"I can't ask God for money help because I messed up my finances myself."
How it sounds in your head: I wasted my allowance on stupid stuff. I didn't save like I should have. This is my fault, so I need to fix it myself. God helps people with real problems, not kids who blow their money on games and snacks.
"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."
-- Luke 15:20Religion: 'God helps those who help themselves' lie (not in Bible), teaching that God only assists the deserving rather than the desperate.
He's learning responsibility and consequences, and it feels like asking for help when you caused the problem is cheating. The masculine message of 'be self-sufficient' makes asking for help feel like weakness.
Peter had denied Jesus three times, then went back to his old fishing job feeling like a failure. He fished all night and caught NOTHING - totally failing even at what he was good at. Jesus showed up on the shore and told him where to cast - immediately, 153 large fish, so many the net nearly broke. Jesus gave Peter a massive financial breakthrough right after Peter's massive failure, with zero lecture about 'you should have stayed faithful.'
I REFUSE the lie that I have to fix my mistakes before God will help me! IT IS WRITTEN that the Father RAN toward the son who wasted everything, embracing him while he still smelled like his failures. My Father doesn't wait for me to clean up my mess - He moves toward me IN it. Even the BARAK blessing protected Abraham when he LIED, Jacob when he DECEIVED, Judah when he sinned horribly - not because they earned it, but because of COVENANT. IT IS WRITTEN: While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. God's help isn't for those who have it together; it's for those who need Him. I receive breakthrough NOW, in my mess, because of Jesus' blood, not my performance!
Your Father isn't standing at a distance waiting for you to prove you've learned your lesson - He's already running with the robe and ring, planning the party, killing the fattened calf. He prepared your breakthrough before you made the mistake, and your poor choices don't cancel His good plans.