Paying For Things

    Jesus said in Luke 14:28 "For which of you, wishing to build a farm building, does not first sit down and calculate the cost [to see] whether he has sufficient means to finish it?” The Lord was addressing our commitment to Him, however He used this illustration because we could relate to it and contains His eternal wisdom.

        There are 3 ways we can pay for things

1. Borrowing – by making those “easy monthly payments”, placing it on a credit card, or lending from someone
2. Money on hand – we give the clerk the cash or check because we have the funds available now
3. Saving – we’ve made provision for the purchase by putting enough away to be ready for it

    The Word of God gives clear instruction what the wise person is to do. In Deuteronomy 28:12 it reads “you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow” and we are cautioned in Proverbs 22:7 that the borrower is servant to the lender. Does it not feel like being a slave to have promised so much of your paycheck before you’ve even earned it? 

    What also makes it difficult to operate by borrowing is the interest, because you are eventually paying much more than the normal cost of the item. For a typical new car of $26,000 financed the real cost is $33,000 and an average $222,000 home mortgage will actually cost over $381,000 to pay it off. 

    Credit cards have high interest rates that average 14.95%, and as you know they go up from there. The typical household has $7,400 in credit card debt and if that was paid by only sending in the minimum 2.5% of balance amount each month it will take 18 years to pay off with over $6,700 going to interest alone. 

    Now if we have the money available to make each purchase – especially large ones, that is a good place to be. We’re not wasting dollars in interest paid and we’re also avoiding the stress of making those payments each month. By always paying your credit cards down to zero each month that qualifies here as well. If you’re currently in debt this is the first goal to reach. 

    The next scripture from Proverbs 21:20 is the #1 verse that I bring attention to in Debt-Free Class, it describes the wise person… “There are precious treasures and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a self-confident and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.” It is simply saying the foolish man spent all he had but the wise man had provision available because of how he managed it. It is my #1 verse because if you follow it, freedom from debt will be a reality for your household. All it involves is simply spending less than what you make. 

    When you are operating on less than what you make, that allows you to move to the next goal by saving provision for future purchases and the future in general. Egypt was able to weather seven years of upcoming famine prophesied by Joseph by storing up provision for it (see Genesis 41).

    God’s desire is for you and your household to have all of your needs met and to be a blessing to others. However it takes us to apply His wisdom to see the results unfold. First, we honor Him as Lord through faithfulness in tithes and offerings. Lastly, remember again the three ways that we can pay for things…

1. Borrowing – by making those “easy monthly payments”, placing it on a credit card, or lending from someone
2. Money on hand – we give the clerk the cash or check because we have the funds available now
3. Saving – we’ve made provision for the purchase by putting enough away to be ready for it

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

Paul

Lighting The Way

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalms 119:105). This scripture captures one of the best visualizations of how God’s Word leads and blesses the believer who follows it.

Do you have debts that have hung around for a long time that you really want to pay off? Aside from a few people with extreme situations out of their control, the truth is the rest of us have landed where we are from choices that we have made. God’s Word tells us we will reap what we sow. If we have given lots of time and thought towards things we want to buy (especially what we cannot afford), that is likely what we have reaped when given the chance at the marketplace and in front of our computer.

What’s important to recognize is this is not a physical struggle, it is a spiritual one, and drawing close to the Lord and His Word will give us the victory. For success in this area it is important to sow His Word into our thoughts. “I will meditate on Your precepts and have respect to Your ways” (Psalms 119:15). Be encouraged to know from Galatians 6:8 that “he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life”. God’s Holy Spirit will help us live the life He desires for us if we sow good seed into ourselves.

Romans 12:2 instructs us - Do not be conformed to this world (this age), but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude]. It is a temptation to “keep up” by spending with your neighbors, co-workers or friends on things and activities. But what you do not see is their personal stress in struggling to pay bills from “keeping up” with all of those around them.

Reducing our pride and regarding Christ as our Lord and contentment is described in Timothy 6:6 - [And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and obviously we cannot take anything out of the world; But if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content (satisfied).

