Survivng Financiall Hard Times

Proverbs 22:26
"Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts."

There are legitimate reasons for borrowing and lending, but the biblical bias is always cautionary.

Matthew 18:25
Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

We do not live is such draconian times, unless one considers the threat of homelessness and bankruptcy as a form of slavery imposed upon our children. Certainly there is nothing new about the dangers of out of control, unsecured debt.

Paul's insight goes deeper than that of economics:

Romans 13:8
[ Love, for the Day is Near ] Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

The remaining reality is that there is some real suffering rising to the surface in the tide of our current human experience and the remedies are illusive.

You and I know that there is no significant bail-out coming from the outside and that we must each take control of our financial well being. There are only these possible solutions and like most things in life, it take a balance of all of them working in concert to effect change:

1. Spend less and borrow little. 

There is never a bad time to be more careful about spending, especially on non-essentials in relation to credit. America's credit card debt is out of control. Spend what you can pay for on what you need. Ben Franklin was write in Poor Richard's Almanac when he observed that a penny saved is a penny earned. There is a biblical word for over-consumption and it is "gluttony." Through it, much debt is incurred because we believe we really must "have it now," and the credit card companies tell us we can and should:

Proverbs 23:2
... and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.

Proverbs 23:21
... for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

2. Save and invest wisely. 

Whatever you can save, save. When you have an opportunity to invest, do so with a eye toward the potential return. What investments will produce income? Study, learn, and do. The wise and virtuous woman in Proverbs was an investor:

Proverbs 31:16
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

3. Make more. 

One area where it is wise to spend is on your own development - especially, from a financial point of view, your financial, business, and professional education. There are many ways to make more money. One is to work harder and that can be good. Another is to work longer and that might be necessary. A third is the one you need to move toward and that is to work smarter by leveraging your time, energy, and knowledge. That is the core genius of network marketing and other concepts in marketing. The Proverbs elevates the value of work:

Proverbs 14:23
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

You may have already found your vehicle and, if you have, it would be my honor to encourage you along.

These are financially critical times, but you can succeed with informed output of energy and commitment. Dream great dreams and move forward. Keep a positive outlook. Keep your hand and hearty open to others, and be confident enough in the future to be generous in your giving. Consider it an act of faith and move forward:

Proverbs 11:25
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

As John Wesley said:

Having, First, gained all you can, and, Secondly saved all you can, Then give all you can.

Rich Dad's Friends

The people we associate with and learn from are a major factors in our financial and business success. Robert Kiyosaki chose to learn from his Rich Dad and many of us have chosen to learn from Robert and his friends.

Why should we change our friends?

Because they change us.

We become more like them as the years go by. We adopt their values and habits and adapt to their low expectations. We make their limitations our own and begin to think like they think because conversations seep back into our consciousness and unconsciousness as well.

We continue to love our old friends and pray for them, but we can no longer make them our peers because we are changing, growing, and breaking free of the prisons in which they have entrapped their own goals and dreams.

We can be their mentors, but we cannot be their students any longer. We cannot help bring them up if we are letting them drag us down.

We can see them, enjoy their company from time to time, and lend them a hand when they need us. We just need to spend the bulk of our discretionary time with people who challenge, encourage, uplift us, and expand our thinking.

That is why one of the factors in how to ride a horse is to find one that can carry you, won't kick you off, and will not take you places you don't want to go.