A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone. —Henry David Thoreau
My hope for your finances is simple: Freedom. May believers no longer be mastered by the card. To experience freedom in our finances, we must identify the lies used to enslave us to debt.
It’s a lie we’ve all heard— a lie that makes even the strong weak-kneed. You’ve believed it. I believed it. I think it’s fair to say this lie controls many.
Why do affairs happen?
Why do wise teens go off to college and lose their common sense?
Why can’t owners of the iPhone 5 sleep until they own the latest iPhone?
Why do homebuyers borrow more than they can afford?
The lie, the lie, the lie.
If your credit card debt is escalating and you’re not quite sure what to do about it, believe me—you’ve heard the lie, and you’re acting on it.
In fact, every ad ever made bets on the fact that we buy the lie.
And we do.
A few years ago, Libby bought me a pair of headphones for Christmas. They were shiny, black, and I could plug them into my phone. The sound was so incredible. These headphones became my closest traveling companion. I loved them—until the day I encountered Bose noise-canceling headphones. When I put those Bose headphones on my ears, I couldn’t hear anything except the lie.
What is the lie? YOU ARE MISSING OUT!
Buying the lie that day cost me $250. Now I have two nice sets of headphones—one that cancels noise and one that doesn’t.
In some ways, it’s nice to know you aren’t alone—that most of us have bought the lie. But we desire more from life than the lie, don’t we?
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. (John 16:13)
Like any lie—once exposed—it loses much of its power. And lies are exposed the most in the presence of truth.
Lord, My Provider, I want to wake every morning and be grateful for the life I have and the blessings that fill it. In that same vein of gratitude, I praise You for Your provision and for leading me into truth and contentment. By Your strength, I pray to stay here. Amen.