The Alternative

Dr. Tony Evans: Every head of the household here should be doing something with grandchildren in mind.

Guest (Male): Dr. Tony Evans discusses what the Bible has to say about money management.

Dr. Tony Evans: If there is no savings and there is only spending, God says that is the financial activity of a fool.

Guest (Male): This is The Alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. To experience the security of God's blessings, we have to follow God's instructions. Let's join Dr. Evans as he talks about how to develop a biblical approach to money management.

Dr. Tony Evans: Of all the freedoms that we need, freedom from debt has to be near the top of the list. We are drowning in a sea of debt. 92% of every dollar that people in America make goes to satisfying debts. Debt has become the new addiction because instead of living for the future, we are paying for the past. Instead of passing on an inheritance to our children—and biblically it's supposed to be to our grandchildren—we're living in debt.

You are in debt, illegitimate debt—all debt is not illegitimate, we'll explain that—but illegitimate debt if you are unable to pay your bills on time. Or, you're in illegitimate debt if your assets are less than your liabilities. That is, whether what you have is of less value than what you owe. Then you're in debt, illegitimate debt.

The Bible says that it is abnormal for a Christian to live in debt. That is supposed to be abnormal; that's not normal. God said if you would follow Me, you shall be lenders and not borrowers. So if debt, illegitimate debt, is a way of life for you, then that means you and God are not on the same page. The scripture makes it clear in Proverbs 22:7 that the borrower is a slave to the lender. It is a form of slavery.

Illegitimate debt is due to one of a number of things. First of all, ignorance; you just don't know. Some of us were raised in situations where we just don't know. We don't know how to handle money, we don't know how to be responsible with money. Nobody has explained it. Another reason why debt rules is because we are in rebellion. We know it, but we don't want to do it. So that's a refusal.

Another reason we're in debt is simply greed. We have bought into materialism and greed rules. The TV told me I've got to have it, so I guess I've got to have it. Another reason for illegitimate debt is poor planning. We get it and we spend it, but it's not tied to a plan. So I want to explain three words, and the three words must be honored in order. The three words are simply: give, save, spend. Your getting out of debt or not getting into debt is tied to those three words. As simple as that: give, save, spend.

The first word, the hated word: give. The average Christian gives 2.5% of what God gives them back to God. 85% of Christians don't tithe; 40% of Christians give nothing. So let me explain giving, but not from the standpoint of giving, from the standpoint of God. See, here's what you have to understand. The way God has worked this thing is if He is dishonored, He is not that interested in your request to be blessed.

So what God did was God set up a system where it would be clear if you honored Him in this arena. Now, there are a lot of arenas where we honor God, but we're talking about the financial arena. He said the first tenth of what I give you is not yours. It is not yours. We know it as the tithe. The first tenth of what I give you is Mine; it's not yours.

So then, God set up a system, all the way in Genesis it says Abraham gave Melchizedek the first tenth of what God gave to him, and that began a system God set up called the tithe. He set it up and He said the first tenth of what I give you is not yours. When you take the tithe and you use it for reasons other than what it was given, which was to be given to God, God says you stole from Me.

So the first thing is to give. It is the first thing. If that is not the first thing, if you wait to see whether you can make it as the last thing, you have insulted Him. He is first if you're a Christian. We're talking to Christians now.

The second word: save. 35% of Americans have absolutely no savings. Savings is the opposite of debt because savings is future-oriented; debt is past-oriented. Savings is putting something away for tomorrow. Debt is paying for yesterday. If you're living on debt, you're living in the past because you're paying for something you did yesterday.

The culture has been set up to keep you living in yesterday because they're set up to make debt convenient. You know, sending you credit cards you didn't ask for, lifting your limit when you didn't request it to be lifted. Proverbs chapter 21, verse 20 says save before you spend. If there is no savings and there is only spending, God says that is the financial activity of a fool.

