DO86626 January 1980

(See No.701 also!)

1. THE SCRIPTURE IS VERY CLEAR ON THE SUBJECT! "OWN NO MAN ANYTHING, save (except) to love him," & "Provide all things honest toward them that are without (outsiders)!" (Rom.12:17 & 13:8.) The only kind of borrowing we have ever condoned at all was a suggestion in a past Letter on "Deflation or Inflation" (No.327), in which we said that prices are not going to get any lower they are going to go higher & higher as the inflation gets worse & worse, so buy now!

2. THEREFORE, IF YOU'RE GOING TO BUY A VEHICLE or a TV or some appliance or accessory which is fairly expensive & beyond the range of your immediate cash, I suggested that it would be better for you to buy it on time payments providing the down payment or initial payment is small enough that it's easily within your reach & the monthly payments are also small enough that you can be sure that you're able to faithfully meet them & not default on them!

3. OTHERWISE YOU'RE BEING LITERALLY DISHONEST & CHEATING YOUR CREDITOR & BREAKING YOUR WORD & BEING A VERY POOR TESTIMONY, running your credit & being a reproach & reflection on the work of the Lord! Some have even asked if they should now borrow large sums of money to buy refuge property, even if they have no capability of being able to pay it back! Since "The Crash Is Here!" they think they won't have to pay it back!

4. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS THING TO DO & VERY RISKY! Unless you are sure you have the ability now to handle the cash down payments & the time payments, the installments, I would certainly strongly advise against it & counsel you absolutely not to do it!

5. THOUGH THE WORLD ECONOMIC FINANCIAL CRASH HAS ALREADY BEGUN in the present runaway inflation, skyrocketing prices, gold rises & the dollar continues to tumble, this could go on for a number of months or even years before the final collapse!

6. YOU COULD GET YOURSELF STUCK WITH A HEAVY DEBT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO PAY, & find yourself in a real mess & financial tangle that could cost you everything, & lose you not only the property but all of your possessions, as well as your good name & testimony—& possibly even lose your freedom & your happy Home!

7. IT MAY EVEN GET YOU BOOTED OUT OF THE COUNTRY IN WHICH YOU LIVE, IF IT'S NOT YOURS! The U.S. Constitution supposedly forbids imprisonment for debt, but you notice that the U.S. Government itself imprisons people for debts owed the Government, such as Income Tax, etc. So don't be too sure you're going to get away with it! I certainly don't think it is a good idea. It's very bad policy!

8. IT'S WRONG, DISHONEST & A SIN TO BORROW MONEY YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T PAY BACK! That's just plain stealing & robbery & being very unfair to the other party‚ & a very poor testimony! It certainly is not love, not God's Love! So the old rule still applies: "Honesty is the best policy!" & "Owe no man anything save to love him!" "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, & loving favor rather than silver & gold!" (Prov.22:1.)

9. MY RECOMMENDATION OF STARTING A TRAILER PARK OR REFUGE FARM (see "Mobile Ministry", No.848-3:125, Mag.13) was mainly intended for those who already have properties which they have not yet put to use & are wondering what to do with & want others to help them develop.

10. IT WAS CERTAINLY NOT INTENDED TO ENCOURAGE ANYONE TO BORROW LARGE SUMS OF MONEY TO BUY SUCH PROPERTIES which you cannot afford & do not already possess &/or have the use of! This is a very risky policy!

11. YOU'RE FAR BETTER OFF TO PUT WHATEVER YOU'VE GOT INTO A CAMPER or caravan or camping equipment & be ready to be mobile & hit the road, rather than be tied down to some immovable piece of property that you may find untenable in some extreme emergency! (—As some have before!)

12. THIS RECOMMENDATION OF TURNING YOUR PROPERTY INTO TRAILER PARK WAS ONLY INTENDED FOR THOSE WHO ALREADY HAVE IT & want to make some use of it!—It's not for those that have nothing & cannot afford to buy such property! You certainly should not borrow the money or go in debt for such a project that you're unable to pay for!

13. WE EVEN HEARD THAT ONE PERSON GOT A CREDIT CARD & IS RUNNING UP HUGE BILLS FOR CAMPING EQUIPMENT that he's totally unable to pay for‚ because he thinks that all things are coming to an end immediately & he won't have to pay the bills! Let me tell you right now, with most credit cards you have to make sizable monthly payments every month & next month he is going to be in serious trouble if he doesn't have it!

14. SOME COUNTRIES WILL PUT YOU IN JAIL FOR NOT PAYING YOUR BILLS! It's cheating, lying, stealing, thievery‚ robbery, defrauding & very bad & very wicked to do such things & I'm totally against it!

15. DON'T BE SO SURE THAT THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS GOING TO COLLAPSE THAT FAST! It may take a little while. It could happen tomorrow, whenever the people lose faith in their System.—And at the rate things are now going, it's begun to happen, "the Crash is Here!", but it may take awhile for it to tumble clear to the bottom!

16. SO WATCH YOUR STEP! I don't think you can yet get away with any foolhardy foolishness such as running up big bills that you can't pay! That's absolutely against the Scriptures, against God's law of Love & against everything we ever taught you! Don't do it!—And God help you if you've already done it!—You are in trouble!

17. IF YOU REALLY NEED IT, HE'S WELL ABLE TO SUPPLY IT WITHOUT YOUR BORROWING, stealing, cheating, defrauding or robbing others to get it! Pray it in! Pray for it‚ & if God doesn't supply, then it's not His will! Ask the Lord, ask your family, your friends, your fish, ask anybody you can to help you get it, & if it's God's will & a genuine need that He knows will be good for you‚ He'll see that you get it & He'll supply it!

18. IF HE DOESN'T, THEN CERTAINLY HE MUST KNOW THAT IT'S NOT NECESSARY & not good for you, & He doesn't want you to have it! So you'd be going absolutely against God & His will to then go on in defiance of the Lord & borrow money to get it which you can't afford to repay thereby literally intending to steal it & defraud the lender!

19. BORROWING WITHOUT REPAYING IS BOTH ILLEGAL & A SIN & God certainly will not bless you for it, & more likely will punish you for it! Don't do it! Don't borrow it! "Owe no man anything save to love him!"—That's God's Word & you'd better believe it & obey it!—Amen?—

20. GBY & HELP YOU!—AND HE WILL IF YOU OBEY HIM!

"Trust & obey, for there's no other way

To be happy in Jesus but to trust & obey!"

—Amen?—Amen! PTL! GBAKY from borrowing!

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