5 Clues Wealth May be Weighing Down Your Faith & 4 Steps to Help

When you’re carrying a backpack on a long hike, every pound matters. 

There’s a general rule of thumb for backpacking: your pack should be no more than about 20% of your body weight. The right amount varies from person to person, but the lesson is simple: the weight you carry matters.

The same can be true with our wealth.

There’s no simple formula that tells us how much wealth is too much for each of us. Wealth can be a blessing, but if we aren’t careful, it can also become a burden. 

Proverbs 30:7–9 contains a prayer that has always stood out to me:“Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”

The writer recognizes that both having too little and having too much can create their own challenges. Too little may create temptation and fear. Too much may create a different temptation, to forget who provided it in the first place.

The goal isn’t to find a 'magic number.' It’s to remain aware of how our resources are affecting our hearts, our decisions, and our relationship with God. Here are five clues that your wealth may be starting to weigh you down:

1. You’re Thinking More About Money Than God

Money requires attention. We have bills to pay, investments to manage, goals to pursue, and decisions to make. But what happens when financial concerns begin to overshadow your relationship with God?

If your financial life is taking up more space in your heart and mind than your faith, it may be time to pause and consider the source. Our wealth should support our responsibilities and calling, it shouldn’t become what directs our lives.

2. Your Giving Is Decreasing

As wealth increases, generosity should have room to grow too. While people may give more dollars to the Kingdom as their income increases, studies have shown the percentage given decreases as income grows.

If you find yourself becoming more hesitant to give as your resources grow, ask yourself 'Why?'. Having more can sometimes make us feel like we have more to protect. Kingdom focused generosity pushes against that instinct and reminds us that what we have is ultimately God’s and part of His greater story.

3. You’re Constantly Worried About Losing It

I call this the worry continuum. You worry about having enough for a particular goal. Then you reach that goal, and instead of feeling free, you start worrying about losing what you have. So you save a little more, accumulate a little more, try to gain a little more security, and the cycle continues.

Planning wisely and preparing for the future are good actions to take, but when pursuit of financial security leaves you constantly afraid of losing what you have, the weight of wealth may be becoming heavy.

4. You’re Consumed With “More”

Our culture is very good at convincing us that the next level of "more" will finally be enough. More money. More things. More experiences. More security. 

If conversations about spending, acquiring, and accumulating are beginning to dominate your life, consider it a caution flag. The question isn’t simply, “Can I afford more?” It may be: “Do I actually need more, and what is God asking me to do with what I already have?”

5. You Have Wealth Without a Purpose

Accumulating resources without a clear plan can leave you feeling like you are hoarding and storing rather than managing. God calls us to steward it wisely and by asking some specific questions, it can help you on your journey.

- What Kingdom purposes might God have for the resources entrusted to you?

- What are you saving for?

- How are you investing?

Without a plan, it’s easy for wise stewardship to slowly become unwise actions.

Four Ways to Carry the Weight Differently

If you recognize yourself in any of the above five clues, don’t start with guilt, but instead start with a purposeful pause.

1. Talk to God About It

Proverbs 30:7–9 is a prayer for wisdom and perspective. Prayer should be part of our financial decision-making, not just something we turn to only when we don’t know what else to do.

Before making financial decisions, ask God for wisdom. Ask Him to reveal where money may be taking up too much space in your heart and mind and what faithfulness looks like with what He has given you. As Oswald Chambers would say, “Prayer is not preparation for the greater work. Prayer is the greater work.”

2. Share the Weight

When you backpack, you don’t have to carry everything yourself. The same idea applies to our financial lives.

Seek wise counsel from trusted financial advisors, mentors, and spiritual leaders who can help you see what you may not be seeing yourself. If you’re looking for a Kingdom-minded financial advisor, you can visit KingdomAdvisors.com to find a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) in your area.

3. Increase Your Giving

One way to lighten the weight of wealth is to become more generous. Generosity loosens our grip. It reminds us that our security isn’t ultimately found in what we have and creates space for God to use our resources in ways we may not have considered.

4. Watch for the Hot Spots

Anyone who has spent time backpacking knows about hot spots. It’s that uncomfortable place on your foot where you know a blister may be forming. If you pay attention early, you can stop, address it, and keep it from becoming worse. The same is true financially.

Pay attention to the early warning signs. Is your budget not as sticky as it used to be? Is money creating tension in your marriage, strain in your friendships, conflict in your family, or stress at work?

Don’t ignore those money hot spots. Stop and deal with them before they become something more serious.

You're Not Alone

There’s no '20% rule' for wealth. No simple formula tells us exactly how much is enough or how much responsibility we can handle. That’s something we each have to prayerfully consider with God. But a paraphrase of Proverbs 30 gives us a beautiful picture of the posture we can pursue: enough to meet our needs without allowing our resources to pull our hearts away from God.

The goal isn’t to carry as much as possible. The goal is to faithfully carry what God has entrusted to you.

So take a moment and ask yourself: Is my wealth serving God’s greater story, or is it starting to weigh me down?

You may not need a bigger financial plan. You may simply need to pause, pay attention, and ask  God what He wants you to do with the weight of wealth that you’re carrying.

Next Steps

Listen to Money Made Faithful podcast episode #192: 5 Clues Wealth May be Weighting Down Your Faith & 4 Steps to Help for the full conversation. (18 minutes) 

Apple:  Episode #192-5 Clues Wealth May be Weighting Down Your Faith & 4 Steps to Help

Spotify: Episode #192-5 Clues Wealth May be Weighting Down Your Faith & 4 Steps to Help