#128 11/28-29/2023

Radio Seminar: Financial Freedom 1 of 6
Q&S: Actions follow thinking
Minute with Maxwell: “Conflict”

(UNEDITED TRANSCRIPT)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Financial Freedom God’s Way Radio. This is where you can learn, apply, and even begin to pass on, Bible-based financial principles and applications so that you and your family will not only just survive—not only just survive, but can thrive even during these very uncertain times.

This is Bob Louder from Christian Financial Ministries in Hiawassee, and it is an absolute honor to have you with us—it really is. Now, what is going to be in store for you during our 30-minute time together today?

• First, you will start with another session from your Financial Freedom God’s Way Radio Seminar. Over the last couple of weeks, you have discovered what the Bible has to say about spiritual, financial bondage. This weekend—actually for the next six weekends, you are going to discover all about the other side of that Bible-based financial coin. It is time you learn, apply, and even begin to pass on what the Bible has to say about financial freedom.
• Then, we will follow up your seminar with some great listener questions and some Bible-based responses that I pray will lead you into some prayerful financial attitude checks.
• And finally, well finally, you will spend a great Minute with Maxwell as this New York Times bestselling Christian author, speaker, and leadership coach John Maxwell focuses on the word, “Conflict.” You are going to discover that although having conflicts may seem to be inevitable, they do not need to last forever.

Now, stay tuned, for some great Bible-based financial principles and applications that can really help you and your family. It is going to be another great learning time together. As we start, as we always start, let me open us with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank You for the opportunity You are giving us to study your word together today. Would You please quicken our minds and soften our hearts to receive what Your Spirit has for us. Lord, we want to know you better, and in knowing you better we want to love you deeper, and in loving you deeper we want to obey Your Word more completely. Please help us to pay attention to what You have for us today, in Jesus’ Name, amen

BODY

Radio Seminar

My friend, during our previous Financial Freedom God’s Way Radio Seminar times together, you found that you choose to put yourself into Financial Bondage when you choose to allow the material things of this world to come between you and your relationship with God.

• And you learned—you learned that according to the Bible, most of your financial woes are simply symptoms of spiritual problems. The symptoms are financial but more often than not your problems are spiritual.
• But one thing is for sure; again, according to the Bible, spiritual problems always have spiritual solutions. You do not have to be in—you do not have to get into or stay in Financial Bondage. Once you realize what Financial Bondage is, and what the symptoms and causes are, you are well on the way to the road to recovery…you are well on the way to Financial Freedom.

So you have learned about financial bondage. Now it is time to see what the Lord has to say about financial freedom. Over the next several weekend Radio Seminar times together you will take a look at:

• God’s plan for financial freedom—you will see exactly what is financial freedom.
• Then you will take a look at God’s path to Financial Freedom—how do you get there.
• And finally, you will learn how to develop a written plan of action to help you get started down your personal road to Financial Freedom—God’s way.

So, let’s get started. First of all, what is financial freedom? Now, I do not know about you, but I used to have a hard time in English class defining something by what it is. So many times it was—and still is, easier for me to grasp what something is by first better understanding what it is not. And for me, it is the same way with understanding what financial freedom is all about. So what is financial freedom?

First, financial freedom does not include fear, worry, frustration, greed, covetousness, or a get rich quick attitude. It does not include any of those things. Those are all conditions of Financial Bondage, not Financial Freedom.

• In Phil 4:6 you are told …not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God…
• You see, God is telling you not to fret, not to have any anxiety about anything.
• Again, note here that God’s not asking you; He is telling you. He simply says, do not do it.
• Therefore, you can assume then, that if you do fret, if you do worry,
  • Then you are disobeying and out of God’s will in this area of your life.
  • And financial freedom,–my friend, listen—freedom, all freedom, including financial freecom, comes from being in God’s will, not out of it.
• So, the first thing about financial freedom is that it does not include all the stuff that goes along with financial bondage.

That is what financial freedom is not. So what is it? What exactly is financial freedom?

• First, financial Freedom literally means the release from Financial Bondage. That means that financial freedom means peace.
• 1 Cor 14:33 says, For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
• Again, if you do not have peace,
  • If you do have confusion, anger, fear, envy, and all the rest,
  • If you go to bed at night worrying about how to make it, spend it, save it and keep other people from it, that is not peace, that is not financial freedom, and
  • You should recognize that you have not surrendered the financial part of your walk with Jesus Christ over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
• Financial freedom means peace, remember? The peace that surpasses all understanding.

Now, having said that, does this mean that when you begin to enjoy financial freedom that you will never have another material—another financial–hic-up—or worse? No. No it does not. That is not what God says at all. God does not promise you a life free of financial difficulties even when you choose to do finances His way.

