118. I Learned a Lesson

I know firsthand the power of God’s Word and Scriptures like those mentioned above to completely change the way we think. Like many other people, I needed God’s Word to do a major work in my thinking in the area of blessings and provision. Before I understood the power of thoughts, words, and actions, I had what I call a “cheap spirit.” I always paid the lowest possible price for everything I bought.

I shopped at rummage sales, discount stores, and even dug in the “dented-can basket” at the grocery store, hoping to catch sales and find good bargains. I bought day-old bread and off-brands. You might be thinking, So you were frugal. What’s wrong with that? The answer is, absolutely nothing. The problem is that I went way beyond frugality. I saw myself as someone who could never afford the good stuff. I lived with the fear that if I spent the money I had, we would run out and not have enough.

My husband, on the other hand, saw the situation from the completely opposite point of view. He did not spend money he didn’t have, but if he had it, he certainly wasn’t afraid to purchase what he needed and he always believed in getting the best quality he could afford instead of the cheapest thing he could find. We had many arguments about this particular subject and one day, while he was frustrated with me, he said, “God is never going to be able to really bless us until you get rid of this cheap attitude.” What he said made me angry, but he was right! God cannot give us abundance if we have no vision for it.

On a different occasion, we had an experience that taught me another valuable lesson. We needed a new car. I wanted a certain kind, but when we went car shopping I was afraid to purchase what I really wanted. Instead, I said that I felt we should purchase a cheaper model. Dave felt strongly that I should get the car I really wanted because we could afford it. I reasoned that, even though we could afford it, we would have more money left over each month if I settled for the car I didn’t like nearly as much but knew I could get by with.

The payment for the car I really wanted was about fifty dollars a month more than the one I would have settled for, and eventually Dave won out and we got the more expensive model. I loved the car and felt really good driving it. To my amazement, about two weeks after we purchased it, I received an unexpected pay raise and what I cleared after taxes was almost exactly fifty dollars a month.

The “cheap” attitude I described in this story affected every area of my life. I thought the way I thought at the car lot all the time—constantly reasoning and talking myself into buying or taking less than I wanted and could afford. The result was that I always felt deprived, but in reality, I was depriving myself. I believe God used this situation to help me break my unhealthy thought pattern. I firmly believe now that had I settled for the one I thought I could get by with, that I would have never gotten the raise I received.

So often God wants to give us one of the desires of our hearts and He cannot do so because we refuse to have it. We think it is too good for us or we try so hard to take care of our own future that we live in fear and won’t use what God has given us to enjoy in the present. Let me be clear: I am not suggesting that looking for a bargain is a bad thing or that going to a garage sale means that I have a cheap attitude. I like a good sale as well as anybody, but I don’t let it rule all of my purchases any longer. I have a good friend who goes to resale shops as a hobby. She and her mom will spend most of the day going from place to place and the bargains they get amaze me. They have fun and enjoy it; they don’t go out of fear like I did.

I also want to be clear that I am not suggesting that people spend money they don’t have or go into debt to buy things they cannot afford. Concerning our finances, we should always save some, give some, and spend some. Never spend all you have, but don’t be afraid to spend what you need to in order to have some things you will enjoy. Pray about large purchases and, if you have the money and believe God approves of the item you plan to buy, then do so without fear or feeling guilty.

I strongly urge anyone with the same problem I had to begin seeing yourself in a new way. You are valuable and should have nice things. God wants to bless you, but you need a healthy self-image. See yourself with your needs met; say that God meets them; and get ready to come up to a new level of abundance in your life.

Think about It

Do you have a “cheap attitude”? How can you begin to develop a mind-set of abundance?