10 Days of Financial Wisdom: DAY 5

Gazelle Intensity!
"I never knew much about gazelles. I never really gave them much thought - until I read Proverbs 6 one day in my quiet time.

Of course, any biblical reference to debt catches my eye. And if the Bible offers a way to escape debt, I want to know the secret! But when I saw that this answer focused on gazelles, I was a little confused.

I was looking for a great spiritual principle, and God gave me animal metaphors!
God must have known I needed some help because He gave me a little more insight later that day. I was watching a nature documentary, and guess what showed up? Gazelles! Of course, you know the gazelles weren't out there all alone! Before long, Mr. Cheetah showed up looking for lunch. Suddenly, God had my attention.

The cheetah sprang into the clearing, and the gazelles took off in 14 different directions. Now, a gazelle can't outrun the world's fastest land animal, but it can zigzag around long enough to wear him out. And that's exactly what happened.

I learned that cheetahs rarely win these races. Because the gazelle is so focused on doing whatever it takes to survive, the cheetah only catches it about once in every 19 attempts. That's what I call intensity!

That documentary helped me understand the gazelle reference in Proverbs 6:5. The only real way to beat debt is to be intense! You've got to work hard. You've got to fight for survival. You've got to run for your life!

The truth is, you will never wander out of debt. You won't stroll out. It won't happen by accident. You only get out if you set your eyes on the goal and attack your debt with gazelle intensity!"
By: Dave Ramsey

After reading through today's lesson I realized something new: Gazelle intense looks different for me then maybe another family. After reading the book The Total Money Makeover and hearing about family after family of being Gazelle intense and getting out of debt while dad works crazy hours and mom brings in income too I thought, 'man my husband already works crazy hours and really feel God has led me to be home with my kids, how can this happen?' Ramsey says the gazelles went in 14 different directions. So what gazelle intense looks like to one family might not look the same for my family. However, the point is keep your get-out-of-debt goals VIBRANT AND ALIVE.

The one thing I've learned about parenting from others is consistency is the key. Well now I'm seeing that consistency is the key to everything, including money.  Gazelle intense for me means chipping a little off many areas: groceries, clothes, presents, travel (so less on gas), and so on to end up with a few extra hundred dollars toward saving and debt. After setting a budget that seems like too little and hitting that budget I hope to learn and see that living with much less is possible while breaking down our debt. Making more money (right now) isn't the answer for my family but cutting back on our budgets is practical.

Link up with this study and many great others with YouVersion.

• Dave Ramsey’s Financial Wisdom from Proverbs takes you through ten practical, biblical steps to help you start getting your finances in order. From trusted voice on money and business, Dave Ramsey. 10 days 

Leaning on God for provision and wisdom,
Jenna

10 Day of Financial Wisdom: DAY 4

Slaves to Debt

"After nearly three decades of talking to people about money, I've figured something out. If you tell a lie loud enough and long enough, people will begin to believe it's true. Even if they know in their hearts that the myth is complete bunk, they'll live as if it's real.

These days, there's a big myth that's fooling a lot of people. It's the myth that debt is an effective part of their financial plan. Credit has been marketed to us so effectively that most people think they can't live without it. They think it's a good thing, a necessary thing. And they think anyone who lives without debt must be crazy!

Well, I've been called crazy before, and I'm okay with that. When it comes to debt, I don't want to be normal. And I'm in pretty good company because King Solomon - who knew a lot about money and wealth - felt the same way.

In Proverbs 22:7, he was adamant about avoiding debt. Why? Because he understood what so many people today totally miss: Debt enslaves us!

The Bible says that the borrower is slave to the lender. That's pretty strong language, but it's totally on target. Think about it. A slave can't give because he doesn't have anything. He can't go where he wants to go or do what he wants to do because he always has a master calling the shots. That's exactly how it feels when you're up to your eyeballs in debt. Hey, why do you think they call it MasterCard?

Solomon knew what he was talking about. This guy was the wisest man who ever lived! He didn't use the word “slave" by accident, and he wasn't being overly dramatic. He was just showing us what debt really is: a cruel master."
By: Dave Ramsey

I am really enjoying the positive affirmation this study is bringing me. If you'd like to follow along with this 5-minutes per day study go to YouVersion. Create a free username and password. YouVersion is an app for you smart phone, tablet or computer.

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I hope, like me, you're gaining little tidbits of information and advice that's helpful to your life.

Jenna

10 Days of Financial Wisdom: DAY 3

Save Today, Secure Tomorrow  
"Wise people save money. It's a basic, crystal-clear biblical principle. And if you spend every dime that passes through your fingers, then guess what? You're a fool! Don't blame me - God said it!"

