Why are these problems so common? Why is it that so many of us really struggle to make wise financial decisions? Well, the Bible tells us that there are a number of reasons. It could be greed, fear, impatience, ignorance, laziness, etc.

The really frustrating thing about financial decisions, though, is that you might deal with greed pretty well. But just when you think you have that one licked, fear creeps in and causes you to make a foolish decision. Or maybe you get lazy and don't do the work necessary to make a good decision.

Yes, it really does require wisdom to make good financial decisions (or any good decision, for that matter). But what is wisdom that it can have such an effect on our decisions?

If you look through Scripture, it creates a picture of wisdom. This picture is a lot more practical than you might think. In fact, in Exodus 36:2 we get a small part of that picture. There it says, "And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work."

The words "in whose mind the LORD had put skill" is another way of saying wisdom. So, in essence, wisdom is the skill of using your mind. The mind of the craftsman gave him the skill to carve or build amazing structures. The book of Proverbs describes how to be wise (or skillful) in righteousness.

The verse also shows that God gives us skills that make us better at certain things than others. That's why making money comes easy for some people -- but is very difficult for others.

However, because we're talking about a skill, it's quite possible for you to become more skilled than you are. You may never be a master at financial decisions, but you can get better. You can learn how to make wise (skillful) financial decisions.

So if you think you're making foolish (unskilled) financial decisions now, it's time to develop your skill. It will take time, hard work, persistence, humility, prayer and the ability to be teachable. But, over time, you'll notice a difference in how wise your financial decisions have become.