Christmas time serves to illustrate that living with indebtedness has become such an integral part of our lives, we don’t think much about it one way or the other. In fact, we are reluctant to come to grips with what the Word of God says because we think we have to have credit to survive. In other words, we have become addicted to credit. But at some point in our Christian development, we have to decide if the Word of God is true and whether or not we are going to try to live by it. If the Word cautions us against indebtedness, should we not make every effort to avoid it? Following then are a few of the key scriptures we need to consider, especially at this time of year:

1. Romans 13:8

“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”

This scripture directs us not to owe anything to anyone. Instead of being in debt we are to love one another. Therefore, if we are in debt, it follows that we will not be able to love one another in the fullness that God wants. If we are not able to love others, the Laws of Biblical Prosperity won’t work for us as fully as they otherwise could (Matthew 22:40).

2. Proverbs 22:7

“the borrower is servant to the lender.”

This scripture declares that when we go into debt, we become bondservants to the ones we have borrowed from. That is, we have chosen to put ourselves in bondage to a secular master. Many Believers are choosing to ignore this warning but either the Word is true or it isn’t. If it’s true, indebtedness creates a relationship of servitude with our lenders, which means that on a spiritual level we have given up our freedom and enslaved ourselves to the World. If we have so closely connected ourselves to the world, we should expect that as a consequence the Laws of Biblical Prosperitywill not be fully effective for us.

3. Matthew 6:24

“No man can serve two masters. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

According to the previous scripture, when we become indebted we are choosing to be a bondservant to our lenders. But as Believers we are called to serve God and be bondservants to Christ. Since we cannot serve two masters, our bondage to creditors will u>always be in conflict with our call to serve God. In other words, our ability to serve God will be compromised by our allegiance to another Master. Therefore, the Laws of Biblical Prosperity won’t be able to work to full effectiveness.

4. Hebrews 11:6

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him.”

The Bible instructs Believers to live by faith (Romans 1:17). But, when we become indebted, we are no longer living out of the faith that God’s provision is adequate and complete. We decide that we need to help Him with His provision so in our own strength and wisdom, we add to it by acquiring goods and services with debt. When we don’t live by faith, we can’t please Him and when we use credit we are saying to God that His provision was insufficient. If we are living by faith then whatever provision He has given us will be adequate to satisfy all our needs (including Christmas gifts) in accordance with the plan of provision he has for each of us individually. Therefore, without faith it’s impossible to enjoy the fullness of the biblical prosperity God wants for us.

5. Deuteronomy 28:43-44

(paraphrased) he who is cursed will be a borrower and not a lender and will be the tail and not the head.

From a study of Deuteronomy, Chapter 28 we find in verse 44 that one of the curses that comes from disobeying God is to become a borrower. Clearly then God considers indebtedness itself to be a curse that comes as a consequence of disobedience. Therefore, when we take on indebtedness, do we not put ourselves back under the curse that Jesus took on Himself for us at the Cross of Calvary (Galatians 3:13)? The truth is by voluntarily taking on indebtedness, we subject ourselves to the curse again and erect a monumental roadblock in God’s plan for the full release of biblical prosperity in our lives.

It should be clear from these scriptures that the Word of God discourages us from going into debt. And there are many others we could cite. The wisdom of the ages says to avoid debt and to buy only what we can pay for; but in recent years it has become easy to buy now and pay later. We enjoy gratification for the moment but we impair God’s prosperity for an uncertain future. And for many of us the problem starts with Christmas

You may not be aware of it but almost half of all new unsecured consumer indebtedness occurs during the Christmas Season. It takes the average family approximately 18 months to repay all their Christmas debts. This means that when next Christmas rolls around and they go into debt again, they will not have finished paying off their indebtedness from the previous Christmas! Thus, the typical American family is pre-programmed for eventual insolvency just from Christmas debts alone, much less after adding in all their credit purchases from the rest of the year. And for the typical Christian family it’s even worse because the indebtedness they enter into causes them to hinder the manifestation of biblical prosperity in their homes for the foreseeable future.

Christmas should be a wonderful time of year to remember that Christ has restored the blessing of Abraham to the People of God (Galatians 3.14). But, the world has involved us in its trap of materialism and we are allowing unbiblical traditions to pressure us into indebtedness. Neither Christ nor His Word instructs us to celebrate His birthday with expensive and extensive gift-giving. Rather, the traditions of men have entrapped us and cut us off from the prosperity Jesus came to restore.

Does it not seem unwise to you now that God’s people would go into debt as an integral part of celebrating the birth of Christ and in the process cut off their own prosperity? If so, maybe this Christmas you can do something about it.

