I hope you read this and are encouraged instead of thinking that I am bragging. If I brag it would be on Jesus anyway. There is something in our society that the so many people wrestle with daily and have a hard time getting rid of. DEBT! It is everywhere and it is choking God’s people and keeping them from being generous givers. Dave Ramsey said something like this once; I believe every Christian wants to give, but they can’t because of debt. Our society has been tricked into believing that debt is the norm and that a credit score is lifeblood! Actually a credit score is your debt score! The more debt you have the higher your score. It’s a never ending circle…to obtain debt you have to have a high credit score and to have a high credit score you have to have debt.
I believed that philosophy most my life and it does not work! My wife and I have always tried to be good stewards with money but have certainly made a lot of mistakes and bad decisions since we have been married. Needless to say, we put ourselves in a bad position financially. We were making it but it was all on credit cards and living from check to check with no savings. Sound familiar! Sadly that scenario is common place today.
In 2005 we started doing something about it. We led small groups in our home on financial training; I became a trained counselor with Crown Financial Ministries; I started leading Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey; trying to figure money out. In 2009 the light came on that we HAVE to make a change. So we took to heart Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University course while leading it for the third time. I must be a little slow!
I knew what to do but just didn’t have the discipline to actually do it. When the light came on for my wife and I we got busy. We cut up all credit cards; everyone said you cannot live without a credit card! We have for 2 years without a hiccup! We rent cars; go on trips, order on line, and pay cash for everything we do. Everyone said don’t cut up the credit cards or your credit score will drop way down. We cut them all up and our score didn’t change. We started a savings account. Everyone said why bother save, the interest rates are too low. We found 1.43% and have a savings for minor emergencies. We have paid off over $40k in unsecured debt and car loans, except the house, in just 2 years.
It can be done! You can get debt free! FPU does work! It takes time! You can do it! Dave was right! Start now! Don’t put it off! We put every dollar available toward debt for two years and scrimped and saved and paid cash and did without credit and now will reap the benefits. FINALLY we will start telling our money what to do instead it telling us what to do. We will soon be sending out our dollars to work for us. Our money can now make us more money, help others in need, take care of emergencies, be for fun, or whatever.
That is how generous givers are born! That is how you can get set free of the ball and chain of debt. Yes, we are almost free with only a small amount left to pay off. Then I will one of the thousands that call Dave Ramsey on the radio show and yell; I’M DEBT FREE! I can ‘t wait!
Comments? Thoughts?
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