Needs Versus Wants

 

Does your family keep a running needs versus wants list?

What for? Well, when we were in the real estate and mortgage business, and the market crashed, so did our finances. We lost all we had, and it prompted us to write up a new family budget.

We purposed to live within our new means, by eliminating everything that was in excess of what we could afford. Everything was paid in cash, or paid with our debit card. We either had it or we didn’t get it. And quickly learned about delayed gratification.

However, because we are children of God that doesn’t mean we go without. All it means is “not right now.” So we got a piece of paper and wrote down two columns: needs and wants.

Discerning Needs Versus Wants

We have to admit when walking through a financial hardship you’ll learn real quick the definition of a need versus a want.

That reality caused us to ask ourselves…

• Do we really need this for our survival?
• Is this a necessity to our livelihood and our children?

If the answer was yes, it went under the needs’ column. If the answer was no, it went under the wants’ column.

In a previous blog, we shared the family confession we created during this time of hardship. Daily, we confessed that we would see supernatural debt cancellation, unexpected income, blessings and favor given to us. So that we are always regardless of circumstances self-sufficient. (To see the entire confession check out the blog here.)

Well, we not only spoke this confession, we expected to see God show up. And to prepare our field for rain, the needs’ and wants’ list was created. As a result, when God showed up, we were ready to receive.

Needs Versus Wants

When we would receive a financial blessings, we would first thank God for the blessing, then seek His wisdom for what do next. Of course in line with what we learned in Becoming a Millionaire God’s Way, as we’ve shared in a previous blog. We would give, save, and lastly, spend according to what was the priority.

To be honest, this wasn’t easy at first. We would usually argue about what we thought was important. However, after doing this for over a decade, we’ve become experts at; praying about what to do, looking over the list, and then coming to an agreement about how to use the funds.

To explain what we mean, we would look at the needs’ list and take care of any immediate needs. Then, if there was anything left over, we would look at our wants’ list and decide together what we should do.

We serve an and / also God. He doesn’t just want to give us our daily bread. God wants to bless us so that we can be blessing.

Sometimes we don’t dream bigger because we’re to focus on looking at what we don’t have, instead of focusing on who our God is. He is our ultimate provider. God will give us bread for our food and seed to sow!

In The End

Identifying the needs your family has that can’t be met right now is practicing good stewardship. You’re choosing not to go in debt, or stress out about what you don’t have. As a result, by writing it down you’re showing God that you trust Him to do His part. Then when He shows up, because He always does, you know exactly what you need to do. This is what we call handling our finances decently and in order.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”
~ Ephesians 3:20 KJV

Living within our means, displays good stewardship and we’re told in Luke 16:10 (NLT);“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”

So if the needs of your family are weighing you down. Don’t let it. Pay what you can, make a list of what you can’t, and seek God. Then watch God show up and show out.

Today, we no longer fret over needs; we simply smile at each other and say: “add it to the list. God has it!”

~ André and Timberley Gray