Self-discipline is required whether your income is small or large. The challenge is to be able to live within your means. Ben started work with a salary of £23,000 and ending up ten years later with a salary of more than £50,000 a year, and a large bonus, yet his debts had increased during that time – not just his mortgage debt but on his credit card and an unsecured loan. “I think I have a problem,” he told me. “Last month I made £3,600 after tax, but spent £4,000.”
I looked at Ben’s records, and during one month he had spent hundreds of pounds on a car for his son, who had overturned the vehicle and only had third party insurance. In response, Ben had bought his son another car. As I looked back at records for the previous five or six months, I found similar spending patterns.
Ben had almost convinced me that he could control his spending without drastic measures until we walked into his garden and saw a Citroen classic car “I bought it because I thought it would be fun and might even appreciate in value,” he said. I had to gently correct him on the nature of his investment - because I could see that it was only rusting away and depreciating!
Freedom requires discipline
Ben and his wife eventually became financially free, but not without self-discipline. Proverbs 13:18 says, “If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honoured.”
Some people regard self-discipline as self-torture, but it works for our benefit. One family whose finances had got out of control agreed that they would cut up all their credit cards and restrict themselves to only £10 a month for personal spending. For a household that had been accustomed to no financial discipline, the exercise was painful to say the least. Their ‘torture’ was further exacerbated by an agreed list of items that could not be purchased at the supermarket, including chocolate bars and carbonated drinks. The new disciplines were painful, but after four months the new habits had become established and the monthly spending had been reduced by over £250. The couple looked back amazed at their previous indulgences and admitted that at the time they regarded much of that expenditure as being absolutely necessary.
Discipline yourself with regard to money, and you’ll find that it does not restrict your freedom. It allows you to expand to the full measure of what God wants you to have.
Symptoms of no discipline
It’s often common to live with a problem for so long that it’s accepted as normal. This is true in cases that involve a lack of self-discipline. Therefore, it’s important to do some self-evaluation from time to time. Some common symptoms associated with the lack of self-discipline are listed below.
Confusion—Do you wonder how much money is really in the bank? Does your ever-improving lifestyle make you uneasy? Do you usually forget when you last had your car serviced? Can you ever find the service guarantees on equipment you bought?
Indulgence—Without self-discipline, people buy luxuries they don’t need or can’t afford. For them, the total price of a purchase is usually irrelevant. It’s the monthly payment that counts.
Sloppiness—A person lacking self-discipline often lacks responsibility with material assets. He or she will often treat clothes, cars, and even houses as if they were disposable.
Lack of prayer and study—Christians who lack discipline may also lack spiritual maturity because they let others do their thinking. Their Christianity may be based on emotion rather than enlightenment.
As we began developing a budget, I found that Ben could have lived on two thirds of what he made and maintained the same standard of living. Much of his money had gone into things like new cars, a conservatory, other indulgences, and get-rich-quick schemes such as some shares that had plummeted in value.
Steps to improve self-discipline
Establish a balanced bank account. Keep a neat, itemised account of all direct debits, standing orders, cash machine withdrawals and payments made by a bank card – there are so many ways that monies can be deducted from your bank account. Make sure you also keep records of all deposits. No account is accurate unless it balances to the penny each month. “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds” (Proverbs 27:23).
Establish similar records for your credit cards and any store cards. Many people spend their time robbing Peter to pay Paul, using one credit card to settle the minimum payment on another. If you don’t settle your store cards at the end of every month you are giving more of your hard earned money to the card owners and they are making a lot of profit from your debt.
Establish a budget. Every Christian is required to be a steward of God’s resources. Planned spending enables us to be good stewards of what God has given us.
Establish a partnership. In God’s wisdom, the extremes of one spouse are often offset by the conservatism of the other. Therefore, it is vital for both spouses to establish financial goals together and create a scripturally based plan.
The results
The purpose of self-discipline is to provide peace. A mind cluttered by doubts and frustrations is in bondage. Only by knowing and applying God’s plan for self-discipline can a Christian be free and receptive to His direction. “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.” (Proverbs 10:22).