CHRISTIAN DEBT RELIEF - Getting out of Debt God's way - On your own, it will be difficult to get out of debt. However, deciding to let the Lord lead the process to become debt free, will bring hope. Getting out of debt God's way begins by acknowledging that God has no debts. He paid all our debts in full on the cross. Besides, God owns everything and never needs financial debts. Jesus will guide you to get out of debt his way — the stress-free way. Jesus might not remove your financial debt in your timeframe. However, He will lift the debt burden — the stress, today. Ask Him. Once the debt burden lifts, you will be able to look away from your circumstances and to Him.

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Getting out of Debt God's way

Michel A. Bell

Preamble

Getting out of debt God's way is not only possible but highly desirable. 

Getting Out of Debt God's Way will produce lasting debt relief.

Getting out of debt God's way — under His guidance — begins with a personal relationship with Jesus our Messiah.

It can be swift. However, most likely it will be protracted. 

God's way out of debt will provide the Christian the desired and prayed for debt relief.

Most of all, you will grasp lifestyle changes you need. 

This Christian debt relief that you will experience as you get out of debt God's way will provide the freedom from creditors that you need.

Then, you will learn to lean on God for your daily sustenance, and you will build a solid foundation for the future.

We pray as you read this page it will start your journey to get out of debt to experience Christian debt relief.

By God's grace, you will experience the love, joy, grace, and mercy of Jesus our Messiah.

Debt is a huge problem and is pervasive. Almost one in five Americans believe they will never repay their debt in their lifetime. 

This belief is disturbing. However, it's why folks in debt need to decide to depend on the Lord.

Adjust your lifestyle as needed, stop accumulating debt, and start the getting out of debt journey outlined below.

On your own, it will be difficult to get out of debt. However, deciding to let the Lord lead the process to become debt free, will bring hope.

Start By Acknowledging God Has No Debts

Getting out of debt God's way begins by acknowledging that God has no debts.

He paid all our debts in full on the cross. Besides, God owns everything and never needs financial debts.

If you are in debt, you must understand that it's yours, not His.

However, Jesus will guide you to get out of debt his way — the stress-free way.

Start today to believe in Jesus and be ready to accept your circumstance. 

You must realize you will bear effects of earlier decisions that resulted in your debt.

Besides, Jesus might not remove your financial debt in your timeframe. However, He will lift the debt burden — the stress, today. 

Ask Him. Once the debt burden lifts, you will be able to look away from your circumstances and to Him. Then you will be ready to start the get out of debt journey.

Experience Christian Debt Relief

Many folks see this get out of debt phase as financial engineering.

They focus on loan consolidation, refinancing, re-mortgaging, and so on. They do not realize that this way to get out of debt provides temporary relief.

It does not deal with causes — such as their behavior issues. That's why I suggest this getting out of debt God's way path.

On this journey, a Christian will grow closer to the Lord who will lead and guide him or her. Then, and only then, will he or she experience the Christian debt relief that the Lord provides.

Access The Calculators Immediately

Getting Out Of Debt God's Way Removes Stress

In this process of getting out of debt God's way, you are trying to solve the case of the vanishing dollars. 

It starts with removing the financial debt burden —transferring it to Jesus. Once the financial stress goes, you will be able to hear Jesus' solutions to remove the debt. 

The next step to solving the case of the vanishing dollars is to identify where funds went and how they got there.

After completing these two steps, you must set up a procedure to prevent a recurrence. You need to answer these three questions as you start your investigation:

1.        What did I buy?

2.        What procedure did I follow before buying?

3.        How can I prevent a repeat of getting into debt?

Getting out of debt God's way is fact-finding, not finger pointing. It needs husband and wife’s commitment.

You don’t need to know why you spent funds. Each of us has a good reason he or she did it — please don’t camp here.

Preconditions To Getting Out of Debt God's Way

1.        Be willing to learn and to change.

2.        Focus on changing you instead of changing your condition or your spouse.

3.        Accept your condition. If you don’t, you won’t be able to see opportunities and blessings God prepared for the way out.

4.        Do not be a victim. Accept responsibility for your actions.

5.        Try to see your condition as Jesus sees it. After you accept where you are, ask Jesus to show you the lessons He prepared for your growth.
Access The Calculators Immediately

You Are Ready To Get Out of Debt God's Way

As you continue the path to get out of debt God's way, focus on understanding how you got into debt, and so increase the probability of preventing a recurrence of your earlier decisions that led to your debt.

