Missing The Point
This is off topic but thought you might find this blog thought provoking.
For those who disagree w/ healthcare reform…
Please, please please….
Please do not threaten people or act in violence regarding the healthcare legislation. Besides the fact that violence is wrong unless it is in self defense, that is exactly what the government officials want you to do. They want you to react in violence so that they can say “look at those radicals who are threatening our lives. We were simply trying to help the poor people and can’t help themselves.” They are going to twist this situation into a moral issue which it is not. This is not about me not wanting to help the poor. This is about people saying they want to find the right way to help the poor. This is about people wanting to help the poor in their own way through local community outreaches. They do not want the government stealing their money and allocating it back out at random to the people the govt feels needs it the most. If I am going to donate money to help people, I want to have a say in who it helps. What is wrong with that?
Keep an eye out because the next thing that will happen is that the gov wants to give a bunch of felons and illegal immigrants voting rights. That way these people will be indebited to Obama and will vote in additional socialist ideas. It will all be done under the guise of morality. The problem is that the end goal is to bankrupt the entire system. That way everyone is dependent on the gov for everything. This is not fiction nor is it some crazy contrived idea. The US leaders have been documented as stating these views.
Yes, I could be all wrong and you are welcome to disagree with me. However, just take one second. One second is all I ask. And consider if what I say could possibly be true. What would that mean for you and your family?
Yes, our country needs change but next time you vote for change, be sure you know what type of change you are voting for. Be sure you know all of the facts and what that change would do in the long run to your future and the future of this country.
Keep standing up for what you believe and stay close to God. God is the one and only way America has to get out of this disaster. God Bless America!!!
Does the Dave Ramsey envelope system really work?
I know a lot of people love the Dave Ramsey envelope system. To be honest, I’m not sure he came up with the idea. Perhaps he’s just the one who made it “famous.” Either way, it certainly is a hot topic these days.
My mom first taught me about budgeting money when I was a kid using envelopes. My allowance would have to be split into envelopes so I would get the hang of managing my money. From day one it annoyed me so I never stuck with it.
I currently put everything I can on my credit card and
-
pay it off every month
. I love credit cards because I can see where my money went each month, I pay one bill a month, and I get airline points. Bonus! Again, the catch is that I never, ever leave a balance on the card from month to month. That’s like buying a sweater on sale for $20 but paying $100 for it.
So, to my original question…do you think the Dave Ramsey envelope system works? Why do you think so many people swear by it? I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.
Off The Topic But…
Well, this may be a bit off the topic of debt but I need to vent.
Have you noticed that a lot of people start religious discussions with “Well, I believe…”
It is important to have faith (i.e. believe) in God and what He has done. The problem arises when people don’t believe what God said. They come up with their own beliefs and therefore start making their own theology.
For example… Some say that God lives in all things. The trees, grass, clouds, etc. You can believe this all you want but it is not a fact. The Bible tells us that God CREATED the trees, grass, etc but He only LIVES in us. Trees, grass and clouds do not have a spirit therefore they are not living beings. We need to make sure that our beliefs are based on the Bible and not what we think sounds good. The Bible should be the final truth and deciding factor in our life.
Here’s another way of seeing it. Let’s say a long lost relative passed away and they left all of their money to you. However, you didn’t know that the relative passed away and didn’t know they left you any money. Now, regardless of whether or not you know or believe that this money is waiting for you, the FACT is that it is truly and completely yours. You just don’t know it yet. The Bible is full of wonderful blessings that God has stored up for us. Peace. Happiness. Joy. Prosperity. Health. However, if we don’t know what has been stored up for us we can’t tap into it. That’s why it is so important to spend time reading the Bible. The Bible contains the Truth that will set you free!
Debt Freedom Suggestion: Find a new Hobby!
Are you addicted to shopping? I’m not just talking to women here. Men are just as guilty as women of buying something impulsively that they “just can’t live without.”
What is your guilty pleasure… Clothes? Shoes? Home Electronics? Tools? Kitchenware? Furniture? Books? DVD’s?
Do you spend money downloading music, videos or books on your high speed internet connection?
Do you fall prey to the late night infommercials?
Do you have your eye on bigger items like cars, motor homes, RV’s, cottages, and vacations?
None of these items are bad. In fact, they can be a great way to spend time with your family. However, a problem arises when you spend money that you don’t have to buy these items.
Although we hate to admit it, none of these items are necessities in life. You can live without watching videos, driving a new car or having the latest cell phone. Right now you CHOOSE not to live without them but the fact is that you will keep on breathing if they are not in your life. Really… it’s true.
Step back from the chaos of daily life and evaluate what’s really important. I am going to guess you will say your relationship with God, your spouse, your kids, your extended family and friends. Time with these people is precious and should be treasured and valued. It is difficult to enjoy time with these people if you are in fear about paying off a mountain of bills or working 3 jobs to make enough money to pay for everything.
