Have you ever had that nagging feeling that you are forgetting something? Something is not right, or you have forgotten something, or misplaced something… what is it? Well, if you ever get that feeling about a bill, it is probably the Holy Spirit reminding you. We talk ourselves around that feeling and ignore it. But if you have ever been late on a bill “by accident” or missed a payment… I am willing to bet that 10 to 1 you had that little reminder voice in your head telling you that you had missed something.
I had that voice a few months ago and kept feeling that I needed to go check the account balance on a credit card that we never use. I kept rationalizing it away, and ignoring it. Finally, I gave in and went and checked the balance. It turned out we had a charge go through that only bills once a year. We had never switched over the account and the charge was now two months overdue!!! Of course I freaked out. I never miss a payment. I am “on top of things”. Naturally, I had to try to blame my husband. But the truth was, the Holy Spirit had been prompting me for over a month and I had been ignoring it. I did call the credit card company and they agreed to wave the late fees and penalties and I paid my bill. However, it was just a great reminder to never ignore that still small voice.
When you get that feeling, the best thing to do is just to sit down with your budget and go through all of your bills. Check your paper statements. Log onto your credit cards on line and make sure that there are no payments that you are forgetting. Chances are you probably even know which account or bill the little red flag in your head is there about. So quit ignoring your inner alarm clock. If there is an alarm going on, you need to stop and check for fire… before your financial house burns down 🙂
But if you do find a fire, don’t be afraid to call the company and ask for them to waive the fees. They always have the power to waive or remove the fees and penalties. Many times, they just don’t because you never ask. In dealing with bills from businesses, call and explain your situation. Offer to pay over the phone or transfer the money immediately. Most people and businesses just want to get their money, and if they know that you are serious about paying your bill they will be much more likely to work with you. If you don’t have the money right now for a bill, don’t just ignore it or procrastinate dealing with it. Call the company and ask them for a payment plan. Ask if you can send in what you do have and if they will waive any fees until you can send the remainder of your payment. The key is to be honest and walk with integrity. You will be amazed at the favor you will have if you will just be quick to communicate.
So today, check your inner financial fire alarm… all is quiet in my home. If it’s not quiet in yours, its time to put out the fire. Quit procrastinating. Check your bills, and then communicate with the company. Don’t let what could be resolved in a simple phone call, become a financial inferno. 🙂