No Credit Cards

…unless you have the cash in hand and the discipline to pay the balance due (not the minimum payment) each month (Prov 22:7). If you can accomplish this without fail, then only one credit card should be on hand for situations when cash and debit cards aren’t accepted or feasible (i.e. car rental, hotel reservations).

Debt is never good, but in this world today most people will need to secure a mortgage on a house or pay for a catastrophic unexpected medical condition. This said, choosing to live within your means, making more money than you spend monthly so money can be saved, is an imperative. (Food for thought… at least 50% of bonuses/windfalls after tax should be saved not spent on frivolous selfish desires.)

That groaning and whining of our sinful nature and Satan’s lies are trying to beat down our discipline. They are telling us to satisfy our desire and/or meet the expectations of our friends and society. BEWARE – buying things/taking vacations on credit without the means to pay the bill in full when due will lead to negative consequences (credit rating/foreclosure), a damaged reputation (liar/cheat), pain for those around you (trust), and unfair action on a business owner (can’t pay his/her bills). Prov 22:26-27It is imperative for us to be grateful for what God has provided us and learn to be content in God’s will (Phil 4:11-12; 1 Thes 5:16-18).

Please pray for wisdom and discernment relative to having/using credit cards. Don’t allow peer or societal pressure make choices for you.

Proverbs 22:7 “Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.”

Proverbs 22:26-27 “Don’t agree to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for someone else. If you can’t pay it, even your bed will be snatched from under you.”

Philippians 4:11-12 “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”