Defeating Goliath: Aligning Finances with Your Faith
In today’s blog we will be discussing the evil one himself, the credit card!! LOL, ok maybe not the real “evil one”, but you know the reputation that credit cards have gotten over the last several decades, and rightfully so. Are there any benefits to using credit cards? As we dive into the topic let’s see what The Word says about it, specifically about debt to begin;
Proverbs 22:7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
So in general, debt is not a good thing. The Word is clear that when you are in debt you are a slave to the lender.
In 1 Timothy 5:8 Paul writes, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
What does this mean for parents who don’t have cash on hand to pay for a child’s emergency surgery or arrange nursing care for an aging loved one?
We understand that as Christ following men and women we must do whatever is necessary at times to care for our family, including taking on debt.
But if we do have to take on debt, there is a huge biblical concept that should guide our borrowing decisions:
It’s wrong not to repay debts
Psalm 37:21 says, “The wicked borrows but does not pay back.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s always wrong for a Christian to declare bankruptcy. (Our legal system allows individuals and businesses in distress to regroup and re-establish themselves under the protection of bankruptcy laws.) Ultimately, however, a believer has a moral obligation to repay his or her creditors to the best of their ability.
The bible also DOES NOT say that God will bail you out of debt
Some Christians who are heavily in debt seem to believe that God has promised to get them out of their problems. The verse they usually point to is Philippians 4:19: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” That’s true, of course, and God will meet our needs — in the way He knows is best. But He hasn’t promised to cancel the consequences of our unwise behavior.
So when it comes to credits cards, Yay or Nay? Aside from some God forbidden emergency, my answer is this; if you are disciplined enough to use your credit card and pay it off every month so you never pay interest on the card, then go ahead and use it. Most cards have a plethora of benefits and points and frequent flyer programs, take advantage of them! Credit cards also protect you more versus using a Debit Card. If there is fraud committed on your credit card, you notify the card company and they dispute it. While they are figuring things out, you are not out of any money. In a debit transaction where somebody commits fraud, you are out of the money in the meantime. A bank may offer you provisional credit but that typically takes several days to get in place. In the meantime, you are the one with less money in your account.
I give one ultimate warning on credit cards; if you are not disciplined enough to pay off your debt every month, then stay away from credit cards. What usually happens is those cases is the interest and balance grow and you are paying minimum balances to stay afloat. This creates an avalanche of mounting debt because you struggle just to make interest payments that do not even touch the principal.
The overall goal should be no credit card debt. Whatever you purchase this month on the credit card, you then pay off the balance at month end, Easy Peasy! Credit cards are not the monster they are made out to be. Put in the wrong hands or in the hands of someone with spending problems and that little card will grow horns, beware!
God Bless you all- Safe spending!!
With Love,
Dave
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