Payday Everyday!

    My title was taken from the book by R.G. Lee, but this is not about his life and times.  As I studied Job, he lost all he had; his children, his wealth, and even his health.  In today’s economy, many people are losing what they have; their jobs, their life’s savings, and their health.  Just as Job did, people are going through hard times.  As a banker I have helped restructure the debts of many in an effort to get them back on a financial budget they can afford.  Most of the debts that are out of control are credit cards.  When the Lord asked Satan in Job 2, “Where have you been?” Satan answered, “From going to and fro in the earth.”  Satan is still doing this today.  He does not knock just once, he continues to bang on the door to people’s hearts and minds.  If he can keep people in debt there will be no money to give to the Lord and the Lord’s work.  The guilt and stress can become a stumbling block in your relationship with God.  

   I have found that the majority of people live in the today with their spending habits.  “I want it and I want it now!”  With the advent of credit cards this has become an easy world of acquiring possessions.  However, when the bills come around and the interest rates jump up, there is no end in sight.  Some become frustrated, but do not change their spending habits.  I have seen many of my customers come back, in just a year, after I have helped them pay off credit card debts with the same recurring problems.  Then there are others who struggle along with the plan and goal they set.  They learn from the experience, they grow stronger from the experience, they worry less, they are finally able to begin to save for the time when they will be required to live on a fixed income (if they are lucky enough to have a retirement fund), and as a result ,their health might just be better.  

   So I say, unless you are fortunate enough to pay off your credit cards at the end of every month  or can resist continually charging until the debt is paid in full, resist the temptation of credit card companies sending out preapproved lines, and shred those that come to your children even before they graduate from school.  Don’t float the malls as entertainment.  Satan is “going to and fro in the earth.”  He wants you in debt. 

   If you are already in debt and want out, ask God for the wisdom and the power to resist the temptation of spending on things you don’t have to have, and establish a budget and a goal.  Most of all, stick with it. 

     Make everyday a payday!