7. Learn the Secret of Contentment

didn’t buy a car with her savings but instead used her savings to go to Africa to serve. Or Kyle, who didn’t take a promotion at work so he could keep serving a significant number of hours each week on the worship team at our church.

These are everyday people who honor God by being generous with their lives and their financial resources. We don’t have to have a lot of money to honor God with it. Our attitude and what we do with our money matter to God. Being generous is about opening our hearts to God’s purposes and making them a priority in our lives. As believers, we should have no greater passion than generously and wholeheartedly giving what we have to build, equip, and resource kingdom work, especially through our local church.

In Matthew 10:8, as Jesus is sending out His 12 disciples, He reminds them, “Give as freely as you have received!” (NLT). God didn’t hold anything back from us. He gave His son to provide a way for us to find hope and freedom from sin. When we receive all the blessings that a relationship with Jesus brings, we also inherit a responsibility to go out and give others the opportunity to experience the same.

One of the secrets to stepping into worry-free finances

is sharing your blessings. Be generous with your blessings, and watch how God continues to bless you. When we choose to have a generous spirit toward people, toward the poor, and toward God’s work, we are acting in obedience to God’s Word, which always positions us for blessing. Generosity is powerful. It can make a huge impact on every area of our lives— emotionally, relationally, spiritually, and financially.

Happiness and wealth don’t always go together, but happiness and a generous spirit are almost inseparable. If you hoard your blessings, you’ll worry about them constantly, but the day you realize you are blessed to be a blessing, you will start to experience the worry-free life God wants for you. If you want to experience amazing joy, freedom, and fulfillment, choose to live with a generous spirit!

LEARN THE SECRET OF CONTENTMENT

We’ve covered a lot of ground in this short book. So much could be said on the topic of finances, but the goal of this book is to provide a road map of practical steps, directly from God’s Word, to help you handle your finances the best way—God’s way. Hopefully, by now, you’ve begun applying these three steps to your life. If you have, you are well on your way to living worry-free.

For step three, we’ve been talking about what it looks like to build a generous spirit. We’ll never experience the worry-free life God wants for us if we are holding onto our money too tightly. Instead, we have to learn to see our resources as an opportunity to bless

others. Building a generous spirit is a process; it takes a lot of time and hard work. For this last chapter, I want to give you one final biblical principle that will help you on your journey toward embracing a life of generosity—contentment.

Money is dangerous. If we aren’t careful, we can find ourselves constantly wanting more. We finally get a house, but then we want a bigger one. We can finally afford a car, but then we want a nicer one. We can finally take our family on a vacation, but then we want the more extravagant one.

If we truly want to live worry-free, we have to learn how to move past our obsessive need for more—we need to learn the secret of contentment.

Throughout his life, the Apostle Paul learned this secret, and in Philippians 4, he gives us some incredibly helpful insight on how we can do the same:

“Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am. I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have

learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want. I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]” (vv. 11–13 AMPC).

I love Paul’s definition of contentment: “satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted.” The deep satisfaction he felt had very little to do with his circumstances; Paul was writing this letter from a prison cell. He had every reason to be frustrated, discouraged, and discontent, but he didn’t let those circumstances disturb him. If we want to live worryfree, we have to learn how to experience the same sort of satisfaction wherever we find ourselves today.

This is a big issue for many of us. It’s so easy to become unhappy with life and fall into a constant state of dissatisfaction. Material things can make us happy for a moment, but that happiness seems to have an expiration date. Before we know it, we’re unhappy with our car, our house, our clothes, our job, our spouse, our opportunities, and the list goes on. We pray for God to provide for us, and then He does,

but then it doesn’t take long for us to grow discontent with those things we were praying for. So we pray for more, and then the cycle starts all over again.

Discontentment robs us of our ability to enjoy the life God has given us—the people in our lives, the resources we have, and the opportunities before us. Plus, it’s really difficult to stay financially fit when we have an obsessive need to keep buying more. The best way to fully embrace a life of generosity is to let go of our need for more and embrace the place we are in right now!

Contentment Is Not Apathy

I’m not saying we shouldn’t try to improve our lives or move forward. Contentment is not the same as apathy. It doesn’t cause us to sit back and lazily ignore making any progress. As Christians, we should always be pursuing greater things. In Philippians 3, just one chapter before Paul talks about contentment, he tells us, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on” (vv. 13–14). That doesn’t sound like apathy to me. Paul was constantly pressing forward. He was determined to make progress, but he was also passionately committed to not falling into the trap of frustration when challenges and setbacks came along.

