Why does it feel like no matter how much more you earn, you still can’t get ahead?

Groceries cost more. Gas prices swing like a pendulum. Rent eats half your paycheck. Maybe you picked up a side hustle, asked for a raise, or switched jobs — yet somehow your wallet still feels lighter than it used to.

You’re not crazy. And you’re not alone.

The uncomfortable truth is this: rising income isn’t translating into real wealth. And it’s not an accident. It’s the inevitable result of a system that’s abandoned God’s economic principles — and replaced them with manmade counterfeits.

Let’s dig into why.

God’s Design for Honest Money

In the very beginning, God set the pattern.
Genesis tells us that God created the world in perfect order, setting clear boundaries between light and dark, land and sea, life and death. In the same way, He established clear moral boundaries for human life — including how we handle money and possessions.

“You shall not steal,” God commanded (Exodus 20:15).
“You shall have honest balances, honest weights…” (Leviticus 19:36).

Theologian Stephen Perks puts it bluntly:

“A society that manipulates its money supply inevitably falls into corruption at every level.”

Money, in God’s design, must be honest — tied to real goods, services, and production. It should be a faithful servant of human cooperation, not a weapon of control.

Imagine you’re playing Monopoly. Every player starts fairly. But halfway through, the banker starts secretly printing himself extra money.
How long before the game becomes meaningless?
How long before everyone quits?

That’s exactly what happens when governments tamper with money.

Inflation: The Silent Thief

Most people think inflation means prices going up.
That’s only half the story.

Inflation really means your money is worth less. It’s the hidden pickpocket of the modern economy.

Gary North described inflation as “the most successful form of legalized theft ever invented.”
Why? Because it steals from you quietly. It lets the government spend more without raising visible taxes. It punishes savers and rewards debtors.

Example:
In the 1970s, Americans lined up for gas. Prices soared. Paychecks couldn’t keep up.
Fast forward to today — your $5 coffee and $20 burger aren’t just “better quality.” Your dollars simply buy less.

Murray Rothbard, a giant of the Austrian School of economics, explained it:

“Inflation is caused by an increase in the supply of money, not by businessmen raising prices.”

When governments and central banks print more money without real production to back it, the value of all existing money is diluted — like pouring more water into a pot of soup.
Same pot. Weaker flavor. Everyone loses.

Why More Money ≠ More Wealth

Here’s the trap:
You get a raise. Great!
But then your rent goes up. Groceries cost more. Utilities spike. Suddenly, your “extra” money buys even less than before.

Wages chase prices, and prices outrun wages.

In biblical economics, wealth comes from real production, honest trade, and responsible stewardship. Money is a reflection of your labor and God’s blessing on it.

In modern (Keynesian) economics, money is just a tool — something you can manipulate, inject, “stimulate” like a drug.
But just like an addict chasing the next high, the economy needs bigger and bigger injections of fake money just to keep functioning.
And the crashes get harder.

In God’s economy, money should be a storehouse of value, not a disappearing act.

Central Banking: The New Tower of Babel

Remember the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11)?
People tried to build a centralized empire that would “reach heaven.”
God intervened and scattered them. Why?
Because centralization of power always leads to tyranny.

Modern central banks — like the U.S. Federal Reserve — are our financial Tower of Babel.
They control interest rates.
They control money supply.
They decide who wins and who loses — usually helping governments and big banks at the expense of ordinary people.

Gary North warned:

“When the state monopolizes money, it monopolizes life itself.”

Biblical economics decentralizes power. Families, churches, and local communities should have real, tangible wealth — not be dependent on paper promises from faceless institutions.

The Way Back: God’s Model for Real Prosperity

The good news?
There’s a better way.
And it’s not hidden. It’s been in Scripture all along.

1. Sound Money:
Money tied to real assets — gold, silver, goods, services. Not funny money.

2. Decentralized Authority:
Communities controlling their own economic life, not dictated by bureaucrats in distant capitals.

3. Personal Stewardship:
Work hard. Save. Invest wisely. Share generously. Recognize that every penny ultimately belongs to God.

Stephen Perks puts it this way:

“Christian economics rebuilds economies from the bottom up — on trust, stewardship, and covenant loyalty.”

It’s not about getting rich quick.
It’s about building a life, a family, and a society that endures.

True Wealth Starts with True Principles

Look around.
The world keeps telling us, “More money! More spending! More debt!”
And yet anxiety, instability, and frustration grow.

It’s time to ask:
What if the problem isn’t how much we earn — but how the entire system is rigged against God’s design?

True wealth isn’t found in bigger numbers on a paycheck.
It’s found in faithfulness to God’s principles — honest work, honest money, honest stewardship.

We don’t need more fake prosperity.
We need real fruit that lasts.

And that starts, as it always does, by trusting the Creator’s blueprint — not man’s broken copies.