Resorting to prayer when you are full; resorting to prayer when you are empty; and all the days in-between. That is what I pray every individual practices daily with every aspect of their lives.

But, not as the last resort. Prayer should be the first resort.

Every day I help people with their relationship with money, but I never forget who owns it all. When budgeting it is easy to begin by diving right into the numbers, especially for a nerd like me.

Instead, I’ve learned to first give thanks to God our Provider, no matter how much or little there is to manage. Then second, lay all the needs and desires before Him.

Relationship leads to Riches

I notice that people get hung up with an envious mindset of the kid with rich parents. This is not a mindset you want to have because jealousy, and even worst envy, is poison to your financial plan.

Furthermore, don’t you want to leave a legacy of wealth for your children’s children? If you are like me, you don’t want to build wealth only for yourself. You want to leave a blessing to your heirs. Generational wealth is very Godly, because, well, God started it.

When you come to the understanding that God is your Father, your Maker, and Creator of all things, you begin to realize how special inheritance is. This is not about religion. It is all about your relationship.

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. –1 John 3:1

So, you are an heir to the King of kings and He owns everything. In other words, your Father is extremely rich.

Some may say that inheritance is stored up in heaven for us to have when we pass from this world. But I’m here to tell you that Scripture says that God will provide all your needs here on earth. Read this post I wrote on how you can have true financial success today.

Resorting to Prayer Last

I want to make a confession to you. When I have a headache, I tend to go for the medicine cabinet miserably searching for my drug of choice to soothe the pain. The bottle says that it will take care of the problem in 30 minutes or less. I want the quick fix.

There is nothing wrong with taking medicine. But I have come to realize that I have made taking the drug priority. Whereas the Bible instructs me to ask God first.

There is Power in Prayer

I remember trying to fix the lawnmower not having much luck. Then, searching on the internet for help only to get frustrated. Finally going to Home Depot to ask the “experts” who all looked at me bewildered. I then threw up my hands and said, “I guess all I have left to do is pray”.

The lawn mower starts.

We have good intentions in our methods to find remedies in life, but we many times do things in the wrong order. It seems that we gravitate towards the quick fix.

I notice that I never ask anyone for help first. Trying to figure stuff out on my own is important to me. But asking for assistance most always turns out to save me time, money, and grief.

But the real realization I had was that I was resorting to prayer last, knowing full well that every time I pray the plan goes so much smoother.

I now know the power of making prayer the first resort, not the last.

The Most Important Target: Prayerfully Plan

When I rebranded and rebooted my coaching business, I made it a point to have a specific and detailed mission. I knew three things needed to be done:

1. RECOVER from past money mistakes
2. GROW your present pocketbook position
3. ZERO IN on your future financial fortune

I then realized that my clients would RECOVER and GROW as I helped them ZERO IN! You may be asking the question I hope you are asking, “Zero In on What?” And, that is why I named this entire blog: Zero In On This.

Zero In On These 7 Targets

Here are the 7 targets that I now teach people to ZERO IN on and the scripture that is foundational for each (emphasis added):

Prayerfully Plan	Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. – Philippians 4:6
Demolish Debt	Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. -Romans 13:8
Cancel Credit	Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. -Proverb 22:7
Increase Income	You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be! Psalm 128:2
Optimize Outgo	“Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” -Luke 12:15
Strategically Save	But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead. -Ecclesiastes 11:2
Generously Give	You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

Prayer is not first on this list by chance. The most important target to Zero In on is to Prayerfully Plan. It should always be the first resort. Pray with a purpose to praise, thank, and obey. It will change not only your financial life but your entire life.

Resorting to Prayer Means Being a Good Steward

When I get on a call for financial coaching or for an initial consultation, I always made room to pray. I know that if God is not involved, I don’t want to be involved. But, more importantly, I want to make sure the person or family on the other end of that call knows that they are managers of God’s Wealth and the best way to manage is with God’s Wisdom.

We tap into God’s Wisdom through His Word and through prayer. Furthermore, why would you want to do this without Him?

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word steward with phrases like: “a fiscal agent” and “one who actively directs affairs”, and “manage domestic concerns” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steward). This is a lot of responsibility!

Imagine being a manager of a restaurant and you decide to spend the company’s profits, remodeling the dining area, changing the menu, … all without consulting the owner. That would be kind of crazy. You would probably get fired.

Making decisions about the resources you have been blessed with, without consulting the one who gave you the responsibility is just the same.

Don’t miss this most important target. Zero In on Prayerfully Planning and be a good steward beginning today.