5 Tips for Financial Freedom

Gas prices are up. Home prices are down.

And I don’t know one person in the world who isn’t straining to stretch each dollar.

Now I know I’m no Dave Ramsey but I’ve got 5 money tips that I’ve learned over the years and that you can’t afford to ignore.

These tips are critical to your financial well being. I’m sure you’ve heard them before. I believe they are Biblical and fool proof. I hope you will memorize them and apply them starting today.

1. Debt is Bad. A No Brainer. One of the first steps to financial freedom is to get rid of your debt. That means some of you need to get a pair of scissors and cut up your credit card in a million little pieces. Why? Because God says so. Check Proverbs 22:26-27 and Romans 13:8. How? Little by little and as soon as you can. All of it? Well, the truth is that most of us don’t have the cash up front to pay for a house, so a home mortgage is probably the only “good” kind of debt, but work on paying that off asap too. Here are great sites for help: Dave Ramsey and Crown Ministries.

2. There’s no Quick Fix. Everyone knows someone who has made a million dollars e-trading, but the days of flipping your houses for a big pay check are long gone. Listen, there is no quick fix to get rich. I don’t care how young or how old you are, you have got to discipline yourself to save a little each pay check. Period. Need a Bible verse to prove that? Check Proverbs 21:5 and Proverbs 28:20. Start now.

3. Build a Cushion. I struggled with this one for the longest time. Just when I would get a bit of a cushion, I’d get a big expense or get hyper spiritual and give it all away. I’m not bragging because I don’t think I was being wise. The result of my “hyper spirituality” was that I lived under some serious financial strain and didn’t give myself room to breathe in case God really did want me to do something for him. Figure out what your cushion should be (a good rule of thumb is 3-6 months of your expenses) and start saving towards it. Do it even if it takes you a year or two to get there. As my pastor James Macdonald has been teaching us, we’ve got to get healthy at home first!

4. Live within your Means. I’m sure many of you reading this are already having palpitations over the idea of getting rid of your credit card, and paying off your debt, let alone building a cushion. Take a deep breath. Now ask yourself this question: are you living within your means? Most of us are not, and that is the first problem we need to address. It’s time to stop letting marketers tell you what you need and listen to the Holy Spirit instead. Drastic times require drastic measures. It’s simple. As prices go up, we’ve either got to make more money or spend less. We don’t have a choice. So stop looking at what your neighbors the Jones’ are doing and ask God to show you exactly what has to go. Or get another job. Contentment doesn’t come naturally for most of us, but it’s Biblical. Here are some great verses to read: Philippians 4:11-13 and I Timothy 6:6.

5. It’s not yours to Begin with. I tend to forget this one easily. It’s not mine to begin with! Every dollar God has given us is His. We are simply stewards of what He gives us. I don’t care if you have a little or a lot, it’s all His! Mind you, in Luke 12:48 God tells us that “To whom much is given much is required”. So the more you get, the greater your responsibility towards God and others. It’s all about having a Biblical perspective.

I know how stressful life can be financially. I know that many of you are praying for God to provide jobs and the ability to pay for life’s basic bills. I believe that God will show up in a big way for you as you seek to trust Him and obey His word especially in the area of your finances.

Got any other ideas for financial freedom? Leave a Comment!

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