The first thing one ought to do when Christmas (or any other spending temptation) is on the horizon is to get before God and find out what He wants you to do. Does He even want you to celebrate Christmas? It’s your decision (Romans 14:5). If so, does He want you to give gifts and to whom should you give them? Why do you have to give a gift to everyone? If He says “no gifts this year,” do you have the courage to do what He has told you to do in the face of man- made tradition and the criticism that will likely come? The most important thing in life in any area is to know without any doubt what God wants you to do and then to obey.

The next thing to do is determine how much money God has provided for the purchase of any gifts He might have directed you to give. Part of the money that you already have on hand or that you are sure to receive soon is the amount He has provided for gifts and you have only that much to spend. You must decide not to use credit cards to supplement God’s provision so you avoid spending more money for gifts than He has provided.

Then you need to pray for creative ideas to give gifts that will be appreciated and that cost some amount that is within your budget. Often the most appreciated gifts are those that have been made by the hands of the person giving them. If the work of your hands is not appreciated, who cares? You will have done what the Lord directed you to do and His appreciation is far greater in value than the appreciation of any person. If you ask Him, God will gladly give you many ideas for inexpensive gifts that will bless others without putting your family into debt.

This Christmas you can avoid the trap. Make the decision to stay within your budget, ask God to help you and let the consequences fall where they may. In the process you will avoid an increase in indebtedness and begin to restore biblical prosperity for your family.

Friend, being in debt is one of the worst things we can do to our biblical prosperity. We can state the related Law that governs this concept as follows: if you want the full manifestation of biblical prosperity in your life, you must try diligently to avoid indebtedness. Debt is a curse and it acts like a curse. It binds us to the world and extracts wealth out of the Kingdom of God when prosperity wants to work for us the other way around. It robs us of our peace and it takes away our joy. It causes marital strife and divorce, unhappiness and discontent and it never produces the fulfillment we had hoped for. Most importantly it impairs our ability to love and interferes in our relationship with God whom we are to serve instead of mammon.

To get out of debt you have to first make the decision to take a stand, to put away or tear up your credit cards and to start paying off your existing indebtedness. Ask God to help you; He doesn’t expect you to have to work alone or in your own strength. It may take a while to get there but the Lord will soon start to honor your efforts and the desire of your heart. He will respond and you will start to see results. And, you will start seeing prosperity show up again.

If you need help becoming debt free, please contact this ministry urgently. In the meantime, may God bless your family during this holiday season. Have a great Thanksgiving weekend and we’ll be looking for you again in three weeks.

If you have never invited Jesus to become the Lord of your life, you can do so today by saying the following simple prayer: Jesus I believe in you and I receive you as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me for my sins and come into my life today.

If you were sincere as you prayed this prayer, God has already come into your life and you are a new creation. Congratulations! Now ask the Lord to lead you to a good bible teaching church where you can be developed to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of God. And please send us an e-mail advising your decision so we can rejoice for you in our prayers. If you’re unable to find a church, give us a call and we’ll help you find a good one.

If you have prayer requests, please e-mail them to us and we’ll be honored to bring them before the Lord each Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM, Eastern Time. Then, let us know about your answered prayers so we can rejoice with your family. Praise the Lord!

It would bless us to have an opportunity to answer your questions concerning any of the financial areas covered by this ministry. We would also be happy to consider your comments and suggestions. Please feel free to e-mail them to us or give us a call anytime during normal business hours at our toll free number 1-800-357-4223.

If you have been blessed and edified by Prosperous Life Newsletter, please pray about making a Spirit-led love offering to support the work of the Ministry (Galatians 6:6-7). PLN is a non profit [501(c)(3)] gift to the Body of Christ so your financial gifts are tax deductible (please consult your tax advisor). You may mail your check or money order payable to Cornerstone Consulting Ministries to 10621 N. Kendall Drive, Suite 113, Miami, Florida 33176 or click on the donation tab for other payment options. May God bless you with His abundant harvest from sowing your precious seed into this Ministry.

Part One - Defining Biblical Prosperity
Part Two - The Authority of God's Word
Part Three - God Must Be Our Source
Part Four - God Can Only Do Good
Part Five - The Role of Love
Part Six - How to Walk in Love
Part Seven - The Role of Faith
Part Eight - The Source of Faith
Part Nine - The Force of Faith
Part Ten - How To Walk By Faith
Part Eleven - The Law of Sowing and Reaping
Part Twelve - The Role of Cheerful Giving
Part Thirteen - Opening the Windows of Heaven
Part Fourteen - The Process of Reaping
Part Fifteen - The Role of Giving Thanks
Part Sixteen - The Curse of Indebtedness