The Bible talks about money more than just about any other subject. Since that’s the case, don’t you think we, as the body of Christ, Spirit filled believers, should be paying attention and take heed to the Word? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. So with that in mind, what do you say we start off with a banger of a Bible verse? One that really hits you in the gut and takes your breath away—especially in light of the approaching economic collapse which is coming at us faster than a politician changes his mind! Proverbs 22:7 says:
“The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.” (NKJV)
Hey, don’t shoot the messenger! I’m just stating fact…biblical fact. I think most of us don’t want to admit that we as Americans have lived beyond our means for decades now. My generation—Generation “X”—were the true pioneers of the “I want it now” mentality. After all, Dire Straits said it best in his ‘Money For Nothing’ hit: “I Want My MTV”.
And get it we did; and every piece of garbage message that came with it. We were the “I want it, and I want it now” generation. We were the targets of the Marketing executives. We just couldn’t get or have enough “stuff”. We took maxing out credit cards to the next level. “What? 0% introductory APR? Sign-me up!” We perfected the “why pay now when I can pay later” attitude. Now, in all fairness, this consumer crazy mentality didn’t start with Gen “X”ers. No siree! We just took it to a whole other level.
After World War II, affluence exploded in the USA. The marketing industry took off faster than a funny car dragster off the line. Spending boomed! There was more money being made and products to buy than we ever knew existed. Production exploded. Manufacturing boomed. The consumption of material goods became almost like an addiction. Actually, it did become an addiction. And this “new” found addiction to accumulate goods we didn’t need became so prevalent in our society that “compounds” had to be built as an overflow to keep the “older” stuff as a means to make way for the “newer” more “improved” stuff that the everyday American “couldn’t do without”. We call them storage units. It became (and still is) a multi-billion dollar industry. American culture turned consumerism into a competition with their fellow neighbors, family member, co-workers. Always trying to outdo each other. After all, the prevalent mentality has been—whether we like to admit it or not—that he who dies with the most “toys” wins. Sad.
Yes folks, Americans are purchasing addicts! We are worse than a hungry swarm of locust. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at peoples behavior on Black Friday. They fight—literally—to purchase something they don’t need just for the sake of a “bargain”. And where has all of this illicit spending gotten us? In massive debt!
There was a point in time when Americans had much less in terms of everyday comforts and “things”, yet we were more happy. I’m not saying it was all fun and games, but by and large, we had less and didn’t seem to care about. It didn’t bother us. I contend it’s because our priorities were in order…mostly. There’s a scene in the movie “Holiday Inn” with Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Marjorie Reynolds that pretty much sums up my sentiment. Jim Hardy, played by Bing Crosby is talking to Ms. Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds) and a conversation about work ensues. Jim Hardy says “I have my own ideas about living”, to which Linda Mason replies and says “My father was like you. Just a man with a family. Never amounted to much. Didn’t care. But as long as he was alive, we always had plenty to eat and clothes to keep us warm.” Jim Hardy asks her if she was happy, to which she replies “Yes!”. And I love Jim Hardy’s response. This is what he said: “Then I’d say your father was a very successful man. Hope I can do as well!” That’s it! We’ve gotten away from that mentality.
Unfortunately, satan has been able to make society dissatisfied with what they have. A roof over ones head, clothes on our backs, food on the table, a warm bed to sleep in, family, etc, no longer were things to aspire to. Single car homes quickly turned in to two-car garage homes. Then three. An endless cycle of more and more. An average sized, 1200 sq. ft. home wasn’t quite enough, so we moved into massive 3500-5000 sq. ft. homes. Houses now have rooms that rarely get used. The average family only utilizes a very small portion of these large homes. That’s if they spend any time together at all.
The 5 words seen in the above image that say “Until debt tear us apart” is happening right before our very eyes. Credit card debt is at an all time high. Default on credit card payments are at an all time high as well. Mortgages. Auto loans. Student loans. Loans to pay loans. It’s a never ending, vicious cycle. Banks own Americans! And, China owns America. What does that tell us?
Well, a few things.
We’ve walked away from the only One that brings true contentment in life. Jesus Christ!
We’ve become a bunch of self-centered, “me first”, gotta-have-it-now, never-satisfied consumers. We see. We want. We get…no matter the cost.
We’ve bought into the lie—straight from the pit of hell—that the more things we buy, the happier we’ll be. Yet we’re unhappier today than we’ve ever been, and we somehow own more “things” than we ever have before.
Despite the problem most individuals and families find themselves in financially, the spending continues…and so does the debt. And, so does the discontentment.
‘Living like the Jones’ has taken on a whole new meaning. Social media has metastasized the “disease” of consumerism. The “influencer” mentality has done more harm to the old adage of “a penny saved is a penny earned” than ever before. Youth and adults alike are mesmerized by “lifestyles”.
Idolatry is very much alive and thriving. We’ve “spent” ourselves into a coming economic crises. Both the government and individuals alike. In my last post I mentioned the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28. What I find interesting, and sad, is that one of the curses found in verse 44 says:
He (the alien) shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.” (NKJV)
Sounds a lot like borrowing and never being able to pay it back. Always behind the proverbial 8 ball. Always scraping the bottom of the barrel in order to get by. Living paycheck to paycheck. It’s a sad reality that we live in. Yet one that most churches, most pulpits in America are not addressing. After all, the American church, by and large, has also bought into this mentality. As long as church looks cool, that’s all that matters—no matter the cost…literally. We have more church buildings (and big ones at that) in America than ever before. Yet we are spiritually void like never before.
So the question I pose to you today is what needs to be done? How do we prepare for this coming economic Tsunami? Some might say: “Well, I can’t afford to save”. Others might be so addicted to their lifestyle that they refuse to downsize. What then?
In an effort to not take away from the great discussion (practically speaking) that Britt and I had, I want to encourage you to watch the podcast and listen to some of the practical ways that we can be prepared.
But, before I go, let me make sure I give you the number on way…
Make sure you have made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior & your house is in order!
I hope and pray that you will be blessed by our discussion. That the Spirit of the living God would encourage you and challenge you both at the same time. The time for action is now. We are living on borrowed time.
😁Have A Nice Day!👍🏻
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Bye Bye Economy! Now What?