Matthew 18:21-35 (NLT): Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someonewho sins against me? Seven times?”  “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him.  In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.[ He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.  “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’  Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.  “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.“His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded.  But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Many Americans are hurting due to the economic downturn in our economy. The blame can be given to the person who owns the debt or the persons who loaned them the money. No matter what, it is a matter of choice. At the end of the day, the debtor wants his money back. I have found solutions in scripture to avoid debt, particularly bankruptcy.

1)      Ask for forgives and mercy. This may sound strange but God wants to you to ask him for forgiveness for getting into this situation. As I said before it is a matter of choice; sometimes we do not choose the correct choice. The other piece is to ask for mercy from the creditor. Once you ask God, God will turn the creditor heart from destroying your name or your credit. Call the creditors and tell them you have trouble in paying your debt and you need time.

2)      Ask God for a plan. In Habakkuk 2:2 where are to write the plan to get out of debt so we can execute. God is interested in giving you answers as he has given you his Holy Spirit to profit you as stated in John 16:13.

3)      Execute the plan as in Habakkuk 2:3. The vision will come to past but you have to work it.

4)      Continue to pray. John 14:13 says continue to ask to get out of debt. He will give you what you ask if you are sincere.

You do have to go into bankruptcy. Just follow God’s plan.