Til Debt Do US Part

If you are robbing God, don't expect help from God with any of your other bills. Dr. Tony Evans says there are consequences when we fail to give back to God. If you are robbing God, don't bother to pray about your lack of financial income. If you are robbing God, don't bother to pray about your promotion.

Render unto God the things that are God. This is The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and president of The Urban Alternative. If you want to experience God's financial blessings, Dr. Evans says you have to follow God's financial instructions.

Let's join him as he talks about how to break out of debt and develop a godlier approach to money management. There is no greater problem facing families and individuals today than the problem of debt. Someone has said that there are three kinds or three categories of people. The haves, the have nots, and the have not paid for what they have.

And I am certain that in our audience today, we have more than our share of the third category. People who are in debt up to their ears and see no way out. I'm here to tell you that debt is abnormal for the Christian. That to be weighted down in debt is a sign of lack of spirituality.

And you can camouflage it any way you want to. But God told his people in Deuteronomy 28 verses 1 and verse 12 that if you would do things my way, a lender and not a borrower you shall be. One of the things that he addressed that Christians do not want to respond to is the issue of debt. By debt, I do not mean, nor does the Bible mean, that you do not have financial obligations.

It doesn't mean that you've never borrowed anything. That's not how the Bible defines debt. Debt exists because one of four things. Number one, you're in debt because you're biblically ignorant of God's rules. One reason that many of us are in debt is that we don't know what God said, and so we don't know it, we can't do it.

And if we don't know it and we can't do it, we wind up doing the wrong thing or the popular thing, and therefore we wind up in bondage. The second thing that can breed debt is greed, indulgence, impulse spending, a desire to have more no matter whether the more you want to have you can afford to have. The Bible calls that greed. Greed is unwise decision-making simply because you want to have more. And I am sure that many of us are in debt because of greed. You're in debt not only because of greed or because of ignorance, you are or maybe also in debt because of poor planning. Because the plan was poor, the process was poor, or there was no plan at all. It's amazing how many couples I talk to when I ask them, or how many individuals I talk to, what is your financial plan they can't give it to you?

Because they don't have it. And when there is no plan, there is a plan to fail. There's another reason that you could be in debt, this one you may not be able to help, and that is a catastrophe, something that happened that was beyond your control. The first three are within your control.

A cataclysmic event may be beyond your control. Now the problem is who are you going to believe? Because everybody has a plan.

Everybody has a consolidation program. Everybody has a new advertisement of things that you ought to have, ought to buy, must have, need to get. And the question is who you're going to believe. My appeal to you is that you might try beginning the day to believe God. And if you will follow these three things I'm going to share with you in just a moment, I can assure you apart from some particular lesson that God may bring upon you, for he has his own sovereign program and I can't exempt that, but as the normal rule of thumb, your financial situation will change. But whether you decide to believe God or not will determine whether debt runs you or you run debt.

Who are you going to believe? There are three things that you need to know to reverse your financial situation. Much more could be said about each one of them than I am able to go into today, but if you grab these three, you will have enough to be transformed. First of all, you must plant. Secondly of all, you must plan. And thirdly of all, you must prioritize.

Those three words can transform your life. Plant, plan, and prioritize. First of all, you must plant. By planting I mean you must invest with that into that which will give you the greatest potency for return.

Or to put it another way, you must establish divine ownership. God said in Matthew chapter 22 something very important that will be the basis of this plant. No farmer has a crop for which he does not first plant a seed in anticipation of a bigger harvest because he knows that planting up front brings greater return later on.

Most people in debt want to look at what the crops gonna be before they've answered the question, what planting are they going to do? God says that you have two absolutely non-negotiable planting responsibilities. He says in Matthew 22 verse 17, tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to give a poll tax to Caesar or not? And Jesus perceived that malice and said, why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the poll tax. And they bought him a denarius and he said to them, whose likeness and inscription is this? And they said to him, Caesar's.

And then he said, then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's. If you don't pay your taxes and then you are audited and then it is discovered what you have robbed the state of, the state will not only make you pay them back, you must pay them back now with interest. Because you have robbed, assuming it's a legitimate charge, that which legitimately belongs to the state. We are much more conscious about what we give the state than we are what we give to God. If you are robbing God, don't expect help from God with any of your other bills. If you are robbing God, don't bother to pray about your indebtedness. If you are robbing God, don't bother to pray about your lack of financial income. If you are robbing God, don't bother to pray about your promotion. If you are robbing God, the Bible says you are under a curse from God.

So you can't go to God to get him to release a curse that's from God when it was your denial of God that puts you in the place in the first place. Render unto God the things that are God's. And that is because God says that God blesses those who honor him. What happens when you prioritize God? This is a very encouraging verse for those of you who are in debt. He says, offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High and call upon me in the day of trouble and I shall rescue you and you will honor me.

If you give me what's mine, he says, then when you call upon me about the problem with what is yours, because you brought me into the equation through your honoring of me, I will hear you when you have need of me. Many of you are not getting help from God because God knows you don't trust him. And you say, but I trust God. Trusting God is never an intangible act. Trusting God is always planting a seed.

