2015 – Your Year of Wisdom

Jeremiah 29:11 encourages us, “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”

What is one thing financially that would make you feel your 2015 turned out well? Is it to make more money? Many years we may have made more than the year before, but did we end up better off, or perhaps even deeper in debt? So what happened?

Now come back to the present day… what can be done for a better result in 2015? Let’s first assume there will not be a new home or car purchase made, since in most years that is not the case. The focus to apply wisdom in 2015 should be at your credit card debt. What we first must recognize is how easy it is to expand our debt level with these cards. When you bought a home or car, you knew what the cost was and it basically stayed constant, that is not the case with credit cards.

The biggest dangers with the cards are:

1. They can be used almost anywhere for anything
2. It is “painless” using them because you are not pulling out money to hand over… just a card
3. You are rarely aware just how much you’ve spent until the statement comes in the mail
4. It is the most expensive form of borrowing available, so the interest adds onto the debt

Think about those points above… if you were a credit card company isn’t that the ideal way to have it arranged? Let’s make the cards accepted anywhere, a prop for the user since it’s not real currency, only send them their “tab” until a month goes by, and charge them high interest rates and fees. We know from experience the truth of God’s Word in this area, found in Proverbs 22:7, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”

You know that just because you have a credit card limit of XXX dollars, that you do not charge up to that amount, but what your own personal card limit must become is what you can pay back every month – that is the only way to remove yourself from this treadmill the card companies have created. Work at setting up a monthly budget amount for your card that you can pay completely – just like your other fixed bills are. This will take some tweaking to get right but will be so worth it.

The missing piece of wisdom for most households is this… you must become aware of how much you’ve charged in real time – not only once a month when that statement arrives. Try this out right now, take a guess how much you’ve charged on your card since the last statement date. Now check your card’s website to see how much you’ve really spent, I can almost guarantee you that it is higher than your guess was.

Proverbs 27:23-24 instructs us - Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? We probably don’t have flocks and herds, but God is telling us keep in close contact with our finances and resources, this level of attention must include our spending using credit cards. Diligent refers to continuous action, being persevering and careful to your work.

There’s at least 3 ways you can keep yourself up to date on the amount charged:

1. Write it down on a notebook, index card or sticky note right with the card when you charge
2. Keep track on a personal note sheet on your phone at the time of the charge being made
3. Check your credit card’s website at least twice per week

When you are following the amount charged day by day and totaling the amount since the last statement it will help keep you from overspending, because you are keeping a “pulse” on your spending.

If we take the step above, that will set us up to reach one of two goals I challenge you to achieve in 2015

1. Pay off your cards totally by the end of this year
2. Progressively lower your balance each month throughout the year

Twenty years ago in 1995, my wife Karen and I set out to eliminate our credit card debt (which was in the thousands) at the start of the year. We were a newly married couple and had modest incomes, but by working together in agreement and focusing our efforts on the credit cards we achieved our goal before year’s end. That decision to apply wisdom was the first step in becoming completely debt-free a few years later.

January 2015 can be the point of a great start to your financial future, if you’ll take those steps today.

God bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

Let Him Know

          The prayer of the upright is His delight! (from Proverbs 15:8) This verse gives us an insight as to how God feels about us coming to Him. The meaning of delight from this verse in Hebrew refers to acceptance, desire and good pleasure – this is our loving God who desires close intimate fellowship with us.

          How often are we thinking about our spending and finances, or discussing them with our family? Now… how frequently are we bringing these concerns before the Lord? I am not merely talking about asking God for material things, because we likely have done that many times and with varied results because those things may not have been His will for us or in the timing that we sought them.

          What we can and should be including is to ask the Lord for His wisdom, and to ask and listen to what He says about a certain financial situation. That requires us to be still and wait for Him to speak to us. It is also very important to be reading His Word regularly, for that is how we shall know His voice when He speaks to us, because it will always agree with the written Word of God.

          We still will seek Him in our greatest times of need. “And call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall honor and glorify Me”. (Psalm 50:18) For sometimes it is when we are in a tight spot that God shows His power to change our situation, because it will be unmistakable to all that He moved your mountain so that He will be glorified.

