“Trust in your money and down you go!
But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.”
—
Proverbs 11:28 NLT
I want to be real. I’m 25 and I started a non-profit, which means I’m broke. Well, not anymore, but I’ll get there. I’m married, I have bills, and a life insurance policy so there’s expectations on me. I want to quickly share some lessons God taught me on my journey from an empty bank account to a comfortable monthly income.
Backstory:
I started Press Bible when I was 21. I had no clue about building apps, an organization, and especially earning money. I made the leap and began doing Press Bible full-time after college. During the leap, I got married. Enter RESPONSIBILITY. I was working like crazy building a nonprofit, but there was no steady income coming in. My wife was the one bringing in all the money. I had myself a world class Sugar Mama.
There was nothing wrong with this for a short season, but this season was off-and-on for about 2 years. Also, we were financially supporting our non profit—remember it was bringing in no money. So we’re trying to sustain something that wasn’t sustainable. Things needed to change.
After an intervention with my wife and business partner, I finally began to explore ways I could make money. I discovered that all these computers skills I had been learning could make me some cash. I started doing freelance video, web, and project management. My income has grown from $0 to anywhere from $2000-$4000 a month in last 6 months! Yes, I work over 40 hours a week. I work stinking hard. Full time on projects that are not Press Bible related, and full time on Press Bible. Also, please understand I’m sharing these things to brag, but to be TRANSPARENT, which is a great segue.
1. Get Real About Your Financial Position.
For some reason I fell into this weird, heinous habit of not talking about my financial position. When people asked me what / or how much I made, I couldn’t look them in the eyes. I was ashamed. I would mumble a bunch of nonsense like, “Well I’m in the process of looking for a job,” or “God has me in this learning ‘season’ right now.” Lies. Thankfully, God introduced me to people that could see past my BS. They challenged me to man up and stop hiding behind Christianese. Stop making excuses. Do whatever it takes to financially support your wife. They were right, but beneath all of this, was a crippling thought that prevented me from taking the next step…
2. Making Money is Not Evil.
I couldn’t go out and make money because I viewed making money as a shady thing. I am a CHRISTIAN, I don’t want “money to be my idol.” Stupid. I thought “selling” was synonymous with trickery. I didn’t want to pressure someone to buy my product / service they didn’t need. The problem was that I had no concept of value. Here’s what I eventually learned…
Money is the result of creating VALUE for people. Think about the products, services you pay for. Why do you pay for them? It’s because they add value to your life.
We hire designers, plumbers, tutors, counselors, because they’re solving a specific problem. You pay money so that a problem (that is important to you) can be solved. So I started to ask: “What problem am I trying to solve for another human being?” “What uniques gifts do I possess and how can I use my gifts to add value to someone else’s life?”
This mentality is all about PEOPLE. It’s all about solving people’s problems. Creating a positive difference in their lives! So if money is about solving problems, then why wouldn’t I want to be a part of this process? Why wouldn’t I try to help as many people as I possible! Making money is not evil, It’s a unique gift God has given you!
3. Money Has Trust Issues.
Over the course of the last year, I have met people that have A LOT of money. Like, pay for their nice cars / houses with cash kind of money. But here’s the lesson they’ve taught me:
Money creates the illusion of security, but true security comes from the Lord!
Here’s where they got that from:
“Trust in your money and down you go!
But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.”
—
Proverbs 11:28 NLT
Money doesn’t bring security. Sure you can pay your bills, but there is much more to life than having your physical needs met. Like I said earlier, I’m currently making more than ever, but let me tell you, that hasn’t made my relationships with anyone better. Nobody cares how much I make. You think my wife shows me more love because my monthly income has grown? My wife shows me love whenever I pray before we go to bed; Whenever God is directing my family’s decisions.
Here’s the secret I learned: the number in your bank account won’t make you sleep better at night. Maybe it does for a short season, but you will flourish whenever you turn your trust from money and focus on the one who gave it to you! You see, money-focused individuals have trust issues.
Takeaway:
Work hard to create value for people and once you have been paid, put your trust into the one who gave you it to you!