Topic “Financial Life”

We’ve had many people ask our ministry, “Is it wrong for me to have a credit card?” We don’t believe that credit cards are evil in themselves, but their easy-to-spend and hard-to-pay nature makes them a major pitfall for many people. When we meet with people struggling financially, we find that most of the time, they have been relying on credit cards to meet their daily needs.

• 9 out of 10 families live paycheck to paycheck.

   

• Only 2% of the homes in America are paid off.

   

• Most 62-year-olds still owe 22 years on their first mortgage.

   

• 86% of all new homes are purchased by dual-income families.
   
• 80% of divorces are caused by financial stress.
   

Debt attacks the fabric of the home.  For many, instead of the home being a refuge from life’s pressures, it becomes a stress-filled environment – a war zone.  One response to the pressure of debt is that so many husbands are turning over the responsibility of juggling the strained budget to their wives.  They find an escape route from the fear and pressure of finances in the wife, whom God made to have the desire to help her husband.  Although this may seem harmless, seeds of destruction are being planted in the home.

For the last twenty years I have successfully operated several companies. I discovered that to be successful in business I had to trust the Kingdom of God. Early on, I realized that God gives you direction and favor in this life, but I had to do my part.

Being self-employed has its ups and its downs, but I have found a way to ensure more up than down. It’s called the ninety-day cycle. Business has momentum, and we’ve discovered that you can do just about anything for ninety days. Sure, everyone wants to be successful; but you must realize that distractions, emotions and even success are your future’s enemies. Success can become an enemy in the sense that, once you achieve it, it may cause you to want to relax and enjoy a break that can sabotage your progress.

Gary and I try to encourage everyone we can to get out of debt because we as Christians have a short time to do a big work.  If we are weighed down with slavery to debt payments, how can we focus on the big picture of what God wants us to do with our lives?  There are people out there who are suffering and not serving God - they’re running after money because they don’t know what else to do.  Satan doesn’t want people to learn that they don’t have to work three jobs and lose their marriage to get what they need.

I can still remember as a child going behind our home where a housing project was under way and collecting pop bottles to sell.  I would gather them until I had enough money saved to pay for the mail-order rocket I wanted. While picking up the bottles, I anticipated the fun I would have with the rocket.

Probably the most devastating impact of financial stress can be seen in the breakdown of marriages and family relationships.  If you are married, then you already know the effect that money, or the lack of it, can have on your marriage.  Financial stress is blamed as one of the major causes of divorce.  You cannot live on this earth without acknowledging the role of money and its effect on our lives.

Debt paints a false image of success.  Using credit, almost anyone can look as if they are prosperous - for a season.   Debt will allow them to buy things they could otherwise not afford.  Eventually, though, the truth will come out as the bills come in and have to be paid.  

America has made credit a way of life. Advertisers use all kinds of gimmicks to sell their products utilizing debt as a form of payment. Tactics such as “90-Days-Same-As-Cash,” “No payments until the year 2010,” rebates and “easy terms” are just a few of the ploys used. Most advertisers sell their products with a payment plan rather than a lump sum price. Watch any television advertisement selling cars, and you will find that the car is always sold with a monthly payment, not the total price.