Sometimes in our pursuit of progress, we get discouraged and are tempted to resign ourselves to just accept where we are, but we have to remember that we can both pursue progress and be truly content at the same time. It’s possible to value and appreciate all the good things we have right now while still holding on to that picture of a preferable future.

Contentment by itself can lead to complacency. However, when we add godliness (pursuing the things of God) to the equation, that’s when things start to get fun. Paul put it this way in 1 Timothy 6:6, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” When we pursue godly goals and ambitions, and we pair that with a commitment not to be anxious or to lose our peace on the way, that’s when we experience great gain.

So, how do we do it? How do we add contentment to this financial journey we are on? In Philippians 4, the passage we just read, Paul gives us three steps: learn it, practice it, and experience it.

Step 1: Learn It

Contentment is something we have to learn. In Philippians 4:11, Paul says, “I have learned how to be

content” (AMP, emphasis mine). If Paul had to learn it, that means he did not always know it—there was a time where he wasn’t content. It was something he had to work on. Contentment isn’t something most of us have naturally. We have to teach ourselves how to be content.

As we’ve talked about at length in this book, vision is important for finances. But while we chase after our dreams, we also have to learn how to be content right where we are. If we let that vision create frustration, discouragement, and unhealthy dissatisfaction with where we currently are, it will get into our spirits and steal our peace. Instead, we have to train ourselves to be content right here. We have to learn how to work hard and rest well at the same time.

Did you know God wants you to be at rest? Most of the time, we equate rest with taking a week off and not doing anything, but the rest God wants you to experience is way better and more fulfilling. Hebrews 4:9 talks about a special rest that God wants you to experience—an inner peace and assurance that comes from trusting in God’s power and strength.

Living in a constant state of financial frustration is not healthy or enjoyable; it’s also not God’s desire for us.

Don’t let an unhealthy or unrealistic expectation for your financial future steal your peace in this present moment. Vision for the future is great, but we have to learn to be content right where we are so our vision for a better future doesn’t rob us of our rest.

Does contentment come easily to you? Or is it something you have to learn and work on? Some people are naturally more inclined toward being content, but there is still hope, even if that’s not you. No matter what your personality type is, contentment is possible.

The apostle Paul was a driven, ambitious man. Before his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road, Paul was on a religious mission to kill Christians. He was a Type A, whatever-it-takes-to-win kind of person. His personality would hardly be conducive to contentment and satisfaction. Yet he wrote some incredible insights on contentment—while he was confined to prison in chains. As with Paul, God’s power at work within us gives us the ability to live with a sense of contentment in our hearts.

Contentment is not a one-time experience or achievement. It doesn’t come into our lives through a divine impartation or a single encounter with God’s

presence. Contentment is a learned skill that we must cultivate in ourselves and practice daily.

Step 2: Practice It

Very few skills come naturally to us; we need to put in the time to practice. Professional athletes make their sport look so natural, but that doesn’t mean the first time they picked up the ball, club, stick, or bat, they knew what they were doing. They make their sport look so easy now because they’ve put in hours of practice.

Contentment works the same way, especially when it comes to finances. Since it doesn’t come naturally to most of us, it is something we have to practice. The reality is, whether we like it or not, we all face ups and downs in life. Sometimes things go our way, and sometimes they don’t. Our job is to practice building contentment into our lives so we can keep moving forward successfully with both the good and the bad. Here are some practical exercises to help us practice contentment.

Practice walking by faith and trusting God. The only way we really learn how to walk by faith is by facing situations we can’t handle on our own. I remember when Leslie and I went on the mission field in Africa.

We had to raise all the funds we needed to not only get there but live there. As you can imagine, that entire process gave us plenty of opportunities to practice trusting God.

I’ll never forget one particular incident while we were there. The economy in Kenya collapsed, and the shilling devalued significantly. As a result, our expenses tripled overnight. At that point, we were barely getting by with the support funds we had. When the economy collapsed, we didn’t know how we were going to cover the extra costs. It was a very serious situation for a lot of people, and many missionaries moved home.

Leslie and I thought about leaving, but we decided to stay in Kenya and practice trusting God to provide. Sure enough, our monthly financial support went up just enough. It stayed there for three months during the economic upheaval, and as soon as everything went back to normal, it went right back to where it had been before. God knew exactly what we needed to get us through.

