What are the spiritual dangers of debt?
Dear Friends,
I am sure that you have been as affected by the images and stories coming out of Haiti this week as I have been. What amazing suffering and heartbreak. What an amazing global response. What daunting logistical challenges in getting aid to the places that need it most!
I hope that you won’t feel that my analogy is irreverent, but as I saw the pictures of US paratroopers landing on the lawn of the President’s Palace in Port Au Prince, bringing aid with them, I thought of the way that God reaches into our lives, whatever the obstacles. As crazy as it sounds, our emotional and spiritual wreckage in life can be much like the physical wreckage we can see in Haiti. And, we know that our God is committed to finding us and healing us from the damage of the wreckage in our lives.
Debt is a clear marker of financial distress, of a financial house that might not last during the next strong time of shaking. According to an article I read, the average American is spending $1.26 on every dollar earned. (Study: Pastors in Dark When It Comes to Church Member Debt by Mark Kelly) In other words, we are living a full 25% beyond our means. Many are financially wrecked. As we reach out to God and trust Him to bring perfect aid, there are two things we need to do:
May God’s peace encourage you as you pursue financial wisdom and depend on His Truth!
Blessings,
Ron
Click here for the video transcript
I am sure that you have been as affected by the images and stories coming out of Haiti this week as I have been. What amazing suffering and heartbreak. What an amazing global response. What daunting logistical challenges in getting aid to the places that need it most!
I hope that you won’t feel that my analogy is irreverent, but as I saw the pictures of US paratroopers landing on the lawn of the President’s Palace in Port Au Prince, bringing aid with them, I thought of the way that God reaches into our lives, whatever the obstacles. As crazy as it sounds, our emotional and spiritual wreckage in life can be much like the physical wreckage we can see in Haiti. And, we know that our God is committed to finding us and healing us from the damage of the wreckage in our lives.
Debt is a clear marker of financial distress, of a financial house that might not last during the next strong time of shaking. According to an article I read, the average American is spending $1.26 on every dollar earned. (Study: Pastors in Dark When It Comes to Church Member Debt by Mark Kelly) In other words, we are living a full 25% beyond our means. Many are financially wrecked. As we reach out to God and trust Him to bring perfect aid, there are two things we need to do:
- Take action with our budgeting. Go to a site like www.mattaboutmoney.com and use the cash flow / budgeting worksheets to determine where your money is going, how to manage cash flow, and how to begin to pay off your debt. Or, visit the www.masteryourmoney.com website and look at the participant resources for the Surviving Financial Meltdown study in session four. There is a debt repayment worksheet that can get you started on getting out of debt. The debt-turnaround process takes time, usually a long time, and it takes much commitment. When you seek to get out of debt, it is going to involve facing a lot of the reasons that you are in debt in the first place. Those symptoms of debt might be tough to face. It’s ok. Stick with it, stay committed, and bring accountability and wise counsel with you on the journey. It will be so worth it!
- Recognize that your debt is symptomatic of mis-beliefs about your God. As I said in the video, debt is the obvious cultural answer to needing more “money at the end of the month.” By choosing against debt, you are exercising patience to wait on His timing, and you are affirming God as Provider in your life. As you get to know God in this deeper way, you will be able to trust Him for more than just financial provision; you will find you can trust Him for provision in other areas of your life, as well.
May God’s peace encourage you as you pursue financial wisdom and depend on His Truth!
Blessings,
Ron
Click here for the video transcript
Principle one:
Do not presume on the future
This is something that went totally unnoticed by me for years in regards to debt. I just never made the connection between debt and trust in God. I got caught up in the convenience of using credit cards and then let it get out of hand. But never did I associate it with lack of trust. I am so glad I heard this several months ago and have put the principles into practice. I'm reaping what I sowed those many months but at least I'm working to turn things around.
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We began our married life in a ministry job that we accepted even though it paid too little to cover our expenses - then we proceeded to finance life with credit cards rather than seeking the resources we needed from God. Thankfully, we restrained ourselves during that time enough that when we made a change in our behavior it was not too late and it only took us a couple of years to eliminate the debt we had accrued. Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding!
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Ron,
Can you speak on the biblical principles for business management and especially business debt?
As sales estimates are always just estimates, how do you then handle the principle of not presuming upon the future?
Karel from South Africa
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