#135 12/16-17/2023

Seminar: Armor/Belt of Truth
Q&A: Borrowing and Surety
Scam Alert: Amazon Brushing
Minute with Maxwell: “Optimistic”
Ministry Services

(UNEDITED TRANSCRIPT)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Financial Freedom God’s Way radio where even during the wondrous Christmas season you can continue to learn, apply, and pass on, Bible-based financial principles and applications so that you and your family will not only just survive, but thrive during the very uncertain times ahead of us in 2024..

Hi and welcome. This is Bob Louder from Christian Financial Ministries, and it is an absolute honor to have you with us—it really is. Now, today during our 30-minute time together …

• During our Radio Seminar time, we are going to pick back up our look at God’s spiritual and financial armor. According to Ephesians Chapter 6, the first piece of His armor is the belt of truth…we’ll talk about it.
• We will follow up the Radio Seminar with a couple of great real-world questions from real-world people.
• Then a warning, yes, a warning from consumer advocate Clark Howard about an Amazon scam that is a whole lot more harmful that it seems.
• Next we will spend a Minute with Maxwell as John Maxwell shares with us his thoughts on the word “Optimistic.”
• And finally, as we have time, and I believe we will, I want to share with you some of our ministry services that will be available to you starting in January.

So, that’s where we are headed today, but as we always do, let me open us up in prayer: Father, thank You for meeting with us again today. We thank You for all that this Christmas season means to us and to You. Today, will you please give us ears to hear all that it is you have planned for us, to Your glory, in Jesus’ mighty name, amen.

BODY

Radio Seminar

OK, let’s get right into our Financial Freedom God’s Way Radio Seminar. Again, these radio seminar times together will help you learn, apply and pass on Bible-based financial principles and applications.

As we start, let me ask you a question. Here’s the question. What do you believe is one of the most important things the Lord would have you do to help you work through your spiritual and financial battles?

The answer—according to the Bible, there are a couple of great answers to this question. The first is for you to learn, understand, and apply the two most important financial principles in all of God’s Word, Do you remember what they are? Sure, the principles of wealth and stewardship according to His definition. That would be the first thing the Lord would have your to do. Then next, well, you need to learn how to pick up and put on God’s financial Spiritual armor.

So, right now, you are just about to discover or rediscover the very first peace of God’s financial spiritual armor as described in the Bible book of Ephesians, written by the Apostle Paul.

• Let’s start with Ephesians Chapter six, beginning with verse 10, is this….
  • …be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take you stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to
  • Now, what Paul is telling us here is that you and I as Christians—we are engaged in a spiritual You see, if you have asked Jesus Christ into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior, then you will find yourself subject to the devil’s attacks. Paul is telling you that just like the Roman soldier must get properly dressed for his physical battles, so also you and I must get properly dressed, for our spiritual battles, to include our financial battles. He is telling us—Paul is telling you to use every piece of God’s armor to resist the devil’s attacks, to include his financial attacks.
• Then, well then, Paul goes on to describe each piece of God’s spiritual armor using the Roman soldier’s armor as a visual example and learning tool for you and me. The first piece of armor Paul points out is the belt of So, let’s start right there. What exactly is the belt of truth?
  • Well, to the Roman soldier, his belt
    • Was the least attractive and the least noticeable of all his As the matter of fact, some folks would not consider his belt as part of his armor.
    • But it was. How so? Well, it wrapped around his waist and over his shoulder
    • And served as the anchoring point for almost all of his other pieces of his armor as well as a place to hang pouches of food, clothing, and personal
    • His belt held together everything he carried into
    • That’s the belt from the Roman soldier’s perspective.
  • Now, from our perspective, God’s belt of truth
    • Is first, the only weapon that we can actually see and hold in our
    • Paul calls it the logos, which is the Bible, the written word of God.
  • You see, if you want to walk through the financial areas of your life dressed in your spiritual armor,
    • Paul says that you must start by taking up the Logos, the Word of truth, the Word of God, the Bible and permanently affix it to your life. Remember, the devil fights with lies, doesn’t he? And sometimes his lies sound like
    • But Paul tells you that the Word of Truth, the Bible, must be the governor, the law, the ruler, and the “final say-so” in all the areas of your life including all of the financial areas of your life. You must be so close to the truth of God’s Word that the lies of the devil will be readily That is a critical point. Let me say it again. You must be so close to the truth of God’s Word that the lies of the devil are readily apparent.
    • You see, just as the soldier’s loin belt held together all his equipment, your belt of truth, the logos, holds together all the different pieces of your spiritual armor. The logos, the Bible, is your foundation for life, including your financial life. That is why one of the first things we did during our radio times together was to set into place two key biblical financial principles of wealth and stewardship based on the Logos, the written Word of God.
  • You see, according to the Bible, winning or losing in the financial areas of your life is your
    • If you are not walking daily in the power of truth from God’s Word, neither are you walking in your God-given suit of spiritual financial
    • Without the Word of God up and operating in your life, your financial battles are going to be over before they even begin.
    • If you are going to go into spiritual combat, my friend, you had better not go without your belt of truth. If you do, it will only take one hit from the enemy, and all the rest of your spiritual armor will come tumbling off.