          Lastly, please be encouraged to spend time with the Lord discussing your finances. You know it is an important topic to you, so include that when you seek Him. Share with Him if there are certain areas of weakness with excess spending and ask Him to give you power over temptation. The Lord did not intend for us to fight any battle here on our own but to rely on Him.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth. (Psalm 145:18)

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

From Believing to Living

“But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves.” (James 1:22) In this scripture, James was sharing the most critical piece of following Christ – living out what we have learned.

It is possible to absorb every single verse from the Word of God, but it is only what we take and by action… do in our lives that will result in experiencing The Life that Christ spoke about in John 14:6. It is by this action that His Word changes from words on a page to making it yours personally because you know it works in your life from experiencing it.

This transformation flows the same way in first believing and then taking action towards becoming debt-free. You likely agree it is best to be rid of all your debts, and if you’ve been reading Financial Fitness, you have knowledge on how to proceed. However, it is only by making wise choices and by doing will actual progress be realized.

A deep and interesting quote from Fulton Sheen goes “If you do not live what you believe, you will end up believing what you live.” We need to consider this in the context of the Spirit of God and our flesh. If we are not living according to the Spirit, we will believe what our flesh desires instead to be the truth. Read Galatians 5:16, where Paul reinforces this concept.

If we do not live what we believe in the area of finances – to become free of debt, we will end up believing what we live – to remain in debt.

Even to settle that you will take a modest step, perhaps by deciding to reduce your trips to the coffee shop, restaurant, or the mall for shopping (we all know what our areas of excess spending are), can make that difference financially and most importantly build momentum that you can gain control in this area.

Lastly, if we have a time that we cave in and spend money needlessly beyond what we should have, we should not fret and chuck the whole thing, but come right back on track. God is always encouraging us to return to the battle, “For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again…” (Proverbs 24:16)

God bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

The Wind In Our Sails

“I will go before you and level the mountains [to make the crooked places straight]; I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron.” (Isaiah 45:2). That was God’s promise to His anointed, Cyrus. We can also believe the Lord will make a way for us, to blow the wind into our sails towards retiring our debts.

In our own household just a few months after we committed to becoming debt-free, my manager called me into her office, she was concerned if I was unhappy there and seemed concerned I may be leaving the company – neither of which was the case. A few minutes later I was assigned some very minor duties and given more than a 10% raise, a most unexpected blessing.

How do you think that thought came to my manager? The Lord has a history of such things, in Judges 8 God gave Gideon a miraculous victory over the Midianites when He caused confusion amongst themselves and many of them slew each other and others fled in the darkness.

At this same time my wife Karen worked for the county government, and out of the blue the county reclassified her position upward which amounted to a 15% raise – a most surprising action given the strict structure of government pay. We both knew and were thankful that it was the Lord’s hand moving on our behalf to accelerate becoming free of debt.

After becoming debt-free we began teaching the principles and scriptures in many churches. One of the most inspiring influences we receive is getting word back from those who attended the class of how God has moved on their behalf.

One woman was a manager for a camera store chain, she had applied for a raise for one of her employees. Her boss came back and said “you’re not being paid enough” and gave her an immediate raise. She was so excited to share the news of God blessing her, and how she could pay down her credit card with this money.

We have heard back testimonies from many people being blessed from the Lord once they set their minds on becoming debt-free. People who have paid off credit cards, cars, boats and homes – all thankful to the Lord for blessing them in ways only He can do.

In Acts 10:34 Peter shares that “God is no respecter of persons…” You can be assured that He will respond to your faith in Him, just as He has to others. We can take comfort in Hebrews 11:6, which states that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

Expand your faith towards the Lord to move on your behalf in the area of finances. Take this last thought with you from Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”

One Step Closer

Can you recall your amount of debt and stress over finances from one, three or five years ago? How does that compare with today? Are you one step closer or further to freedom from debt? Many are in a more challenging place today than before. It is vital to recognize two things at work: our level of contentment relating to our spending beyond needs and the power of compound interest.

Paul wrote in I Timothy 6 that godliness accompanied with contentment is great gain. He also said if we have food and clothing, we shall be content. Paul shared this wisdom because he knew how the trap of placing material things above God leads to ruin. He also revealed in Philippians 4 that his inward strength comes directly from Christ, enabling him to live under all circumstances.

