I love being around people who are well traveled or those who have loads of life experience. They can give firsthand accounts of what they have experienced. It’s not theory. It’s hard cold reality they have personally lived.
David discovered through his lifetime this reality: “I was young and now I’m old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). Imagine that. David’s testimony of God is that He always provides for righteous people. A debt reduction method is living a righteous life by God’s standards. Think about it. It costs money to sin...lots of money. Life outside of the will of God is also quite expensive.
During the journey, ask God to get you totally aligned with His will for your life. While you’re praying about that try to shed all of the unrighteous habits you may be engaged in.
The cost for a pack of Malibu Lights in Montclair is approximately $6.22. Although some would debate the sinfulness or lack thereof of cigarette smoking, we can all agree that smoking will get you to heaven a lot quicker than you’d like to be there. This assumption—the getting into heaven part—presumes that you are a believer in Christ.
My life experience tells me that a number of wonderful believers have a problem puffing on Malibu Lights or some other brand of smokes. I can’t see Jesus smoking cigarettes or another kind of substance even if He was able to get a medical prescription for marijuana. So I conclude that smoking is an unrighteous act…and an expensive one. During this 40-day journey ask God to deliver you from smoking if you’re in the habit of such.
This deliverance will save you a ton of money. If you smoke two packs a day, that translates to a savings of $4,503 per year. Take the savings and pay off a debt. Then you can join King David in singing, “I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”
What’s the most expensive sin that you have seen? And, have you seen God deliver anyone from it?
The most expensive sin I have seen and witnessed is unforgiveness, and I was the one God graciously delivered from it. My mother and I had an unstable relationship for most of her life, and I blamed her for most of my circumstances, and problems. I was born and raised in New York, and she got very ill, and we brought her out here to Montclair to get specialized attention. It was during her short time out here that God healed our relationship, and I was able to forgive her, but more importantly get her forgiveness. She eventually passed away, but if she had left this earth before we reconciled,I would have carried that weight with me for the rest of my life, and I would never have been able to pay that price.
ReplyDeleteExamining my own life, gluttony is pretty expensive. I can easily make three trips to the grocery store in one week and then wonder where all of my money went. I'm learning that I don't have to eat all of the food in my house just because it's there. Feeling like the foolish man that prov 21:20 speaks of, I've placed myself on a grocery store budget, which means controlling the amount I eat as well. At this rate, I'll save some money and shed a few unwanted pounds!
ReplyDeleteMy most expensive sin occurred when I would sit in front of my computer at American Express high off cocaine, along with other co-workers. We would work on creating graphic design jobs for clients, working 12-15 hrs a day. After work I would smoke marijuana to "relax". I can't even begin to tally the amount of money I spent during the 1980's on that poison. It was a high price to pay to try to medicate my own pain, unforgiveness and feelings of rejection.
ReplyDeleteThere are alot of expensive habits out there, smoking (like to you talked about Pastor), drugs, food, but one of the subtle expensives are Starbucks :)& Panera Bread. All expensive habits.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jesus for delivering me from starbucks.