Discontentment once pressed heavily upon my soul as I blindly pursued the prominence this world defines as success. As a result, my health suffered, my finances were misaligned, my family craved more intimacy & my time with God lacked priority. These sacrifices eventually converged to create a level of brokenness I will never forget & a crossroad of decisioning that forever changed my life. It was when I finally understood the meaning, necessity & power of complete surrender.

Is there a past decision that has greatly impacted you & others? Do you regret it, or rejoice from it? Thankfully, by God’s grace, it’s never too late for us to start experiencing life as He intended & to begin strengthening the four primary stewardship areas entrusted to us all (John 10:10):

Faith: We know “the cares of this world & the deceitfulness of riches,” along with the desire for other things, choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). Yet, many of us remain trapped by this deception. Has our regular time with God dwindled? Has our church attendance & fellowship with others diminished? Have our anxieties increased? Let’s examine our pursuits & seek to protect prioritizing any of them before God.

Family: Not providing for one’s household denies the faith (1Timothy 5:8). However, “provision” includes more than what money can offer. For how many can give in this way, but miss the spiritual, emotional & physical requirements of provision? Family is strengthened when Christ is priority because His love & wisdom infects our life for us to then share & apply in the home. Has anything distracted us from praying as a family, playing as a family & prospering as a family, no matter how diverse our family may be?

Fitness: We know we’re God’s temple & that we’re to care for our bodies as such (1Corinthians 3:16). So, why do we neglect healthy eating, necessary sleeping & regular exercise for other commitments? Clearly, there is a balance between caring for ourselves & obsessing over ourselves, but how impactful can we be if we’re sick, weak & tired? Whipping ourselves & others to performance without proper maintenance isn’t heroic. Yet, many of us do it & seem to wear it as a badge of honor. There’s always time & great wisdom in taking care of our health & leading others to care for theirs – spiritually & physically.

Finances: Irresponsibility with worldly wealth, denies us the opportunity to be trusted with true riches (Luke 16:11). Power, prominence & possessions are alluring motivators, but can never serve as true measures of success. Rather, they are potent revealers of character. Therefore, they can never be allowed to conflict with our responsibilities to faith, family & fitness. We must guard ourselves from mistaking any provision with the Provider. For all we have is from Him & we are presented with opportunities to serve as His faithful vessels of distribution. How much & with what can He trust us with? Will it be used as He directs, or go to build our storehouse over His?

Excerpts from Bank On It: Empowering Insights The Rich Already Know.