Pro 17:18 A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend. [...] Pro 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

So I am going on 5 years of college, and during this time I have learned a thing or two about debt. I wish I learned these hard truths a few years earlier because then I would not have accumulated $140k in student loans! These two verses here from proverbs (and many others by the way!) tell us one very important thing about life: debt is stupid! Notice I didn’t say that debt was a sin. I don’t think that borrowing money is sinning, but the Bible is clear that it is unwise.

I learned this lesson the hard way by charging over $2000 to my very first credit card in my second year of school. Even when I was keeping my balance at zero each month, I noticed that when spending with the credit card I was ALWAYS over budget. Spending with a credit card doesn’t hurt like using cash does. The mental thought process includes idiotic phrases like, “If I can’t pay it this month I’ll just pay the minimum and float it.” or “I’ll charge it and worry about it later.” The answer to this is simple. If you have to pay using a credit card, you cannot afford it!

I believe the issue goes farther than just credit cards though. Car loans, house loans, “lines of credit”, student loans, and the like are all unwise and should be avoided at all costs. Remember that the borrower is servant to the lender. Choose to be free from debt so God can use you without being hindered by your foolishness.

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