Hebrews 12 tells us that what can be shaken will be shaken. When things in our world start to shake, we have an opportunity to practice walking by faith

and trusting God. We have to reach down deep and remember we are citizens of “an unshakable kingdom.” We don’t place our trust in a person, a relationship, in our job, in our government, or in anything else to provide for us. We give respect and honor where it’s due and pray for our authorities to make good decisions, but at the end of the day, we practice being content right where we are because we’ve placed our trust in God.

Practice staying positive when you face challenges. Philippians 2:14 says, “Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves]” (AMPC).

This is so much easier said than done! Most people are really good at finding things to complain about; we often do it without even noticing. Try this challenge: Go an entire day without complaining or grumbling. It’s not easy, but it’s actually how God wants us to live every day. When we learn to be content, we have the ability to keep our spirits up and our outlook positive, even when we may not like how things are going. The truth is, no matter how bad things get, there is always something to be thankful for; we just have to practice having the right perspective.

Our feelings and emotions can be powerful things, but we don’t have to allow them to dictate our lives or rob us of joy. Sometimes we have to step in and speak to our soul, just as the Psalmist did in Psalm 42:11: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

When we’re tempted to be unhappy or negative about our financial circumstances, we need to take charge of our thoughts and feelings and practice staying positive. Complaining about our situations and our finances won’t change anything. In fact, complaining usually discourages us more. We need to choose to focus on the blessings we do have rather than what we don’t have.

Practice keeping the vision in sight when there’s resistance. Maybe your goal or vision is to pay off debt. What do you do if the brakes go out on your car, and then you find out there won’t be any holiday bonuses this year? Do you throw your vision out the window and give up on getting out of debt? Of course not—delay is not defeat.

Our financial goals will face setbacks, but in those moments, we have to practice staying content. When

we have a vision for something that pleases God and benefits our lives, we need to hold on to it despite resistance. We may have to make some adjustments, but we shouldn’t abandon the vision when things get tough. Resistance and difficult seasons are opportunities to practice being content.

Nehemiah is an excellent example of someone in the Bible who faced resistance. He had a vision to do something significant. He wanted to repair Jerusalem’s wall, which had been broken down and neglected for many years. He made a plan and started rebuilding the wall, but he faced many challenges along the way. People mocked him, got angry with him, and even plotted to harm him. So what did Nehemiah do? He strapped on a sword and went back to work (Nehemiah 4:16–18). He didn’t get discouraged and give up. Instead, he pressed through the resistance and continued to do what he knew was right. And, amazingly enough, he and the other workers completed the wall in just fifty-two days.

As a Christian, anytime you’re trying to improve your life or do something significant, you will encounter resistance. Resistance can come in a variety of ways—negative people, difficult circumstances, plans that don’t work out. Challenges can cause you to

want to pull back and rethink your vision or wonder if it’s too hard. Don’t give up. Press through those seasons. When you practice staying committed to the principles in God’s Word and the process of handling things God’s way, contentment will start to become easier and easier to experience!

Step 3: Experience It

One of the biggest misconceptions in our world today is that our circumstances determine our contentment. People think, “If I just had…,” and then they rattle off a list of things they think would bring them satisfaction and fulfillment. But if that’s true, why are so many people who seem to have it all still so empty inside?

We can’t rely on external things to bring us internal contentment. It won’t work—at least not for long. Paul knew this, which is why he took a different approach. That’s why he said, “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]” (Philippians 4:13 AMPC, emphasis mine).

Paul says all things because he experiences contentment in the difficult seasons, but he also experiences it when he has more than enough.

Contentment isn’t just something we can experience when times are tough, or resources come up short. We have to learn how to be content when we get some momentum in our finances. Benjamin Franklin said, “Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.”³³ One of the most important skills we can develop is being satisfied and enjoying what we have, no matter how little or how much it may be.

Paul didn’t just preach contentment; he experienced it. He understood that contentment doesn’t come from without; it comes from within. It doesn’t come when our circumstances change. It comes when we make changes on the inside. We find true satisfaction when we make the choice to be happy right where we are. I love Joyce Meyer’s wise advice: “Enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going.”³⁴

When it comes to managing money, contentment may not be the most exciting piece of the puzzle, but it’s part of what it takes to experience God’s best. If you want a worry-free life, you have to tithe regularly, manage responsibly, and build a generous spirit, but you also have to learn the secret of being satisfied exactly where you are.

I want you to stick to your budget, get out of debt,