To sum up our Radio Seminar time for today, remember that when you put on your belt of truth, the logos, the Bible, and determine to make it a priority in your life, you are well on the way to winning the battles that come against your

• Body
• Mind
• Family
• Friends
• Ministry, and your
• Money

So, what is your first piece of your spiritual armor? You bet, the written Word OF God. The Bible.

Now, Next time we will take a look at the second piece of God’s spiritual armor which is HIS breastplate of righteousness. It’s going to be a great time together, so don’t miss it.

Q&A

Now, I have to tell you, that as more and more folks begin to learn more and more about what the Bible has to say about money, well, more and more folks are moving from just reading about to experiencing financial freedom God’s way. And as they do, well, they have questions…great questions. I mean, it is one thing to understand biblical principles, but sometime you need some help to live out those principles, and one of the best ways to get help is to ask questions.

For example, here is a great question about borrowing to buy a home.

• Bob, If God doesn’t want Christians to go into debt, does that make a home mortgage wrong?
• Great question. Now remember, and we have talked about this, God’s Word does not prohibit borrowing. It is almost a certainty that most couples will borrow to buy a home. With the exception of only a few states, that means that borrowers will have to sign what the Bible calls surety—which means that if the house were repossessed and sold at a loss, the borrower would still have to make up the deficiency. Remember that avoiding surety is not a law but a principle. You have a right to do it, but a risk is involved. You can lose everything if you lose your home due to surety–to include a whole lot of your other assets. So, what can you do? Try to avoid the consequences of surety by making certain the asset is worth more that what you owe against it. If you borrow to buy a home, make a commitment to pay it off as quickly as possible, or at least commit to reduce the mortgage to the point where th house is worth more than you owe. Great Question.

Here is another:

• My wife and I made a commitment to get out of debt, but we owe a lot—on credit cards and to small loan companies—and all of it comes at a high interest rate. Is it logical for us to consolidate those loans into one loan at a smaller interest rate? Should we use the equity in our home to do that?
• Boy, my guess is this question really hits close to home for a lot of folks. Yes, it does make more sense to consolidate your debts at a lower interest rate, but not immediately. First develop a budget to control your spending. Then commit yourself to living on that budget for six months without borrowing any more money. Otherwise, all you will be doing with a consolidation loan is treating the symptom and not the problem. When you know you can live without credit, THEN consider a bill consolidation loan. Now, an equity loan may give you the best interest rate you can get. It is the most logical choice because you are using the equity in your home to substitute for higher interest loans. But be certain that the loan has a fixed interest rate and not a floating rate. Now, no matter what, you need to pray about it with your wife to be sure you both agree on the approach you will take. With rare exception, most women do not want to borrow on the equity in their homes. To them, a home represents security and comfort, not a source of money. The key, pray and decide on your course of action together. Another great question.

Clark Howard Scam Alert

My friend, my guess is that you are probably expecting some packages to show up on your doorstep this time of year. Right? But be careful of Amazon items you DID NOT order. It may be part of a scam called “brushing.”

Now true, according to the law, you get to keep any package that is addressed to you, but you are still at great risk. Let me explain based on what our consumer advocate Clark Howard has to say.

First of all, just what exactly is “Brushing?”

• Well, what happens is that third-party online sellers engage in “brushing” scams in an attempt to raise product ratings on websites such as Amazon. The seller pays a third party to buy their products using fake buyer accounts with your address, they send you those products, then they write some of those positive reviews that show up on the Internet.
• Now, again, you might think, “What’s the big deal, I can keep the product.” True, but Amazon brushing is still a treat—it ought to be a big deal to you. How so? Well, the big deal is that receiving unordered packages from Amazon means your personal information has been compromised. A third-party seller somehow acquired your name, shipping address and possibly your Amazon account information.

Now, if you receive an unsolicited Amazon package and have confirmed no one you know sent it, Clark Howard says you should do four things to protect yourself and future potential victims.

