When we talk with people about their financial situation, one of the questions we ask is "what do you believe caused you to get into the situation you're in right now?" The response varies, but usually comes down to one of the following:
• a single situation that put the finances in the toilet
• a long history of poor financial decisions
Did you know that both of the responses above have the same root cause? It's true. The root cause of all financial difficulties boils down to poor stewardship. Some people don't like the word "stewardship", so we can also say "management" if you'd prefer.
Listen folks, poor money management is merely a symptom of deeper issues in someone's life. Money is just a means of exchange. It is a way to do business in this world. Put in its proper setting, money is a wonderful thing indeed. Money can provide grease for new "start-up" ventures (philanthropy), or it can be used to help non-profit organizations which are devoted to serving others. Money also provides the material lifestyle for families.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with money. Even the Bible says "the love of money is the root of all evil…" (I Timothy 6:10). Some people believe having money is wrong.
Says who, and what do they base that statement on?
God said no such thing! He said "the love of money…", not having money. Those who spout this nonsense have missed it BIG TIME, and have truly cheated people out of a great way to help others. God is all about freedom, not bondage.
One of the meanings of that word "love" is the word "avarice". This strange word simply means "the insatiable (or unsatisfied thirst and) desire for wealth". It can also mean "the immoderate, greedy, or unfulfilled desire for wealth or gain". If you make your decisions based solely on money, then that should be a warning that you have not put money in its proper place. Money should certainly be a consideration, a factor, in decisions… but it should not be the basis for them. See the difference?
• a single situation that put the finances in the toilet
• a long history of poor financial decisions
Did you know that both of the responses above have the same root cause? It's true. The root cause of all financial difficulties boils down to poor stewardship. Some people don't like the word "stewardship", so we can also say "management" if you'd prefer.
Listen folks, poor money management is merely a symptom of deeper issues in someone's life. Money is just a means of exchange. It is a way to do business in this world. Put in its proper setting, money is a wonderful thing indeed. Money can provide grease for new "start-up" ventures (philanthropy), or it can be used to help non-profit organizations which are devoted to serving others. Money also provides the material lifestyle for families.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with money. Even the Bible says "the love of money is the root of all evil…" (I Timothy 6:10). Some people believe having money is wrong.
Says who, and what do they base that statement on?
God said no such thing! He said "the love of money…", not having money. Those who spout this nonsense have missed it BIG TIME, and have truly cheated people out of a great way to help others. God is all about freedom, not bondage.
One of the meanings of that word "love" is the word "avarice". This strange word simply means "the insatiable (or unsatisfied thirst and) desire for wealth". It can also mean "the immoderate, greedy, or unfulfilled desire for wealth or gain". If you make your decisions based solely on money, then that should be a warning that you have not put money in its proper place. Money should certainly be a consideration, a factor, in decisions… but it should not be the basis for them. See the difference?
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We wrote this article because we've made horrible decisions. We've also been under the crushing weight of debt, but because we chose a new way of doing things are now 100% debt free. Do you want to be out of debt? Are you willing to make a new start? If so, we want to help you get started today!
We've put together a series of Free Reports which are full of tips to help you see how you can begin making these new choices. Simply give us your first name and valid e-mail address below. Don't worry, we despise e-mail spamming just as much as you do! We'll keep your information 100% confidential and won't share, sell, or exchange it with anyone... EVER! We give you our word!
Once you enter your first name and valid e-mail address- simply click the Send My Free Report button below. Allow the next page a few seconds to load. Within minutes, you'll be sent an email with a link to your first free report!
Note: though they are not junk, sometimes our emails are routed to the "junk mail" folder in your email program. Be sure to look for us there if you don't see your free report shortly!
We've put together a series of Free Reports which are full of tips to help you see how you can begin making these new choices. Simply give us your first name and valid e-mail address below. Don't worry, we despise e-mail spamming just as much as you do! We'll keep your information 100% confidential and won't share, sell, or exchange it with anyone... EVER! We give you our word!
Once you enter your first name and valid e-mail address- simply click the Send My Free Report button below. Allow the next page a few seconds to load. Within minutes, you'll be sent an email with a link to your first free report!
Note: though they are not junk, sometimes our emails are routed to the "junk mail" folder in your email program. Be sure to look for us there if you don't see your free report shortly!
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Friends, don't believe everyone that has an opinion on a subject. That goes for preachers, leaders, presidents, "experts", etc. If you listen to opinions and have not done your own research, then you are cheating yourself out of the very thing that may be the answer you've been searching for. Understand everyone has an opinion, but it is God's opinion that really counts. He wants you to prosper! That is the opinion that should sway your thinking.
Find out what His Word says about a matter. Be sure to test your findings in their proper context. To maintain balance and accuracy, you MUST authenticate your findings by testing them against other verses found from Genesis to Revelation. Anyone can take a verse out of the Bible and build a doctrine on it. Scripture out of context binds, controls, and hinders people. That is what cults do. That is what the devil did when he quoted scripture to Jesus. There was just enough truth to seem right, but it was dead wrong. A half truth is all lie.
Put a drop of arsenic in a glass of water and drink it down. What, you don't want to drink it? Why not? It is 99.99% pure water, so why not guzzle it down? What, you say? "There's poison in there!" True, there is. It works the same way with not taking the full counsel of God's word on a matter. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).
