Man With a Plan!

We have talked about budgeting as a way to plan to get out of debt. We have discussed placing ‘pay off debt’ at the top of the budget (after giving). Paying off debt is a priority. We have asked, “What is your plan to pay off debt?”

We are there now, “What is the plan to pay off debt?”

Falling back on military training once again, there is the “5 ‘P’s’”.
Prior
Planning
Prevents
Poor
Performance

If ones just says, “I’m going to pay of debt now.” Without a plan, the performance will be poor. So how does one ‘make a plan’?

1. Evaluate
2. Decide
3. Execute
4. Evaluate

Huh?

1. Evaluate different ways to pay down debt. ‘Look’ at different ‘models’ or strategies to pay the debts.

2. Decide which plan is best suited to one’s own situation.

3. Execute the plan. Do not ‘talk’ about it, do it. Start paying off debt.

4. Evaluate the results. Is the plan producing results? If not, go back to step one. Remember that paying of debt is a long term goal. It does not happen overnight. It may take a couple of months to be able to evaluate results of the plan’s execution. It may take a couple of months to see results.

Pastor Barry Cameron, whose interview first led to this odyssey, took seven years to get out of debt. He includes his house and car in the debt free living.

It took seven years! One is saying, “No way am I going to do this for SEVEN YEARS!”
Think about it for a moment. Would one rather be a slave for 30 years or free in seven? Would one rather serve God with a whole heart NOW, or serve with a divided heart for the next 30 (Luke 16:13)? We know debt is sin! If we are convicted of a sin, and do nothing about it, we are purposely separating ourselves from God. We cannot ‘enjoy’ a full relationship with Him. On the other hand, if we repent, we may be paying the consequences of sin in this life, but we get to enjoy our relationship with Him NOW!

So what is the pay-off for spending the next seven years living within ones income, and paying off debt?
One gets to enjoy a more full relationship with God!
One gets to enjoy being involved with the continual blessings of God, as He meets needs!
One gets to ‘rest’ in the knowledge of the fact one is being Obedient to God!
One gets to ‘rest’ in the fact that ‘doing the right thing’ reduces stress!
One gets to rest in knowledge that in time, one will be completely free from the slavers!
One gets to ‘rest’ in the fact that soon one will be able to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor instead of giving it to the slavers!

Personally, I would rather spend seven years enslaved, with the knowledge of certain freedom, than thirty, separate from God, with No Freedom in sight…

So, let us look at some plans to get out of debt ‘now’.