Gazelle Intensity

"My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor. Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler" (Proverbs 6:1-5).

I think I now know where Dave Ramsey got the phrase, "gazelle intensity." He uses that phrase to describe the intensity needed to get out of debt. Today's passage is a specific warning against co-signing for someone else's debt. To "put up security" for a friend or a "pledge" for a stranger is to go into debt with them.

Being snared by the words of your mouth is all about taking out a loan with a promise to repay. It is a verbal signing on the dotted line. But the problem is that when a person does that, he puts himself in a financial situation in which he has no control.

The encouragement is to not let another night pass without setting out to make things right. To this end, Dave Ramsey offers seven "baby steps" that are to be carried out with gazelle like intensity. These steps are as follows:

1. Build an emergency fund of $1000

2. Pay off all debt with "the debt snowball"

3. Save 3 to 6 months of expenses

4. Invest 15% of income into Roth IRAs and Pre-Tax retirement plans

5. Start saving for your children's college

6. Pay off your home early

7. Build wealth and give!

You can learn more about this by visiting www.daveramsey.com

The decision to not co-sign for someone is made in an instant. The decision to cut up credit cards can happen in the twinkling of an eye. To get out of debt takes longer. It can't happen overnight. It will take gazelle intensity to be debt free. Only then can you, with great joy, scream, "I'm Debt Free!"