Inspire to Bloom by Janica

Happy Biblical New Year!

Last year truly was the greatest year of trials I have ever experienced. One significant theme was already present, and I touched on it briefly in my previous article.

So, it is time to talk about money.

I pray that the reader receives from this whatever understanding they are meant to receive. I use as many descriptions and examples as possible in this article so that what I am trying to say can truly be heard.

What Is Money, Really?

So, what is money?

It is paper decorated with ink, or hard discs molded into a particular shape. It can be virtual. It can appear as a series of numbers on a screen. We use it to measure the value of things, even the value of people.

It is a measure, much like when baking. One scoop contains a certain amount.

Money as a Social Agreement

Why isn’t every piece of decorated paper money? Why aren’t all discs money? Why don’t all virtual numbers on a screen contain value?

Because we have collectively agreed that they do. Together, we have created a system of trust in which we have collectively committed ourselves to agreements about which symbols correspond to which amounts.

In other words, we have created our own belief system that we call money.

Paper, discs, and numbers have no value in themselves. They do not make anything or produce anything. They simply exist in the form that human beings have shaped them into. They are products of human imagination. They do not exist in reality as value itself.  The so-called practice of representing value through documents arose from an indirect need. It began with simple records along the lines of:

“This farmer gave this grower this amount of grain today, so that in exchange for this certificate, at a later date, the grower would give the farmer an equivalent amount of their own.” Over time, this developed into a smaller and faster form.

Money Is a Shared Belief

We all believe that a particular currency has a particular value. In one way or another, we are all bound to this global belief system. It is the Religion of the World.

Take a moment to think about what it would require for you to give up money completely. To tell the world that it is not real and that you do not need it.

For a long time, I wondered why the Book of Revelation says at the end that only 144,000 people receive the true seal of God on their foreheads. There are an estimated 8.3 billion of us today. I no longer wonder. Breaking away from that earthly system is difficult. But don’t worry, my beloved, because we have something the world does not have.

Putting Money Into Perspective

Even the current President of Finland has said at some point that money is merely a tool. I would go one step further and say that money is like a spoon. A spoon has no value in itself. Its magic lies in what it is used to do. A spoon was created to move soup into your mouth. Its value is not measured by its weight or capacity, but by what it does.

The same is true of money. A piece of paper covered in ink has no value in itself. Its true value is revealed through actions and motives. The material belongs to the world. Spiritual things (the invisible things) belong to God. He measures and weighs our actions and our motives. He watches our hearts. He examines what we do and why we do it. Not because He wants to condemn us, but because He wants to protect our hearts.

From Ideas to Actions: From Motives to Consequences

Just as with money, a spoon can be used for all kinds of things. You could use a spoon to dig into the ground in order to plant a seed. You could also use it to dig a hole as a trap. You can use it to divide food among many plates, or scoop food directly into your own mouth. You can use a spoon to measure ingredients while baking, but you can also use it to administer poison.

The same principles apply to a spoon and to money. What comes from the use of a tool depends on the person using it, and on their motives.

In the interest of honesty: Have you ever bought something because the world motivated you to do so? I have. Out of my own selfish intentions, desire, lust, or greed. This is what capitalism teaches us: “You are worth it. You deserve it.”

What Is the True Value of Money?

Even if your heart were pure gold, we could still fall into that worldly way of thinking: “I am worth it.” Understanding your own worth is rarely the problem. But what does a value system created by human beings have to do with it?

Your true value cannot be measured in money, designer brands, the number of vehicles you own, or what is on your plate. As a Christian, your true value is determined by God alone. In His eyes and through the works of the Spirit.

Money is an illusion. It is, at its foundation, a system originating from the world, designed to bind you to the world so that you would remain a child of the world. But it also has a heavenly purpose. Because the way we use money can bring precisely those aspects to the surface that we are meant to represent as Christians.

What Does the Bible Say About Money?

Over the years, we have learned countless lessons from the Bible about the heavenly use of resources. We have heard about giving tithes to God’s work or about multiple sources of income according to Solomon’s wisdom. But even these pieces of wisdom remain hollow if we do not understand the reality of money. If we are never tested in these matters, how will we ever become free from them?

How many times have you said: “I would do it, but it just doesn’t work that way.” Referring to a lack of money, too little money, and therefore a lack of action. “The world just doesn’t work that way.” Familiar comments.

The Bible’s Most Famous Command: Do Not Be Afraid!

Do not be afraid, for God is with you.

The Battle Belongs to God

In reality, a Christian has nothing other than God. Our trials detach us from the world. 