• Psalm 9:9 says this: …The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold—listen—in times of trouble.
• The Bible says that you are going to be oppressed; you are going to have times of trouble.
• Jesus Christ said in John 16:33, …that In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
• You are going to have times of trouble. Yes you are. You are going to have some tough financial times. Yes you will. That is because Christianity is not a playground, Christianity is a battleground. And like we said earlier, God wants to use tough times, to include tough financial times, to
  • Help strengthen you, mature you, and grow you. He wants to bend you, shape you, and mold you but according to His Word, He will never break you.
  • God will use hard times, to include hard financial times, to strengthen your faith, not destroy it.
• And along the way you are going to fail. You are going to walk right out of our time together, understanding a little better than you ever had before, what God’s Word has to say, you will walk out and most likely, still fall flat on your financial face. I’m sorry to say that, but that is probably going to be the case. You are going to fail somewhere along the line as you work alongside the Holy Spirit to put into practice what the Holy Spirit is teaching you. Nevertheless, when you do slip, trip, stumble and fall, you need to remember that you are in pretty good company.
  • As far as I can see there has been only one Person who ever walked the face of this earth who never failed at anything, and that is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Even the Disciples failed, didn’t they? They failed big time in the Garden of Gethsemane. And what did Jesus do? Did He come back and beat them up about the head and shoulders? He said, “…arise, get up and be on about the next thing”
• When you fail, you need to learn to prayerfully recognize and understand why, and then prayerfully resolve to never let your failures hold you back from your life in Jesus Christ. Remember, show Him your hand, allow Him to fill it, turn it back over to Him, and move on down the road.
• Someone once said that the only good disciple—the only good follower of Jesus Christ you will ever find is a bad disciple who did not give up.

A good friend of mine gave me some great advice…and I’ll pass it along to you. He said, “Bob, you are going to have some tough times. But during those times, make sure you keep your spiritual eyes and ears open because during the darkest time God will always give you a precious message to share with someone else when you get back into the light.” Now that is a great word.

No, God does not promise you a life void of material difficulties. He does promise to walk through those difficulties with you, and use hard times to help you, and others through you, if you let Him. Remember, an oak tree is simply an acorn that stood its ground.

So, what is financial freedom? I think we find the best description in Proverbs 10:22. I know you have heard this verse. Proverbs 10:22 tells you, ….It is the blessing of the Lord that brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.

• Do you know what this verse means to me? Personal opinion,
  • The things He provides do not come with large monthly payments or balloon notes.
  • When He provides, it is good and you know it!
• Simply put, financial freedom—here is a great equation for financial freedom. If you are a Christian—if you have asked Jesus Christ into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior, then this equation is for you. Are you ready for this? Listen, financial freedom equals God (who is the owner), plus His riches (which would be wealth according to His definition), plus His peace (that would be peace that surpasses all understanding). Let me give you this equation one more time. Here it is again. Financial freedom equals God, plus His wealth, plus His peace.

So, my friend, you now know what financial freedom is—what it looks like. Next weekend you are going to discover God’s path to financial freedom—how do you get there. That is next time. Do not miss it.

Q&A

Now, let’s build a bit on what the Lord is showing us about financial freedom. The Bible tells us we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. To me this means we need to check out the financial attitudes that drive our financial actions. As we continue to talk about financial freedom, let’s take a look at some real-world questions that can help us to check out our personal financial attitudes.

I believe you will see what I mean by way of this first question: Bob, my wife and I have serious concerns about the affluence in the country today. Is it scriptural for Christians to maintain this level of affluence, or should we drastically change our life-styles so we can help feed the world’s hungry?

• Now, that is the question—and you can see it is not a softball pitch. First, what about you. Have you ever felt just a little guilty about having so much compared to so many who have far less? Let’s dig a little deep here for just a moment and see what the Bible has to say.
• And as we do, we discover that the Bible has a whole lot to say about what should be our concern for the poor. For example, Psalm 82:1-4, Isaiah 1:17, Matthew 25:34-40, James 1:27, and 1 John 3:17-18—just to mention a few. No doubt, our affluence can blind us to the real needs of other people. Many Christians’ biggest concern is how to reduce their tax burden, not how to help put bread on the table for others. However, to put all this in balance, God’s Word does not prohibit a Christian from having a surplus. In fact, I have to believe that God places Christians at every economic level of society, from the poorest to the most affluent. Why? So He can use us to help meet the spiritual and material needs of those around us wherever we happen to be.
• Psalm 37:4 says, Delight yourself in the Lord; and he will give you the desires of your heart. What are the desires of our hearts? For those who seek to serve God, it is not material indulgence.
• God promises His people an “abundance” if they care about other’s needs. Psalm 112:5 tells us, “It is well with the man who is gracious and lends.” God has no difficulty with our affluence, if that affluence is used to glorify Him, which includes using some of what He gives us to help others.
• This is a great question. But let me ask you, does this question give you cause to check your financial and spiritual attitude about wealth according to God’s definition?

That is a great question but so is this—here is another question for us to consider together. Bob, we have a controversy going on in our church–oh oh–Bob, we have a controversy going on in our church. Our pastor believes that, if you have any problems in your life, it is an evidence of sin. I am concerned with this philosophy because if it is valid, eventually nobody will admit to any problems for fear that others will think he or she is sinning. Bob, can Christians have financial problems that are not sin-related?

