God makes it abundantly clear in the Bible how He feels about debt. Proverbs says, “Don’t withhold repayment of your debts.” (Pro 3:27; TLB)
And in Romans, it reads, “Let no debt remain outstanding.” (Rom 13: 8). You probably already know this intuitively, but God makes it clear in the Bible: Debt is not a good thing. Yet many people find themselves drowning in debt. They would be willing to pay as they go if they could finish paying for where they have been. That’s what God wants for you too. He wants you to repay what you owe so He can bless your finances. But working your way out of debt isn’t easy. First, you must commit to it; through time, you will come out of it.
You will probably notice that it’s easy to coast into debt; you don’t even have to think about it. But you cannot drift out of debt by thinking about it; you have got to make a U-turn and start a long climb back up the hill. That requires a tough decision and a commitment to the time and discipline it will take to get out of debt. It’s easy to feel alone in this uphill climb, but God knows where you are. He understood this was going to happen long ago, and amid your problems, God wants to help, strengthen, and grow you. He is with you in this challenge, so plan to get out of debt. Getting out of debt is a day-by-day, step-by-step task involving a word that most people don’t like: Discipline. It means not buying that thing you crave, resolving to do this and deciding not to do that.
The Bible says in Proverbs 21:5, “Good planning and hard work leads to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” If you are in debt, don’t ignore this warning from the Bible. Watch out for hasty shortcuts. Debts put you in pain, and you want to get out of pain as quickly as possible. It is tempting to take shortcuts but instead of chasing hurried shortcuts, look for God’s plan, then commit to it, determining to do whatever it takes to accomplish your goals. Imagine where you could be in a year if you took diligent steps to be free of debt. Then resolve to take those steps daily, relying on God’s wisdom and grace to do the hard thing.
