Pride Goes Before the Fall

If I had to take a guess, I would say that one of the most consistent reasons for financial mismanagement in our lives , generally speaking,  is the simple sin of pride.

How many times have we started out thinking that we knew what we were doing, whether it was buying a house or shopping at the mall, and when all was said and done..... we ended up spending ( or borrowing ) more than we could afford?  

You see it everywhere.  In the grocery store, how many of us are too embarrassed to say that we hadn't planned on spending "that much" when we were in the checkout lane but ended up buying it all anyway?  Or how about when we hear about a deal that is too good to pass up and plunk down a credit card without bothering to check into it a little more? Better yet, how about the times we get suckered into buying something out of a catalogue that a colleague brought into the office to support their kid's school..... not because we need or want it, but rather because we don't want to say "no" when really that is what we are thinking.

Pride, in one way or another, tends to do us in, doesn't it?

Decisions, decisions

Personally, I have found that one of the best remedies to this problem comes in the form of prayer.  Not the falling on the ground beseeching the Almighty type of prayer, but simple honest prayer as it pertains to my decision making processes.

For example, if I am faced with a financial decision that goes beyond buying a stick of gum, opening myself up to a minute of prayer on my way into the store helps me to keep my heart in place. The same goes for those larger financial decisions like buying a car or considering adoption.

Basically, one of the easiest ways that we can begin changing our attitude about our finances is to make prayer a daily habit in our lives. Not just when we get ready to sit down to eat or before we go to bed, but in one of those moments when we need the time with God the most: When we need wisdom and guidance in making financial decisions.

Before going into the store.  Before opening that application for a new credit card. Before saying "yes" to an aggressive salesperson. 

Sound corny?

Not at all. By wisdom a house is built.  Where else could wisdom come from but from the Lord?