In 1960, I moved to Dallas, Texas.
That same year The Dallas Morning News announced that the time was coming that money was going to be replaced by a plastic card, None of us had any idea what this would mean.
Within weeks, something called "a credit card" surfaced.
This became a normal way of life to this world.
People began to go into debt.
The apostle Paul said:
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Do you have debt today? If so, you live as the world lives and it is indeed an hard yoke.
It seemed like a way of a better life for it enabled the person to have things immediately. But it often turns into a very hard yoke and it keeps that person servicing the debt and keeps the person as a slave. Then trouble comes upon the world and things get much worse because of that debt. And many people can hardly survive from month to month and suffer greatly because of the way of living that they have chosen for themselves.
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As a new Christian in 1975, one of the first thing God led me to do was to get out of debt and stay out of debt.
I set about immediately to do that. I prayed for God to help me and HE did help me.
Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another:
💥 I did use a credit card for personal needs, but I paid the card off at the end of each month, and paid no interest to the credit card company. At one point Master Card insisted that I transfer all my debt to them. They wanted the interest on the debt. But I had no debt because I never let purchases run over to the next month but I paid in full at the end of the month. I switched to VISA because Master Card did not want to continue to carry me as a customer because I had no debt. (This was in the 70's)
💥 After becoming a Christian, I saw a scripture which I began to try to live by:
II Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
I owned a small business at that time and had allowed a woman to loan me $6000 to buy merchandise for my business. I did not pay interest on her loan, but for her loan I allowed her to buy merchandise at my cost. (American Indian Arts)
I set about to free myself from that yoke for I believed her to be "an unbeliever".
I started with prayer, asking God to help me.
In the business we mostly sold jewelry. But on a buying trip my attention was drawn to a Navajo rug. I found I couldn't walk away from that rug although we didn't sell rugs at that time. The rug cost $500.
I took the rug to an appraiser of Indian rugs, for I knew nothing about rugs. She said to me, "Joan .... you've really lucked out on this rug. Most of these old rugs are worthless but this rug is worth at least $1500 now and it will go up in value. So you need to price this so it will not sell."
I returned to Dallas where I lived and a man came in to look at jewelry and noticed that rug rolled up and lying at the side of one wall. He said, "What's that?" I told him it was a rug I'd just bought but I didn't think he would be interested in that. He said, "Well let me see it."
I rolled it onto the floor and he asked, "How much."
I replied, "Five-thousand-dollars."
He said, "I'll take it," And began writing out a check.
I tried to talk him out of buying the rug because I knew I had overpriced the rug. But he just continued to write out the check. So I said, "I'm not going to cash your check for a week and if you decide you don't want the rug, bring it back and I will give you your check back."
I never again saw this man, so after a week I deposited the check and paid the woman the $6,000 that I had allowed her to put into my business.
I was free ... and I knew it was God who had led me and freed me.
I never again went into debt for anything after that.
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On today's newscasts in USA the primary story is the high cost of food, gasoline, and housing. People often tell of the hardships they are encountering and they don't know what they are going to do.
They do not realize that their way of life is the real problem.
Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says: Come unto ME , all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take MY yoke upon you, and learn of ME; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For MY yoke is easy, and MY burden is light.
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If you want to be free from the burden of debt, go to God in prayer and ask HIM to help you to get free.
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6-9 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
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