RECOVERY ROAD Part 5: The Debt Spending Crisis

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. For decades, America has operated on borrowed money, paying for the past rather than planning for the future. Who do you personally know that is currently suffering the consequences of this national fiscal irresponsibility? Are you?

2. Does the idea of not borrowing money to purchase an expensive item such as a car sound absurd or unreasonable? Why?

3. In the message, Andy defines credit as reaching into your future, grabbing cash, pulling it into the present, and spending it. In what ways does that definition challenge you to change your financial behavior?

4. Read Matthew 6:24. How does your current financial situation affect your relationship with God? Contemporary English Version (CEV) You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

5. Read Proverbs 22:7. Do you feel enslaved to any lenders? If so, what freedoms have you lost because of your financial obligations? Contemporary English Version (CEV)The poor are ruled by the rich, and those who borrow are slaves of moneylenders.

6. In the message, Andy talks about prioritizing giving and saving your earnings above spending them. How might that approach change money’s influence on your life?

MOVING FORWARD

Are you currently saddled with debt? If the shortest path to financial strength is generally the best path to take, what first step can you take this week to begin eliminating your debt?

If you’re not sure how to bring order to your finances, we recommend that you view Balanced (available at store.northpoint.org). In this six-part series, Andy Stanley outlines a practical, biblical approach to achieving financial freedom and contentment.

CHANGING YOUR MIND

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.
Proverbs 22:7