Keion Henderson - 10 Commandments to Debt Free Living (1-5)

Put your hands together and praise them in this place. You may be seated. So, today we’re going to talk about the Ten Commandments of debt-free living. If I get through the first five and we have more time, then next week we’ll come back and do the next five. I don’t want to inundate you with too much, but just by a show of hands, how many of you have really been getting something out of this debt-free discussion? Okay, has it been different than what you’ve heard in the past? For some, it may just be a reiteration of what you already know, and at the end of the day, it serves as a refresher. How many of you know that sometimes in life, we can develop bad habits? And when we get into bad habits, we need someone to come and say, «Okay, you know better than that. Shake out of that mindset; your future is at stake.» We want to ensure that we address this.

I found that making more money is not as effective as managing the money you already have. I know a lot of people who think they need a raise at work, but a better prayer would be, «Lord, help me be faithful over what you’ve given me.» Because if the Lord gives you $1,000 and your habits don’t change, what you will end up with is a more expensive problem. Let me tell you, it’s more difficult when you make a certain amount of money. I was listening to the radio the other day; there’s a county in America, and I won’t say which one, due to polarization, but approximately forty-five percent of the people who work in that county qualify for government assistance. If you develop a mindset of lack due to insufficient resources, getting too much too fast can be a shock. If you don’t change your habits, then yes, like they say, seventy-five percent of lottery winners end up in worse financial shape than they were in before winning. You have to change your habits before you change your finances. I’m focusing on your habits today, because if you change your habits, God will change your finances. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the cattle on a thousand hills belong to God. So, the money belongs to Him, but the habits are yours, and you must take care of what you can control, and God will take care of the rest for you.

In the United States, personal debt is the number one contributor to divorce-not infidelity, not being unpleasant, nor even being physically unattractive. Are you all alright? This might be hard to hear. I’m talking about being unpleasant on the inside, you know what I’m saying, and why I love you. Thank you for understanding me when I can’t understand myself. Raising kids with someone who already has kids can complicate things. You may think your spouse 's kids need discipline, while your spouse thinks they need a timeout. A lot of people get divorced over those issues. It 's like, «I’m married to you, and I can pay your bills, but I can’t discipline your child.» That’s where we part ways. You mean to tell me I can touch you but not them? We’re not going to do that! Amen?

The number one contributing factor to divorce is personal debt. That 's why the first question I asked my wife when I met her was, «Baby girl, you look good; do you pay your bills on time?» The reason some of you look at that in disbelief is that you need to ask that question much earlier! Does it determine how much you pay for the engagement ring? Because I’d rather pay for her to be out of debt than put a half-a-million-dollar ring on her finger while she still has bills she can’t pay. When I do marriage counseling, after getting through the essential topics, I ask, «What kind of wedding do you want?» Because I don’t want you spending more on the wedding than on your marriage! I am not in favor of taking out a second mortgage on your house. Parents, I’m not here to help you; if you’re an adult getting married, don’t put your parents in a position where they draw from their 401(k) just so you can have a $15,000 dress covered in mirrors that might last six weeks. You 're going to walk down the aisle with a tiara on, looking like Princess Yo-Yo, but then sit around in the wind and it’ll all be over in six weeks.