Steps To Biblical Financial Empowerment
By Rev. Dr. Bettie M. Ferguson, Pastor/Teacher
Greetings in the precious name of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am
blessed and honored to bring to readers
of The Gospel Truth Magazine “Steps
To Biblical Financial Empowerment.”
I am extremely grateful to Ms. Walker
for this golden opportunity.
I have been given a mandate by God to
teach Biblical principles and concepts
of financial empowerment. GOD
WANTS HIS PEOPLE OUT OF DEBT,
plain and simple.
Let me begin by stating that I am not
a Licensed Financial Planner (LFP)
or financial guru. My knowledge was
gained by reading, studying, planning,
and applying learned principles.
For me, the concept of debt-free living
came later in life as I was already
deeply indebted when I acquired the
knowledge. I was caught up in the
credit trap and living from paycheck
to paycheck, haphazardly spending
without a plan or budget.
Some of you may be where I was a few
years ago, just acquiring knowledge
of principles of biblical financial
empowerment and debt-free living.
Some may be well on your way, while
others may have already achieved total
financial freedom and are presently
living a life free of the overwhelming
burden of debt. If you fall into the latter
category,
CONGRATULATIONS,
great job!
My passion for this subject is the result
of my own pain and suffering caused
by a series of very poor choices, bad
planning, and lack of knowledge
concerning biblical concepts on
money matters. I now attribute my
family’s financial stability to applying
learned biblical principles, precepts,
and practices. Someone once told me,
“you have to learn what you teach and
practice what you preach.”
With that said, I trust that information
presented in this article will bless,
enhance and empower as we follow
steps that lead to our heavenly Father’s
plan for our financial future. Our
Father wants to accomplish something
eternally significant through our lives.
The Kingdom purpose for earthly
wealth is not to invest in worldly
pleasures but to invest in eternal
treasures.
Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and
rust destroy and thieves break in and
steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust destroys, and where thieves do
not break in and steal, for where your
treasure is, there your heart will be
also.” (Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV).
Our nation is a nation deeply indebted,
her people are engrossed in consumer
debt. See the below statistics from CBN
News reported on February 13, 2019.
“America broke another record this
week -- when the nation’s debt crossed
the $22 trillion mark. At about 80
percent of the country’s GDP, it’s the
highest level of debt since World War
II, making the U.S. an outlier among its
peers.”
The subject of debt can be extremely
complex, but I plan to keep it simple
and present it in laymen’s terms.
However, before we can tackle the
subject of debt freedom, we must first
understand what debt is and how much
of it we have accumulated. We will
explore some strategies later.
Getting out of debt can seem like a
daunting task, but trust me, it can
be done. The key is getting started by
understanding how much debt you
have acquired; then developing a plan
for getting out and staying out.
Our only obligation to debt should be
that of love. The Bible admonishes,
“Owe no one anything except love one
another, for he who loves another has
fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).
The goal of this series is to help you
focus on your personal debt and find
solutions that lead to becoming debt
free and financially secure. With less
debt, there will be more money to
give to your local church for Kingdom
building; more money to save for the
future; more for your child’s education,
and more to spend on things you really
enjoy.
MAKE JESUS LORD OVER YOUR
FINANCES
Jesus is Lord! Make Him Lord over
all areas of your life, including your
finances and possessions. We are
His stewards, trustees, and money-
managers. All that we have including
our lives belong to Him. He has simply
entrusted us to manage according to
His plans and purposes. How are we
doing as managers?