Gary North

You are reading this lesson. I will assume that you have read the previous 11.

Of those who have read all 11, very few have done all of their homework assignments. "The dog ate my homework" is still an all- pervasive cry in life.

It will not work on judgment day.

If you have done each assignment, you are now in a much better condition than you were almost three months ago, when you signed up for this course. You have achieved the following:

1. You know how much you are spending each month.
2. You have a budget that tells you what you should spend.
3. You have begun to give more to your local church.
4. You have an idea of what your calling in life is.
5. You see yourself as God's steward.
6. You have begun to seek first the kingdom of God.
7. You await the blessings of God.
8. You have an idea of what your inheritance to your heirs will be.
9. You have set some lifetime goals.
10. You have drawn up a five-year plan.
11. You have made short-term plans.

But, unless you have achieved a near-miracle in your finances, you are not yet out of debt. Because of your new commitment to tithing, you may not see any progress in reducing your debt for a year. It may take you that long to get up to ten percent of your net income.

This may not be what you expected from this course. That's because you did not understand that your debt to God is more important than your debts to your creditors. You are being squeezed financially. You are still paying bills, and you are paying more to your church. You may wonder if you will ever get out of debt.

If you stick with the program, you will do more than get out of debt. You will begin to see your life transformed for the better.

You will find that you do not live in fear.

You will find that you are getting control over your spending.

You will find that you have become a long-range planner.

You will find that you are no longer addicted to accumulating stuff.

You must trust God to back you up. You must trust him for blessings. The main blessings are these: a changed outlook and better habits. These, you have already experienced. Extra money is nothing compared to the acquisition of a kingdom outlook. That was what Jesus taught.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (Matt. 6:24-34).

Maybe you never really understood this before. If you understand it now, and if you believe it enough to tithe, you have made the transition from the kingdom of mammon to the kingdom of God.

You made this transition judicially when God saved you. But your debt load indicates that you did not make it operationally. You are now making the transition.

Painful, isn't it? But it will get less painful.

You are not there yet. You have not paid the price. But you have begun to pay it.

The price was paid judicially to God on your behalf by Jesus Christ. But this does not satisfy your creditors. They are not interested in what you owed to God. They are interested in what you owe to them.

Cut your expenses. That is the first step. Increase your income from odd jobs. Sell things you don't need. Slowly, steadily reverse course.

To turn a modern aircraft carrier, the captain must issue the command a long time and many miles before the ship can make the transition and head for a new course. You have ordered the turn. You have not experienced it yet. You will.

You are like a person in prison. The parole board has granted you parole. But you are still behind bars. You are a designated free man, but you are still behind bars.

You have been granted a parole from debtor's prison. You have not yet been released.

There is a high recidivism rate for prisoners. Most of them commit a crime and go back to jail.

Most fat people stay fat, even though they diet, even though they take off the weight. They regain it. They go back to their old eating habits.

You are on the road to debt freedom. Stick with the program. Tithing will help you stick with the program. So will monthly budgeting. So will periodic reviews of your plans.

Most of all, your commitment to your calling will keep you on track. This will take a long time. There are no shortcuts. Do the most important thing you can do in which you wiuld be most difficult to replace.

The clock is ticking. Make the time count.

If you have been helped by this course, tell someone. Tell a church officer. Tell a relative if the relative is struggling with finances.

Most people are struggling with their finances. Most people will not admit this. In America, people talk about almost anything, but not their finances. So, it's hard to raise the discussion.

Here is one way: tell about your success. Do this when you think you have had one. If you think you are doing better than you were three months ago, tell someone. You are not out of the hole. Admit this. You have turned the corner.

If one of the software programs on this site has helped you, send a link to it. Tell someone about how it has helped. Be specific. People respond to specifics.

Keep participating on the forums. Tell people what you have experienced.

If you want to know my views on what is going on economically, subscribe to my free newsletter. It's here.

You have put your hand to the plow. Keep plowing.