A farmer cannot say, I trust that I'm going to have good weather and never plant a seed. Neither can a saint say, I trust God to supply the situation that I'm in and never give to him. If you are serious about getting your debt transformed, if you are serious about getting out of the financial mess you're in, and you are robbing God, you are under a curse. And that curse means that God closes the windows of heaven.

Now let me ask you a question. If you were living next to a robber and you knew that the next door neighbor was a thief, you would leave your windows locked because they're thieves. You don't want them having access to the goods in your house. God says because so many of his people are thieves, he has locked the windows of heaven so that they can't have access to his blessing. If you are robbing God day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, I have bad news for you. The prayer meeting can't help you. The calling on the preacher can't help you.

And the bank won't even be able to help you. Because any extra money you get, God will put it in a pocket full of holes. That is, even if you get a raise, even if you get a bank loan, because you're under a curse, the washing machine's going to break down, the roof's going to leak, the car's going to shatter. Because you're under a curse, he's never going to let you to enjoy the extra that you've been working. Some of us have been working to get out of debt for ten years. And the more we make, the worse off we are. And you thought it was just you didn't know how to handle money. Well, that may be part of it, but the other part of it is because you're under a curse. And when you're under a curse, it really doesn't matter what you have. On the other hand, when a man honors God, which in the Bible meant a minimum, that is, the least he would give to God would be ten percent of his income, then God then unlocks the window and opens it.

What does that mean? He gives you access to him. Now, how much does he have? Well, he caddled on a thousand hills. In other words, he has access to all the wealth necessary to fix your debt problem.

But you must plant first. If you are serious, there must be the tangible demonstration of your seriousness, both in your taxes and in your tithes. Render under Caesar the things that are Caesar's. But just like the government doesn't want you taking your money, their money, and paying your house note with it, their money and paying your car note with it, their money and buying your food with it, their money and buying your clothes with it, that same attitude that we give to the government must be given to God.

And if it is not, it is robbery. And when God audits you, the interest price tag is high. Dr. Evans will have more for us on godly money management when he continues our lesson in just a moment. But first, today's teaching is part of Tony's 14-message compilation, Marriage Matters, taking an in-depth look at God's blueprint for families. These lessons will help you build better relationships with your spouse, your family, and in turn with God. You'll learn how to understand your mate better, how to create a peaceful atmosphere in your home, how to get a handle on your finances, and much more, all steps leading to a healthier, happier, holier household. Because this information is so vital for maintaining strong marriages and homes, we're making both volumes of the complete collection available as our gift in appreciation for your contribution toward Tony's ministry. And for a limited time, we have a special bonus.

Along with the Marriage Matters audio series, we'll also send you a little paperback by the same name, as well as two companion booklets for married men only and for married women only. Just visit tonyevans.org right away to take advantage of this special offer and make all the arrangements. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or you can let one of our resource team members help when you call us day or night at 1-800-800-3222. That's 1-800-800-3222.

I'll have our contact information for you again after Part 2 of today's message and this. Far too many of us want to throw in the towel before we've thrown up the prayers. Dr. Tony Evans says Christians have a habit of underusing or overlooking our most valuable spiritual resource. Grace is available, but only at the throne, and you can only approach the throne through prayer. You can deepen your connection with the Lord through our in-depth course on Kingdom Prayer at the Tony Evans Training Center. You'll discover how God has wired the world to work by prayer and experience for yourself how it connects heaven with earth and time with eternity.

You'll not only gain a new understanding and appreciation for prayer, you'll actually pray in transforming ways you've never experienced before. The course is intense, but you can work through it at your own pace and get all the help you need through our online forum. And, of course, there's custom content from Tony not available anywhere else. Connect with the Tony Evans Training Center at tonyevans.org. It's like having a seminary on your smartphone or other device.

Start today. TonyEvans.org. Secondly, there must be a plan. That is, there must be the proper management of God's resources. Now, in the scripture read in your hearing in Luke chapter 19, the nobleman leaves his resources to be managed by his stewards or his servants, which is what God has done.

In a given lifetime, God gives you and I so many dollars for which we are responsible to manage. He says in verse 12, he left for a distant country. He called ten slaves, verse 13, and he said, do business until I come.

Remember, it belonged to the nobleman, but he was letting his stewards manage it. And it came about when he returned, verse 15, oh, by the way, in verse 14, but his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying, we do not want this man to reign over us. That's a very important verse. Let me tell you why it's important. It means doing business God's way and doing business man's way are two different ways of doing business.

That's very important. If you handle your funds like everybody else, don't be surprised that you're in the mess that everybody else is in. And one of the reasons we're in such financial messes as families and as individuals is that the world has set our agenda.

The rest of the citizens have set our program so God is not able to bless us according to his approach. If you take the world's way of handling your money, then you get the world to help you. And the Bible says one of the ways you know that the world is in charge of you is that you become a slave to the lender. The Bible says the borrower is a slave to the lender. And if you are a slave to the banks, if you are a slave to your debts, some of us need to have plastic surgery. We need to cut off those credit cards because we are enslaved to them. We are owned by them. They can claim our lives, our home, our cars because we are in slavery.

