By Ruthven R. Phillip

etting out of debt is one of life’s greatest financial achievements. If you’ve ever been in debt and have been set free- glory! But what about having debt that is not or was not because of you or your own making? For example, couples sometimes share debt or end up with joint tax debt obligations usually because one spouse may not have withheld enough taxes from his or her income. So, what to do when the debt is not your fault and your partner, your child, or a friend leaves you hanging? According to expert financial advisers, you could try filing bankruptcy or making a settlement offer to the creditor and hope they find grace and set you free. But of all the financial solutions the experts have ever offered, none seem to include the advice given by Elisha.

In 2 Kings 4:1-7 we find some of the strangest financial advice ever given to someone in debt on how to get out. Not only how to get out of debt but to have enough money to live on for the rest of your life! Let’s examine this get-out-of-debt strategy.

Own the Debt

This is a difficult task, whether the debt is yours personally or joint debt that you are now responsible for, but you have to move forward with solving the problem. I mean, it was you who stood up before God and all those people and said, for better or worse; for richer or poorer; was it not? Notice, the widow recognized that her husband was the originator of the debt but that she was now responsible for the thing and would suffer the consequences if left unpaid. Fair? No!

The Faith Issue

Financial advisers never really mention this in their debt consolidation, bankruptcy or settlement plan but without it—“yuh ain’t gettin’ outta debt!”. Too many people look at or measure the size of their debt; that’s why they cannot get out. You have failed even before you begin attempting to get out of debt.

I think the widow was measuring the size of her faith, by the size of her debt. She had filled but a few containers when she began asking for more, only to be informed by her sons that there were no more pots. By verse six, however, I would say she discovered she had more money than debt! Your inability to become debt free is inextricably linked to your faith!

Beyond Debt

When you speak to financial advisers about debt strategies, their plans usually focus on getting you out of debt, but not life beyond the event. In the story of the widow, God not only got her out of debt, but he blessed her with resources to live. Did you get that? If God cares about you and is providing for you, why would He just get you out of debt and not provide daily resources for you to live? In other words, is your God the type who can only do one thing at a time? I don’t want to digress, but can’t your God get you out of debt and provide a job at the same time?

Take Away

In the 2 Kings 4 we noticed that the widow was given a get-out-of-debt plan. If you’re going to get out of debt:

1. Create/find a get-out-of-debt plan.
2. Follow the plan. I don’t mean some of the plan; I mean all of the plan.
3. Sometimes, you need to swallow your pride and tell your kids you are in trouble and that you need their assistance, but God got our back! The widow wasn’t too ashamed to tell her kids they had a debt problem, or ask her two sons to assist her in executing the get-out-of-debt plan.
4. Don’t measure your faith by the size of your debt.
5. Worship and trust in the God who can do more than two things at once!

RUTHVEN R. PHILLIP, Esq., is a tax attorney, Stewardship and Philanthropy Ministry Advisor, and CEO of Give2Getrich, LLC.

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