Pray that prayer and you can then start to change your expectation of what's coming to you in life. You can start rejecting conditions that reflect the curse and expecting conditions that reflect the blessings. (Deuteronomy 28 lists the blessings and curse.)

You should do this by prayer through the leading and power of the Holy Spirit. You will also need to do this in every day speech. Your speech needs to come to reflect your new expectation. What you say in life needs to reflect what you expect in life for what you say to a large extent determines what you get!

Most people spend their lives worrying about money, where it's going to come from and how they are getting to get it for the necessary things of life. They focus on a job or something else as their supply source.

In the face of this, you need to realise that your job or "work of your hands" is only a delivery van. Your source of supply is God. Every Christian needs to have his focus on Jesus - the enduring source of supply. For this reason David used to sing to himself,

My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation (of supply and salvation) is from Him.

Psalm 62:5 - NKJV

Start saying and singing the same thing to yourself. In this way, you can become confident in the promise of provision that the apostle Paul gave,

My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus

Philippians 4:19 - NKJV

Bring this promise to God in prayer. Say, "Father, I have a need You as my supplier. I look to You as my provider. Here's Your promise (quote that verse above)."

If you're a Christian you're a steward of money God has given you. God has given money and substance to you for your use to His glory.

God expects you to be a giver. Giving is an act of love. Giving serves the kingdom of God. Giving is sowing, knowing a harvest will come from it. The one who gives needs to give like a farmer sows a seed - he commits it to the ground but he knows a harvest is going to come to him from it. Jesus declared,

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.

Luke 6:38 - KJV

God also expects you to be a tither. Abraham was a tither and we read specifically of his grandson, Jacob, committing himself to giving his tithe also. Both of these men gave the first ten percent of their increase (the tithe) back to God and both of them came to enjoy great wealth and security. (Gen.14:18-24; 28:15-22)

The tithe seals your financial relationship with God. It makes a faith statement that honours Him as the One who has set things up for you so you can live well. As His part of this relationship God promises you financial security. This is what He has promised through Malachi the prophet,

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground.

Malachi 3:10-11 - KJV

Look diligently to dynamically apply in your life the guidelines above and you'll be able to handle bills without fear or anxiety. You'll know who the supplier of your needs is. You'll be in a position to give correct priority to your bill paying that will lead to security and prosperity in your life.

I recommend you set up a system of setting aside money for bill paying. Make a commitment to moving to a position of having real diligence with your money. You'll need to organise yourself so you have a way of monitoring your money coming in and going out. This will require you having a way of portioning out the money that comes in ready to pay bills.

After many years living in South East Asia I returned to England in 1989 with my wife and children. Soon afterwards we bought a very small caravan and we lived in it. We had no regular, visible source of income and lived on ministry gifts that came in. At the time this meant that our income was very limited indeed. As a result whatever did come in had to be wisely allocated.

What I did in response to this situation was to set up an envelope system. I had an envelope for each area of financial requirement and divided up all income as soon as it came in into those envelopes. I did this on a percentage basis having worked out a rough budget (written on each envelope) designed to see us able to pay the bills as they came in. For example, I had a envelope designated "Rent" and into this envelope I would put 30% of each income amount that came in. The first envelope I allocated money to was the envelope designated "Tithe" into which I put 10%. I even had envelopes for non-essentials but only put money in them if it was clear that essential envelopes were filling up well and on schedule to pay upcoming bills.

Although now our financial affairs are far more complex and demanding I still take great diligence over tracking my finances and allocating money for bill payments. Fortunately, I'm able to make use of a computer accounts package. This makes accounting easier but it still requires a real commitment to diligence and budgeting. I recommend such diligence to you.

You'll have to work out most of your budget priorities and requirements yourself. This budget will include the order of priority for bill paying.

However, I strongly recommend on the basis of personal experience and observation of others that you adopt the following guide to the top four bills to pay in order of priority -

• Tithe
• Income tax (employees have no choice, self-employed must do this!)
• Payments for your house
• Payments for house utilities

Congratulations on joining God's financial plan!

Check out the Related Pages list below for other pages on this web site dealing with finances.