisdom? Has a wise principle from the Bible ever meaningfully informed a decision I’ve made?”

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Walking in wisdom simply means applying biblical wisdom to your decisions. A non-financial example would be when a father chooses to disengage from the emotional upheaval of parenting in the middle of a conflict by taking a deep breath, getting perspective, and speaking gracious truth to a son or daughter. This action applies the wisdom of both Ephesians and Colossians where fathers are instructed not to “provoke” their children. Choosing this wise path creates a better, durable parent-child relationship.

In the same way a parent-child conflict can get messy, your financial life can get emotional and confusing. To help you see your way through the mess, God gives simple principles in Scripture. When you apply them, your financial future is more durable and stable. (In case you’re wondering, the five foundational principles are listed in the “Habits” section of this guide.)

In Scripture, God provides profoundly simple principles that reveal what “good stewardship” looks like.

9 SIMPLIFYING THEMONEY CONVERSATION

HEART

When it comes to wisdom, it’s very empowering to realize that financial wisdom isn’t complicated. By applying wise financial principles, you can know that you are doing all that you can — practically speaking — to ensure confidence in your financial future. When the financial storm inevitably comes, following God’s wisdom enables you to look back without regret and know that you did your part, regardless of the outcome.

The final heart perspective, CONTENTMENT, is the culmination of apply- ing the stewardship, faith, and wisdom perspectives. The world tells you that you need more money and things to feel successful, secure, and significant. This is materialism, the polar opposite and greatest foe of contentment. One time, on a trip to Africa, I sat with a pastor on a small hill, looking down on his one-room mud hut. I watched his two-year-old daughter, the youngest of his five children, make a toy out of a used “D” battery. I asked him, “What is the greatest barrier to the spread of the gospel in your part of the world?” I expected his answer to be along the lines of tribalism, communication, transportation, resources, or something else. His answer blew my mind. He said simply, “Materialism. If a man has a mud hut, he wants a stone hut. If he has a thatched roof, he wants a metal roof.” No matter the context, materi- alism is a greedy master — always driving you toward more and leaving you perpetually discontent in your pursuit of it. Materialism is a heart disease, not a wealth disease.

The writer of Hebrews offers a straightforward antidote to materialism and paints a simple picture of how stewardship frees you from its clutches: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5, NIV) Understanding your role as a steward and applying faith and wisdom in the management of your finances means that it becomes possible to be content right now.

Ultimately, you can choose contentment — right now, right here — because you serve a good Master who is with you no matter your circumstances. You may be financially stable or have a financial mess on your hands. You may be financially resourced beyond what you could have ever imagined. No matter your circumstances, contentment is a choice that you can make today. Contentment puts you on firm footing right now, settling your finan- cial anxiety about “more” so that you can make clear-headed and informed financial choices about your current financial reality.

Materialism is a heart disease, not a wealth disease.

SIMPLIFYING THE MONEY CONVERSATION10

Ultimately, you can choose contentment.

HEART

Consider these questions: ■ What would it take for you to be content? ■ Have you ever considered that it is actually possible to be content with

what you already have, not because it is enough, but because God is enough?

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By acting as a STEWARD who is choosing CONTENTMENT, following WISDOM, and seeking God by FAITH, you prepare your heart for any financial decision, storm, conflict, or blessing. When these four heart-level perspectives are settled, you will be able to make financial decisions without fear and with greater freedom and confidence.

God uses money as a TOOL to shape you as you act as His steward. He uses money as a TEST to sharpen you as you seek His direction by faith. And He uses your money as a TESTIMONY to shine light in a dark world as you display contentment and wisdom to the world around you. When you are a content, wise, and faithful steward, you offer the light of Christ to friends and neighbors!

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5, NIV)

11 SIMPLIFYING THEMONEY CONVERSATION

ELEMENT #2 Health

Once you’ve cultivated the stewardship, faith, wisdom, and contentment perspectives into your heart, you can assess your current financial reality from a place of peace and with the understanding that the Provider of your resources is with you and for you.

I like to use a pie diagram to help people assess their current reality so that they understand how they are using their money today.

