You have to break the chains of debt because debt will keep you bound and control you. Debt will stop you from moving forward to what God has for you. It will keep you in the same spot, chained, and stop you from fulfilling God’s purpose for your life, what He created you to be.
Debt tells you what house to live in, what car to drive, where to shop, and where to go on vacation. Debt limits you.
The bible says, “Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.” (Romans 13:8)
OWE => DEBT => CHAINED (BOUND)
There are a lot of people, including Christians, in debt. God wants His people to prosper but unfortunately, they don’t know what God has promised in His word.
“Elephant Mindset”
To give you a visual example of being chained to debt, think of an elephant which can weigh around 7,500 pounds. An elephant is the strongest land animal. They can carry the weight of 130 adult human beings. Their trunk has over 100,000 muscles.
But you can chain an elephant with a small chain and a peg in the ground, as seen in the photo. That elephant won’t move and believe they can’t break free. Why? Their trainers trained the elephant from a baby by chaining one leg with a peg in the ground. As a baby elephant, it couldn’t break free. But as an adult elephant, it can easily break free. But, the elephant believes it cannot break free from the chain. All it has to do is move its leg or use its trunk to be free.
People have that “elephant mindset.” They don’t know God is their Provider, and that He wants to prosper His people. They don’t know what God’s word says and who they are in God. Therefore, they stay chained, bound, and will stay in their situation. They don’t believe the situation can change. They have been living in their situation for a long time that some times you get used to it and believe that’s all there is. Just like that elephant. That’s why God says “My people perish for lack of knowledge,” (Hosea 4:6). This “elephant mindset” can apply to any areas in your life, not just finances.
5 Things To Break Chains of Debt and “Elephant Mindset”
#1 Pray and ask God forgiveness.
No matter how you got there, know that nothing is impossible for God and He wants to bless you. But, it requires first to ask God to forgive you for getting into debt. How did we get into debt? Majority of the time it’s due to bad decisions. Decisions we made without talking to God first.
Yes, God wants to be involved in ALL areas of your life (spiritually, physically, and financially). But we normally put God in a box and only let Him in certain areas of our lives. People turn to God when it’s usually convenient for them, and it usually is when they are in a difficult situation. So the first step is to admit the error and ask God’s forgiveness.
#2 Seek God first.
Matthew 6:33 says, seek God first, live righteously, and all things you need will be provided. When you seek God first, He will speak to you and show you how to get out of debt. Turn your finances over to Him. Our tendency is to want to be in control of our own lives and that definitely includes our finances. We really don’t want to submit to anyone. We want to be first, not God.
#3 Give your way out of debt.
I know this sounds opposite to what every finance guru says and doesn’t sound logical, but giving works. God said, “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him “(1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV). This is so true.
Luke 6:38 “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
You may say, why? God doesn’t need my money. No, but He is looking for your willing and obedience. Is God first or is money first? Who or what are you putting your trust in?
“If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19 NKJV).
#4 Read God’s word.
Find the promises in God’s word to prosper you, learn these verses, and when you pray say these verses as you pray about your financial situation. You can do this with any situation. Learn to pray God’s word and know that He wants to prosper you.
God says in Isaiah 48:17, “I am the The Lord that teaches you to profit and show you the way you should go.”
#5 God’s plans are good for us.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
God says He wants only good for us. His word says that He wants us to prosper and have success in Joshua 1:8.
You can break free from the chains of debt and from the “elephant mindset.” God says, I come to give life and life more abundantly, and to give you a future and a hope. He wants you to live in the extreme abundance of God. Don’t forget that He owns all the silver and the gold. Learn what God says about how He wants you to prosper and be successful. Pray and have a relationship with God. He wants to be involved in your life if you let Him. There is no situation difficult for God.
God is not limited, but we limit Him in our own lives. He doesn’t want us to owe no one anything but love. Remember, God didn’t create us to survive but to thrive.
Copyright © 2024 Financial Harvest Learning, LLC
Sources:
- Reference. “How Strong Are Elephants?.” https://www.reference.com/pets-animals/strong-elephants-. April 5, 2020.
- Elephant Photo by Aenic from Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/photo/gray-elephant-walking-on-brown-grass-field-3739327/ - Elephant Leg Chained Photo by Stephan Streuders from Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-elephant-with-chain-3767859/
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