Get Out of Debt

We live in an age of instant gratification. Our society thinks that there’s nothing wrong with about living beyond our means. Some of us are so deep in debt that we’ve given up the hope of ever getting out of it. Today, I have good news for you. God wants you to be free and clear of all debts.

According to creditcards.com, the average household with at least one credit card has nearly $15,950 in credit card debt. The average interest rate runs in the mid to high teens at any given time. That’s just credit card debt. Then there are retail shops, student loans, mortgages, and car payments. How then can we get out of debt? 

The first step of getting out of debt is a change of mindset. Unless we change our thinking, we will never change. The Bible says, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7 NIV). Today let’s discuss seven practical ways to get out of debt.

1. Make a decision. Unless we see ourselves getting out of debt, we never will. Whatever you focus on will grow. I speak from experience. Once you make the decision to get out of debt, you’ll be amazed by how many ways you can find to pay off your debt. Make a decision today!

2. Accept that it will take some time. None of us got into our debt overnight and we’re not going to get out of it in just a month. However, if we plan, prepare, and cut spending, we’ll be able to pay off our debt sooner than we thought possible. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

3. Start with the highest interest debts. Paying the minimum balance on your debt can often take up to 5-10 years and you end up paying three to five times the amount you borrowed originally. I’ve been paying a certain loan that should have taken 15 years to pay off. Recently, I started doing what I’m telling you. I’m making sacrifice and paying five times more towards my principal rather than the minimum payment prescribed. Now I can pay off that debt in less than two years!

4. Change your spending habits. The marketing people will always tell you how you “deserve” it. Not only that, why wait? Have it “now.” The advertisements will entice you with a “one day only sale.” Don’t fall for these traps. Your house is loaded with stuff you couldn’t live without and now just collects dust over the years. Be honest with yourself and resist the urge to spend on whatever your little eyes see. Let me say something hard with a smile on my face. Out of control spending is an addiction just like drugs and alcohol. Unless you get rid of it, it will get rid of you. Get some help and be secure in God – not the stuff you have. Smile!

5. Learn to manage your money. God wants to make you the ruler over much but not until you’ve learnt to be a good steward over what He has already given you. Nineteen percent of Americans spend more than they earn. As your income increases and sudden money comes into your hand, don’t buy more stuff and increase your living standards. The secret to living a financially balanced life is to live on 70% of your income. Right off the top put 10-20% in savings and investments (after you’ve paid off your liquid debts). Give at least 10% to God’s work. Consult a financial advisor.

6. Practical ways to save money. Refinance your house with a lower interest rate and 15 years loan or less. Re-evaluate your car, health, life insurance, and service plans. Eat out less and eat more healthy food at home. Get rid of brand name coffee, soda, sugar, cigarettes, and liquor. Carry only your debit card. Use cash whenever possible. Buy when the price is half the cost and not when the advertisers or your impulse tells you to. Cut down spending on big-ticket items, vacations, or entertainment until you’ve paid off your liquid debts. Be generous and develop a habit of giving (doesn’t have to be big) for we reap what we sow. Give to bless Israel and God will bless you.

7. Pray for supernatural debt cancellation. Many people in debt feel guilty about asking God for helping them get out of debt. Like all our indiscretions, nothing catches God by surprise. God’s grace is not performance based. It doesn’t matter how you got into your debt – Jesus can get you out! Believe God for supernatural intervention. One of my friends had a $1.3 million debt canceled because they did their part and dared to believe God for the impossible. God wants to help you come out of debt. Do your best and let God do the rest. Friend, there is help and there is hope. Starting today, let’s make it a priority to come out of debt. I’m praying for you!

“Owe nothing to anyone--except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God's law” (Romans 13:8 NLT).

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Mastering Your Money

Money is a big priority in our lives. Many talented people wasted their lives because they never learnt to manage their money. We do not always need more money.  If we learn to manage what God gives us, then we will become kings in life.

The other day I was talking to a young friend who is getting started in his financial business. He is a very hard working and honest man. As we were visiting, I casually shared my simple money views with him. I guess he was encouraged because he said, “Can you write those points for me?” I’m no Dave Ramsey, or Warren Buffett but today I will share with you what I have learnt about money.

