Session 2

You Can Be Debt Free

From Getting More Out of Giving In: A 3-Day Devotional About Money

Most of us aren’t broke because of something that happened to us, but because of poor decisions we made. Around 75 percent of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck. For many of us, getting upside down on a car payment, behind on the mortgage, or buried in credit card debt wasn’t the result of a job loss, but our inability to say no.

Proverbs 22:7 says the borrower is a servant to the lender. Money should not control us; we should control it. And at some point, the desire to acquire overwhelmed our ability to make a rational, Spirit-filled decision. Now we’re paying the price.

No one has ever prayed his or her way out of debt. Financial freedom starts when we’re willing to accept responsibility for where we are, make a plan, and stick to it.

What we spent years messing up will most likely not be fixed in three days, or even three weeks. That’s why Proverbs 21:5 warns us that “the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Digging out of a financial hole takes time, hard decisions, and sacrifices. But the reward is worth the work.

God has huge dreams for our lives. He wants you to live in freedom, not in the bondage of debt. He wants you to be able to provide a future for your children, instead of hoping they will provide one for you. He wants you to honor Jesus with every financial decision you make, because the Bible is clear that until God has our money, He doesn’t fully have our hearts.

Reflect:

• What’s one change you need to make to your spending habits this week?

Make a Move:

• Budget isn’t a dirty word. A budget is simply assigning our money before we spend it. If you’re not sure how to start budgeting, check out www.newspring.cc/budget for help making a sample budget and a get-out-of-debt plan.

Follow Bill’s Lead:

• Bill Hodges had everything a successful person could want, but he still felt empty. Realizing his money was "cursed," Bill began to tithe and saw what was missing from his relationship with Jesus all along. Read Bill’s story.