Settled In Your
Heart
Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating,
no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing
surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.
(James 1:6)
The most important aspect in our efforts to
become free from debt is to settle in our minds and hearts that we are
committed to following through.
Sometime after our household achieved
debt-freedom including our mortgage, I heard a voice of encouragement from the
Holy Spirit about this chapter of our lives, saying clearly "Because it
was settled in your mind, it was done in Heaven." That short word
expanded my perspective on the value of commitment and the spiritual
implications.
Understanding first that what we set our
minds and hearts to are to be things based in scripture. Psalms 37:5
reads "Commit your way to the Lord; trust also in Him and He will bring it
to pass." The key words in this verse are our commitment and trust in
the Lord, and He will bring it to pass.
We should know that the Lord instructs us to
be free of debt, Romans 13:8 says "Owe no man anything, except to love one
another." So we can be confident that our commitment is in something
good, which will be blessed.
The last time we covered procrastinating and
overcoming our "lions", we also must be mindful to not put simple
excuses in the way - "He who observes the wind [and waits for all
conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will
not reap." (Ecclesiastes 11:4)
Your flesh will suggest a thousand excuses
to delay this effort, from "just wait until ______ , or you can't start
now because ______." If you put it off, something else will come
along to delay you further, getting you deeper in debt.
You may think if paying off your debts like
trying to build a 100-story building. But I know from our experience and
from others who shared their testimony that all you have to do is to start and
commit to it... and it will happen for your household.
Why am I so sure? Read 1 John 5:4 -
"For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the
victory that conquers the world, even our faith." You will be
victorious in this endeavor, as it is born of God and you will overcome any
obstacles, He will see to it because His word has been spoken over it.
While we were paying down our debts, our
furnace went out. It was February and very cold so we had to move quickly
on a replacement and it was very expensive at the time. God not only saw
us through that bump in the road, but He blessed my wife and I with unexpected
raises which propelled us towards debt-freedom even faster, to His glory.
Have you planned a vacation to go someplace
nice, and spent the next months and weeks thinking about how great it will be?
Wasn't that pre-vacation experience similar to exercising your faith?
As opposed to a vacation we have little control over, our God promises to
bless our efforts aligning with His will, so think on what it will feel like to
be rid of those debts and the freedom you'll have.
Lastly, when settling in your heart about
commitment, consider another blessing from the Lord... but it is just for those
who are committed - "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth
to strengthen those who hearts are fully committed to him." (2 Chronicles
16:9)
God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,
Paul
