Although it may be necessary to occasionally take on debt, it is not a good habit. The Bible talks about problems associated with accumulating too much debt. Solomon said in Proverbs 22:7, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”

Debt, if we allow it, can rule our lives. There are people in our country that work hours of overtime to pay for their oversized homes, fancy new cars, and dream vacations. As a result, no time is left for family, friends, and, most importantly, God.

Please do not misunderstand my point. There is nothing wrong with buying a home, a new car, and taking a nice vacation. I hope to do all of these things at some point in my life, most of us do. The problem is, too many people, Christians included, are forced to give all of their servitude to their lenders because of the poor financial decisions they have made. Solomon’s words of wisdom, “the borrower is servant to the lender,” must be considered before we begin indiscriminately swiping plastic to meet our hearts’ desires.

Consider Paul’s words in Romans 13:7-8: “Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

Christians have the responsibility to pay what they owe. Whether it is paying taxes to our country or paying respect to our nation’s leader, Christians must not hold back what is owed to another. Christians should avoid bankruptcy at all cost. What this means, of course, is that we must act responsibly when it comes to what we buy. We are ambassadors for Christ, and as such we must do our best to prove that we are trustworthy and honorable.

The desire to appear affluent has contributed to the debt troubles of countless individuals. Sadly, this longing to radiate a wealthy aura pervades our society. In truth, these people are slaves to their “wealthy” behavior. Solomon addressed this issue when he made the following statements: Prov. 13:7 “One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.” and Prov 21:17 “Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.”

Christians need to avoid this want to appear rich. It shows an overemphasis on the temporal and a lack of concern for the eternal. Paul tells us that the love of money is the root of all evil. Greed often enslaves people to their debts and alleviates their sense of spiritual obligation. It is sad when we feel compelled to place our material duties above our spiritual duties. Do not let debt put you in that position.

For most of us, debt is not incurred when we purchase the “needs,” but the “wants” of life. Giving up a few wants is a small price to pay to help ensure undivided devotion to the Lord. Would you not agree? We need to live within our means, and discard the absurd ambition to appear rich and famous. Not only does it leave us in spiritual poverty, it often results in physical privation. Proverbs states, “Better to be lowly and have a servant than to play the great man and lack bread” (Prov. 12:9).

The devil works in various ways to distract us from our spiritual service. Those who enslave themselves to their monthly bills grant the devil success in his mission to cark God’s people with worldly diversions. It is impossible for us to be a living sacrifice to God when we are working ourselves to death to pay off outrageous debts (Rom 12:1). It is a problem when we spend more time concerned about paying off our debt than we spend paying homage to God.

Here is the point: Master your debt or your debt will master you. I like what Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D. wrote in his book The Millionaire Mind, “I taught my sons and daughters that money is not their God. You control it…not let it control you.” We cannot afford to become slaves to debt, because we owe our service to God. We are slaves of righteousness (Rom 6:18), and “No one can serve two masters” (Matt 6:24). If you let debt become your master, it could cost you eternal life. That is a debt you can never repay.