Are You Leading or Being Led?

What would you think if you saw a 300 pound linebacker being dragged down the street by a tiny chihuahua? Is he leading or is he being led?

Maybe you aren’t a linebacker and don’t own a chihuahua, but does your dog take YOU for a walk? The fact is that dogs either lead or they are led, there’s no “equals” in a dog’s mind! Therefore, if you have never made a conscious effort to lead your dog, your dog is leading you—whether you realize it or not!

The same principle is true with your personal finances. If you have never made the decision to “lead” your finances, chances are your finances are actually leading you.

You Can’t Serve Both God and Money

Jesus put it this way: “You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24b). Now I’m sure none of us intend to “serve” money, but let’s look at one of the biggest characteristics of a servant / master relationship. It’s the master who always tells the servant what to do. It’s the master who calls the shots, it’s the servant who obeys. It’s the master who “leads” the servant.

Try asking yourself some tough questions: How do you decide what to eat at a restaurant? (Ever looked at the menu and ordered off the price side?!) How do you decide what car to drive, what size house to live in, what clothes to buy. How do you decide where to go on vacation or what to do between 8 in the morning and 5 at night every day? How do you decide how much to give in an offering? If your money, or lack of money, is determining these decisions for you, then your money is leading you instead of you leading your money.

I believe God’s plan for every believer is to be led by Him and listen to His voice when making decisions. He would rather us listen to His voice, rather than the voice of our check books. Obtaining this way of living is a process and we need to use wisdom. But ultimately, we all need to make a conscious decision to lead our finances and put a stop to our finances leading us! Being led by your money is like a 300 pound linebacker being dragged down the street by a Chihuahua! Not only is it ridiculous, but it needs to stop before somebody gets hurt!