Eventually, Job understood this. He was no longer waiting for anything to be returned to him. He was simply waiting for the trial to end. “…So it is: I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to comprehend.” (Job 42:3, GNT)

We often turn to Job’s story and focus on the idea that we deserve a double reward for our troubles. Are you sitting there with a calculator, waiting for God to give you twice as much as what He took away today? Who are you serving then—the world or God? You are measuring your faith through the values of the world.

I have openly shared since late winter how my financial security was flushed down the drain. The purpose was to learn to trust God alone. After that, an intense lesson began about how money should be handled: under the influence of the Spirit, even when it went against reason and logic.

Everyday Miracles and Money

One Sunday, I was walking to Mass.

I had absolutely no food left. I had €7 in my bank account and €5 in my wallet. I was happy because I would probably be able to buy the ingredients for soup, and that would be enough for the coming week.

When the time came for the collection, I was suddenly overwhelmed with heavenly joy. Peace and love came over me. I put every bit of cash I had with me into the collection bag. As I usually do, I blessed the entire collection in my mind for the work of Heaven.

After Mass, I noticed someone I knew standing in the corner of the church. We stayed for coffee and talked about death and the will of Heaven. To my surprise, our conversation had awakened a powerful feeling of heavenly love in this person, and as we were leaving, they slipped €50 into my pocket.

The same lesson continued at the grocery store.

I stood staring at a €12 sushi meal for a long time, wondering what was motivating me to buy it. I was having an internal conversation between lust, greed, pride—and gratitude, happiness, and the desire to praise God. I walked away from the display without taking the sushi.

Eventually, during the rest of my shopping trip, the Spirit overcame everything else. In a feeling of peace and love, I picked up the sushi and took it home. At home, I lit candles and praised God, grateful for what He had done. 

Naturally, I was grateful for the food on my plate. For the fact that it was prepared by Him. I had done nothing to make it happen myself. After all, human beings can bring only the seed and the water to the ingredients. God always gives growth.

What Comes From the World—and What Comes From God?

Absurd, but true. I would like to say that this was the only day of transformative lessons, but I cannot tell you such nonsense.

Our faith and our understanding are tested in many different ways. It is necessary so that no attempt of the spirit of fear is left standing. Every path that is open to it is closed.

Let me share one more experience with you. It begins with Janica at about seven years old. We were learning mathematics. Everyone who is literate has heard the equation: 1 + 1 = 2.

Apparently, I already had a philosopher’s spirit, because I remember wondering: “Who decided that one is one? And how can we know that when we add another one, we get two?” 

You can probably imagine how terrible a student of mathematics I have been. One of my high school teachers tried to explain it to me: “If you have one owl and then you get another owl, how many owls do you have?” But he did not understand what I understood: God has allowed human beings to have equations and for them to work.

The fact that one is one, rather than, for example, an owl, is precisely where my original point began. It is simply the result of a shared agreement. A tool, just like a spoon.

God Is With You in Everything

But who defines money, then? What is money?

Returning to the trials of last year, there was one day when I had €400 in my bank account, but €500 worth of bills to pay. The due dates were already upon me, so the bills had to be paid. I asked Yeshua what I could do about it. The Spirit answered: “Pay the bills one at a time, from the largest to the smallest.”

So I did as I was told. Because this was a banking app, the process went something like this: I opened the electronic bill, approved it for payment, and moved to the “Pay bill” section. At the top, I could see the balance of the account I was paying from. Below it was the amount of the bill and the confirmation button.

The same process happened with every bill. And every time, there was slightly less money in the account than before, but still more than the amount required for the bill. Eventually, every bill had been paid!

I was somewhat astonished. I checked my account and was even more astonished when I saw that there was nearly €100 left.

When the Math Ain’t Mathing

Yes, I am human, so naturally I started looking for an explanation in my bank statement. Had a payment simply not been processed immediately? Had I received income from somewhere in between? Had I simply failed to calculate €400 minus €500 correctly? Had I looked at the original balance incorrectly?

No, no, no, and no.

All I could do was tell the Spirit that I probably would never use a calculator for financial matters again. Let God take care of the resources He wants to use. I am happy to focus on what truly matters!

God Gives Understanding to Those Who Ask

From all of this, and from countless other similar experiences, I have come to the conclusion that money is simply a product of human imagination. Its value is not ultimately determined by the market economy or by which way the wind is blowing. Its value and its amount are determined by God.

