7 Steps Out of Debt

Over the last several weeks, we’ve laid the spiritual and practical foundation for your journey out of debt:

Step 1 – Pray for Wisdom and Strength:
You began by surrendering your finances to God, asking for His guidance, strength, and peace. Lasting change starts with divine direction.

Step 2 – Stop Using Credit Cards:
You made the courageous decision to stop digging the hole deeper, cutting off the source of new debt so your progress wouldn’t be undone by continued borrowing.

Step 3 – Establish a Realistic Budget:
You gave your money purpose—assigning every dollar a job and building a plan to live with intention, not assumption.

Step 4 – List Your Assets:
You acknowledged that you’re not starting from zero. God has already placed resources in your hands, and taking inventory brought both clarity and confidence.

Step 5 – List Every Debt:
You faced your full financial reality with courage and clarity. Naming your debts stripped fear of its power. Fear thrives in the unknown—but freedom begins with truth.

Step 6 – Build Your Debt Repayment Plan:
You turned preparation into action. Whether you chose the Snowball Method, the Avalanche Method, or a hybrid of both, you now have a plan in place to move forward with focus and strategy.

Now, we arrive at Step 7 – Stay the Course—the final step in this part of your journey. This is where spiritual perseverance meets practical consistency. You’ve done the groundwork. You’ve started strong. Now it’s time to finish strong.

💡 This Week’s Focus: Endurance Brings Breakthrough

Anyone can get excited in the beginning. The first few weeks of a debt-free journey often come with a surge of motivation and fresh determination. But true transformation isn’t found in short bursts—it’s found in consistency.

Staying the course, month after month, requires something deeper than hype: it requires vision, discipline, and grace.

Here’s the truth: the road to debt freedom is rarely a straight line. Life will throw you curveballs—unexpected expenses, emotional fatigue, or seasons where progress feels slow. That’s normal. But the key is to keep showing up.

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s perseverance.

This week, we’ll focus on how to:
• Stay grounded when progress slows and your motivation fades
• Avoid the common traps that can derail your hard work
• Navigate the emotional side of debt, including guilt, shame, and discouragement

Most of all, you’ll be reminded why this process is worth it.

What’s waiting on the other side of debt isn’t just a zero balance—it’s breathing room, renewed purpose, restored hope, and a deeper trust in God’s provision.
Keep going. You’re closer than you think.

📖 Verse of the Week
Galatians 6:9 (ESV):
"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
Freedom is coming—stay faithful, and don’t give up.

Step 7: Stay the Course

You’ve built a plan. Now it’s time to work it—faithfully, intentionally, and with grace for the journey. This is where the real transformation begins.

Each time you choose to make a payment instead of giving in to instant gratification…
Each time you adjust your budget instead of giving up…
Each time you track your progress instead of ignoring the numbers…
You’re not just eliminating debt—you’re becoming a person who handles money with wisdom, discipline, and purpose.

But let’s be honest: staying the course isn’t easy. You’ll have moments where it feels like nothing is changing. You may be tempted to quit. That’s why you need a strategy—not just to pay off debt, but to keep going when things get hard.

Here Are Some Practical Steps to Help You Stay the Course:

When Progress Feels Slow—Stay Consistent
There will be months where the numbers barely move. That doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re in process. Stay faithful. Keep making your payments. Remember: slow progress is still progress.

Update Your Debt Tracker Regularly
What gets measured gets managed. Whether it’s a spreadsheet, a printable chart, or a notebook, keep your payoff tracker updated. Watching your balances drop—even a little—reinforces that your effort is working.

Remind Yourself Why You Started
Debt freedom isn’t just about dollars—it’s about peace, security, generosity, and legacy. When things get tough, revisit your “why.” Put it somewhere you’ll see it often. Let your purpose fuel your persistence.

Celebrate Every Small Win
Every time you pay off a debt—even a small one—celebrate it! Throw a mini party. Tell a friend. Mark the occasion. These moments matter because they remind you that progress is real.

Handle Surprises, Then Get Back on Track
Life will happen—car repairs, medical bills, unexpected expenses. Don’t let them derail your whole plan. Handle the issue, adjust your budget if needed, and then get right back to it. A temporary detour isn’t a permanent defeat.

Give Yourself Grace, But Don’t Give Up
You will feel like giving up. But don’t. You may miss a payment or overspend one month—that’s okay. Just don’t let it become a pattern. Debt freedom isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being persistent.

You’ve done the hard work of starting. You’ve done the heart work of facing the truth. Now you’re doing the holy work of faithful follow-through.
This is the final stretch—keep going. You are closer than you think.

Avoid the Quick Fixes That Set You Back

Not all help is actually helpful. When you’re trying to get out of debt, you’ll encounter tempting offers that promise fast relief. Most of them are traps that lead to deeper frustration.

Debt Consolidation Loans
These offers often sound appealing—one payment, lower interest, less stress. But in reality, many people who consolidate their debt end up in worse shape. Why? Because they haven’t changed the habits that caused the debt in the first place. The old credit cards often get maxed out again, and now they’re stuck with the original debt plus a new loan.

“Debt Relief” Scams
Be especially wary of companies that promise to “settle your debt for pennies on the dollar.” Many charge large upfront fees, damage your credit, and leave you worse off than where you started.
If it sounds too good to be true—it probably is.

What to Do Instead:
• Stick to your debt repayment plan—slow and steady wins the race
• Build a small emergency fund to protect your plan from surprise expenses (more on that in future issues)
• Trust the process. True transformation doesn’t happen overnight—but it does happen, and it lasts.

Avoid shortcuts. Stay faithful. Your future is worth the wait.

🎯 Weekly Challenge: Recommit and Reflect

Take 20 minutes this week to:
• Review your current progress—how much debt have you paid off so far?
• Write a short note to yourself (or in your journal) about why you started
• Identify one area where you’ve slipped—and make a plan to course correct
• Pray over your journey and ask God to strengthen your resolve

💬 Reflection Questions
• What has helped me stay consistent so far?
• Where have I felt discouraged, and what can I do to renew my motivation?
• Have I been tempted by “quick fix” offers? Why?
• What truth do I need to hold onto when the road feels long?

📢 What’s Coming Next

In Part 2 of Step 7, we’ll cover how to handle debt collectors, rebuild your credit score, rethink credit card rewards, and take a wise approach to student loans. These are powerful tools—but only when handled with wisdom.

Stay the course. You’re almost there.

🔁 New here or missed a few? You can read all the previous newsletters right here: financebyfaith.beehiiv.com

Blessings and financial peace to you!