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How I Got Out of Credit Card Debt — 19 Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing William. Before reading your story, i was going to call my Pastor to ask him should Christians sign up for bankruptcy. Your story encourage me and answers my question.

    (13)
  2. William, the stories of your financial life are nothing but remarkable. One has to credit God for most if not all of the ups and downs. Your faith is unshakeable. I can not compare another's life with yours, but somewhere there is trust involved. Certainly much more than happenstance. Thank you William for the jaw dropping experiences.
    Friend Paul.

    (9)
  3. Very inspiring. I, too, struggle with credit card debt. After this week's lesson I know that I must change my ways with God's help.

    (8)
  4. I loved hearing your miracle story on getting out of debt. God has blessed me so much in this regard. About 20 years ago after a rough divorce I thought I would never have good credit again and be debt free. Well our God does not want us to be in debt. After constantly paying off and not making more debt my credit is great and debt free. I give Him all praises!

    (14)
  5. How wonderful that God led you into employment that provided needed income, and that a friend blessed you with money you needed. But surely there was more involved in climbing out of that hole you dug. If you had continued in the same attitude and habits all that income and all that blessing would have been used up and you would been in the same situation. You share a couple of things that happened. You are no longer embarrassed to say that you don't have sufficient funds to do or buy something, you have cut back to one credit card, and you pay off purchases immediately. Are there other changes that you made in order to eliminate that debt?

    (11)
  6. Besides Sabbath-keeping tithe-paying people around the world who live on a good income, you can also see devoted SDAs who are struggling to survive in poverty. God loves the poor, even those who die in abject poverty, and He has never promised to exchange our love to Him for financial benefits. Heaven is our reward.

    (11)
  7. Multiple credit cards seem like a great idea until you realise that in the end you can only spend what you have. Credit is an invitation to debt if it is unmanaged. My wife and I have a credit card each on the same account and it is used as our main method of payment. We always clear our account at the end of each month and before the interest charges kick in. Expensive items are never bought on impulse but are only purchased when we have the money to pay for them.

    We take out appropriate insurance to minimize the risk of getting an unexpected cost like from an accident. Let me tell you a litte experience. Last year while visiting another state we had a car accident. A student backed out of a parking spot into the side of our car and did about $4000 worth of damage. She was at fault. In the aftermath of the accident she admitted that she was uninsured and was hoping that my insurance would cover the damage. Well, my insurance company did but they sent the $4000 bill to her and she has to pay it. The student was young and inexperienced and had not really thought about the situation. She could have purchased third-party property insurance if she did not think her car was worth insuring and that would have reduced her debt considerably.

    I mention this experience because the possibility of finding yourself culpable and having to pay a large unexpected bill is very real. Good stewardship suggests that we minimize that risk where possible.

    (15)
  8. Thank you for sharing your experience, I am moved because I thought I am the only one. You left me speechless. I pray that God can help me to live the life of a Christian. I am truly humbled.

    (5)
  9. With a family of seven, making ends meet can be a monumental task. God is the one who is ultimately in control even if some think they are the ones in control and responsible. I taught the Lesson this Sabbath and used two types of debt. Debt that is Intentional, and Unintentional. We have to deal with those options on a daily basis. So our choices need Holy Spirit guidance.

    (6)
  10. Amazing testimony there William. In your experience I have learnt a great lesson. After studying last weeks lesson and reading through your part 1 experience, I made a decision, sold my car, paid off my debts which were affecting me pretty badly. Now I use public transport but am happy and free. I am now free to pay my tithe and offerings without feeling the burden of debt which can be very heavy.

    I thank God for your experience which I can say has been a lesson of liberation for me.

    God bless you and God bless the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

    (20)
  11. Been ever so inspired by these testimonies. Was watching a tv show. Host said if you have credit cards go get a scissors and bring them, I\'ll wait for you. I thought I was mad, but decided I had to get out of debt. I cut the cards, used public transport, cut my grocery bill. Still struggle with giving up cable or not because I cannot get 3ABN without cable. Still tempted sorely to buy the not needed, but God has blessed tremendously and this lesson and all of your comments have been a great help to me. Thank you for the practicality of Sabbath School net.

    (7)
  12. For those that pay off their credit cards at the end of the month, that is a wise decision, provided you have the funds to do this. I have a friend that does this and also loves to travel. Air fairs are costly but air miles help at times. This friend also has other opportunities from businesses to supplement ones income. So you see one size does not fit all.

    (2)
  13. What a testimony! It is inspiring and gives hope to millions who are in debt including myself that God is able to do great things in our lives, I am praying for and expecting a miracle from God to be debt-free so I can do much more to build up His kingdom with the treasures He gives to us.

    (1)
    • Yes, God is able to perform miracles, but most of the time it's the law of cause and effect that rules. His promise is not to give us whatever we want or need, but to be with us no matter what. We need to stop thinking of God as a giant Santa Claus and instead see Him as a healer of our hearts.

      (3)
  14. William Earnhardt, I have a neighbor that is a caring person. I have been praying for him and his wife for some time now, that I might find a way to spark a need to know God and the blessings that are given us. I copied the stories of how you got out of debt and gave a copy to my neighbor. Confident that it will be interesting as well as insightful. My neighbor is the leader of an organization that is involved with businesses that look for needed guidance. When I read your story of getting out of debt, I thought maybe this a way to include God in my neighbors life. We will see what the future holds. God willing.

    (4)
  15. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. My husband and I both though not coming from christian backgrounds, learnt in church the importance of returning our tythes and offerings to the Lord. Unfortunately it's taken us much longer to learn to manage our income wisely and still learning. Some years ago we slowly got into a $20,000 credit card debt very much for the same reasons as you did. We were very stupid and foolish. At that time our children were still young and in school. We were in deep trouble with no way out , so it seemed to us anyway. But God is so mercyfull and kind even when we don't deserve it. Before we even knew it, He had a way of escape for us already planned. You see, we hadn't done our tax returns yet. So after they were done , along with some other money that was due to us, that we didn't even know about , we received all up a total of $20,000 . We were so amazed and thankful to God who is so good even when we make stupid mistakes. Of course we paid off that debt straight away and learnt a very valuable lesson in managing well. But most importantly God's amazing grace, amen. Praise God.

    (7)
  16. God is good his mercy endures forever..when you think the night is too long its the time the day is dawning when you think that God is so far away its when you feel the touch of his hands and he whispers fear thou not...

    (2)

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