money, possessions and eternity!!

I have this book in my house


"Money, possessions and eternity," by Randy Alcorn


that my husband has been reading for months (it is thick, and he is thorough)


and two close and trusted friends have referred to this book serveral times when we talk about money...


but until today I have not looked at it.


Well... I just skimmed a few sections, and WOW! I am scared to read anymore.  Honest. This is a kick you in the but, hit you over the head with God's Word, stir your inner self, need to spend months reading kind of book.


One of those trusted friends suggested I look at it in light of my current "CHALLENGE", and so tonight I did. There is definately tonnes in this book that applies to me (my head is spinning), but what I wanted to share are a few points from the appendix D- Practical Guidelines to Control Spending.  If you have this book, read it in full- if you don't have this book -Get it!!! Or just read my abbreviated version below...


"For many people, spending money is an addictive behavior similar to alcoholism or gambling. With compulsive spending, the true enemy lies within. We need to replace our preoccupation with short-term gratification and make our spending decisions from a long-term perspective. We must replace our self-indulgence with self- control."

He then goes on to give 10 guidelines to help with exercising self-control in the area of spending. I will just outline the ones that impacted me.

"1. Realize that nothing is a good deal if you can not afford it! Paying $80 for a pair of barely used skis that  cost $400 new seems like a great deal. But if we can't afford them, it simply doesn't matter.

3. Understand the difference between spending money and saving money. Saving is setting aside money for a future purpose. If we buy an $80 sweater on sale for $30, and think we just saved $50, we simply don't understand the concept of saving. Where is the $50 we think we saved? It doesn't exist All we've done is spend $30. If we keep "saving" like that, we'll soon be broke!

8. Learn to walk away from things you want but don't need.

9. Realize that little things add up. Like water from a leaky faucet, money trickles through our hands. The little drips don't seem like much, but they add up to gallons. One dollar here and ten dollars there; a hamburger here and a mocha there... These things may seem inconsequential, but they add up to hundreds of dollars per month and thousands per year. If a swimming pool if full of leaks, you can pump in more water, but it will never be enough until the leaks are fixed. We can take in more and more income, but until we fix the little leaks in our spending habits, we'll never be able to divert the flow of money. "

I entered this challenge without really thinking. I knew it would be hard, but I never imagined the change that would come from it. I am convicted. I have always thought of myself in a certain way, and I feel like layers of that perception are being peeled off and I am seeing things as they really are. The Lord is revealing things in me that I do not necessarily like, but that I am going to be striving to change. Interesting.