GOD AUDIT

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

Expect God to conduct a regular audit of your life. His Holy Spirit is an expert at probing beneath the surface of our actions and is able to root out unhealthy motives and habits. God’s accountability is thorough and swift. He is honest, steadfast and unbiased. I can talk myself into anything, but God holds my feet to the fire of His expectation. He searches your heart looking for payouts of forgiveness to others.

Your books do not need to be loaded up with accounts receivable that hang over others like a bad dream. God will deal with their shortcomings and the pain they have inflicted. Keep your accounts short. You have the ability in Christ to forgive others of their debt. Write off their offenses and you will build up your heavenly tax credits.

This is what we do as Christians. We forgive. We forgive because of the great mercy we have received from our heavenly Father. Another common discovery from God’s audit is fear. Our minds swirl with scenarios out of our control. Fear of failure, fear of confrontation, fear of rejection, and fear of what might happen can immobilize you. These fears birth anxious thoughts that refuse to go away. They race back and forth through your head uncontrollably.

God’s probing will put a finger on your worries, and He will remind you to trust Him.
He gently and lovingly says not to let anxiety drive you but to trust instead. He can handle whatever He uncovers in your life, and He can handle whatever you encounter in life. This is what He does as God. He is the calmer during uncertainty and the stabilizer when you face difficult circumstances. This is where you trust your heavenly auditor.
You trust God that whatever He asks you to change will be for your good and the good of others. His audit is for your benefit since He already knows His conclusions before He starts.

CALL FOR WISDOM

“This calls for wisdom.” Revelation 13:18a

Wisdom is required more often than we realize. It is wisdom that cuts through emotion and gets to the reality of the situation. “What is the wise thing to do?” is an effective question in decision-making. “What is best for the enterprise?” is a wise question to ask as it relates to business and ministry. And, many times, God speaks through money—or the lack thereof. So, if money is tight, then we need to be extremely wise with expenditures. Wisdom says to cut back on expenses and do not add additional costs. At this point it is not about lack of faith, it is about being a wise steward with what you have so that you can be trusted with more. Wise stewardship attracts generous givers.

Moreover, the crown jewel of wisdom accumulation may be the fear of the Lord. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline”(Proverbs 1:7). The fear of God positions you to receive wisdom. No fear of God means no wisdom. No wonder our world is flush with fools! We have lost our fear of God, and thus wisdom has alluded us. The fear of the Lord is an incubator for wisdom. God dispenses wisdom to those who fear Him.

HONORABLE WEALTH

Why do we honor the Lord with our wealth? We honor Him because He is the giver of all good things, the author of our abundance. As our estate grows so should the honor of our Heavenly Father. Otherwise, we are tempted to take credit for our success, and honor ourselves. The Bible says, “You may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17).

In some seasons our net worth decreases, and we are reminded that Christ controls cash flow. Wealth is not an end in itself, but the means to a greater goal of honoring God. Peace and contentment flow from wealth that honors the Lord, while fear and insecurity consumes the heart that honors itself.
So, how do you honor the Lord with your wealth? One way is to remain faithful and give Him the firstfruits of your fortune. Small or large as it may be, His primary concern is your faithfulness to give. You give out of obedience not abundance. People see Christ when you keep your cash commitments, especially when it costs you. This is honorable in heaven and on earth. Give to your church, the poor and needy, widows, orphans, family and ministries who align with your passions. You do not honor God when your thoughts are about new cars, clothes, or jewerly. Wealth is a gift from God and He expects us to be wise in its use, and like any gift it can be taken away if our motivation is selfish. The Bible says, “If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them” (Psalm 62:10b).

The results of your generous giving in the middle of downward financial pressures will be an upward blessing to you and the recipients. Your honorable use of wealth for Jesus’ sake may mean food, clothing, shelter and medical supplies for a village, or Bibles translated into the foreign tongue of a remote people half way around the world. The best time to aggressively give is when the need is the greatest. You take care of honoring Christ with generous giving, and He will take care of you. What you give now, you still have in abundance later.