Ouch! The bold words of Dave Ramsey ring in my ears and my total embarrassment overwhelms me. Today was powerful. I'm reading things I've already heard but taking them to heart is what I am striving towards. For the longest time I felt like there were many issues in my heart/life, things from my past and present to deal with. Strongholds to release to God and money (figuring it out) was just the last thing on my long list of Lord please fix this to-dos. I've struggled with this idea; what problem to let God fix first or should it all be tackled at once. But now time is passing quickly. My kids are growing and I feel the spirit speaking to me saying-this things a biggie DO NOT brush it off anymore!!!

This weeks key verse from Proverbs 21:20 which says There are precious treasures and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a self-confident and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.

I've never gone through something as extreme as bankruptcy however I am the unwise 20s something Dave Ramsey talks about that doesn't even have the sense to save as soon as you're paid.  Sadly I admit that going to a store to just buy diapers turns into and outfit for a kid, a new top I like, some junky thing I don't need from the dollar section that turns into $8.00 plus the diapers I intended to buy. Okay, enough about me now it's time to take the advice of others much wiser than myself.

Three Key Points:

1. Learn the habits of the wealthy. Dave Ramsey says wise people have enough money because they save for emergencies. Do I want to be wealthy? No, but I do want to be debt free and to have the ability to give freely. One of my love languages is Gift-giving. I do enjoy giving gifts but in the past I would use a credit card to buy a gift. That cannot happen anymore.
2. Save and use the power of compound interest to build wealth. The list of things to save for is long, so long in fact that I think, 'there's no way we can save enough for any of this. We (I) should've been saving when I was in high school.' Of course that's not possible, but you have to start somewhere and I firmly believe (and have seen it played in action) that God stretches dollars in ways we can never imagine. Also, when used wisely interest can work well in the right direction;)
3. Give to God first, save second. This is not one of wait and see things where if we can get to a comfortable place then we might start tithing. Nope, God's money is not my money.

Final Thought:
As a young adult I know it's very easy to want nice things. But ladies, instead of pursuing all the things a women's magazine tells us to focus on use your energy instead to pursue the qualities God admires. 

To follow along with YouVersion: Dave Ramsey's Financial Wisdom from Proverbs follow this link:
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Grace to You,
Jenna  

10 Days of Financial Wisdom: DAY 2

Welcome to Day 2 of Dave Ramsey's Financial Wisdom from Proverbs devotional with YouVersion! The focus verse is Proverbs 16:9 A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.
The focus for today is Planning Ahead.

The Three Main Points:

1. You can settle with breezing through life if you want to end up nowhere. Jesus talked about this in Luke 14:28-30. How foolish is the man who begins to build without first sitting down to count the costs. 
2. Create a zero-based budget. Sit down at the beginning of each month and tell each dollar where it is going to go. 
3. The money you manage isn't your money, it's GOD'S money. Every plan, every budget we make should be filtered through Him.

The connection:

At the beginning of the year my husband and I sat down for the first time in eight years and each took a turn at writing out our 1-year, 5-year, and even 10-year plans. We included every major topic from our marriage, the children, money, our personal walks with God, where and how we would like to serve in ministries and on. I really enjoyed doing this because I got to see a personal side of my husband that I didn't know of before and I felt like I finally had a big picture idea of where my life is going. Now I understand that life doesn't always follow a plan but planning ahead really is the wise thing to do. At least once a week I pull out that little sheet and remind myself of what I said as a personal way to encourage myself. 

Final Thought:

A famous quote by Zig Ziglar says, "If you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time." This rings so true because I look at the past eight years or so and have seen hardly any progress in our financial situation then realize that not a lot of planning took place so how could I expect a big change?

I found this short devotional really encouraging. I am learning a lot and am seeking a lot of information and wisdom on the topic. My hope is that I can take what I'm learning and really see the fruit of it, then pass some of it on to my kids as well.

 

If you're not sure where to begin or you have a budget but would like a little more detail please follow this link to Dave Ramsey's Guide to Budgeting

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God Bless,

Jenna

 

10 Days of Financial Wisdom: DAY 1

Welcome to Day 1 of our 10 day study following Dave Ramsey's Financial Wisdom from Proverbs. The focus verse of today is Proverbs 27:23 Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds. 

The connection: The oldest form of money is probably livestock and plant products. Domestication of animals had begun long before civilizations began; so too had farming, and initially, cattle and grain were two very common mediums of exchange. Gradually a newer, more common, form of money came in the form of metals. Eventually coins were invented in Lydia, which were made of metal. Its usage was quickly adopted by many of the Greek states, and so on to today where we use money as the most convenient form of payment. To know you flocks is the same today as knowing your $$ amount in your bank account. 

Dave Ramsey's main points for this study are:

1. Money is active! The most important thing is to know what you have and what you're doing with it. Manage your money well.

2. Build a monthly budget on paper to: get out of debt, have an emergency fund, save for the future.

3. "Money, if properly trained (like a thoroughbred horse) is a beautiful and powerful thing. But left on its own, can become wild-even dangerous!"