Ideally, couples should work together as one unit as they take this journey.

However, husband and wife do not grow at the same rate, so each family must decide how it will approach solving this case.

Here is my suggested approach to continue the journey to get out of debt God's way:

1.        Get a special notebook and label it, the Case of the Vanishing Dollars.

2.        Set a time — maximum one month — to discover how, not why, you got in debt. Reflect on these two key questions. First, what is my view of affordable. Second, before spending, what decision procedure did I follow?

3.        Review sequentially, your spiritual life, ABCs, and financial affairs.

4.        After each stage, write a one-sentence conclusion for that phase. After all, three stages, list main categories where funds went, and then answer this question with yes, or no: Did I spend most of the funds on needed items according to Matthew 6:33?

Review Your Spiritual Life

Prayerfully think about your present and recent spiritual life by asking: Has my spiritual life been FLAT?

This is not a mechanical exercise; do it prayerfully, earnestly seeking to hear from God. Each person should answer these personal questions:

1.             Have I been Feeding on Jesus’ Words? (Hebrews 5:12-14).

2.             Have I been Listening to His voice? (Luke 10:38-41).

3.        Have I been Away from church or home fellowship, and Bible study? (Acts 2:41-44)

4.             Have I been Talking to Jesus regularly? (Matthew 11:28- 29; 21:22; Psalm 5:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Before moving to the next section of the get out of debt God's way journey, pray and reflect on the process thus far.

Ask the Lord to show you adjustments you need to make. Then write a one-sentence conclusion about your spiritual life. 

Look at ABCs

In this section of the get out of debt God's way path, you will get to the heart of your beliefs and practices. You act based on your beliefs.

You choose based on your beliefs, your worldview. Again, each person should answer these personal questions:

What was my Attitude toward money?

Did I, do I, accept my stewardship responsibilities? Did I, do I understand I am Jesus’ manager and should seek His guidance before I spend?

Did I, do I understand I can’t be God’s manager unless I know Him intimately?

1.        How did I Behave during the period?

Did my Behaviour suggest I understand implications of God’s ownership and my stewardship of money?

Did I use a budget or spending plan? Did I respond to advertising and easy credit terms? Did I spend for needs that could not wait?

Did I practice these essential words, wait, not now!

How did I Choose to spend?

What decision procedure did I follow before spending? What were main spending drivers? What caused me to spend each time?

Did I spend for emotional relief? Did I pray before spending? Did I spend impulsively?

Before moving to the next stage of your get out of debt God's way journey, after prayer and reflection, write a one-sentence conclusion about your ABCs and ask God to show you areas needing attention.

Examine Your GRIP on Finances as you Get Out of Debt

Did I have a GRIP on my finances? That's the question to answer in this phase. This section has four broad steps and needs just as much soul searching as earlier sections.

1.        Did I work with Goals? Whose goals? Mine or God's? Ask the Lord to show you challenges you face in this area.

2.        Review the past six months’ spending to find out where funds went. If you don’t have records such as bills, check stubs, credit card and bank statements, walk through the house and list items bought recently. Use estimated prices if you don’t have actuals.

3.        Investigate features of all loans to learn your responsibilities. These three questions will be helpful:

First, Do I know the annual percentage cost of each loan?

Second, using present payment rates, do I know when I might repay each loan?

Third, Do I know a credit card is not a source of financing, and I should use it only when funds are in the bank and I can pay the full balance?

4.        Do I have Plans in place to carry out God’s goals? For example, did I work with a financial plan and budget?

After your review of this final section of the getting out of debt God's way journey, you should know whether you had a grip on your finances.

Write one sentence about your learning in this section and ask the Lord to show you needed changes.

Getting Out of Debt God's Way Needs Lifestyle Changes

Your review will show you changes you should implement. You will have to change your lifestyle as you bear effects of poor choices that led to your debts.

Probably accepting you can't manage money, and you alone are responsible for your debts, might be two difficult items to accept.

Reality is you decided to spend. Nobody forced you. You chose, and so, you must learn to identify attitude and behavior changes you must implement. If you do not, you will sink deeper in debt. 

