Baby Steps

Yesterday Susan and I went to the "Financial Peace University" class at Highland, led by debt-busting conoisseurs, Paul and Lenda Jensen (who are totally out of debt!). Dave Ramsey is our teacher on the DVD, the workbook and book he wrote, Financial Peace. He has so much wisdom about retiring debt, avoiding debt, building up savings, etc. Yesterday he talked about baby steps we can take to get on the road of financial peace. I liked how he likened this change to being in a crockpot, not a microwave. He spoke to my impatient nature. I want to get out of debt yesterday! But I know it will take a daily discipline. Baby steps.

Baby step # 1 (after you commit to giving the Lord your tithe) is to build up an emergency account. A minimum of $1,000 (for those whose income is below $20,000, it's good to aim for a $500 emergency account). While talking about this baby step, Dave pulled out of his wallet a credit card. He said, "We keep these only for emergencies, right?" We all could hear our own words echoing what he said. Yet if we have an emergency fund built up, he said, we won't need the credit card.

After the video ended and while we had a break prior to going into our small groups, Susan and I got in a lively discussion with a couple across from us. We both were convicted by this dependence on credit cards. And we all decided to pull out our credit cards and, while the rest of the class watched, we sliced up those dreaded cards with scissors and threw them away. What a great relief! We're going to trust God to provide, work on building up that emergency fund ASAP, and quit depending on VISA or Master Card.

I'm excited about what the Lord is going to do among all of us in that class for the next 13 weeks. Wer'e expecting victories, though we realize that it will take much discipline, prayer, honesty with one another and patience! And what is comforting to me in this battle over finances is that through Christ we are not alone in this fight. He will be with us in fighting this battle as we surrender it (and ourselves) over to Him daily.

This morning as I read Deut. 7, it seemed the Lord spoke to me about this issue of patience. Moses was reminded the Lords' people of His command to to wipe out the people in the land of Canaan. He told God's covenant people that that the Lord is among them and how He is a great and awesome God, and that "The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little." (Deut. 7:22a). I need to hear this message when I think of wiping out debt and building up savings and becoming financially free. It will take time. And yet the Lord will bless us as we commit to Him our finances each day.

Let's pray for each other in this issue of finding financial peace. What nugget of wisdom do you have to share with us about resisting our debt-addicted culture and managing money God's way?

Slowly gaining a victory in this area,

Jim