For example, the price of wind power, its yield, the lifespan of the equipment, and so on are ultimately in His hands. We can calculate value and consumption in whatever way we want, but the circumstances surrounding our calculations, and all the countless variables we cannot even think of, are in His hands. 

He holds the level of expenses that affects the cost of our housing. He already knows when you will do something, what you will do, where you will do it, under what circumstances, to what extent, and for how long. You do not need to do anything other than arrive, through His guidance, at the situation He has prepared for you. He has already calculated the value of every moment.  According to His mathematics, not ours.

Why You Act—and Whose Name You Act In

I have noticed that I have considered the practice of giving tithes somewhat pointless. Especially when it is done automatically. Today I understand why. In automation, a good deed is taken out of your hands. It becomes a mechanical performance. It is like a robotic hand moving the spoon. You yourself have left the scene.

Another thing that became clear to me during my period of refinement was the truth that God is everything to me. This is deeply connected to discipleship. I finally understood that I own absolutely nothing. I manage God’s property. I myself am part of His property. Every single penny that I possess under my name is meant for heavenly work. So do tithes even exist when your entire life has been consecrated to heavenly work? 

I cannot lose anything, because I have everything. That is God.

I cannot gain anything, because I have everything. That is God.

Examine Your True Motive

Am I saying that giving tithes is pointless? No. It is one of the best ways to silence the forces of darkness. To shut them up. Especially in times of scarcity. Especially in times of trial. As long as you make sure you do not give out of anger or frustration.

Always act from the peace and love of Christ.

I am not telling anyone to give away their entire wealth at this very moment and then wait for God to reward their actions. Your purpose is to learn to hear His voice and act accordingly. 

You were created in the image of God. You are part of His great plan. His perfect Paradise.

As long as we are in this world, we live in the midst of the world’s systems and actions. But we have a God who never lets go of us, not even for a moment. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit work with you tirelessly.

Money Does Not Run the World

God is the universe. I will repeat this to you until it is engraved in your hearts:

Learn to distinguish God’s voice from all the chaos.

He has a golden-road plan for every one of us. He has weighed your heart and taken your inner values into account. 

Not everyone is called to monastic life. Not everyone is called to teach or to prophesy. Some are called to heal. Others are called to maintain order. Others are called to build, and so on. Together, we are part of the Body of Christ. (I am not quoting Paul this time. You can read his own words in 1 Corinthians 12.)

Wisdom and Understanding When It Comes to Money

My goal has always been, and always will be, to support you on the path that is meant for you. Let God guide you with money. Bring Him into every decision. At first, even the smallest ones. 

He is limitless. He does not become burdened by teaching. He gladly shares His wisdom and understanding, so do not hesitate to ask Him for them. If, and when, you find yourself uncertain, say it out loud to Him. You do not have to know all the answers. It is enough to ask. If His quiet certainty does not reach you, do not move. 

We learn from our mistakes. Are there really such things as mistakes when following Christ? (That might be a topic for a future article.)

Take This With You on the Journey

The world pushes back. It does not like the scenery to collapse, so you will encounter fear and apparent chaos along the way. Its purpose is to keep you under the world’s control. Naturally, you are free to choose which voice you follow. In any case, the World hates peace and love, so they are your best protection on this journey.

I have heard the following sentence countless times, even from Christian “teachers”: “Take this offer immediately, because the universe rewards action.” Do not listen to them. Do not listen to me either! Learn to listen to God.

The voice of Christ is peace and love. It carries you through everything. Even through absurd situations. I do believe this to be true through the lens of my own values: Nothing in God’s teaching is behind a paywall. His Word, His love, and His wisdom are immediately available to everyone. 

Understanding, however, may take time to unfold.

If you have been wrestling with something today, that prayer came from your heart. It has reached Him. It has been heard. The only thing you can still whisper is:

“Jesus Christ, help” 💛 Or “Yeshua, help,” as my own heart whispers.

I have clung to Him throughout this life. I cannot tell you what your particular path will contain. But whatever it is, I promise you will not be disappointed when you follow the voice of Christ.

Finally

And because everyone wants to know:

No, I have not detached myself from the capitalist world. I still get my food from the local grocery store. Very rarely do I buy “just something I happen to feel like having.” My work is only beginning, and God has clearly taken my inner values into account. For example, this website will never become paid. We have prioritized this work. Let my other projects support it.

At this moment, I am like Job. I do not like everything that is happening. I do not feel that I have lost anything. I have simply received an enormous amount. So what would God even double for me?

Wisdom and understanding cannot be measured in money. God is my everything.

Money has no value.

But you, my beloved, are beyond measure in your worth ✨💛