The three-step process of debt elimination is actually found on one page of Ellen G. White’s writings. Emphasis has been added to highlight the points.

 “Be determined never to incur another debt. Deny yourself a thousand things rather than run in debt. This has been the curse of your life, getting into debt. Avoid it as you would the smallpox.

 Make a solemn covenant with God that by His blessing you will pay your debts and then owe no man anything if you live on porridge and bread.... Do not falter, be discouraged, or turn back. Deny your taste, deny the indulgence of appetite, save your pence and pay your debts.

 Work them off as fast as possible. When you can stand forth a free man again, owing no man anything, you will have achieved a great victory.” — Counsels on Stewardship,p. 257.

 If you need additional help to become debt-free, try these points:

 Establish a budget. Make a simple budget by keeping a record of all your income and expenses/purchases over a period of three months. Many are surprised to learn how much money they spend on unnecessary items.

 Destroy credit cards. Credit cards are one of the major causes of family indebtedness. They are so easy to use and so hard to pay off. If you find that you aren’t paying off the cards in total each month, or that you are using them to purchase items that you would not otherwise have bought, you should destroy your credit cards before they destroy you or your marriage or both.

 Begin economic measures. Sometimes we aren’t aware of how much we could save on our monthly expenses just by being careful about some of the small things that we purchase. They quickly add up.

 1. The amount of debt that many nations, as well as individuals, have taken upon themselves is staggering. What has been your own experience with debt and the problems that debt has created for you or others?
 2. What could your local church do to help members learn to manage debt or financial issues in general?
 3. What are some Bible promises that you can claim to help protect yourself from the lure of the world and the financial dangers greediness can pose to us?