Joseph, the Bible says, set aside in the good years so that when the bad years came, his family and even the nation had something to eat. Tithing and savings should be automatic. No questions asked. And even if you have to start out with $5 a pay period, start. It's savings so that you can build for the future, and every head of the household here should be doing something with grandchildren in mind.

You say, "But I don't make that much." You've got to start somewhere. Okay, so give; God's got to be first if you want Him involved in debt reduction and debt cancellation. Save; start somewhere. And now it's time to spend. Well, guess what the Bible says. When it's time to spend, and you want God to get involved in the spending—which He's interested in doing because you've now honored Him—He says offer God a plan, what we call a budget.

A budget is simply a spending plan. Proverbs 16:3 says God wants to bless a plan. Proverbs 21:5 says plans of the diligent lead to advantage, but the one who refuses to plan leads to poverty. I am amazed at the amount of families that have no family budget. All a family budget is is a plan for our spending. That's all it is.

Heads of households, particularly men—but I know there are a lot of single-parent families, so ladies, if that falls upon you—your job is to oversee the development and the administration of a family budget. Now, I don't mean you have to be the bookkeeper; your wife may be the best person to keep up with the details. That's not what I'm talking about. There ought to be a monthly meeting occurring in your home where you are reviewing and praying over the plan.

But if there is no plan, there's nothing to ask God to help with. Where is the plan? Where is the written plan? If you've got a vision for your spending, the Bible says write it down. What is the plan? What are you asking Me to bless? I don't see anything. What's the plan? He doesn't want to do this apart from you; He wants to do this with you. There must be a plan.

Proverbs 27 verses 23 and 24, it says that you and I are to monitor our resources. That's part of being a man. Part of being a man and the head of a household is to say, "Family, this is the plan. This is what we're overseeing. This is what we're asking God to deal with. Time for the meeting to review how the plan went this month." That's the job of a man. A man is responsible under God for the progress of his family in every area, especially this one.

You start with your needs, not your wants or your desires. You start with your needs because that's what God promised to meet. Philippians 4:19: "I will meet all your need according to my riches." You start with your needs. First Timothy 6:8 says your needs are food, clothes, and shelter. And with—here it is, I know you won't like this, but here it is—and with those things be content.

He's not saying don't have a want or don't have a desire. He means stop grumbling if your needs are met. If most of your talk is complaining rather than giving thanks and your needs are met, God wants you to know you are out of order. If the essentials of life are being met, you should wake up in the morning and get your praise up. "Lord, I want to bless You. I won't go hungry today. I want to bless You. It's not raining on me today, and there's air conditioning and heat in the house." Because there are a lot of folk who don't have that.

Once needs are met, you can move to wants. Now, what are wants? Want is a higher level of need. In other words, I need a car because I have a job; I need a car. You may want an Escalade. You need a place to stay. You want a five-bedroom, $350,000 house. That's what you want. You don't need that; you want that.

Now, don't get me wrong. It's nothing wrong with wanting that when you can pay for it. But what I am saying is don't confuse needs with wants. Want is a higher level of needs. Okay, you want custom-made; you need clothes. And if all you can afford is off-the-rack, off-the-rack is okay if you're not naked. Nothing wrong with getting them tailored-made to you if you can pay for it. But don't call that a need; that's a want.

You want steak and potatoes; you need to eat, even if it's pork and beans. Your body needs to eat. Desires are things outside of needs and wants that you purchase with surplus funds because remember, you've been saving.

Guest (Male): In just a moment, Dr. Evans will share some practical insight on how to begin breaking free from financial pressure as he continues this message from his series "Free at Last". This collection shows how God's power at work within you can overcome both the pain of your past and the challenges you're facing right now. From fear and anxiety to discouragement and debt, these 12 full-length lessons cover a wide range of real-life struggles and include important material we haven't had time to present on the air.