First, don’t make money making your goal. The famous Zig Ziglar once said, “If you help enough people get what they want, you will always get what you want.” Money is a bi-product. There is nothing wrong in going after your dream job or wanting a profit from the business but if money is our main motivation, we’re running a poor business. When we follow God and maximize our gifts and the talent He has given us, money will follow. Seek God’s face more than you seek His hands.

Second, honor God by giving back. Be generous! The church has dwarfed people of faith by nagging members for 10% of their income. I say this with all due respect but this is not scriptural. There is nothing wrong with supporting our local churches, but church is people. We should be more concerned about building people than building buildings. In the New Testament, Jesus upheld the tithe but He didn’t stop there. He taught us to surrender ALL to God because it’s all His in the first place! God doesn’t want your money, He wants your life! This is what the church did in the Book of Acts and what a revolution they started! When we help the poor, the widows, and the persecuted, we’re advancing God’s Kingdom and accumulating treasure, both in heaven and here on earth. We should give according to what measure we want to get back. I challenge you to consider giving 80% of your income away. You may be tilting your head at me but try it and see what God does for you!

Third, pay yourself. Putting resources away for retirement, inheritance for the family, and investing are principles straight from the Scriptures. When we’re brainwashed to give everything away or never take a step of faith to bless others, then we have a skewed view of money. God instructed Joseph to save 20% for the famine to come. Joseph obeyed and the whole country was saved. Could it be, saving is God’s way for us also? God’s principle will still work if we only heed to His ways.

Fourth, pay your bills before they’re due. You would be amazed by how many people don’t pay bills on time. Remember, the pain of a bad habit can cost you much. Bank auto pay is a great way to pay our bills. Normally I have two days in a month when I pay my bills. I write the big bills first like giving a percentage to God, the mortgage, and so on. To eliminate late fees, I normally allow seven working days for the payments to process.

Fifth, owe nothing to anybody. With 15%-29% interests, credit cards are daytime robbery. The Bible says, “The borrower will be slave to the lender.” Once I foolishly put $10,000 on my credit card to pay a conference bill for a number of people. It took me three years and thousands of dollars in interest to pay it off. Now I carry a negative balance on that card. Here’s my advice. Have no more than two major credit cards. Apply for the ones that give you miles or rewards for using their card. Stay away from retail store credit cards. Unless you know you’re able to pay the FULL AMOUNT back at the end of each month, do not buy on credit. Carry only one card in your wallet for emergencies and leave the rest at home – especially the ones you’re tempted to use the most. Be smart. Exploit the system, don’t be a victim of it!

Last but not the least, if you’ve messed it up in the past, ask God for mercy. Change your habits and ask God for a financial miracle. My friend’s $100,000+ debt was canceled by the IRS! I pray for financial miracles every day and God answers my prayers. My friend, ask God for favor, be generous, show some character, learn to live within your means and you’ll experience a financial tsunami you’ve never imagined before. I’m praying for you!

“Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; And let them say continually, "The LORD be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant" (Psalm 35:27 NAS).

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Don’t Seek the Glory

We live in a culture and society where instant gratification is the code of conduct. Our attention span is getting shorter. We don’t like to wait for anything and certainly if we do an act of service, we want the spotlight.

This is very contradictory to the teachings of Jesus. His life was filled with miracles yet He told people He touched “Don’t tell anybody.” How different it is from the mindset of today. You hardly can do anything without getting acknowledged for it. Not that it is wrong to be recognized and thanked for what we do but when we seek the glory for what we do, we’ve missed the heart of it.

Couple of weeks ago, I was traveling in Oklahoma. We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant because I really wanted to try some country food. While we waited for our order I spotted three young soldiers in their uniform eating and having a good time. The sacrifice of the servicemen always touches my heart. I called the waitress to the side and asked her to put their tab under my name and not to tell them anything. When they came to pay their bill I was sitting right next to the counter. Trying to be anonymous I kept talking to my kids. I thought they’d just leave but the waitress had told them. They came by our table to thank me for buying them lunch. I didn’t want to be recognized but it just played out that way. No harm was done that day although I’d have preferred to have been anonymous.

One of the great lessons I learned early in life is to help others without seeking glory for it. There’s nothing wrong when people acknowledge our goodness but when we’re doing something to impress people rather than God then we’re doing it for the wrong motive. A far greater attitude is to help people because it is the right thing to do. What we do for others in secret will be rewarded by God openly.