There are five simultaneous competing priorities for the use of money. God’s Word speaks to each:

Live Give

Owe (Debt)

Owe

Grow

GOD OWNS IT ALL

(Taxes)

HEALTH: TODAY’S REALITY

LIVE: Practice provision, contentment, and enjoyment because money is a tool. (1 Timothy 4:4, 5:8, 6:6-10)

GIVE: Open my hand to release God’s resources. He wants my heart connected to His Kingdom story. (Matthew 6:19-24; 2 Corinthians 8:9-11; Luke 16:13)

OWE (Debt): Eliminate debt because debt always presumes upon the future. (Proverbs 22:7; James 4: 13-16)

OWE (Taxes): Pay taxes with gratitude. They reflect God’s provision. (Matthew 22:17-21)

GROW: Demonstrate financial maturity by giving up today’s desires for tomorrow’s benefit. (Proverbs 6:6-8; Luke 14:28-30)

SIMPLIFYING THE MONEY CONVERSATION12

HEALTH

Looking at the different pie wedges shows you how you are spending your money now and helps you visualize the changes you would need to make to bring your wedges into alignment with your heart perspectives.

As you orient yourself to the pie diagram, take time to note a few things:

■ There are only five wedges of the pie, meaning that there are only five ways to use money. God’s Word speaks to each of them.

■ The pie is a depiction of where your money goes (cash flow) over a period of time. When I teach the pie, I tell people to use last year’s tax return to fill in the numbers on the wedges. You may want to take the time to use your tax return to fill out a pie using the pie worksheet at the end of the booklet.

■ The circumference of the pie represents your income for the given period of time. While you may wish for a bigger pie (as most people do), contentment means accepting and working from the size pie that you already have.

There are a few simple yet profound lessons inherent in the pie:

■ You have simultaneous competing priorities. While you may want to give 15% and use 20% to aggressively pay down debt and save 10%, the reality of your financial situation dictates that you prioritize so that your most important financial desires take precedence. You will be able to make better decisions about shifting the “edges of the wedges” as you see your current priorities and visualize the reality of the competing forces in life by looking at your pie.

■ There are no independent financial decisions. When you choose to spend more in one wedge, you must spend less in one or more of your other wedges. Money feels complicated because it is intertwined with your life. The pie exposes the interconnectedness of money.

■ The longer term your perspective, the better your decisions today. With the pie in mind, you can change your habits today to shift the edges of the wedges in the direction of your long-term priorities. Seeing the entirety of your pie helps you to clarify where you want to go and how to get there.

At this point, I’d like to mention a huge CAUTION! Certain money types (savers or givers) tend to think that their type is “better” than other money types (spenders, perhaps?). While it is judicious to save, and it is in line with God’s generous heart to give, I’d like to remind you of one very important truth: every spending decision is a spiritual decision. As a steward, you must surrender all of your resources to God’s direction. His interest in a spending decision is just as valid as His interest in a saving or giving deci- sion. Money is just a tool to accomplish God-given goals and objectives. In

Every spending decision is a spiritual decision.

13 SIMPLIFYING THEMONEY CONVERSATION

There are only five wedges of the pie, meaning that there are only five ways to use money.

certain seasons, you may have a goal to be more generous. In other seasons, you may have a goal to provide in a certain way for your family by creating memories or celebrating an occasion. Both uses of money are equally valid, as they are both the means by which you are accomplishing God-given goals. So, the opportunity for you is to come to recognize your money “style” as a unique reflection of God’s heart for your family and the world at large while recognizing that there is no “one size fits all answer” to a financial decision — we must leave room for God’s input and His wisdom for each particular situation.

At the end of this booklet, there is a worksheet that helps you identify the numbers in your pie. As you examine your pie, consider these questions:

■ What does your pie show about your financial reality? ■ What do you wish your pie looked like? ■ How might some of the heart perspectives inform changes

you need to make to your pie? ■ What areas of the pie introduce conflict into your marriage or

other significant relationships? ■ What priorities do you want your pie to reflect?