• First, report the unordered package to Amazon customer service at (888) 280-4331.
• Second, report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission online at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov or by phone at (877) 382-4357
• Third, Change the password on your Amazon account and any other accounts have the same password.
• Forth, the fourth thing you can do is to keep a close eye on your credit card statements to spot suspicious activity.
• And finally, Whatever you do, do not pay for an unsolicited package. If the sender calls with a bill, they are trying to scam you yet again!

To sum up, according to Clark Howard,

• With Amazon brushing, there is no risk of legally owing money on a package you did not order.
• But there is a potential risk in that someone has found at least your name and mailing address. You do not know what else they may have or how else they could be using your personal information.

So, be alert and report the brushing scams AND make sure you take the time to change your user names and passwords wherever they may be.

Minute with Maxwell

• I really love to be able to share a Minute with Maxwell with you. Remember that each time we are with this Christian author, speaker, and coach—during each Minute with Maxwell, you are going to gain insight into a single word—and that insight can really add a great deal of value to you in every area of your walk with the Lord—to include your financial walk with the Lord.
• This week, today’s word is Optimistic. Let’s see what John Maxwell has to say about the word optimistic.
• Great word for today from John Maxwell. And boy or boy does it apply to your prayerful journey down the road to Financial Freedom God’s Way. It will be good for us to remember that “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
• Optimistic, another great word study from John Maxwell.

Now, as we start to wrap up our time together today, let me give you a head’s up on some Fantastic Bible-based teaching, training, mentoring, and coaching opportunities you will have as we start out 2024.

• First of all, our Financial Freedom God’s Way Online Academy will kick off again the week of January 22^nd. This is where you, as part of a 6-10 person virtual small group receive all you need to learn, apply, and pass on what the Bible has to say about managing the material areas of your life. Although the Academy is FREE, it does require a high degree of personal discipline and accountability as well as a freeconferencecall.com meeting about every ten days. The initial Seminar will last for approximately three months and you must register on our website at christianfinancialministries.org.
• Next, beginning the week of January 29th, we will offer a virtual John Maxwell Mastermind Group on the subject “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect.” Here you will be able to sharpen your ministry, professional, and personal success skills as part of a virtual small group, using John Maxwell materials, and facilitated by myself as a certified member of the John Maxwell Team. As far as I know this will be the only place in the country, or anywhere, that you can receive this training for free. Again, you can check it out and register on our website at christianfinancialministries.org. That’s Christian Financial Ministries, all spelled out, .org.
• My friend, what you are discovering is that Christian Financial Ministries is a Bible-based personal financial teaching, training, mentoring, and coaching non-profit ministry operating from the Chatuge Ministry and Event Center in Hiawassee.

CONCLUSDION

Wow, that was yet another quick 30 minutes—I’m praying you were blessed by what the Lord gave you—

• Recall that we started out by digging deeper into the first piece of God’s spiritual financial armor, that He gives you to pick up and put on before you even think about heading out to fight any spiritual battle to include all of your financial battles. What is this first piece of spiritual armor? Sure, it is His belt of truth, which is the written word of God, it is your Bible.
• We had some great questions relating to borrowing and what the Bible calls surety.
• Clark Howard gave you three rules to avoid the Amazon brushing scam. With Amazon brushing, there is no risk to legally keep anything you receive in the mail that you did not order. However, there is a potential risk in that someone has found at least your name and mailing address. You do not know what else they may have or how else they could be using your personal information.
• John Maxwell just talked with you about the word Optimistic as part of his Minute with Maxwell. Remember, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
• And finally, well finally, please know you have a personal invitation to receive any or all that the Lord is going to offer as part of our virtual financial Freedom God’s Way Online Academy AND our virtual John Maxwell Mastermind Group. You can learn about and register for the Online Academy and the John Maxwell Mastermind Group on our website at christianfinancialministires.org.

My friend, remember that our times together—all of our times together, whether here on the radio, in virtual small groups, or during any of our LIVE Seminars and Workshops—each of these times together are really His times with you, not my times with you. My prayer is that somewhere along the line He and you connect with something He and you can use to help make your life in Christ better than it has ever been.

Finally, please remember two things.

• First, recall that you can go to our website at christianfinancialministries.org to either relisten to or get a free transcript of today’s broadcast.
• Second, we will be diving into the second piece of God’s financial spiritual armor next weekend—that would be God’s Breastplate of Righteousness—it’s going to be a great time together so don’t miss it.

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

Have a blessed day, won’t you, and we’ll see you next time for your Financial Freedom God’s Way radio.