Read Colossians 3:2

While we think we may be immune to the endless litany of television commercials, newspaper ads, our friends' gadgets and gizmos, the constant admonition to spend, spend, spend, we Christians need to be alert to how Satan tempts us with the temporal. I'll mention a few ways to avoid the magnetism of the cash register or the credit card.

Doctrinal danger...substituting the temporal for the eternal. Don't let physical and earthly "things" get between you and the things that are above.

Personal danger...trying to impress instead of imparting the Word. We are doing God's business, not ours.

Economical danger...spending more than you have. Before every purchase, think: Is this within my budget? Is it appropriate?

Psychological danger...believing your purchase will make things "all right." Money won't buy happiness.

Make Hebrews 12:3 your aim: "Consider Him...so that you may not grow weary and lose heart." 

Rule of thumb: If you don't have the cash, don't buy it. 

Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.