Are you hiding?
1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.â€
How many are you dreading that January credit card bill? Why do I ask? It was in January, six years ago that the Lord brought my husband and me to our knees. It was then that we realized we were not on the right path, and the Lord was making it very evident that He could not work in us until we made our finances right. I KNOW I am speaking to someone out there. High debt has become the norm in our society. Financial pressures strain many marriages. It affects every area of your life.
In January:
Will you barely tithe but at the same time pay high interest rates to creditors?
Does your checkbook or bank balance reflect biblical principles?
If you are on the right track on your finances, then count yourself blessed and lucky. But there are so many people who are not. I was one of them. The good news is that God is not a God of condemnation but of forgiveness. He wants to help you get on the right track; there should be no guilt of past sins after forgiveness. Christ is ready to help you move forward.
So if you are ignoring your mailbox this month, if December caught you spending more than you should have. Confess your weakness, and then move forward on the right path. Get an accountability partner if that is what will help you. Believe me, it is amazing to see how God can move in your life after you rid some of the chains that are tying you down.
Heavenly Father, thank you for always being there to show me the way. Father please help me to have my finances reflect the principles you have set forward. And like Paul said, “help me be content with the things I have†for Christ promised me that he would never leave nor forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5). Amen.
Wow..it’s as if you read my mind tonight. Between having a conversation with my husband today about needing to figure out how to manage our financial situation to wanting to be able to tithe this year, I need help. Thanks for your post.
Laurel,
That is a great post!!
About 10 years ago we got that wake up call as God began to show us that through our credit cards we were living on what we WANTED to make not trusting Him for our provision.
It’s been hard – very hard – He’s had to bring us through some humbling experiences to get our attention in this area. Thankfully we’ve learned a new level of trust in Him especially regarding our finances….what PEACE!!!! what FREEDOM!!! / He is so very faithful!!!
Great thoughts, Laurel. It’s so great that we can share our victories over struggles with people who are still struggling. My husband personally keeps me on track, and yes, we had that December discussion just this weekend!
yep I can relate to this one, been in that situation financially and am learning from it with God’s help.
Thank you, Laurel. We have learned the hard way as well! Now, only gifts will be bought that we can pay straight out of our banking account – nothing charged to the credit cards on Christmas!
Would like to adjust our spending and giving more.
you know, I am so praising the Lord right now that we did away with credit card debt about 5 years ago. We still don’t have much, mostly because hubby really doesn’t make enough for us to get out from uner financial burden, and yes we have tried all the money management stuff.
We don’t use credit. EVER. But we have made serious mistakes in the past and are just waiting to get things back on track. It’s hard to do when you’re paying attorny fees. We are just thankful to God that we can pay our attorney bills!!
Great Post…. So many marriages are in conflict over money. If only they would turn finances over to God…. 🙂
Excellent post. I think some of us spend too much at Christmas because we want to give TOO much, and to everybody, then pay for it in January. The Lord can guide us here, too. Sometimes its best to give less materially and be more available emotionally throughout the year. Anyways, just another thought.
BLessings & Hugs,
Vicki
Folks
I am in need of help. So are you telling us that unless we tithe, we can not see God’s grace falling upon us ? The only way to restore your finances are through tithing ? Not anything less than 10% ?
And what do you mean when you say barely tithing ?