Introduction

As a pastor or Christian leader, you may sometimes encounter people under your care that are withering financially. Often this can be a very frustrating situation to deal with. However, in my experience it is tremendously rewarding to see God's blessings begin to flow on those who have a heart for God and that begin to live out the financial principals laid out in God's Word.

How do we care for those who come with financial problems? Although every situation is unique, there are several steps that I would suggest following. First, help them diagnose the real problem. Often people in financial trouble are very focused on making the next rent, mortgage, or car payment and cannot see beyond the current crisis. Ask them to do what I call the Two Minute Drill. They get two minutes to write down their approximate monthly take-home income and all of their debts and related monthly payments. After they have completed this task, help them organize the information into this simple budget:

Please do not just help them with the rent or other payments without doing the Two Minute Drill. After all, a doctor would not treat a patient without first diagnosing the problem.

Second, you need to review the “Living” amount and determine if it is reasonable or not to actually live on in their circumstances to cover the basics of life such as food, clothing, etc... If it is not, please refer them to a Christian financial counselor in your area. Frankly, if they do not have enough to live on, the problem is very serious and I would be careful in giving any assistance if they are unwilling to seek professional help. Otherwise, the underlying problems might never be addressed and the cycle will continue.

Finally, help them to be set free from the financial bondage they are in. As I have searched God's Word, I have come to understand that God has a very simple financial plan for all of us:

The scriptures encourage us to give generously (2 Cor 9:6-14) and be free of debt (Duet 28:12). Debt does nothing but rob from our ability to live the abundant life here on earth that God intended. Our society has lost this biblical value and even more unfortunate, most of the debt incurred today is on foolish credit card spending to live for a better today and rob from our future income.
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I have had the burden of telling people with all ranges of income the truth in God's Word about debt and giving. Ultimately, I have shown them that God wants them to stop living poor and have an abundant life in Christ. For those that have followed God's plan and allowed Him to do some pruning, they have found how exciting life can be when they give freely of their time and money to God's purpose and glory.

The following is a very simple biblical financial plan for all of us to follow: Income - Giving = Living. Unfortunately, with today's very convenient credit it is very easy to add Debt to the equation such that our finances look more like this:

Put in these terms, it is easy to see the first implication of being in debt: debt does nothing but take away from the portion of our income that God intended us to have an abundant life on. If we did not have the debt at all, or even a lower debt load, we would be more free to give more or live in more abundance instead of scarcity. Too many times I have seen large houses with no furniture where people have built or bought their castle only to have discovered a great burden to live in it. This is an example of why Jesus warned us that life is not found in our possessions.
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Second, debt often takes away our ability to give generously as the scripture encourages us to do. However, it is not by accident that I have put Debt before Giving. The inability to give generously or even at all is both a serious temptation and often the reality that we face when we are in debt. I have met with many people who have said they desire to give more. But the reality is that they first had to meet their debt payments and little was left over to give. The result of this is that the debt robs the blessings that follow from God when we fail to be generous givers. For it is God who says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse...Test me in this...and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room for it.” (Malachi 3:10)

Finally debt is considered by God as a curse for disobedience to His ways. (Deut 28:15, 43-45) To illustrate this point, I like to use the Parable of the Lost Son found in Luke 15. The Jewish custom was to turn over your estate to your sons before you died. They were your retirement fund. So the father had to trust in his sons to use the assets wisely in turning over the estate. This is because both the parents' and the sons' future income depended upon it. To overspend today would be to "mortgage" or borrow against the future for a better time today. This is exactly what the lost son did. He spent everything he had inherited, his future income, on wild living. Coming to his senses, the lost son recognized that he had sinned against heaven (in his pride that led to the self-indulgent living) and against his father (in squandering the estate).
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As pastors or leaders in Christian ministries, I encourage you to review where you put Giving in your financial equation. I pray that you may receive the full measure of God's blessing for those who trust in God's provision enough to give from the firstfruits of income. Second, when you encounter those in financial bondage, help them to look at their finances through the simple biblical model of Income - Giving = Living and the truths in God's word about His provision for those who trust Him. Third, please encourage them to seek Godly counsel to help them gain a better understanding of what the biblical principles of handling wealth are and to receive practical help. Finally, pray. God can move financial mountains and part the red seas of debt in the lives of those who faithfully trust him.
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