• Mark, let me say right off the bat, I am not the right person to answer your question—I can, and will give you a response, but you really ought to sit down and respectfully talk about this with your pastor—he is your spiritual leader—the Lord has you placed under his teaching. So the first thing is can say is that do not let this controversy divide your church—talk about it with your pastor.
• Having said that, let me share this. The attitude that Christians ought never have any financial problems is more wide-spread than you might think. And when Christians do have problems, including financial problems, it is because they are being punished by God. Wow, what a defeating philosophy!
• Consider this: In James 1:2, God says, Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various problems; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If you paraphrase that verse, it says, “If you really want to have your faith perfected, you need a problem to test it.” Therefore, we know with certainty that problems are not THE evidence of sin—they may be AN evidence of sin in their live fub never THE evidence of sin in their life.
• That is to say, problems can be an indicator of sin, but there will also be many other indicators, including the sin itself. Jesus promises us in John 15:19-20, if we yield our rights to God, we will have peace when (not if but when) we have problems. The Lord Himself had plenty of problems during His time on earth, and if we follow in His steps, we will have problems as well. My friend, the Bible says we can choose to use the hard times we go through to be a witness and an encouragement to others who are having similar problems. By observing us as we go through life’s problems, they will begin to see that our God is the real deal.
• So, Mark, have a heart—listen to people, let your light shine, and, remember to have this discussion with your pastor.

Ok, I believe we have time for one more, quick question. How about this one—and boy oh boy do we hear this one a lot. Here is the question. “I’m discouraged over my financial situation. It seems as though everyone I grew up with is doing well but me. I vacillate between wanting to be content and the fear of being a failure. If God really promises us peace and prosperity, why am I so discouraged?

• Stan, I am so glad you asked that question because I can tell you for sure that you are not alone in the thoughts you are having. Stan, your question is basically, why do Christians despair and get discouraged? It is a great question.
• In response, I suggest one reason is that we have adjusted our expectations to the level of those around us. We are not thankful enough for what we do have; we are depressed over what we might have, but do not have.
• The truth is, most of us in the Body of Christ tend to sometime suffer from unrealistic expectations of what God has promised. Also, what I find is much, if not most discouragement has finances at its root. Why? Because many Christians believe that financial success is a testimony to the Lord, therefore, failure to achieve success must represent spiritual failure. If a man cannot give his family as much as others, discouragement begins to set it. We see this happen all the t time.
• Now, according to the Bible, the key to overcoming discouragement is contentment. Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:6 that “…godliness…is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.” Hebrews 13:5 says this, Let your way of life be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.
• Stan, you also need to know that contentment is a learned behavior. One way to learn to be content with the material areas of your life is to get help to better arrange the material areas of your life. And that is exactly why ministries like Crown Ministries, the Dave Ramsey organization, and our Christian Financial Ministries exist—to help folks learn to manage the material areas of their lives in way that are pleasing to God…and when your financial ways are pleasing to God, you and your whole family will know what financial peace and contentment is all about.
• Stan, thanks for your question. I hope that helps.

Well, there you have it…three questions I suggest you prayerfully take before the Lord to check your attitude about finances.

Minute with Maxwell

It is time again for one of my favorite times together with the Lord and you—it is time for another Minute with Maxwell. Recall that John Maxwell is a #1 New York Times bestselling Christian author, coach, and speaker and considered the world’s most influential leadership expert. Today, let’s see what John has to say about the word, “Conflict.”

My friend, you know that each of us at one time or another experience some conflict in our lives, to include conflicts over finances. Plus, the data shows that the most common conflicts within the family center on money—how to make it, spend it, save it, give it, invest it and on and on. And what happens most of the time is that the husband and wife choose to ignore what they know to be financial conflicts in hope it will just disappear. But you know that is not the answer, right? What should you do? Talk about it together remembering to express your thoughts and concerns AND commit to listen to the thoughts and concerns of your spouse. If you need some help in this area I suggest you contact a financial coach at either Crown Ministries at www.crown.org, or the Dave Ramsey organization at www.daveramsey.org. You need to know there are those out there who are called to come along side you and your spouse and help based on a Biblical world view.

Conflict, it is real but it does not need to last. Thanks John for another great Minute with Maxwell

CONCLUSION

OK, it is time to start to wrap up our time together today.

• As we do, recall back to your Radio Seminar time we moved from talking about financial bondage into financial freedom. You see, God’s plan for you is what can be termed financial freedom, and today you saw what financial freedom is—what it can look like. During our next six weekends together, you will discover a specific path to financial freedom—how do we get there. Then we will suggest a written plan of action to get started down that path. These are going to be great Financial Freedom times together.
• Recall also, we had three listener questions where you saw that the road to transformed actions always begins with transformed thinking.
• And finally, during our minute with Maxwell, we discovered John Maxwell’s thoughts on the word “Conflict.”

For now, thank you for being with us today. Remember to check out our website at www.christianfinancialministries.org to either re-listen to or get a written transcript of this program.

Let me close us in a word of prayer. Father God, I thank you for bringing us together and teaching us today and for each of the days to come to Your glory in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a blessed day, won’t you, and remember to be back next weekend so you can continue walking down your personal road to financial freedom, God’s way.