By Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman
As newlyweds, with big hearts but a not-so-big checking account, Jim and I used a credit card to buy gifts our first Christmas. Then, after the last gift was unwrapped, credit card bills arrived with exorbitant interest rates attached.
"Never again!" we vowed. Jim immediately opened a
Christmas savings account, and it was a tough year—paying off while paying into. The following November, with our debt paid off, we used the Christmas money we'd
saved, and only that, to buy gifts.
Debt. It seems like the right thing to do at the time, but holds us back from thinking BIG and doing the BIG things that God has in store for our lives. God cares so much about our finances that He included a formula in the Bible (II Kings 19:29/ESV) for getting out of debt! He initially gave it to King Hezekiah, a very good king of the Jews who was attacked by the King of Assyria for unpaid debt.
1. "...this year, eat what grows of itself..." Live on only what God gives you. Don't borrow another penny. Pay off your debt as much as you can.
2. "...and in the second year, what springs from the same..." Continue to live off what God gives you while increasing your debt payments. It won't be as tight, but don't borrow anything more.
3. "...Then in the third year, sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit." Continue the advice from years one and two. By now, you should have some extra. Invest that in something conservative and let your money begin to work for you.
This three-year plan saved a kingdom threatened because of debt, and allowed King Hezekiah to accomplish his BIG, God-given plan of a positive faith renewal and increased literacy rates among his people.
I'm so grateful to my husband for providing this same example for our family. And I'm so thankful to God for giving the ministry this wisdom, especially during tough economic times, enabling us to continue to spread His love and hope around the world.
If you need some debt relief, try using this proven financial formula. Then watch how God frees you to accomplish His BIG plan for your life!
