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* Cut back on everything. You
can save 50% on your grocery bill before you even go to the grocery
store by simply exercising good portion control with your food.
It is better for you, too. Go from a 30 minute shower to a 5
minute shower. Not only will you save on utilities, but your
skin will thank you.
* This should be number one:
tithe. Right now when others are panicking about their 401k’s
or about what their stocks are doing, I don’t have a worry
in the world. I have invested my money in someone who has promised
that no matter what happens in the world, including with finances,
I and my children will be fed and taken care of. He has demonstrated
His faithfulness over and over. To me, my tithe is the best savings
a person can have.
* The real test of a person’s
character occurs during hard times. Keep your integrity, be responsible
and be trustworthy and honorable whether your situation is your
fault or not, whether it is fair or unfair. Proverbs 22:1 says
"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be
esteemed is better than silver or gold."
I once received a notice of foreclosure on my house. I had 2
weeks to come up with $35,000 and I couldn’t sell my house.
I didn’t have $35. I wasn’t sure what to do. If I lost
my house, my kids and I would literally be out on the streets.
After a few moments of panic, I prayed and God told me what to
do. One of the first things I did was to call the banker and
tell him I wanted to start up our old business, which I knew
nothing about and had no money for supplies, no customers and
a limited market.
What loan officer do you think would say, "That’s great–
forget the foreclosure and you don’t even need to make a
payment until your business is up and running well"? None
that I know of, but that is exactly what he said. We had banked
there for a while and, because of that, he knew I always paid
my bills (the foreclosure was because of my husband’s debts
he incurred when we were separated). The loan officer said "Jill,
I know you and trust you to pay so I’m not worried."
Everything God tells us to do is for a good reason and it is
usually for our good. He wants us to have a good name because
He knows at times when things hang in the balance, a person’s
good name can tip the scale in the right direction.
* Don’t decide you are going to change your ways and then
expect God to suddenly produce a miracle and make all of your
debt go away. God loves you, but He is also a just God. He expects
you to pull your weight and if you spent 5 years carelessly spending,
you may have to work extra long and hard for 5 years to get yourself
out of your mess.
It would be like telling my teenage son to clean his room. After
a month goes by, he is out of clean clothes, can’t find
anything and has been grounded by me for failing to do what I
told him to do. He tells me how sorry he is, insists he’ll
never do it again and repents all over the place, but he still
has to clean his room, which is such a big mess it is going to
take twice as much work.
I forgive, but he is perfectly capable of cleaning it himself,
so he has to clean up his own mess.
Here’s something to think about:
In Matthew 6:24, the Bible says "No one can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both
God and Money." We always think that this verse relates
to having lots or money, that it only concerns the wealthy or
those seeking wealth, but it can pertain to the poor and those
in debt, too.
Be careful. What controls your waking thoughts? God or money?
What do you seek after more? God or a way to pay your debts?
What do you talk about more with your family? God or how the
bills are piling up "in these hard economic times"?
Do you spend all of your money eating out, playing a game of
golf, buying your kids sports uniforms and dance lessons and
having your nails done or do you first tithe?
I have found most people give their money to whoever or whatever
has their heart and soul. I don’t say these things to condemn
you but to get you thinking, "Do I have things mixed up?
Can I do something differently? Do I need to change something,
even if it is something small?"
We guard our families in so many areas. Don’t let Satan
sneak in the back door with this and destroy you, your family
and your testimony. |
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