Did you just ask your friend for money? Big mistake!

'The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet

and steady and loyal and enduring nature

that it will last through a whole lifetime,

if not asked to lend money.'

Mark Twain

American satirist.

If you want to break a friendship, ask your 'close friend' for money to get you out of a tight spot with the promise that 'I will pay you back when my paycheck comes in'. Now that is the biggest mistake you will have made and it could probably signal the end of your 'friendship'. Why the quotes? Because a true friend (very rare in this materialistic world we live in), will not hesitate to help you.

The mistake that a lot of us make, me included, is to turn to our friends all the time when we get out of budget. We forget to turn to God, who is the source of all our needs. I sometimes wonder why this happens and have come to the conclusion that maybe it is because they are the nearest to us at the time. We trust them to understand that predicament that we have been telling them about and hope that when we are in need they will sympathise with us and give a helping hand.

Oh how wrong I have been. My experience is that when you tell someone that you have a problem, chances are that they will also tell you (true or not, I do not know) that they also have a problem and so cannot help you. Some problems seem to grow legs the moment you mention your own. Sad, but possibly true.

So I get so disappointed. Why? Because I told the wrong person my problem and worse still turned to the wrong person for help and advice. I should have told God and trusted my Heavenly Father to help and guide me. God is the only one who can help in times of need. You just have to believe it and speak to Him when the going gets tough. Then, stop and LISTEN TO GOD for your response. You will be surprised at the outcome.

When things are difficult financially, God wants you to learn how to make it better. It is usually a tough lesson on learning to better manage your financial resources and I know that by seeing it this way I have come out stronger. Take heart, all is not lost. Remember this prayer the next time you are in a financial dilemma:

O God...give me neither poverty nor riches!

Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.

For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say,

"Who is the Lord?"

And if I am too poor, I may steal

and thus insult God's holy name.

Proverbs 30:8-9

Jesus said,

"Your Father knows exactly what you need

even before you ask Him."

Matthew 6:8