Maintaining Financial Transparency by Pastor Faith Oyedepo
February 26, 2018 Victor Jegede
Maintaining Financial Transparency by Pastor Faith Oyedepo
Topic: Maintaining Financial Transparency
Dear Reader,
Your marriage and family life are meant to bring you tremendous joy. When a home is not founded on God and His Word, the joy, excitement and satisfaction is short-lived. This is why it is important to know and do all it takes to build your home on God’s Word, which is the surest foundation for success in all of life’s endeavours.
In this edition for Youths and Singles, I will focus on one vital secret that fosters unity in the home which is: Financial Transparency.
It is very important as husband and wife to be financially transparent to one another. You should not keep things away from your spouse; especially when it has to do with money. There should be no “his” and “her” in family finance. Husband and wife should have access to each other’s money. You can both have a joint account.
Couples are expected to help each other in every area of life. Be honest with one another, so that your marriage can last. Remember that whatever money you have belongs to both of you. Money has put many homes asunder; don’t let it put yours asunder.
Trust is the key to family finance. Husband and wife must trust each other enough to put their money together and be prudent in spending it. Accountability is very important because it helps to build trust.
In some cultures, the men believe that it is a shameful thing for their wives to know how much they earn. But the truth is, if you hide your earnings from your wife, she will definitely make demands that are beyond your means; as she doesn’t know how much you earn. You have to make up your mind whether to hold on to culture or the Word of God.
Some women also believe that it is their husbands’ responsibility alone to provide for the home. They will even quote scriptures to back it up. No wonder, when such women receive their salary, they hide it from their husbands; thus, making them pay for everything in the home.
As a wife, don’t keep your money for the purpose of buying the latest clothes, shoes and headgear in town only. You turn yourself into a prostitute when you give your husband your body, but cannot give him your money. Money has never been a source of tension in our home. Even while I was earning a few hundreds of Naira a month, I found it easy to kneel down and present all my salary to my husband. He never had to coerce or force me to do so; I saw it as the wisdom of God.
For the home to enjoy peace, both the man and the woman must be open. There should be no occasion to hide anything from each other. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed (Genesis 2:25). The word “naked” in the above scripture means ‘openness’. If a couple is open to each other, shame will be eroded from their home, thereby creating a peaceful atmosphere.
There are quite a number of partners in the home who hide several things from their spouses. Even some Christians do! Some believe it is an insult for a wife/husband to know their income. So, they keep their money where their spouse would not know, pretending that they have nothing on them. Openness also involves your finances! If your wife does not know your income for instance, she may be expecting too much from you, which may cause instability in your home. When it comes to money, many believers are affected. Some hide certain information about their relations, background, plans and prospects. Whatever information you know will make your spouse to be disappointed in you if he/she hears it from elsewhere, should be made known on time, else you are playing a game of hide-and-seek . Funny enough, whether you like it or not, it will be discovered one day.
Lack of peace in homes today is caused by certain things that were kept away from the other party, but were later discovered. If you don’t want shame in your home, don’t play hide-and-seek. Be straight-forward and be open!
My husband and I have been married for quite some years now and to the glory of God, I have never had to hide anything from him about my life, relatives, finances or plans; neither does he hide anything from me. This has made life interesting and exciting for us. You can enjoy the same fulfillment in your home. I release that grace upon you and your home right now; receive it in Jesus’ name!
The grace to support your spouse in every realm only comes by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. That is what being born again is all about. If you are set for this, say this prayer in faith: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.
Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).
With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org, 07026385437 OR 08141320204.
For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).
Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.