If you’re like most people you constantly feel the world’s tug to sweep you into a fascination with money. There’s nothing wrong with having wealth, but some people go to the extreme and don’t know where to draw the line. If we’re not careful, money can become a problem. But when we’re careful to keep our priorities straight, and put God first, we can use our financial resources to honor him.

Money can be spent quickly on daily expenses, and some people find that it slips through their fingers like water. There’s a continual temptation to spend money solely on ourselves and buy things that we may want for the moment. But regardless of whatever income bracket we’re in, we can worship God with our finances. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9, 10, NIV).

Tithing and giving are a part of wise financial stewardship, but some people are bound up in this area. Their fear of parting with money to support God’s work holds them back from blessing others and being blessed themselves. Remembering where money ultimately comes from (Deuteronomy 8:17, 18) puts things in perspective. God honors us when we honor him (1 Samuel 2:30).

God is aware that money is a basic necessity, and he wants to bless us with it, but we block those blessings when we stress out over it. When we trust in our own performance, we can find ourselves getting anxious over money and everything associated with it. God asks us to trust him on this. “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33, NKJV). It’s up to us whether we choose to believe this or not.

Jesus frequently talked about money because he realized how easy it is to get entangled and develop a wrong relationship with it. We see the results of a wrong relationship with money when we see people—maybe even some of our own friends or loved ones—sacrifice everything for the sake of money. This hurts him because he knows how much pain it causes us. “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Being financially responsible is also a part of honoring God. When we avoid the temptation to handle money the wrong way because of greed, we do so because we know that there are consequences for everything we do, whether good or bad. Saving money, controlling our spending, and consistently staying within our budget may seem like little things, but they please God.

We can be wise with our finances, while still giving when we’re supposed to give. Realizing that money is just a tool helps us change our mindset about it. Letting go in this area causes supernatural abundance that comes only from God.