Temptation in the Bible can be in many areas, I encourage you from personal experience that as you read God’s Word regularly, meditate afterwards on what you’ve read, seek His face and goodness in times of prayer and communion with Him, you will notice a lowered desire for the things the flesh. Galatians 5:16 says – “But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).”

By abiding closely to Him, God will be there with us… Psalm 91:1 reveals “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].” We will remain stable and fixed in this area of temptation we are referring to as taking control of our spending. As we yield to the Spirit we will realize there is a victory to be won by each of us.

If you feel overburdened from your debts, be encouraged from what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 – “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.

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

Paul

Where Your Treasure Is

Are you familiar with the scripture related to this from when Jesus spoke in Matthew 6? In verse 21 He said “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. If we honestly think upon this verse, we can understand how the Word of God is described as a penetrating sword in Hebrews 4, able to sift our thoughts and purposes.

The intent of Christ speaking this was not to condemn us, but to illuminate the difference between placing our affection on this world and with Him and His Kingdom. The two verses preceding help focus where our aim should be - “Do not gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal. But gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth not rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal.”

Consider how when we give of our finances, be it tithes and offerings, a gift towards a ministry, or helping someone in need, that the Lord regards this as placing treasures in heaven. Once we have given that amount with a cheerful heart, in essence it changes from being an earthly dollar to a heavenly one.

If we are not tithing to the Lord, can a careful study of our spending show that we are placing other things before Him? In Isaiah 55 it is written “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your earnings for what does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to Me and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (the profuseness of spiritual joy). Because God created us, He knows what will ultimately satisfy us – and that is closeness to Him.

The scriptures were not written to make sure the church has enough finances, as God will always make provision for His will to be done. They were written so we would place the Lord properly in our lives – as our Creator, our source and who we receive The Life from that Jesus spoke of and is.

The more that we regard His Word in our finances, first from giving as we are instructed, then the more we will also be able to make wise choices in our spending. It may be by overcoming temptation to spend on something fruitless, or waiting for the timing to be right when you have enough to make a purchase without using credit or borrowing. Next time I will expound greatly about how the correlation between reading and meditating on His Word will bring us towards freedom from debt.

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

Paul

Choose This Day

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” is instructed to God’s people in Joshua 24:15. The question is meant to penetrate every area of decision in our lives. With money, spending, debt, generosity and finances mentioned so frequently throughout God’s Word, we certainly should consider whom we are serving with the decisions we make in these areas. Today, we’ll cover some basic foundations to reinforce whom we are to serve.

Let’s begin with how we earn a living. In Colossians 3 we’ve been encouraged to obey those who are our earthly masters, to work at our task with all of our heart as unto the Lord and not unto men. If an employee chooses this way, would they not stand out to their supervisor, be rewarded and viewed as irreplaceable, and also be a great witness to the unbelievers at their workplace?

Once we’ve received our wages, we choose first to honor the Lord, for in Psalms 24:1 it reads “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it, the world and they who dwell in it”. God is the Creator of it all, we then choose to show our reverence and love towards Him by giving in tithes and offerings. The Lord’s promises to those who obey include to rebuke the devourer, to open the windows of heaven, for their storage places to be filled with plenty, and their vats overflowing with new wine.

Next, the crucial piece is to choose contentment. In Philippians 4, Paul tells us “I have learned how to be content in whatever state I am. I know how to live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. He received his contentment from Christ. It is in this reliance that will provide patience, enabling us to turn away from choices of spending money we do not have that plunge us into debts.

Then let us choose to be generous, for God approves of this work and promises to bless those who do so – (Proverbs 24) There are those who generously scatter abroad, and yet increase more… The liberal person shall be enriched, and he who waters shall himself be watered. (Proverbs 11) He who gives to the poor will not want. By being generous, it will soften our heart towards the things above, which will help us in every area of life.

Lastly, choose to take steps towards becoming a debt-free household. Keep track of your spending in real-time, especially credit card use. Attend a Debt-Free Class at Broomfield Assembly of God, a free 3-hour teaching packed with practical steps and scriptures that set you on the path to future freedom from debt. Become involved with a Financial Fitness Fellowship, a monthly gathering of encouragement, prayer, sharing and instruction to strengthen your walk towards being debt-free.

