With the cost of everything looking set to rise for the next few years, more and more Christians are finding it a strain to keep control of their personal finances. In the past many have turned to HELOCs to help refinance but these do not represent a long term solution and indeed have become increasingly unavailable due to falling house prices and the credit crunch.

For this reason there is an increasing demand for credit card consolidation services but by and large I have little faith in these. The problem with any form of consolidation is that it feeds the debt monster if one doesnt commit to changing the way money is treated.

As I once read money is not for spending it is for managing and a good Christian Debt Consolidation counselor will show you how to manage money so that you never have to worry about debt again.

Now thats fine and dandy but if you cant see a light at the end of the debt tunnel my writing that last paragraph isnt going to help. So whilst I dont like credit card consolidation it does have a place in the market.

In essence consolidation of credit cards means rolling up the debts on your existing cards and using a balance transfer mechanism switch them over to a new credit card offering a better deal. Note I said a better deal. Oftentimes we fail to check out the headline offers in sufficient detail and we end up worse off than before if were not careful.

Always remind yourself of the truth here. The credit card industry doesnt want you to pay off your outstanding balance each and every month because if you did they wouldnt make any money. Effectively they are preying on our lack of financial management skills and taking a slice of what we cant afford to pay in the first place.

So are there good deals out there? Of course but they require considerable research to identify and most of us just dont have the drive to look beyond the headline rates. This has lead me to the conclusion that if we dont want to check the fine print we shouldnt attempt credit card consolidation. Why, well lets check some of the pitfalls shall we.

Have you heard of the universal default rule. This little beauty means that if you are more than 30 days late on any payment the interest rate on your credit card can shoot up and your credit score damaged. And guess what? Many companies are applying this rule on a daily basis. The lesson? Make sure any new card doesnt apply this draconian rule.

What about fees? Sure the headline rate looks attractive but you can incur a balance transfer fee - 3% of your debt not being untypical. Then there are late fees, over the limit fees and other costs that can be associated with the card.

If you arent prepared to do the research your best bet is probably to call your existing card companies explain youve found some better deals and ask if there is anything they can do to match them.

So when should we consider credit card consolidation? Only as part of a large Christian debt consolidation solution. The fact is that most of us try unsuccessfully to create our own solutions and we can believe that this offer is right for us. In truth, there are multiple strands to successful debt reduction and debt management and even Christian Debt Consolidation carries plenty of pitfalls for the unwary. Even a not for profit organization has to make money!

Consolidation should only be considered as part of a wide Christian debt consolidation counseling service. Find a Christian debt consolidation counselor that cares about you and can help. Dont accept the first offer that catches your eye, shop around. Get a feel for the different offerings and see if what they say makes sense to you. Ask questions. How much does the service cost. Do they show you how to avoid getting into money troubles again and repeating the sins of the past.

Finding the right Christian debt consolidation service will strengthen your faith and put money back in your wallet. It might not be easy but with trust in God and a determination to get through you debt woes you will come out the other side stronger.