Paul Tripp in his book Sex & Money shares four things that will cause a Christian’s heart to be controlled by money. They are…

1. Ingratitude.
2. Need
3. Discontent
4. Envy

If you are unthankful and convinced that you deserve more, if you have been able to convince yourself that there are things you need that you do not have, and this has left you deeply discontent, you will invariably look over the fence and envy the person who appears to have what you have not yet been able to acquire and enjoy…it is ingratitude, neediness, discontent, and envy of the heart that cause me to be all too money conscious, all too self-focused in my use of it, and all too liberal in my expenditure of it.

Money problems are not merely problems stemming from too little or even too much money but go much deeper. As Jesus tells us in the Gospels, they stem from a heart problem.