When you make a contribution to support this ministry, we'll send you the complete "Free at Last" series as our thank you gift. And for a limited time, we'll also include Tony's companion book, also titled "Free at Last", which explores these principles more deeply and helps you apply them to your everyday life. Visit tonyevans.org for details or call our Resource Center at 1-800-800-3222. That's 1-800-800-3222. Tony will return with more of today's lesson right after this.

On the Unbound podcast with Dr. Tony Evans, guests share honest wisdom for navigating doubt and pressure in their faith.

Guest (Female): The Bible feels foreign to us, even though it's not, because we don't understand it.

Guest (Male): Through their real stories, they offer clarity, courage, and truth that meets you where you are.

Dr. Tony Evans: The word of God was designed to be relevant.

Guest (Male): Even when understanding takes time.

Guest (Female): Questions are always welcome.

Guest (Male): Unbound with Dr. Tony Evans. Listen now. You can find the Unbound podcast on all of the major podcast platforms. Let's get back to Dr. Evans now as he continues today's lesson on "Freedom from Debt".

Dr. Tony Evans: Well, you've got to begin getting rid of debt, and the way you do that—because God is now on your side because you're now in order, there's the tithe, there's the savings, you're now structured under God. He's taken ownership of even the now-the-90% you have left. He says, "Okay, I will take ownership of your 90% because you're now in biblical order. You're doing things My way, so now I can get involved with you." Then it's very simple.

You take your smallest bill and you begin working on paying off your smallest bill. And when you pay off your smallest bill, you take the money you were paying on the smallest bill plus the money you're now no longer paying on that bill, and you put them together to pay on the next bill. And you just go and you chop it out as you watch God work with you to get rid of illegitimate debt.

And if you have to, if you absolutely have to: sell your desires, adjust your wants, meet your needs, and get rid of your debt. Okay, if you have to: sell your desires. Okay, a boat is not a need or want; a boat is a desire. Not wrong with a boat, but if you can't pay your bills, sell your desires. Then adjust your wants so that you can meet your needs and then begin to reduce your debts.

Hebrews 13:5 says: "Watch out for the love of money." It says: "Be content where you are." That is a life of gratitude for needs being met. And then God says in Hebrews 13:5: "And I will never leave you nor forsake you." If you get your stuff straight and be content with needs, I'm going to be with you as you work through this process of no longer living as a slave.

And a good part about this is when you get your stuff together, when your stuff is together and you've graduated from needs to wants and now you're enjoying desires, you never have to feel guilty, and you never have to feel bad, and you never have to apologize for what you have because you got it God's way. So now it's not false guilt if you become a millionaire, or a billionaire, or whatever, however God blesses you. Nobody can ever be a hater and it mean anything.

"Oh, you think you're something because you've got something." No, I just have my biblical priorities in order and God gave me something. So you never have to apologize for your success. Why? Because your success was in line. You didn't have to cheat to do it, you didn't have to steal to do it, you didn't have to rip off people to do it. Why? Because you were in line with God and God made you a lender and not a borrower.

In Second Kings 4, here we go, we've got a lady in debt. She in big-time debt. Her husband has died and they're getting ready to take her kids to debtors' prison. So in Old Testament, they didn't play with debt; you could go to jail for being in debt. A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophet cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead and you know that your servant feared the Lord and the creditors have come to take my two children to be his slaves." Because remember, the borrower is slave to the lender.

So they're coming to take her kids away and she has no solution to this problem. She has no provider, she's a single parent. She's got two sons. The creditors are knocking at the door and the creditors can care less that her husband is dead. Creditors don't care you're single. They don't care about that; they care about getting their money. They'll send you to a collection agency, and that collection agency is wearing you out. And so this lady says, "I can't pay my bills." But notice where she goes. She goes to the prophet.

Why does she go to the prophet? Because she needs divine help. Because there's no bank that's going to loan her money; she has nothing to collateralize. So she is in a desperate situation. She goes to the prophet. The prophet says in verse two, "What's in your house?" She says, "There is nothing in my house except a jar of oil." That's all I got in my house: oil. What are you going to do with oil?

