Most people have at least three credit cards, six charge cards, several cars and a home with large monthly payments because they've been taught to want more expensive material things than their parents provided while they were growing up and more than they can truly afford at any given point in time. They haven't considered the spiritual implications of these financial decisions. Namely, the Christian borrower becomes servant to the worldly lender as a result of such loan transactions.
Normal taxation of our income leaves somewhere around 60% of our gross monthly income to fund the things we absolutely need (food, shelter, and clothing) and other things we desire. However, living in less expensive shelter and buying less expensive food and clothing seems like torture to most people even if they would only need to endure it for a short amount of time.
So, they borrow exorbitantly to get the things they desire. Not realizing that this will bring financial hardship into their marriages, families, and ministry with the possibility of dissolving these relationships. Many times the borrower becomes useless to God because he entertains the thought that he cannot spend his time attending to his spouse, children, and ministry otherwise he cannot do what he believes is necessary to make an income to pay the bills and build riches.
On the outside, people with this mindset often appear to have all the material trappings that other people should want. Yet, they really have very little that they own and some of what they have is about to be taken via foreclosure, repossession, and garnished wages. Behind smiling faces, they’re often living a tortured life because of the decisions they’ve made that go against biblical financial principles.
Throughout the existence of mankind, the Lord has instructed man on how to live trusting His fatherly character and grace to provide us with everything we need for life and godliness. He wants you to understand that anything needed that is beyond your level of current wealth to provide should rely on His non-torturous system of short-term delayed gratification. This mindset of being content and exhibiting self-control to restrain your purchases builds you into the humble, useful, and fruitful man or woman of God you are designed to be because it leads you to tithe to worthwhile church ministries in order to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of men through preaching and missionary works.
It also leads you to budget, have a plan to eliminate debt, save, invest, and diversify. This pattern brings supernatural blessing upon you that will remove the pressure of debt and allow all your income to be disposable for the work of ministry and fulfillment of your purpose. At a later stage in life, it allows you to afford more of the things you desire and to minister more within your community and around the world and to give more to help others come into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and to help meet needs they cannot provide at the current time. Many times the latter stage is only five to seven years after you purpose in your heart and take action to truly live out biblical financial principles.
How would you feel if this rich life applied to you? I'll tell you: you’d feel great about ever abounding in the work of the Lord and being a good example of Christian stewardship to everyone around you. So, get started today by committing to God’s way and changing those patterns in your life that are not in line with biblical instruction. And so shall you prosper!
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Deuteronomy 28:12-13, Psalms 37:21-22, Proverbs 22:6-7, Luke 14:28-30, Romans 13:8
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
You can find books authored by Randy and Karen Parlor at www.Amazon.com.
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