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HEALTH

SIMPLIFYING THE MONEY CONVERSATION14

There is no “one size fits all answer” to a financial decision.

HEART

ELEMENT #3 Habits

If you want to take a deeper dive into God’s wisdom in each of the wedges of the pie, I recommend reading my book Never Enough?: Three Keys to Financial Contentment.

Once you have an idea of where you want to make changes in your financial situation, you need to look closely at your current financial habits to see if they will help you get there.

The Bible offers five wise financial habits that are profoundly simple. They work at any income level, in any economic scenario. One time I had an opportunity to testify in front of a congressional subcommittee, and I shared the five habits in response to the question, “What financial advice would you give the American family?” Once I listed them, the inquiring senator responded, “It seems to me that this would work at any income level.” My response was, “You’re right, Senator. Including for the United States govern- ment.” Applying financial wisdom can be difficult, but it isn’t complicated, and it works for all income levels.

Spend Less Than You Earn

Give Generously

Avoid the Use of Debt

Plan for Financial Margin

Set Long-Term Goals

2 Cor. 8:10-11 Prov. 22:7; Ps. 37:21

Prov. 10:4

Prov. 6:6-8; Luke 14:28Eph. 2:10; Phil 3:14

HABITS: FIVE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES

15 SIMPLIFYING THEMONEY CONVERSATION

Applying financial wisdom can be difficult, but it isn’t complicated.

God has made financial wisdom easy to understand and accessible to all. Applying these habits can involve commitment, vision, and re-training, but they are all you need to do in order to be faithful with your finances.

The habits are:

1. Spend less than you earn because every success in your financial life depends on this habit.

2. Give generously because giving breaks the power of money.

3. Avoid debt because debt always mortgages the future.

4. Plan for financial margin because the unexpected will occur.

5. Set long-term goals because there’s always a trade off between the short term and the long term.

You can use the tool at the end of this guide to assess whether you’re consistently living out these five wise habits. Where are you already strong? Perhaps you are a consistent giver or a consistent goal setter. Where are you in need of more self-discipline or consistency? Celebrate your strengths in the space below as you also acknowledge the reality of your weaknesses.

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To change any habit, you need a simple plan and at least one person who will hold you accountable.

HABITS

SIMPLIFYING THE MONEY CONVERSATION16

HABITS

Changing a habit is hard. It’s why people pay billions of dollars for account- ability in exercise, diet, and weight loss each year. To change any habit, you need a simple plan and at least one person to hold you accountable, long after the emotional inspiration to change has waned.

In the space below, answer the following:

■ Which habit is most troubling for you to do on a consistent basis? ■ Who do you know that would hold you accountable on a weekly or

monthly basis to maintain that habit? ■ What simple next step will you ask your accountability partner to hold

you to?

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If you want to delve deeper into the mechanics of budgeting and goal setting, I recommend my book Master Your Money as a place to walk through a finan- cial plan in a step-by-step way.

17 SIMPLIFYING THEMONEY CONVERSATION

HEART

ELEMENT #4 Hope

Are you getting excited about what your financial future holds? Do you anticipate the good things that God has in store, and are you ready to tackle new things?

In your finances, when you begin to see clearly with a biblical perspective, you also begin to have hope.

Financial hope can wither when the unexpected occurs. That is why it is important to develop a personal vision about money that sets you up to hold on to your hope, even in challenging seasons. What better time to do this than now?

The “Margin Meter” is a visual device to help you imagine your ability to deal with what’s next. The amount of financial margin you have relies on the first habit: Spend less than you earn, because every financial success depends on this habit. There is no getting around the fact that financial margin (more money coming in than going out) is the only mechanism by which financial goals can be attained.

Changing habits to increase margin is the only way to meet long-term goals and align our hearts and hope toward eternity.

Without margin, it is difficult to respond to God’s calling on our lives and to meet the needs of those He has put in our lives.