One individual we spoke with recently was very down on himself for making a bad financial decision. This poor fellow was bordering on full blown depression! He borrowed a large sum of money and put it into an investment which had the potential for a large return. Several bad decisions were made here, but that is not the point here.
When you realize that you did something really dumb (all of us have), first admit it to God and ask His forgiveness for it. Make a new decision not to repeat this, and move on. Ask your spouse and family for forgiveness as well. It is likely that your decision adversely impacted them, so get it out on the table so everyone knows what happened. Don't hide things from your spouse and family. A real man is transparent, and can admit his failings. Look, your family already sees you "as you really are", so you're really not hiding anything anyway!
The next really important step, and one that many miss, is to forgive yourself. Don't let your head beat you up. If you've asked forgiveness, then it is done. Make a new decision and put what's behind you, behind you. It's a new day. You've been blessed with waking up today, so make the most of it. Make better quality decisions from the new wisdom you received (from your failures) and move forward. Turn the "lemon" of the situation into "lemonade". You cannot steer a parked car (the wheels just move back and forth, but there is no forward motion), so get off your "rusty dusty" and get moving! There's life to be living!
In closing, let me say this: as you grow closer to your spouse and family, you will begin to temper your decisions. Your decisions will be more cautious because you'll see how they impact each member of the family. Discuss matters with your spouse daily. Don't make major decisions on anything until both of you are in complete agreement. We go into more detail in our book "Radical Debt Elimination".
Once you and your spouse are in true agreement, then move forward. There is nothing under the sun as powerful as agreement among a husband and wife. It is there your family will begin to find both safety and confidence. Once these foundational relationship issues are in place, you have forgiven yourself and reconciled with your family… money will begin to take a back seat. It is from this point things will begin to turn around financially for you. This is where you want to get to as soon as possible!
About the Author
"Unconventional wisdom for an unconventional time". This describes the husband and wife team of Rick & Linda Boynton. The Boynton's are dedicated to strengthening families by helping them rapidly eliminate all debt, including the mortgage. Together, they wrote a powerful book called "Radical Debt Elimination" which addresses not only the obvious debt problems, but the underlying issues which got them there. For more information, sign up for their Free Report by going to www.radicaldebtelimination.com.
Find out what His Word says about a matter. Be sure to test your findings in their proper context. To maintain balance and accuracy, you MUST authenticate your findings by testing them against other verses found from Genesis to Revelation. Anyone can take a verse out of the Bible and build a doctrine on it. Scripture out of context binds, controls, and hinders people. That is what cults do. That is what the devil did when he quoted scripture to Jesus. There was just enough truth to seem right, but it was dead wrong. A half truth is all lie.
Put a drop of arsenic in a glass of water and drink it down. What, you don't want to drink it? Why not? It is 99.99% pure water, so why not guzzle it down? What, you say? "There's poison in there!" True, there is. It works the same way with not taking the full counsel of God's word on a matter. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).
One individual we spoke with recently was very down on himself for making a bad financial decision. This poor fellow was bordering on full blown depression! He borrowed a large sum of money and put it into an investment which had the potential for a large return. Several bad decisions were made here, but that is not the point here.
When you realize that you did something really dumb (all of us have), first admit it to God and ask His forgiveness for it. Make a new decision not to repeat this, and move on. Ask your spouse and family for forgiveness as well. It is likely that your decision adversely impacted them, so get it out on the table so everyone knows what happened. Don't hide things from your spouse and family. A real man is transparent, and can admit his failings. Look, your family already sees you "as you really are", so you're really not hiding anything anyway!
The next really important step, and one that many miss, is to forgive yourself. Don't let your head beat you up. If you've asked forgiveness, then it is done. Make a new decision and put what's behind you, behind you. It's a new day. You've been blessed with waking up today, so make the most of it. Make better quality decisions from the new wisdom you received (from your failures) and move forward. Turn the "lemon" of the situation into "lemonade". You cannot steer a parked car (the wheels just move back and forth, but there is no forward motion), so get off your "rusty dusty" and get moving! There's life to be living!
In closing, let me say this: as you grow closer to your spouse and family, you will begin to temper your decisions. Your decisions will be more cautious because you'll see how they impact each member of the family. Discuss matters with your spouse daily. Don't make major decisions on anything until both of you are in complete agreement. We go into more detail in our book "Radical Debt Elimination".
Once you and your spouse are in true agreement, then move forward. There is nothing under the sun as powerful as agreement among a husband and wife. It is there your family will begin to find both safety and confidence. Once these foundational relationship issues are in place, you have forgiven yourself and reconciled with your family… money will begin to take a back seat. It is from this point things will begin to turn around financially for you. This is where you want to get to as soon as possible!
About the Author
"Unconventional wisdom for an unconventional time". This describes the husband and wife team of Rick & Linda Boynton. The Boynton's are dedicated to strengthening families by helping them rapidly eliminate all debt, including the mortgage. Together, they wrote a powerful book called "Radical Debt Elimination" which addresses not only the obvious debt problems, but the underlying issues which got them there. For more information, sign up for their Free Report by going to www.radicaldebtelimination.com.