We know the account in God’s Word of David slaying Goliath (1 Samuel 17), a monumental victory for God’s people. It is important to understand how David’s faith in God grew to be vividly demonstrated at this point. He states in the middle of the chapter that when he kept his father’s sheep, and a lion or bear took a lamb from the flock, that he went after it, smote it and delivered the lamb out its mouth. He also declares the Lord delivered him from the paw of the lion and bear.
David’s early victories in these and other situations gave him the confidence the Lord was with him. Our battle towards freedom from debt can trace these same steps. We first need to be strengthened by recognizing it is the Lord’s will for us to be free of debt. Romans 13:8 instructs us to “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another…” You may have a stack of bills that seem daunting, but recognize that David did not slay Goliath without first increasing his faith.
First, recognize that your current debt load resulted from spending more than you make, and decide some changes are needed to turn it around. Place your household on a spending “diet” or even a “fast” towards discretionary spending for the next month or two. This will allow you some breathing room, resulting in available funds to reduce your debt load.
Now target the funds available to your smallest debt while only making the minimum payment required on your other debts. Stay focused on this first debt through to its pay-off, this is like slaying that first lion as David did. Then the next month you now have both the extra amount you were paying that debt down with and the minimum payment available you previously had to use—go and take these funds and use them to pay-off the next smallest debt. You will be slaying that second bear just like David.
Your faith in God will strengthen in this process, as He blesses your faithfulness to reduce these debts. By paying off one car, you will have the funds available to eliminate the payments of the second car and when those are gone you will be able to retire that last Goliath—your mortgage. This has been proven to be possible in a relatively short amount of years if you stay with it.
The most important thing is to start… now. Not next week, not next month. The enemy will provide a thousand excuses why now is not the time to address this, because the enemy knows what a difference it makes in a believer’s life to be progressing out of debt and the result of when they achieve it. They are able to be a greater blessing to God’s Kingdom and are a testimony to those around them.
God bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,
Paul
