Are you in bondage to debt? Most people have heard of Dave Ramsey and have varying views of him. I used to view him as harsh and rude. However, I recently heard him speak about the bondage of debt and how he helps people get out of debt. I also saw testimonies of people who he has helped get out of debt. I no longer view him as harsh or rude. I would not want a cuddly cop or a sweet slave defender. I would want someone tough, fighting for the deliverance of people under injustice. I now view Dave Ramsey in that way.

Anyone who has dealt with financial difficulty knows the stress of it. They know the weight of worry, the hopelessness of debt, and longing for financial freedom. Dave Ramsey is one of the only people speaking hope into a nation wrecked with personal debt. And he’s speaking from the Bible on it!

“My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor, have given a pledge for a stranger, if you have been snared with the words of your mouth, have been caught with the words of your mouth, do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor. Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids; deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand and like a bird from the hand of the fowler” (Proverbs 6:1-5).

I have heard Ramsey explain the above verse about the gazelle escaping from their number one predator: the cheetah. Most people know the cheetah to be the fastest animal on earth. However, the gazelle escapes most of the time. As Ramsey puts it, it’s a difference in motivation. The cheetah is after lunch whereas the gazelle is running for his life. When working to get out of debt, we must do it with the intensity as if our lives depend on it!

Also, I learned something about gazelles when my daughter did a school project on it. While the cheetah might be the animal able to get up to the fastest speeds, the gazelle can run the fastest in the world for the longest. In a marathon, the gazelle beats the cheetah every time. God says we are to free ourselves from debt as the gazelle frees himself from the cheetah, by running very fast for a long time.

The above verse is not just about co-signing a loan for someone, although it does advise against that. It’s also about owing strangers (banks and things) money! It’s about your car payment, credit card payments, house payment. It’s about what you owe…to any and every one! Seek to get out of bondage. The Bible says the borrower is slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). While we do have actual slaves in the world today (and even in America), it’s not something we commonly see. However, a new bondage has taken hold of many in America. It’s a financial bondage. The average American has over $90,000 in debt.*

Churches do not speak on money often. However, I believe speaking on money needs to address different people with different messages. For instance, people hearing this probably fall into one or more of the following categories and need to hear a different message.

1. People who make a lot of money, but find no joy in it.
   1. These people need to be told to give and serve. They need to use their wisdom that helped make them so much money to pay it forward and give back. They need to mentor younger people who could use help financially, even if only in sharing their knowledge. They need to seek God and find joy in giving.
2. People who do not make much money, but love what they do.
   1. These people might be preschool teachers, nurses, daycare workers, those in ministry or cleaners. They need to be told to be good stewards of their time and energy and funds. Of course everyone needs to be a good steward, but this group of people is especially prone to have a “helpers’ heart.” They are the ones who pour themselves out every day for a job that pays very little and then are asked to serve in Sunday School on Sundays and teach Bible studies and help with kids’ programs throughout the week at church. Financially, that might work for them still, but it should at least be acknowledged and allowed from a church’s perspective that if a person in that position chooses to get a second job to provide for her household as opposed to volunteer at church, that should be equally praised. If she chooses to be fed in church instead of serve because she serves all week in her job, that should be allowed as well. She should still be allowed and encouraged to take a Sabbath.
3. People in a lot of debt, regardless of their income.
   1. These people need to be set free from their financial bondage. They need to be encouraged to get out of debt as much as they are encouraged to give 10% of their income. They do not need to be volunteering excessively at church. While allowed to volunteer, if they too choose to get a second job instead in order to get out of debt, that should be as equally encouraged and praised as volunteering in church.

I’m not going to tell you what to do or how to get out of debt. I’ll leave that to people like Dave Ramsey. But I will tell you there’s a reason he calls his class “financial peace.” You can get out of debt. You can find joy in life. You can be financially free. God can help. The Bible speaks on this. Pray for God to show you the way out.

*https://www.cnbc.com/select/average-american-debt-by-age/