Surviving “Living paycheck to

paycheck”

Secure “Saving for long-term

goals”

Stable “Saving some with an

emergency fund”

Struggling “Not able to make

ends meet”

Surplus “More than enough”Margin

Meter

HOPE: TOMORROW’S PROMISE

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HOPE

Faith goal-setting is simply the dynamic process of asking the question, “God, what would you have me do?”

As an advisor, I’ve always recommended that the very first place that margin should go is to pay down consumer debt so that your money can begin to work for you (as you earn interest) rather than against you (as you pay inter- est.) Next, it’s wise to save so that you have 3 to 6 months’ living expenses set aside for emergencies. Beyond that, you should look to accomplish your long-term goals such as increased giving, education, a down payment, retire- ment, travel, etc. Your goals will ultimately drive where your margin goes once you reach the Secure and Surplus categories. Having goals regarding where your margin goes prevents you from automatically increasing your lifestyle (the Live wedge), and causes you to instead thoughtfully allocate the extra where it will be most useful to your God-given objectives.

Remember, at every step along the way in the Margin Meter, God will meet you. He is most interested in your heart, and uses your finances to move and transform it.

■ Where are you on the Margin Meter? ■ Where would you like to be? ■ Can you imagine getting there?

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The key to moving from where you are to where you want to be is having written goals. The great news about being in God’s family is that He wants to participate in your goal-setting with you, leading you and encouraging you toward freedom and truth. For years, I’ve taught that there is a differ- ence between goal-setting in the traditional sense and what I call “faith goal-setting.” Faith goal-setting is simply the dynamic process of asking the question, “God, what would you have me do?” and then setting measurable, timely steps to move in that direction.

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When it comes to faith goals, there are five hallmarks:

1. Pray: Spend time with God asking Him where He wants you to go next in your financial journey.

2. Write: Write down your impressions.

3. Measure: Make your action measurable (in both time and in amount).

4. Share: Seek accountability.

5. Act: Take action or a first step.

A few other things I’ve learned about goals along the way are:

■ The longer term your perspective, the better your decision today. Goals are necessary because they help you prepare for the future, but more importantly they help you be intentional and wise in your finances today.

■ If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time. If you’re like most people, you may avoid goal-setting out of fear or some other hurdle. But, when you don’t have a plan, you never know when you arrive! Having written goals helps you monitor your progress and keeps you focused on the most important things.

■ Write your goals in sand, not concrete. Things change. They change all the time, in fact. Because of this, goals will also need to change as circumstances shift. I like to think of a goal as a direction, not a destination.

■ Goals are a reflection of what you believe God’s will is for you. When you set faith goals, you are putting on paper the outcome of the dialogue that you’ve had with God about His desires for your finances. Having a written record of a meaningful conversation with God can serve as a powerful motivator and a reminder of His care and concern in hard times.

No matter where you are on the Margin Meter, prayerful consideration of next-steps will help you live a financially confident life.

The longer term your perspective, the better your decision today.

HOPE

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Is money a tough topic? Yes. Is this discussion important? Yes. Can you do it? Yes. Financial peace and confidence result when your heart is rooted in truth and your habits are oriented toward changes you know God wants you to make. I sincerely hope that examining your heart’s perspectives, unpacking biblical financial principles in a simple and straightforward way, and deter- mining a path toward a faith-filled financial future have encouraged you.

As a next step in this process I would encourage you to complete the 4 H Tool assessment on the following pages. Using the tools you have learned in this guide, evaluate where you are now, consider where you want to be, and then make a plan to make the changes needed to move to this new place. Remember, we serve a big God and all things are possible with Him.

For further resources, visit www.ronblueinstitute.com/fourhtool.

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HEART: BEHAVIOR FOLLOWS BELIEF

Spend Less Than You Earn

Give Generously

Avoid the Use of Debt

Plan for Financial Margin

Set Long-Term Goals

HABITS: FIVE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES

THE 4 HS of FINANCIAL WISDOM

Action: Assess how your heart aligns with the four beliefs.

Do I behave as a steward of my possessions by holding

them with an open hand?

Do I seek God's direction in my

finances and rely on His provision?

Am I content with what I have right now?

Do my financial decisions align with biblical principles?