God gets me out of debt and free from unbeliever

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ... 

 

Focus on following one verse at a time ... keep that instruction in your mind and think on it daily until you can do what it says to you, making it a part of your life.

 

(It sometimes helps to look up definition of key words in a dictionary, viewing the meaning in your life as Holy Spirit reminds you of events or things in your life.)

 

Joshua 1   

 

*  Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law (NT scripture), ...  turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.

 

(Of course we do not do the OT sacrifices ... but think of this scripture in terms of that way of God which we are told to do in the New Testament church, following NT diligently.  Also keeping in mind some of the many promises of God from OT.)

 

The Holy Spirit will get us to focus on specific scripture which shows us the will of God for us at a specific point in time.  Focus on that scripture, doing that which is appropriate in your life to conform yourself to that scripture, for that is exactly what you need at this moment.

 

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Here is an example, especially if you have any debt at all right now.

 

When I was born again in 1975, one of the early scriptures which showed me the will of God is the following:

 

Romans 13:8    Owe no man any thing  (I kept that scripture before me daily, day and night, and prayed for God to help me get out of debt.  God did help me.)

 

I felt God was saying to me:  "Get out of debt ... and stay out of debt."

 

I stopped buying things on credit.  I bought only those things for which I could pay cash. If I didn't have cash to buy something, I saved money and after I had the cash bought the item, if I still wanted it.

 

I cut back my spending,  even on  "little things".  Even though it didn't amount to much toward paying the debt, it structured my life in another way of thinking.

 

(I am always shocked at the amount of money I see people spend on things like iced tea and soft drinks when they go to café.   While I was getting out of debt, this is one way I disciplined myself and cut back.  Certainly today I could afford such but even to this day, the way of life I developed in that period carries over.)

 

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I had gotten my personal life out of debt within a few weeks.  

 

But I owned a business at that time and I had borrowed approximately $6000 from a woman who wanted to buy into my business.

 

I used the money to buy merchandise which I sold in my shop.

 

This woman was likely an unbeliever, as was I when I began my business and borrowed from her.

 

But now I am a Christian!

 

And I saw the following instruction:

 

II Corinthians 6:14     Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:

 

My goal became to pay that business loan as quickly as possible, freeing myself from a business partnership with an unbeliever.

 

A situation came about to cause me to be able to get free from this debt much sooner than I expected.

 

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My business was American Indian Arts.  I bought authentic jewelry and pottery and offered the items for sale in Dallas, Texas.

 

I was on a buying trip in New Mexico (USA).

 

Mostly we sold jewelry in my shop and when I went on buying trips, most of the cash I had was used to pay for jewelry.

 

However, on this trip something very unusual happened.

 

An old Navajo rug caught my attention.  (I knew nothing about Navajo rugs.)  I tried to walk away from that rug but I kept coming back to it.  I finally knew I had to buy the rug.  It cost me $500.

 

I took it to a rug appraiser who told me it was really a very fine rug.  She said I should price it at a price where it would not sell for it would go up in price and I should hold onto it.

 

At the time she appraised it at $1500.

 

I returned to Dallas and had that rug rolled up at the side of the room, not on display yet.

 

A man came to purchase jewelry.  He saw that rug and asked, "What's that?"

 

I replied:  "It is an old Navajo rug."

 

"Let me see it,"  he said.

 

I said, "Oh ... I don't think you'd like that."  I responded.

 

But he kept insisting so I rolled the rug onto the floor. 

 

After looking at the rug he said:  "How much?"

 

Without any thought, I said:  "$5000."

 

He said:  "I'll take it"  ... and he began writing out a check to pay for the rug.

 

I was horrified.  I always protected my customers, being sure of the quality of the item and charging a fair market price.

 

I did all I could to try to talk this man out of buying that rug but he was determined to buy the rug.

 

I said to him, "I'm not going to cash your check for a week.  If you change your mind, bring the rug back to me and I will give you your check back."

 

I never saw the man again.

 

I deposited the check and repaid the woman all the money she had loaned me ... and I was debt free!  And I was no longer yoked to an unbeliever!

 

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When we see a scripture and purpose in our heart to do that scripture, God makes a way for us to do that scripture.

 

Romans 13:8   Owe no man anything

 

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Notice the steps taken by me in being led by God's Spirit.

 

* Before going on buying trips, I always prayed for wisdom concerning what I should purchase.

 

James 1:5    If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

 

I depended on God to lead me by HIS Spirit.  I continually asked God for wisdom.  I believed it would be given me when I asked, for that is what it says in the Bible.

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How does God give me HIS wisdom?

 

Sometimes God will bring a thought to my mind by the Holy Spirit.  It may be a scripture or a concept.

 

Sometimes God will get my attention drawn to something and my interest will be such that I can't leave that item behind.  (In the rug case, that is what happened.) 

 

Human reason often tries to talk us out of what God is trying to show us.

 

In this case:  "But I need to spend my money on jewelry.  That is what I sell, not rugs.  I don't know anything about rugs."

 

But I had with me the cash to pay for the rug.  That was very important since I had felt God was leading me to get out of debt and to stay out of debt.

 

I had absolutely no idea one item would end up allowing me to pay (in full) the woman who had invested in my shop!

 

I just couldn't walk away from that strong interest I had in that rug.

 

We can know the ideas that come from God by the following characteristics.

 

James 3:17    But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

 

(Don't rush on to the next chapter.  First, stop and study the scriptures and the concepts presented in this writing.  When possible, apply these scripture to your own life doing them in some area.  That causes Christ, the Word, to live in you and becomes a part of your way of life.)

 

I find most Christians read the Word of God but fail to do the Word of God regularly in their own life.  I am often stopped from going the wrong way by the scripture God brings to my memory.

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* For writings on additional subjects, click here:  Jesus Ministries Exhortations Blog