I remember a very stressful night in my life some years ago. I had made some unwise financial decisions and was trying to work out my monthly budget. I went line by line, carefully calculating each expense, but no matter how I tried to juggle all of the numbers, I always came up short. I stared at that paper for a long time, dread causing a pit in my stomach.

Perhaps you can relate. Today the economy is in shambles and people are tightening their budgets. All our financial houses are about to face a reckoning.

Thinking back to that fateful night, what could I do? I had no more money, no more options. The only thing I had left was faith.

I believed in God’s Word, His promises. I felt like the fool in Psalm 107:17 who had gotten himself into trouble: “Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.” Yet upon true repentance, God promises to deliver us from any troubles: “Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses” (verse 19).

Faith is the secret to financial security: God will always take care of us if we do our part.

The Holy Bible is filled with financial laws and principles that bring blessings when we obey them. They also protect us from making catastrophic mistakes. Psalm 37:23-24 say, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.”

The Bible contains hundreds of promises! It is astounding that the Almighty Creator would make ironclad promises we can claim. These include Psalm 34:10, Matthew 6:31-34 and Philippians 4:19. God will provide every need, deliver us from all troubles, bless us and protect us if we fulfill two conditions: obedience and faith.

What is real faith? Hebrews 11:1 says it is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is the confidence that God will do what He says He will do. It is not physical evidence confirming God will keep His word; faith is our evidence. We believe and are convicted God will keep His promise, so we act accordingly and obey God no matter the physical circumstances.

When you are in a financial storm, it is hard to ignore the physical evidence of negative numbers and hardship. While we must repent for disobeying God’s financial laws and for mistakes we have made, we must also have faith to believe God’s word.

Faith is the anchor that keeps you stable in financial storms.

The last part of Mark 4 tells the story of Jesus Christ and the disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee during a major storm. Christ was sleeping peacefully; the disciples thought they were about to perish. Christ woke, calmed the storm, and asked, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” Psalm 107:28-30 say the same thing. God will calm your storm if you have the faith to act.

“Why do you have these fears and worries in your mind?” asked the late Herbert W. Armstrong. “[Y]ou find other kinds of ‘waves’ filling the boat that’s about to sink that you’re in. … And you get to fearing and worrying and you can’t make ends meet, you’re about to lose your business or this or that or another thing is going to happen, or perhaps someone is so very sick and you are frantic, you’re at your wits end. … If you had faith, my friends, you could get rid of these fears and worries; you could find a way to the solution of all your troubles” (World Tomorrow, June 14, 1979).

Here is how you can practice faith in managing your finances.

Obey God’s financial laws. God forbids coveting and materialism. He commands that we live within our means. He commands that we give 10 percent of our income to Him. It takes faith to put God’s instructions on our finances above everything else in our budget, but it is the only way to be blessed financially. To learn more, read our free booklet The Financial Law You Can’t Afford to Ignore.

Seek the Kingdom first. If we prioritize our spiritual relationship with God first in time and effort, He will bless our financial endeavors. It takes faith to put God first in a busy world by removing distractions and avoiding materialism.

Claim the promises. As you deal with the day-to-day financial stresses and decisions, bring God into your budgeting. Pray for guidance and wisdom in your decisions. Have faith and claim God’s promises on providing for your needs.

Believe prophecy. We live in an unstable, volatile world, but God reveals future events through Bible prophecy. If you are watching world news and have faith, you won’t be caught off guard by events and will plan your financial house accordingly.

God delivered me from my financial storm, and God can deliver you from yours. Faith keeps us settled amid adversity, removes uncertainty about the future, and enables us to rely on God. Now is our chance to live by faith. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6; English Standard Version).