So many people are about ready to collapse under the insurmountable mountain of debt.  But this seems to be the American way; spending blindly and without restraint never considering the consequences.  This is not only culturally acceptable but it has been adopted as a way of life for so many Christians.  With over 164 million individuals owing approximately 1.4 billion cards - an average of nine credit cards per credit card holder.  A stack of all those credit cards would reach more than 70 miles into space. (Consumer Debt Statistics) This is why studies show that there is little difference between what Christians and non-Christians earn, spend, save, charge, or donate to charities.  A recent study by the Barna Group reveals that in light of the economy churches are losing billions of dollars.  This being attributed to how Christians view what's important financially.  The first thing that seems to be expendable in the budgets of Christians is their tithes and offerings.  They have put themselves so deep into financial bondage that God's church sufferings believing - God understands.  Yes he does understand that we have put self first and allowed the spirit of Mammon to grip our heart and sink us into a pit financial slavery.

So many Christians are held in captivity; struggling with a the spirit of debt and cannot see themselves free.  My goal isn't to condemn (there went I, but by the grace of God I would still be there) but to preach liberty to the captives.  Captivity and slavery is not God's design for his children.  He came to set us free, which takes employing God's stewardship principles in our lives.  This is a message of freedom and liberty but also patients and self-restraint.  Yes, we can be free from the spirit of debt and live our lives in the protecting hands of God, but we have to exercise patients.  Patients - it is going to take some time to dig yourself out of the hole you've created.  This goes against every fleshly impulse that put us into bondage to begin with.  This means thinking a whole new way and breaking habits that been formed since childhood.  This is where self-restrain comes in.  The true quality of self-restraint is the love and contentment of Christ Jesus.  Here is a scripture that might bring it into a better perspective:

Proverbs 30:8-9 (Contemporary English Version) 8Make me absolutely honest and don't let me be too poor or too rich. Give me just what I need. 9If I have too much to eat, I might forget about you; if I don't have enough, I might steal and disgrace your name.

Notice that the motive of this scripture is not more money or things, but a cautious spirit to to keep God first place in his life.  This should be our prayer, "God don't allow me to be distracted with what I don't have or what I do have, but that my focus is on you at all times."

Hebrews 13:5 (New International Version) 5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

This is telling us that God is our source and not money or charge cards.  Too many times we rely on our credit limits to bail us out of a jam and not God.  It has become easier to borrow the money now and trust God in the future for the money you will need to pay it back.  But the bible says, Now faith is...  Too many times we over look the word "Now" and see faith as in the future.  No, "Now" faith is, now is the time to employ it and stand on the word of God.  But this takes some spiritual depth and know-how in the word of God to gain the confidence to take such a stance.  Real faith and stewardship is honoring God first in our tithes and offerings,  counting the cost of our financial decisions and building a storehouse for the lean times.  Break the spirit of Mammon by yielding whole-heartedly to God, for he will never leave you or forsake you.

“Some debts are fun when you are acquiring them, but none are fun when you set about retiring them” ~Ogden Nash...

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