Today’s Bible readings are Job 28:1-30:31, 2 Corinthians 2:12-17, Psalm 42:1-11, & Proverbs 22:7
Proverbs 22:7
7 The rich
rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.
.
Would you intentionally do something if you knew that it
could put you in bondage? Most people would scream NO to answer that question.
We have worked hard to find the freedom in Christ that we have discovered. Our
lives have been re-shaped by making choices that will promote freedom in our
lives. We have tasted & seen that the Lord is good.
There are certain things that we refuse to do anymore
because we don’t want to be brought under the power of it. We know what it is
to be in bondage. We fell on our knees in brokenness when we found Christ, in
order to get set free from the things that were holding us in bondage. Yet,
there are some things that people STILL do that bring bondage into their lives.
One of the major things that enslave people in our
generation today is DEBT! We borrow, borrow, & borrow. This only leads
punishing bondage.
1. It creates great stress.
2. It leads to being forced to make decisions that we otherwise wouldn’t have to make.
3. It is the source of most marriage tension.
4. It keeps people from being able to experience the joys of giving.
5. It leads to only greater lack.
6. It keeps us stuck.
7. It makes us focus paying debt rather than building the kingdom.
There are many, many more things that debt does. We have all
experienced the crippling effects of it. Knowing this, why do so many people
fall into the debt trap? I believe that answer is pretty simple.
WE
WANT WHAT WE WANT & WE WANT IT NOW!!!
We can fall into
the thinking that stuff will make us feel better about ourselves. So we go out
& borrow whatever they will lend so we can feel better. This leads to
feeling worse because the pressure that comes with the debt. It causes us to be
slaves.
1. You can’t take a day off because the bills have to get paid.
2. You can’t go to church on Sunday because you need the overtime.
3. You can’t make it to family events & kids functions because you need the hours.
4. You can’t give to missions & you start to feel guilty inside.
We can put a stop to
all of these things if we will get our heads out of the clouds & come back
down to earth & LIVE WITHIN OUR MEANS!!!
I want to share with you a formula to success.
It is a formula that we practice in our own lives & is one that we teach
our kids to practice. I assure you that this will work for you & lead to
great prosperity.
1. Take the 1st 10% of everything you make & give it to God.
I know that this
sounds crazy. Initially we think, “How can this work? I already don’t have
enough to get by. If I give 10% I will have EVEN LESS.” In our natural minds
this does not make sense. But I assure you it works. God has promised that it
will.
Malachi 3:10
10 Bring
the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test
me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I
will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that
there will not be room enough to store it.
Tithe means 10%.
Some people attack this BIBE PRINCIPAL but it only leads to their destruction.
God calls for the tithe. It is a faith thing. God honors your faith in Him. The
more faith, the more honor.
2. Take the next 10% & put it away in some type of saving, retirement, IRA, etc…
This is the one
area that you can be flexible in. Start where you are. Maybe you can only do
5%. That is fine. Start there. But you want to work toward 10%. That is a great
number that I feel really works. It is for your future. You never touch this
money. It is there to build over time so that you future will be one of great
prosperity & blessing. You are worth saving for. You are worth the
sacrifice today. Here is a great quote from Dave Ramsey:
“Live
like nobody else today, so you can live like nobody else tomorrow.”
3. Live on the remainder.
The last thing you do is you learn to live on the other 80%. This is
going to be a big change for most people in their thinking because they have
been trained: “If you got, spend it; if you don’t, borrow it.” That is the
recipe for slavery & bondage.
Start today. Take this serious. There is no need to voluntarily sign up
for bondage. So make the choice to make the change. Handle your money with
care.
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