Virtually every financial planner has a list of “rules to live by” in his or her toolkit.

But for Christians in this country who are seeking to honor God, Mark Minnella, president and co-founder of the National Association of Christian Financial Consultants (NACFC), says that keeping three ideals in mind is the key to smart biblical financial management.

“If Christian investors sincerely commit to do three things, they will build a future of honoring God with their investment decisions for decades to come,” Minnella said in a statement shared with LifeZette.

“I have spoken and worked with people regarding personal finance most of my adult life and have, time after time, seen how God blessed those who blessed others,” he also said. “Many of those I have known have outright stated they could not ‘out give’ God. We are His stewards. Our job is to use the money and possessions God puts in our life to His glory.”

Minnella, who is also the author of “The Wall Street Awakening,” shares three goals with the faithful who want to bring the Lord into their financial decisions.

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Here are the tips he outlines:

1.) Embrace this concept of biblical financial stewardship: God owns everything. “‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty” (Haggai 2:8). At the time this verse was written, Minnella said, silver and gold were used as a means of exchange, so a modern-day interpretation of this verse would be that God owns all money.

By the same token, many people retained material wealth in their livestock — and this was frequently a measure of one’s material resources.

2.) Minimize debt. Not a single verse in the Bible instructs, encourages or condones Christians to go into debt, but there are dozens of verses directly warning not to — and one specifically. “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).

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Deuteronomy 15:6 also says, “For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you” — while Psalm 37:21 reminds us that “the wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.”

3.) Start giving generously. Throughout His Word, God tells His people to give generously to care for the poor, the widows and the orphans in need. “He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses” (Proverbs 28:27).

God also promises to care for us as we care for others, Minnella added.

Proverbs 3:9-10 says to “honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce … your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.”

To learn more about the National Association of Christian Financial Consultants, click here.