In December 1938, a 29-year-old London stockbroker by the name of Nicholas Winton was about leave for a Skiing holiday in Switzerland. Just as he was about to leave he got a call from a friend in Prague, Czechoslovakia asking him to come and help him with the most interesting assignment. When Winton got there he found thousands of Jewish refugees living in camps under appalling conditions.

Immediately Winton began a rescue operation for the children. After he returned to England, Winton worked as a stockbroker by the day and labored late into the night to bring Jewish children out of the danger zone. After the war Winton didn’t tell anyone, not even his wife Grete about his wartime heroic effort. Half a century later Grete discovered a scrapbook in their attic with all the children’s photos, a complete list of names, letters from the parents to Winton and other documents. Winton had rescued 669 children from the sure death of the Nazi regime. Half a century later Winton was recognized by various groups, and the nation of Israel. Today Sir Nicholas Winton is 104 years old. He still wears the ring given to him by some of the children he saved. On the ring is inscribed: “Save one life, save the world.”

 

Friend, very few of us can do great things but all of us can do a small thing in a great way. You may not be able to save hundreds of lives like Sir Winton but can you buy lunch for a serviceman? Jesus healed people without getting recognition from the religious institution of His days. Can you reach out and touch a broken heart? Modesty is a lost art today. But God never forgets anything we do in His name. When we help others without seeking glory for it, God Himself will pay us back.

Don’t say to yourself I cannot do anything great. Don’t seek greatness; have a heart to help. Don’t focus on what you cannot do. Do what you can. When we save one life with the Gospel of Christ, we give them eternal passage. Save one life, save the world!

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness” (Matthew 25:21 NIV)!

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Partnership in Winning Souls

Winning lost souls to Christ is a spiritual responsibility for every Christian. Almost three billion people live in India and China - most of them have had little or no exposure to the Gospel. Every day, 86,000 people die in Asia without hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ.

With the rise of nationalism, today 80% of Asian countries do not allow traditional missionary work. We'll never be able to "import" enough foreign missionaries to reach a whole nation. But God has not abandoned his dream to save the world. Therefore He is raising an army of dedicated, committed and able national workers to reach their own people. Full-time missionaries in the West are declining while more young people in Asia are risking their lives for an opportunity to serve as a Gospel worker.

The new shift in missions has been a blessing in disguise. In India alone there are more than 1,600 languages spoken by millions of people. Native missionaries have no language or cultural barrier. They can travel freely to any part of their own country. They have a living testimony of the power of the Gospel in their own community. It is not considered a western religion when they hear it from a native missionary. They’re used to simple lifestyle without running water, air condition and electricity. It costs only $120-250 per month compared to thousands for a foreign missionary.Top of Form

Native missionaries in Asia have been extremely effective.  Every day, 20,000 are accepting Christ in India. In Communist China, 25,000 people are finding the Lord through the hardship, dedication of our brothers and sisters.

What Can You Do to Win Souls?

Most Christians in the West tell me that they’ve never led a person to Christ. They want to win souls but they lack opportunity at home. One of the best ways to credit souls to our heavenly account is to work in partnership with a native missionary. You may think of it as outsourcing bulk of your soul-winning venture. While native missionaries risk everything even their very own lives to proclaim the Gospel, without financial support, their fruitfulness is limited. When you partner with a native missionary, they win souls on your behalf.  Here's what you can do:

1.  Pray.  More has been changed through prayers on our knees than any other method in the world. When you pray for your missionary, he/she will have supernatural protection to spread the Gospel in hostile, anti-Christian territory.

2.  Support.  Depending on the size and location of the family, it cost between $120 and $250 per month to sponsor a native missionary through Build International Ministries. You can partially support one worker for only $1 a day. Your support allows your missionary to rent a room, buy simple food and clothes for the family.

When you become a sponsor, we'll send you a picture and a short life testimony of your missionary so you can pray. You'll also receive periodical updates about your missionary's family, struggles, victories and prayer needs.

Friend, will you consider sponsoring a Native Missionary today? You can also pull resources together with your friends and family to support a missionary. You can send multiple missionaries as a group, business or a church to win souls for you. They in turn will be committed to pray for you daily. Together, we can make eternal impact. Please let us hear from you.

“You will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:9 NLT).

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