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

Paul

Uncomfortable, But Blessed

Throughout the Bible we see examples of God’s people following Him and in the process going through extraordinary circumstances – being called to do what we may think of as unreasonable and uncomfortable to be obedient.

Noah built an enormous ark on a land that had never seen rain, Joshua led the Israelites to march around Jericho, David came to slay a giant with only a sling and five stones, Esther risked her life approaching the King unannounced to save her people. In every account in God’s Word one thread remained constant, they were all uncomfortable but blessed.

We’ve read of believers going through extreme trials, some even to the degree of being martyrs. Yet, what we are talking about here is merely how we trust God with our finances.

The Lord has appointed for us first to honor Him in tithes and offerings, it is written in Proverbs 3:9 “Honor the Lord with your capital and sufficiency [from righteous labors] and with the firstfruits of all your income”. By doing so first we demonstrate to Him that He is our provider and that we are thankful for what He has given to us.

Is the concept of tithing or setting aside 10% first for the Lord and still having enough feel uncomfortable to you? God knows we can be challenged by this, that is why He also promised us that He would respond to our faith… “and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).

I will repeat it again - We’ve read of believers going through extreme trials, some even to the degree of being martyrs. Yet, what we are talking about here is merely how we trust God with our finances.

Overcoming debt is another area for us to trust the Lord, because He knows what is best for us. We are warned against spending more than we make in Proverbs 21:20 - There are precious treasures and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a self-confident and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.

Is it uncomfortable to consider spending less than you make? It probably is if you’ve been operating that way for some time. The question is, what has been the result of doing things this way? You’re probably aware of what your level of debt is today compared with last year or the year before.

We have to stop the cycle of promising tomorrow’s dollars (plus interest) for things we want today. Once we get there we can progress towards having provision for tomorrow, like the precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise that Proverbs 21 spoke of.

God desires for us to be wise in Ephesians 5 “Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people)… do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is”. His will is for you to be free of debt.

Being uncomfortable in our flesh and our intellect will many times be what we experience to grow in the Lord. It is because His Wisdom is so much higher and unique and even contrary to this world, that He receives the glory when the result is fully realized.

Lastly Isaiah 41:10 encourages us: Fear not, for I am with you… I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.

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

Paul

For Our Good

Great is our Lord and of great power; His understanding is inexhaustible and boundless (Psalms 147:5).

Our God, the Creator of the Universe, is who we can trust. This is because He has always been present (The First and the Last - Revelation 22:13), He knows all things (Declaring…from ancient times things not yet done – Isaiah 46:10), He knows all about you (You are acquainted with all my ways – Psalms 139:3), and especially because He loves you (Christ died for us – Romans 5:8)

God has set limits and instructions before us in His Word to obey, covering many areas and intersections we encounter in life. We are called in Psalms 100 “The sheep of His pasture”, and like the picture above, guidance is needed to keep the sheep from harm. We can be encouraged to know that these limits are for our own good. The handling of our finances is one of those areas God has spoken His wisdom to us for.

Our first act of obedience is to recognize the Lord as our provider by giving to Him in tithes and offerings. By doing so He promises to “pour you out a blessing” and to “rebuke the devourer” (Malachi 3:10-11). Honoring the Lord first will mold us… “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). This change in our heart will also help us to be obedient in staying out of debt.

Before all of our modern instruments of debt existed, God was well aware and out of His love for us provided a warning to “Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another…”(Romans 13:8). This is the Good Shepherd placing that fence around us, because He knows how easy it is for His sheep to become lost.

If you are in a hard place currently with debt, please click on the archives from this Financial Fitness page for tangible steps you can take to get out. Today, let’s conclude by what we can do in advance to help keep us from straying.

God’s Word tells us we will reap what we sow. If we give lots of time and thought towards things we want to buy (especially what we cannot afford) that is what we will reap when given the chance at the marketplace and in front of our computer.

For success in this area it is important to sow His Word into our thoughts. “I will meditate on Your precepts and have respect to Your ways” (Psalms 119:15). Be encouraged to know from Galatians 6:8 that “he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life”. God’s Holy Spirit will help us live the life He desires for us if we sow good seed into ourselves.

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

Paul

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