In our marriage my husband and I have been very fortunate. We have both had steady incomes, have been able to further our education in order to climb the economic ladder, and have been able to make “good” financial decisions. But early on in our marriage we witnessed first hand what just one medical event can do to your finances.
After our first born son was born and airlifted to Duke Medical Center, he underwent open heart surgery at six days old and spent 52 days in ICU. Each second of the day was a climbing cost.
It was like sitting at the slot machine and anxiously watching the price climb to a jackpot, but the only thing we were going to win was debt to the tune of millions.
With each Explanation of Benefits that arrived I was given a dose of anxiety. I stopped opening the EOB statements and just started stacking them in a pile. We decided if we had to pay a set amount each month for the rest of our lives we would.
Since then we are constantly reevaluating our finances and trying to eliminate costs that we don’t need. Cable? See ya. Brand new phone? Never. We are very conscious of not living beyond our means.
Recently when I was given the opportunity to review a new book School of the Spirit by Lee M. Cummings I got near the end when he said:
When we live a life beyond our means, we end up giving our energies and our passions towards the things of the flesh… But none of these produce an overflow; rather, they produce a deficiency.
When you live a life beyond your means, you live in a debt spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
We all can fully acknowledge how physically being in debt can wreak havoc and destroy every part of your life. It can destroy relationships and cause stress and anxiety. Sometimes physical debt is due to too many bad decisions, but sometimes it can come on in an unexpected event that changes everything.
But have you considered your spiritual debt?
What spiritual decisions are you making today that will change your tomorrow?
When I felt a tug from the Holy Spirit to give away all profit for HOPE (and then both studies written after), my husband was not exactly on board right away. We had already personally invested into the publication of the book and now we would not see any return into our account. This did not seem like a wise financial thing to do. Under any other circumstance, I would agree.
Luke 14: 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”
The spiritual debt I would incur if I did not complete what God was calling me to do was too high, much higher than the physical financial cost. If I continue to live within my means spiritually I am not allowing God the opportunity to show up. I must give up these desires to control when God is whispering, “trust me”.
Are you living within your spiritual means unable to fully trust God? I want to challenge you this week to ask God to reveal this to you.
If you are interested in learning more about the Holy Spirit I highly recommend the book mentioned in this blog, School of the Spirit by Lee M. Cummings. I am grateful to also be able to give one away this week. You can be entered to win by following three simple steps:
- Follow me on social media (Facebook or Instagram)
- Like the original post (the cover of the School of the Spirit with a coffee mug)
- Share the original post (tag me so I see it).
**extra entries for tagging friends!
Giveaway will close October 13 at Noon EST and a winner will be announced that evening.
