The past few weeks, well the past few months have been
difficult for us financially. So when I read this section I realized that this is
not the zone that I currently live in. I am living dangerously, going from
payment to payment from clients. Bills are stacking up, and I don’t think they have
ever been caught up since we were both out of work last year….To be honest, I
have placed us in a tight, difficult situation…car payments behind, Verizon
bill behind, house payment behind…
Foremost, I have felt the money was mine and it was mine to
spend. Ok technically I did make the money, but I have contributed nothing to
the house bills. I have also realized
that I can spend more than I need too, and I can rationalize each purchase,
such as spending $20 here or $30 there. Spending more than I need getting
grocery’s even after God has shown me on more than one occasion (several weeks)
that I can feed & take care of my family on much less than I think.
God knows our strengths and our weaknesses. Satan knows our strengths
and our weaknesses, and he is quick to pounce filling us up with the wrong
thoughts, the wrong solutions. He likes to lead us back down the wrong road by
telling us to buy this, or the money is all yours!
Its time to seek God to gain control, to become disciplined.
Years ago we made the decision that I would hand my paycheck over to the
significant other. It was difficult, but I knew I was bad with money. So most
of my paycheck from each pay period would go into the bank account of my
significant other. It’s time to reach that discipline again, to do what is what
is best, and not what I want!!
Self-Discipline can be the hardest thing we can do at times.
It goes against what we think we need or what we think we want, only in the end
we still feel empty so we reach for more. Self-Discipline takes both strength and
faith. We may sail through a day with great discipline, or we may struggle with
each and every choice that we make…
Abba,
I pray that you give
us the strength, and wisdom to make the right choices and lively abundantly in
your safety zone.
Amen