The prophet says, "I tell you what let's do. Go to your neighbors and ask your neighbors to give you every empty pot they have in their house. Just go to your neighbors and get all the emptiness that they have to spare. And then pour your oil into their pots." That's what he tells her to do. Wait a minute, I came to you because my money is funny and you're talking about go to the neighbors and get empty pots? Just go to the neighbors and get empty pots.

He says, "And when you go get empty pots, you and your sons go inside the house and close the door because I don't want nobody to see this. This is private for you. Pour your oil into the empty pots that you borrowed from your neighbor." So she goes into her room and starts pouring oil into empty pots. The miracle is the oil doesn't run out. The oil just keeps on coming.

See, what the devil does is shrink what God gives you. What God does is expand what He gives you. All she had was a little oil. But it says God would not let the oil run out until the pots ran out. When she said to her son, "Go get me another pot," her son said, "There are no more." It says the oil stopped.

When she was no longer able to put any of it anywhere because, I'm going to tell you what God won't do: He won't waste what He gives you. He isn't going to do that now. So when the pots ran out, the oil ran out. Then he told her, "Now go sell the oil to the people you borrowed the pots from because those ladies need something to cook with."

She had so much oil in the pots she got that when she sold the oil and gave the people back the pots, the prophet says in verse seven, there was enough for the woman and the two sons to live on. That means they had retirement. They could live on it. There was that much profit. Now, what did the prophet do? Come on, help me now, what did the prophet do? You know what the prophet did? All he did was give her an idea to use something that was already there that she never noticed.

Do you know how many ideas God has? I don't know how He's going to bring somebody in your life, bring some thought to your mind, bring some concept—I don't know how He's going to do it. But if you get a spiritual perspective—that's why she went to Elisha—on your money that's funny, God has a way of canceling out debts and turning your situation around. But you'll never discover it until you do it spiritually. It'll only be a thought and a concept as you continue to live your life with a bag full of holes.

One man went into a department store one day and he took the tags off of the expensive couture clothes and put them on the cheap bargain basement clothes. He took the tabs off the cheap bargain basement clothes and put those price tags on the expensive clothes. So people bought the expensive clothes cheaply and they paid a lot of money for the inexpensive clothes because somebody came in and switched the tags.

I hope you understand the devil has switched the tags on us. And he's turned desires into wants, and wants into needs, and needs into desires. He's switched all those tags. And so the most important things we're not treating as important because the devil has switched the tags on us. And we are miserable, we're fighting in our families, we don't have money left over to help people, we can't lend to nobody because we're borrowing ourselves because he's switched those tags.

And it's time to say: "Devil, you can't have my money no longer. I'm going to be free at last, free at last." God is going to deliver me because I'm going to do this God's way from illegitimate debt so I'm free to become what I was created and redeemed to be financially. Don't let him switch tags on you just because the TV says you've got to have it, you need it. God says: "Is that a need or did they just switch tags and call a want a need?" It's time to be set free so that you can reach your wants and your desires and not have to let your grandchildren pay for.

Guest (Male): Dr. Tony Evans with insight and encouragement today on finding freedom from debt. There's more to today's message than we were able to bring you on the air, but full-length copies are available. Just ask about the message titled "Freedom from Debt" or better yet, request Tony's complete "Free at Last" series, a 12-message collection designed to help you break out of the areas where the enemy tries to keep you trapped.

As I mentioned earlier, when you make a contribution to support the ministry, we'll send you the full series along with Tony's companion book, "Free at Last", which reinforces these truths and helps you live them out. Visit tonyevans.org today to get all the details. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or call our 24-hour Resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members assist you. That number again is 1-800-800-3222.

There's a lot to be afraid of in our world today, and when we pay more attention to those fears than to God, we can be tempted to stop trusting and stop believing. But tomorrow, Dr. Evans explains how the Lord can use our fears to build our faith. Be sure to join us for that.