How to be Financially Fit and Obtain Financial Freedom by Wanda Fulton

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength.
Philippians 4: 12 – 13

At age 18, Kim was on top of the world. She was young, smart and enthusiastic. After graduating from high school with plans to go to college, her future looked bright. Little did Kim know that two years later she would become depressed, defeated and hopeless due to the bad decisions she made. She remembers it like it was just yesterday. It all started when she received her first credit card in the mail.   She felt important and empowered all at once. With a credit limit of $500, she finally could do what she wanted while building a good credit history to help her in the future. “This could ultimately change my life,” Kim thought. Surely she could handle it. After all, she was working and making a decent salary as a college student.

And she maintained control for a while, until the second credit card arrived. Imagine her surprise when she opened it and discovered that this card had a limit of $4500! Needless to say, Kim began to ball out of control. Everything she saw she wanted and whatever she saw she had to have. A Gucci purse with matching shoes, designer this and designer that. Of course, girls must keep their hair and nails tight and every now and then treat her girlfriends to a mani and pedi. She filled her life with things that temporarily made her feel good. She had it all or so she thought. When she came to her senses and realized what she had done, it was too late. Both cards were maxed out. The damage had been done. “How could I have let this happen?” she thought while she hung her head in despair.

Just like Kim, we’ve all made similar mistakes. Let’s face it, we live in a materialistic society where people feel entitled to buy things even when they can’t afford it. But we can’t fill the empty spaces of our lives with things. Self-worth, joy, peace and true fulfillment are gifts from God. So how can we be satisfied? The answer is found in one word “discipline”. Being disciplined in every area of our life is not easy, but it is required by God. If you want to experience prosperity and have success we must obey the word of God. (Joshua 1:8 New International Version (NIV) 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.)