After accepting your responsibility for your debt, and after you decide that with God's help you will change your behavior, you will be ready to proceed to the next step of working with the numbers. 

Action Plan To Getting Out of Debt God's Way

After you are confident you have implemented needed lifestyle changes, review these specific steps to continue the journey:

Prepare a budget and money map to show lifestyle changes, such as less eating out. Assign responsibility for each budget category to relevant family members.

1.        Prepare a debt repayment plan to erase loans, starting with the highest annual percentage cost loan.

As the Lord leads, ask creditors to lower interest rates. But do not consolidate or restructure loans unless God shows you attitude and behavior changes you have made.

Consolidation never works without these changes; indeed, without changed attitudes, it is the worst alternative because it gives you false hope.

Ask the Lord to show you if you have assets you could sell to repay loans. Sell only after prayer.

2.        Set up a spending decision procedure to avoid re-entering the debt trap, and prepare a financial plan.

3.        After prayer and reflection, write a one-sentence conclusion about what you learned about you in this process to get out of debt God's way.

As the Lord leads, confess misuse of funds. Repent — decide to change your behavior—and ask God to give you a goal and plan to become debt free in His time. 

4.        Ask a trusted friend to hold you accountable to follow God’s plan. Divide the plan in small steps to measure progress. Depend on Jesus to fulfill your needs and to see you through this and other crises. He will. 

5.        Although listed last, this is important: You got in debt over a period; getting out of debt God's way will get out in His time. Be Patient! Remember, nothing is impossible for God.

Can we Help?

If you would like us to help you, complete the contact form.

After reviewing your situation, if you live in North America and we think our DVD might help you, we will send one and the workbook free of charge.

We pray you let the Lord lead and guide you. 

https://youtu.be/DSlV0XSO61I

Michel A. Bell is a Christ follower, husband, father, grandfather, preacher, professor, founder and president of Managing God’s Money, and author of six books. After a two-year journey to disprove Christianity to his twelve-year-old daughter, in December 1985, he surrendered his life to Messiah Jesus. Today his life’s goal, his mission, is to teach stewardship of time, talents, money and other resources, and preach God’s Word faithfully, as The Lord leads. Married to Doreen in 1970, they have two children and five grandchildren. Michel and Doreen lived in Jamaica, Japan, the United Kingdom, the USA, and several Canadian provinces.
Business Professor

Presently, Michel volunteers as an adjunct professor of business administration at Briercrest College and Seminary, Caronport, Saskatchewan, and elsewhere, on request. Previously Michel volunteered at Millar College of The Bible, Pambrum, Saskatchewan, and Capernwray New Zealand's 10 Week BML (Business Ministry Leadership) course.
Business Experience

Michel spent 16 years as a non-believer and 16 years as a follower of Jesus in the Alcan Inc. group (now part of Rio Tinto). He held many senior finance, strategy, planning and leadership positions, including Regional Vice President Finance and Legal for Alcan’s Pacific subsidiary, and Chief Financial Officer for Alcan’s global bauxite and alumina group. In July 2002, after his exciting, enjoyable, and productive 32-year career, he sensed the Lord leading him out of Alcan, then as Vice President Business Planning, to become full-time president of the private, non-charity, Christ-centered mission, Managing God’s Money, he started five years earlier.
Education and Awards

Michel A Bell is a Fellow of the Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) of the United Kingdom. In the first and second years of the ACCA exams, he placed second and third respectively. Michel holds a Masters of Science degree in Management from the Alfred P. Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T), and a doctor of business administration, honoris causa, from Briercrest College and Seminary.
Publications & Stewardship Blog

Michel published several biblical stewardship articles and authored five books dealing with effective stewardship—four about money and one dealing with time. His recent money book, The New Managing God’s Money-The Basics, is available in French. In January 2018, he released his first book about business, Business Simplified.
Michel publishes a stewardship blog monthly and periodic articles in magazines. In the early 1990’s, he started presenting Bible-based stewadship seminars at churches, to individuals, couples, and groups. Between 2001 and 2006, he partnered with Focus on the Family, Canada, and presented specific Bible-based stewardship seminars on Managing God’s Money and Managing God’s. Today, on request, he presents stewardship seminars in Canada and internationally. 

https://www.managinggodsmoney.com/money/out-of-debt/