For many people today, there is a lot of pressure because it is the end of the
month. Many struggling with financial commitments they can't meet are
dealing with a lot of stress today. Tomorrow starts another month and more
obligations become due. Giving up seems like the easiest thing to do, but my
friend, that is a thought straight from the pits of hell itself. Praying
doesn't seem to work. It doesn't look like any miracles are on the horizon.
What now? What is the next move?
First of all, praying is NOT in vain and is the first step. The Bible tells
us to ask God for wisdom and He will give it to us. Secondly, God has
promised in His Word to supply our needs, so we have to trust that promise and
use it as the hope to move forward. Third is the very real practical
situation of unmet obligations. Every situation is different and the
dynamics are unique to where you are at. But here are my suggestions.
Get a legal pad, as you probably have, and write down what is essential to
day to day living. Than write down the other non-essential day to day living
obligations. Lastly, write down all of the obligations you are delinquent
on. On the other side of the legal pad, write down the income you have to
work with and any income you will have during the month. The first goal is
to make sure the day to day essentials are met, then the other obligations
for the month. Lastly, you need a plan for the delinquent obligations. Your
first goal is to contact the debtor and explain your situation. Most
creditors are only interested in getting paid and as long as you are working
towards that, will usually work with you. You need to structure based on
your income..or possibly even additional income if you need to take that
route...and a plan to work down the past due obligations. The bottom line is that it will take three things: 1. Wisdom from God, 2) Discipline, 3) Hard work. You didn't get into the problem overnight, and you won't get out overnight.
I hope this has helped some of you focus on a problem we get a lot of prayer requests for. God is able...and He will walk with you through this.
