April 2007 | Posted in • Life | (0) Comments |
It is no secret that America is in tremendous debt. The national debt is quickly approaching 9 trillion dollars, and the debt is growing at an average rate of 1.71 billion dollars per day. If every one of American’s 300 million plus citizens were to pay this debt off, each one’s share would come to over $29,000! Not only is the American government in such debt, but most of its citizens are as well. In fact, the average American household has $9,300 of credit card debt alone. Last year 1.8 million people declared bankruptcy. And the national savings rate is below zero. The bottom line, people are spending more than they earn.
Since I have been in the ministry, it has become apparent to me that many Christians are in the same “debt boat” as the rest of the world. We have God’s Word to guide us and keep us from trouble, but so many of God’s people find themselves just like the world, succumbing to selfishness and greed. And are we reacting to the consequences of debt in the same way as the world, living for today, trying to ignore the looming debt while continuing to spend more on credit and avoiding the creditor’s calls for overdue bills? Psalm 37:21 says “the wicked borrow and do not repay.” And in Ecclesiastes 5:4 it says “it is wrong to vow something and not pay it.”
To fall into debt is a trap from Satan which can destroy relationships and marriages, cause vulnerability to depression, or drown us in destruction and perditions as it says in 1 Timothy 6:9 . People get into debt for one of four reasons, ignorance (lack of knowledge), indulgence (you see it and you have to have it, lack of restraint), poor planning (no budget or financial direction), or unexpected problems (medical bills, car breaks down, losing a job, etc.). But thanks be to God, He has made provision for us. His Word is full of wisdom and direction in the area of finance.
God has called us to be a separate people. His best is for us to be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. 3 John 2 says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” God is for us, not against us, but we need to do it His way. He tells us to first honor Him with the tithe, and He will bless us. How can God honor us and rescue us from our debt when we will not honor Him with our first fruits? God’s word says in Psalm 50:14-15, “Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
Then we need a plan or a budget for our money. Begin to record how your money is currently being spent, so that you can make adjustments in your spending. A budget will also help provide limits in those times when the temptation comes to spend money on unnecessary things.
Finally, we must sow if we want to reap. Don’t spend everything you make; rather, have part of your income go toward saving and investing. It’s no secret that the problems in life will come and that they will cost us money, more than we may make in a pay day!
So just like Joseph did when he governed in Egypt, make provision for them in the good times, so that there will be enough in the hard times.
Be the best steward of what you do have. If you don’t know what to do, educate yourself, or find financial counseling so that you will not only get free from the grips of debt, but you will begin to prosper and you will become the lender, not the borrower.
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