The Bible says that a man is to know well and that will mean that you're going to do business differently than the rest of the world, than the other citizens. Well, the man comes back and he says, I want to know what you did with my resources. The first man said, well, I had them. I invested them. I have 10 more. The other one says, I had them, verse 18.

I have five more. Then there was the third guy who didn't have a plan. He didn't have a program. He didn't have anything. He just had it.

I just kind of lived day by day. And look at what the Lord says. The least you could have done, verse 23, was to put my money in the bank and I would have collected it with some interest. And he said to the bystander, take the minute away from him and give it to the one who has 10 minutes.

And he said, Master, he has 10 already. I tell you, everyone who has, more will be given, but the one who does not have, even that which he has, shall be taken away. To put it another way, wise management pleases God.

Poor management does not. And when you don't have a plan that God can use, you not only won't get the full benefit of what you have, he'll take away what you have because you're messing over what he gave you. Every dime in your home was given to you by God.

There is not a sacred dime and a secular dime, a God dime and a world dime. It all belongs to God. And while only a portion directly goes to his storehouse, the local church, all of it is to be managed for his glory. Proverbs 21, verse 5 says this, the plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty. He says that you must have a plan, and that plan must be one that honors God. That leads to the third thing and a very critical thing.

Follow me on this one now. You must prioritize. To put it another way, you must take care of first things first, which means that you must know the difference between need, want, and desires. You always take care of needs first. Now what is a need? A need is an absolute necessity of life without which you could not live, survive, and function. 1 Timothy chapter 6 puts it this way.

Again, all of this is in the Bible. And if we have food and covering with these, we shall be content. You commit yourself in your plan to meeting needs first. You never skip needs in order to satisfy wants. Because Philippians 4 19 says, my God shall supply all your needs. Whenever you skip needs and go to desire, you're skipping God's priority.

Needs first. Once you've taken care of needs, then you can go to wants. Now what are wants? Wants are choices about the quality of need that you have. In other words, your need is met if you have an apartment. A want may be a house. Your need may be met in a three-bedroom house.

Your want may be a four-bedroom house. Your need may be a car that runs. Your want may be a new car that runs. In other words, a want is a quality of need. You do not mess with your plan and jump to want if you don't have enough to meet need.

You start with need first. Then that leads to desire. What is desire? Desire are things that are on your wish list that should be covered in surplus. In other words, in order to meet desires, you've got to have a surplus. Now, the Bible says prioritize expenditures, Proverbs 21, 17. He who loves pleasure will become a poor man. He who loves wine and oil will not become rich. In other words, if you spend on pleasures, your desires, then you won't take care of first things first.

God won't help you, and you won't have any money. That's what the Scripture is saying. When Dr. Tony Evans comes back in a moment, he'll describe a very practical first step you can take toward putting today's lesson into action. And as we're examining ways to strengthen our marriages and households, one characteristic we should always demonstrate is being kind to one another. And that's a trait that should extend beyond our loved ones and out to all those we meet, whether virtually or in our community.

When believers show an act of kindness to others, it not only represents God, but also helps make our society a better place. Now, before Dr. Evans returns with his closing challenge, let me remind you about the 14-lesson audio compilation that contains the full-length version of today's message, including material we didn't have time to present on the air. It's called Marriage Matters, and when you make a contribution in support of Tony's teaching here on this station, we'll send you both volumes of this set as our way of saying thank you, and for a limited time, we'll even include a three-booklet bundle as an added bonus, Marriage Matters for Married Men Only and for Married Women Only. Just reach out today at tonyevans.org to get all the details. You can also call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222. That's 1-800-800-3222. Regardless of whether we're married or single, the need for love is hardwired into our DNA.

That's the way God made us. But he's also given us specific ways he wants us to seek and express our romantic side, and that's what Dr. Evans will cover tomorrow. Right now, though, he's back with a practical action plan for your family finances. My challenge to you today is simply this, to go home, to take all of your bills, to lay them out with your family on the kitchen table, to orchestrate as best you know how, getting whatever help you need, a plan. Say, Lord, given the money that comes into our house, this is the best we can do. But I lay these bills before you. I lay this plan before you. I will honor the tax and the tithe.

I will place you first at the head of this, and I'm going to trust the preacher, not because of who he is, but because he had scripture to back up what he said. And I'm going to lay this bill before you. I'm going to lay this financial mess before you. I'm going to lay this tension in my home between my wife and I over money before you. I'm going to lay this home that's being repossessed before you, this car that I can't afford before you. I'm going to lay it before you, and I'm going to believe that what you did in 2 Kings 4 for the widow woman, you can do for me, because you're the same yesterday, today, and forever. I'm going to lay it before you, and I want to challenge you to try it, not because of who I am, but because of who he is, and to believe that if you honor God by planting, planting, and prioritizing, he will honor you. The only thing I ask is, when he does, you don't keep it to yourself, but you let somebody else know what God can do, because your debts are a spiritual issue. Your debts have to do with you and God. The alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by the Urban Alternative and is made possible by the generous contributions of listeners like you.