How to succeed

I have a friend that just cannot make a sound financial decision on his own. He is head over heels in debt and is in constant financial turmoil. He is often on the verge of having his electricity cut off for his small business and is always behind on his mortgage. He regularly asks me for advice. I have encouraged him to make a budget and abide by it. He agrees that is exactly what he needs to do, but does not do it. The same is true for my advice for his large collection of credit cards. I told him to quit using them and to cut them up into a million little pieces, he nods his head affirmatively, but he ignores that advice and has amassed $50,000 in credit card debt for which he pays the heavy interest rate price. I gave him several ideas concerning how to make his business more efficient, increase his revenue and profitability and he has not implemented one.

We talked yesterday and he sadly shook his head and told me that he did not think he would ever change. I wish I could just manage his business for him. He has an excellent product and there is good demand for it, but he is just not equipped logically to run a business. He trusts his own instincts and his instincts are not good when it comes to managing money. I too am convinced that the situation will not change and he will be on the brink of financial disaster for however long he remains in business, primarily because he does not possess the wherewithal to effectively manage a business and he will not listen to advice from those who do. Even if he did listen I doubt he has the discipline to act upon it and even offering up the most sage advice in the world would be useless unless he were to act upon it.

I fear that there are many people who manage their spiritual lives in just the same manner. They trust their own instincts and believe somehow that they will skate through life using their own wiles without it ending up in a mess or ruin. When they pass away they think God will look at them with a wink and a nod and tell them they were a good enough person to spend eternity in heaven and to just come on in. Nothing could be further from the truth and sadly just like my buddy they will not succeed utilizing such a strategy. I firmly believe that apart from God we cannot succeed. I have explained this to myriads of people, who just like my buddy nod their heads affirmatively agreeing in principle, but then they promptly ignore the advice and muddle on trying to make it through this difficult and dangerous world all alone.

The Bible plainly tells us what to do. Lean not on our own understanding but trust in God. Want to know what God is telling you to do? Read your Bible every day; pray; and go to church this Sunday. Want to succeed? Then follow God’s advice

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your
heart,
And lean not on your own
understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge
Him
And He shall direct your
paths.