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I heard a great definition of “faith” in church a while back. The speaker, Henry Rojas declared, “Faith is taking action in the face of great doubt.” I cannot think of a more graphic portrayal of this than a vivid scene in the movie Lord of the Rings: when Frodo Baggins accepts his task to carry the mysterious, dangerous ring to the dark land of Moria. Certainly, none of us have been called to take on evil wizards, ugly goblins, or viscous orcs on our path to overcoming a great barrier or accomplishing a great deed in our lives; that is, unless some of you have delved waaay too far into Dungeons & Dragons. In any case, you can’t have existed in any version of the past several thousand years on this planet without facing times in your life when you must take action despite the uncertainty of the outcome.

In our finances, we often face circumstances that pose mountainous barriers or unstoppable forces. We face a wall of debt that we think can not be climbed. Or a savings goal that we can never seem to make headway with. Or an onslaught of bills that endlessly attacks our monthly budget. Whatever the circumstances, they stand there like the hordes of orcs at the final battle scene. We lose hope. We feel like no action we can take will save us. We stand in “great doubt” that we will survive, much less triumph.

Well, I’m hear to share with you that there is hope. Just like a great general in a battle plans his strategy, and a great baseball coach prepares his team to take the field, we must sketch out a plan and prepare ourselves for victory. I believe that with some hard work and a great plan, our financial lives can end in victory. And as Frodo discovered, along the journey it is necessary at times to place yourself in the hands of powers greater than yourself. That takes commitment, and trust, and faith. Start today by believing that living debt free is possible. Believe that the same God that owns every penny we earn is the same God that loves us enough to want us to live unenslaved by our wealth or our debt. That knowledge should give the most hopeless of us hope: we are not alone, and we have the infinite power of our almighty and loving God on our side.

About Victor Encinas

Victor is a certified financial counselor by Dave Ramsey’s Lampo Group, 212Connection.com Approved Coach, and a Seminar Team member for Dan Miller’s 48 Days to the Work You Love seminars. He enjoys life by clearly and compassionately helping his clients create and achieve their vision to thrive. Victor serves his church by facilitating financial programs and helping others to realize their potential in the financial and career areas of their lives. Victor resides in Phoenix, Arizona with his lovely wife Laura and their 2 adorable children, Jude and Audrey. Victor loves to fly-fish for brown and rainbow trout in the small creeks and high desert lakes of Arizona, as well as, play guitar, eat Japanese food, play baseball with his son, Jude, and read to his daughter Audrey.