If you are working to get out of debt and you know that you have a weak spot for shopping, avoid going to the malls or wandering around the internet looking at deals. You are bound to find something “you just can’t live without” which will add to your debt and add to your stress. Find a new hobby to do with the people who are most important to you. Go for a walk. Play catch. Work in the yard. Sit on the porch and drink lemonade. Shoot hoops. Play frisbee. Play a board game or card game. Play charades. Bake cookies together. You get the picture. Avoid the temptation of overspending by removing yourself from the situations that cause you to spend in the first place. In the meantime, focus your time on what matters most. People. Because when it all ends, you can’t take anything but them with you.
Hot, Cold, or Lukewarm? Who Knew?
My religious traditions were thrown off their foundation with something I learned recently. It was a good eye opening experience that I would love to share with you.
In Revelation 3:15-16 Jesus says that He would prefer we be hot or cold but not lukewarm. Everyone assumed that “hot” was being a street evangelist that was out there preaching from the rooftops. Reversely, “cold” meant those who do not acknowledge Jesus and live their own life. Now, hold onto your seats. Here’s what that verse REALLY means!
There are two covenants in the Bible. The Law and Grace. God gave the law to help man recognize sin. We are born into a sinful world therefore the law teaches us how to walk upright before God. However, it is impossible to meet all of the requirements of the law through our own works. Therefore, the purpose of the law is to help us come to the end of ourselves and realize our only hope is God’s mercy and grace through Jesus. Once people stopped trying to earn favor in the sight of God by their works, they could simply trust in that awesome grace that He gives through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.
The covenant of grace comes from the great love that God has for each and every person. The Bible shows that God is not sitting there waiting to strike you down. Once you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, God sees you in Jesus therefore you have no spots or blemishes. All of your past, present and future sins have been forgiven. The Bible even says God has no recollection of our sins.
When you are living under the law, there are very rigid, strict rules you must follow. Of course, God didn’t want us to live under the law. It’s purpose was to simply get us to realize that we needed Him. God gave us free will so we still have to decide if we choose to follow Him.
When you are trusting your own good works to earn right standing with God under the law, there is a lot of stress, fear and frustration because we are not perfect. That fear leads us to believe that God is mad at us and looking to strike us down. That is so far from the truth. Jesus said that when we see Him we see the Father. He also said He came to do the work of the Father. Never once did Jesus strike down and kill a person. He was always showing compassion and mercy to people. He healed and delivered people constantly. God’s nature is love, compassion, kindness and mercy. His will is that not one person perish. If someone goes to hell, it is because they rejected God and not because He rejected them.
Now, the covenant of the law is represented with cold. The covenant of grace is represented with hot. We now know that each covenant on its own has a very specific, God given purpose. However, if you mix elements from the two covenants they start to negate each other and both become ineffective.
Hot + Cold = Lukewarm.
The next post I’ll share some examples of how we mix the two covenants.
PS – For those who are looking for the financial info, stay tuned. I’ll be sure to get back to that. 🙂
Teacher Does Socialist Experiment on His Class
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student, but had once failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked; that no one would be
poor, and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism.
All grades would be averaged, and everyone would receive the same grade; so no one would fail, and no one would receive an A. After the first test, the grades were averaged, and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset, and the students who studied little were happy.
As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less, and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too, so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, blame, and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings, and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great; but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. Can it be any simpler than that?
Who supplies your needs?
A simple but eye opening question for today.
Are you looking to your job and your own efforts to supply your needs or are you living by God’s principles, implementing His ways of doing things and therefore seeing Him supply your needs?
Does Fear Have Residence In Your Life?
Did you know that fear and worry are dangerous and destructive? Not only is it unhealthy but it can also set a negative course for your life.
If you are a Christian you are most likely familiar with the term faith. Faith is having a confident assurance that what God said in His Word is going to come to pass. You aren’t moved by the circumstances and storms around you because you know that you know that God has got your back.
The Bible tells us that God is love and that perfect love casts out fear. Fear cannot exist in God’s presence. Just like darkness cannot exist in light. When we truly live in God’s love, fear cannot exist. Now the devil may try to plant a thought in your mind to try and get you to fear but that isn’t fear. How you respond determines whether you are in faith or fear. If you rebuke the thought and declare God’s promises, you are standing in faith. If you receive the thought and start to worry about it, you are now in fear. Fear short circuits what God can do because you have disconnected yourself from the power source.
If you have been in fear over financial problems, losing a job, a loved one’s health issues, or what seems like a hopeless situation I encourage you to dig into the Word and find The Truth about the situation. Stand on the Word of God and build up your faith.
This link will take you to another article on Creflo Dollar’s website called No Fear Here!.
You can also find other faith building articles at OverflowLiving.com.
Have a blessed day!
Christian Debt Free Living 