Saturday, June 21, 2008

Hindrances To Financial Freedom

We've had people ask us why they still have problems with debt even after trying diligently to do the right thing. It was almost like there was an invisible force that kept them from being successful. What are some of the reasons for this?

Failure to Tithe

Tithing is a Biblical mandate set forth by God to ensure the prosperity of His own people. In a nutshell, tithing is the principle where 10% of one's income is given to the local church fellowship to ensure the ministry staff, the priests as it were, are provided for. Tithing is part of the covenant between God and His people. God owns everything, and also knows how people have elevated money to a position of near idolatry. Taking 10% as soon as we are paid (not the very last, after everything else is paid) is a way of saying that God is the source of our supply. God promises to provide very well for His people if we obey him in the tithes and offerings. Those who refuse to render the tithe should not count on God to provide for them. They are, in effect, stealing from God... and telling Him that they don't trust Him to be their provider. They are standing with their fist clenched tightly trying to hold onto the money they have. As the fist is opened wide, the hand is now open to receive. A closed fist cannot receive anything. There is room for only one on the throne of your life. Who will that be?

Failure to Build Relationships

How can a wife know what pleases her husband if she never spends time with him? How can a husband know what thrills a wife if he never spends time with her? The relationship is built on the investment of time. Would you be pleased to learn that your spouse only wants to spend just enough time with you to get you to give them things? Wouldn't you feel used?

As a father, I would be very disappointed if my children only came to me when they wanted things. I so look forward to having my children want to be with me. Just to spend time is very special, and endears that child to me. I love them all, but there are some who just want to be with me. How much more does the Heavenly Father want His children to cultivate a very special relationship with Him. There are times when the Lord will wait for us to cease from our own activities and seek Him. Reading the Bible and going to fellowship is important, but the most precious thing is the personal relationship we have with the Lord. It is in that "secret place" that He often speaks to us about a matter. I am acquainted with many people, but have a true relationship with few. We need to invest the time necessary to cultivate a relationship with our God, our spouse, and our family.

Failure to Sow Seed

Years ago, we learned the principle of sowing seed to our need. When we would be in need of something, we would look for ways to help others instead. You see, it is important to take our focus off of ourselves and pour out to others. We had a neighbor that moved into a home near us. We saw his grass was overgrown and his yard in a mess. One Saturday morning, my sons and I went and began cleaning it up, mowing, and edging it. When we finished, it was clean and one of the best looking yards in the neighborhood. The man was astonished, and thanked us profusely. We sowed seed to help others, not monetarily, but in service. Have you seen a need that you could do something about? Don't expect payment... or even a "thank you". Have a serving heart in everything you do. Teach your children to serve others instead of being served themselves.

Failure to Pay Just Debts

We know a couple who hired a midwife to help birth their baby. They signed paperwork promising to pay the birth and office visits fees. If complications arose and the mother needed to be transported to the hospital, the bill still needed to be paid. At the last moment, this mom needed to be transported to the hospital. Although they agreed to pay, they never did. Despite a good income, this couple never seems to have enough to keep their bills current. Something always seems to come up and take their money.

Years ago we heard a story of a Christian couple who walked away from their Christian school bill when they left the church where the school was located. They soon began having financial problems and did not know why. The pastor of the church they began attending preached a sermon on why thieves don't prosper. They were convicted about not paying their bill, so they paid the bill in full the next week. Their financial situation turned around almost immediately.

God has made a way for each of us to be free from financial bondage. If we do things His way, we'll prosper. If we do things our way, then we will certainly receive the fruit of those decisions as well. Your decisions don't just affect you, but your children, and their children...Change begins with a decision.

Deuteronomy 30:19, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"

About The AuthorRick Boynton and his wife Linda pioneered the "radical approach" to debt elimination. While many debt counselors advocate the wife working outside the home, the Boyntons show how the "stay-at-home-mother" actually multiplies, or leverages the husband's income. Together, they wrote a book called "Radical Debt Elimination", which leads families step-by-step through the complete debt elimination process. Not only does this book deal with the obvious financial problems, but it also addresses the deeper issues that caused the problems in the first place. Find out more by going to http://www.radicaldebtelimination.com

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