Do we consider that loving tether coming from the Lord that provides contentment when certain optional purchase decisions are in front of us? Is it possible we sometimes over dramatize that we must have something (or have it now instead of later) to be happy? Many feel if they just made more they would get ahead, but when they get more money frequently people just get deeper in debt with larger bills. This is why even many households with large incomes end up filing for bankruptcy.

Just one example of the power of compound interest: did you know that a purchase of a sofa for $2,000 on a typical credit card at 18% interest and in paying just the minimum monthly requirement can leave you paying over $8,000 over decades to finally pay it off? It can feel like we are shackled to the bills which arrive and moving one step further away every year. This is why Proverbs 22 warns us that “the borrower is servant to the lender”.

It is by the power of compound interest working against us every day that makes it harder each year to get ahead – unless we choose stop the bleeding. Make a decision to only use your credit cards for what you can pay off by the end of this next month. It is important is to move away from impulsively using your credit card as the first response when you see something. Ask the Lord to provide contentment and wisdom to operate this way.

For a larger item, you may find you can locate it for less (on Craigslist for example), save up to make the purchase with cash, or you might eventually decide you can do without the item after all. By having patience, there is also the opportunity for the Lord to overtake you with a blessing of what you are seeking. If we get on and stay on this path, we will find ourselves one step closer a year from now.

Lastly, take away this thought from Paul in Philippians 4, and know that the Lord will hear your prayer… “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.”

God bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

From God’s Point Of View

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Our Heavenly Father has a higher way for us in every area of life, with debt and finances one of those areas He desires for us to experience the blessings of obedience in following His way.

God speaks wisdom to us because He knows all things. Isaiah 46:10 says “Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose”. We may think we know a better way for our finances, but only God sees the future – even specifically for each of us, and will lead us in the right path to take.

Can you imagine there being any debt or lack in Heaven? Of course not… there will be only abundance and giving, as that is consistent with the loving character of our Lord. Jesus said that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. The book of 2 Peter speaks about the divine nature that He desires we become partakers of, it’s described as coming through the full personal knowledge of Him Who called us.

God wants you to know two key things in this area; to be obedient to His Word in finances and to have faith to see His power at work. Proverbs 22 instructs us not to pledge ourselves or to be security for another’s debts. He also states in Proverbs 3 we should not withhold good to whom it is due when we have it available. We should seek to reduce and eventually get out from our debts as soon as possible.

By your faith to honor God and put your trust in Him with in your finances - by first giving to Him in tithes and offerings, then in being good stewards of the increase He brings to you, and seeking to cheerfully give generously unto others – you will be personally enriched and blessed by Him. That is promised to us in Proverbs 28:25.

If you’ve had fear to trust God in the area of finances, please open your heart to this last thought and invitation found in Psalm 34, “O taste and see that the Lord our God is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him”.

God bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

All That God Has For You

Switching gears this time, rather than focusing on freedom from debt, we’ll highlight what God’s Word says about being the best you can be in earning a living, as this will also benefit our finances.

God desires for us to increase our learning throughout our lives, Proverbs 18:15 says “The mind of the prudent is ever getting knowledge, and the ear of the wise is ever seeking (inquiring for and craving) knowledge.” This applies to us whether we are still in school, learning a trade, or a seasoned and experienced employee. We can always gain more knowledge which will increase our value in the workplace.

Many times in the Word God confirms to us the relationship of work to sustaining ourselves. From the basic - The appetite of the laborer works for him, for [the need of] his mouth urges him on (Proverbs 16:26), to the more obvious - In all labor there is profit, but idle talk leads only to poverty (Proverbs 14:23).

Once in the workplace, believers in Christ have the opportunity to let their light shine by following God’s direction for them. Colossians 3:23 encourages us “Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men.” We see also that enlightened focus in Ephesians 6:5 “Servants (slaves), be obedient to those who are your physical masters, having respect for them and eager concern to please them, in singleness of motive and with all your heart, as [service] to Christ [Himself].”

God is honored in our work when we seek to do our best every day, inspired by working unto Him, that effort will undoubtedly stand out from among the crowd. Proverbs 22:29 states “Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”

As a result of our inspired commitment in working as unto the Lord, we can expect our efforts to be blessed – both in responsibility and financial increase. We also can take comfort in what the Lord says about our state, “The blessing of the Lord—it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it].” (Proverbs 10:22)

God bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul