Financial Stewardship for Christian Business Owners: Moving Beyond a Scarcity Mindset

It's easy to say we trust God with our finances. But are we actually taking ownership of them?

We pray for provision, ask God to bless our businesses, and trust Him to meet our needs.

But when it comes time to review our expenses, make difficult financial decisions, or look honestly at what we're earning and spending, it's tempting to look the other way.

God is our provider, absolutely. But He's also entrusted us with the responsibility to steward what He's given us.

And financial ownership doesn't mean we obsess over money. It means we take responsibility for what God has entrusted to us while trusting Him with the outcome.

So I want to challenge you to see finances differently.

What if, instead of seeing finances as a burden, you began seeing them as a gateway to serving effectively for the Kingdom and a resource to help you impact those around you?

Prefer to listen? This teaching is also available in Episode 6 of the Fun, Free & Flowing™ podcast. Listen to the episode →

Why Do Finances Feel So Challenging?

Scarcity doesn't always look like worrying about whether there's enough money in your bank account.

Sometimes it looks like putting off sending an invoice because you're uncomfortable asking for payment. Or saying yes to a client at a rate you know isn't sustainable because you're afraid another opportunity won't come along.

Maybe you're making financial decisions based on what's immediately in front of you rather than what your business actually needs.

These patterns can be easy to overlook, but they reveal just how much our beliefs about money influence the way we lead our businesses.

And those beliefs often start long before we ever become business owners.

From the time we're young, we begin developing perceptions about money that shape our habits, our decisions, and ultimately our financial future. Before we know it, finances can take up so much of our mental load, and we find ourselves operating from a place of scarcity.

The great news is we can call out these patterns and reshape our mindset at any time.

Money doesn't have to be seen as a burden, a pressure, or an icky topic. Rather, it can be seen as a tool for furthering the Kingdom and sharing the Gospel.

We have a chance to use our platforms for GOOD.

So let's look at three common ways scarcity shows up in our finances and how we can reframe each one with the Truth God tells us.

1. The Fear of Money

This is a big one for people.

When we fear something, we do not want it around us. So when money comes in, we spend it as fast as we can to get it away from us.

It also can create the reverse effect, where we hoard the money, not knowing when more will come in or what to do with it.

Which type of fear of money do you have? Make note of this.

Money becomes the focus when it rules our choices, sense of security, and emotions.

The Goal: See Money as a Tool, Not an Idol

We want to see money as a neutral tool to further the Kingdom, not an idol.

Be content in all circumstances, knowing God is working it out for you as long as you are stewarding it well.

This isn't blind faith. It's stewardship.

God's handling the outcome. We are stewarding it effectively daily.

The Truth About Money and Security

Philippians 4:19 tells us:

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus."

That means Christ is what you need, not the money.

Focus on the eternal, not the earthly.

Matthew 6:24 also reminds us:

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

As leaders of our finances, we call out these feelings knowing that the enemy can use them to thwart our assignment.

Money is not an idol or the enemy. It's a tool to further the Kingdom, and we need to treat it as such.

2. Lack of Clarity Around Money

Remember how a lack of clarity can be a huge struggle with our time?

Yeah, the exact same thing exists with our money too.

When we lack clarity around the amount of money we have, the use it will provide, and the intention behind our ultimate goals, we will lead with our habits and patterns versus logic, reason, and intentionality.

We find ourselves saying, "Jesus take the wheel," and chuckle as we sip our Venti Starbucks, unsure how we are going to pay our bills.

Somewhere along the way, this "Jesus take the wheel" mantra morphed into a lack of ownership and accountability over our choices.

It's not girl math. It's just poor accountability and ownership.

Jesus DOES have it, but He's also calling on you to be diligent with it.

The Goal: Take Ownership of Your Financial Choices

We are clear with our money, understand our commitments, and honor them with integrity and openness.

We face what we need to face with ownership and accountability.

You can't grow your money if you aren't aware of your money.

The Truth About Financial Faithfulness

All of Luke 16, within the Parable of the Dishonest Manager, teaches us to focus on eternal things, operate with integrity and honesty, and serve one master: God.

Luke 16:10 says:

"One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much."

As leaders of our finances, we are honest, operate with integrity, and take ownership of our financial choices, even when it hurts.

It's not about obsessing and thinking about money 24/7.

It's about giving it the space and time needed in order to move forward.

3. Not Understanding Your Own Worth

The enemy uses money as a tool to keep you stuck, fearful, and feeling less than.

Money in our society is seen as prestige and determines our worth.

If you have the boat, the cars, the beautiful house, the entertainment, you have "made it."

The enemy is lying to you because if you knew the Truth, you'd be an especially dangerous representative for the Kingdom.

The accuser wants you to feel less than so you do not know the Truth about your worth and inheritance.

The Truth About Your Worth in Christ

You are the daughter of the King Most High.

You are beloved.

You are chosen.

You have received the inheritance.

You are seated.

You are adopted into the family.

You are His workmanship.

Why are you seeing yourself as anything less than?

Your worth is not tied to what you charge, but rather it is a gift freely given by the blood of our Savior.

And because your worth is already settled in Christ, you don't need your pricing, your revenue, or your success in business to prove anything about who you are.

That frees you to make wise decisions about what you charge based on the value of your work, the time and energy required to deliver it, and what your business needs to operate well.

I want to challenge you to read the whole book of Ephesians to understand all that you are granted.

Ephesians 2:10 states:

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

The Goal: Charge With Confidence and Serve Well

Serve well, love well, and in that, your needs can be provided for well.

Stop being fearful to charge what you need to provide for your family well. Start walking in the authority you've already been granted.

As leaders of our finances, we know our worth is not tied to how much we charge or earn. It's tied to Christ alone.

And for that, we can charge according to our time and energy and continue to further the Kingdom.

Period.

Moving From Scarcity to Abundance

We've called out our scarcity mindsets in the form of fear, lack of clarity, and not understanding our worth.

From scarcity, we want to renew these thoughts and move into abundance.

So how do we begin?

It comes down to two things: trusting and deciding, and stewardship.

1. Trusting God and Deciding to Move Forward

It all starts with trust and a decision to move forward.

"I know that God will work it out for me."

"God has put me in charge of X."

"Knowing this, I have decided to create X."

With trust, we stop worrying about it working out and start taking the necessary steps for it to work out.

When you know whose you are, it's a lot easier to move forward.

I want you to write these down and repeat after me:

• I am the Daughter of the King Most High.
• I am beloved.
• I am chosen.
• I have received the inheritance.
• I am seated.
• I am adopted into the family.
• I am His workmanship.

One of my amazing and beautiful clients reminded me of this in her discipleship, and I felt you needed to hear it too.

In a practical sense, trust is an activated stance of giving over your situation to God each and every single day.

Trusting God with your finances doesn't mean sitting back and waiting for your circumstances to change.

It means doing what He's entrusted you to do while leaving the outcome in His hands.

You can trust God to provide AND follow up on that unpaid invoice. You can pray over your business AND sit down to review your numbers. You can believe He's leading you into something new AND make a plan for how you're going to get there.

That's what it looks like to put your trust into action.

Look at your finances, gain clarity over them, trust that God will work it out, and then decide to put your energy and effort behind it.

No more avoiding. No more wondering if things will work out. No more pretending it doesn't exist.

Face it so you can actually move on.

This is one of the areas where having a coach was so powerful for me.

When I would get in my head about creation or pitching or worried about what others would think, my coach would remind me of my vision, removing the emotion from the outcome and walking in obedience.

Your First Two Action Steps

I want you to do two things:

1. List out your full financial situation. Ongoing bills, commitments, and debt. Get clarity over it all.
2. Decide to trust God and ask, "What is my first step forward?"

This is the beginning of your financial ownership.

2. Practicing Faithful Financial Stewardship

What is stewardship?

Stewardship is responsible and intentional management of something entrusted into your care.

It's the careful action of giving every dollar you receive a purpose, whether that's tithing, getting groceries for your family, or paying a business expense.

Many people want the fruit before they water the root.

But that's not how financial wealth is obtained.

We look at our business finances as the root, waiting to be watered and grow into bearing fruit.

Good financial stewardship means giving your money the time it deserves to grow into more opportunities.

This can look like investing back into your business and putting some money aside to save for yourself.

Paying yourself for a rainy day is a very important part of being a business owner so you can weather the difficult seasons well, something I had to learn in a difficult season of my business.

Two Simple Financial Stewardship Habits

You don't need a complicated financial system to get started. Set aside 15–20 minutes each week to sit down with your numbers.

Look at what's coming in, what's going out, and what financial commitments are ahead of you.

Then ask yourself: Am I making decisions based on fear, or am I making them based on the information in front of me and the responsibilities God has entrusted to me?

The goal isn't to have everything figured out in one sitting. It's to develop the habit of paying attention so you can make wise, intentional decisions.

Regarding stewardship, I want you to do two things.

First, pick one day a week to look over your finances.

• Look at what you spent over the last week.
• Look at your upcoming expenses.
• Review what income you've received.

Second, maintain an app or spreadsheet to keep track of your money habits.

• What bills do you have coming up?
• What commitments have you made?
• What did you do with your money over the last week?

All of these things are powerful to gain clarity over.

It's Time to Take Financial Ownership

Finances don't have to feel like pressure or be something we have to avoid.

God gave us money as a tool and resource for us to be able to further the Kingdom.

Let's start taking financial ownership and steward our finances well.

Take this teaching on the go! This material is also available in Episode 6 of the Fun, Free & Flowing™ podcast. Listen to the episode →

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