Radio Seminar: Intro to Spiritual Armor
SCAM Alert: TikTok
Maxwell: “Impact”
(Un-Edited Transcript)
INTRODUCTION
Attention
Welcome to Financial Freedom God’s Way Radio. This is where you learn to identify, apply, and pass on, Bible-based financial principles and applications so that you and your family will not only just survive, but thrive during these very uncertain times.
Overview
Hi and welcome everyone, this is Bob Louder from Christian Financial Ministries in Hiawassee, and it is an absolute honor to have you with us again, it really is. Now, what is on the schedule for our 30 minute time together today?
- First, you are about to discover or rediscover that in every minute of your material and your financial life you are going to be involved in an emotional, in a physical, and in a spiritual battle AND you are also going to begin to discover how the Bible says you can win each and every on of those emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial battles. And remember, you can always visit our website at christianfinancialministries.org to either re-listen to or get a transcript of today’s program and our earlier Radio Seminar programs as well.
- Then, after our Radio Seminar time together, you will learn about the latest TikTok scam which promises to turn a few hundred dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency into thousands in no time at all—you’ll learn what this TikTok scam is all about and how to avoid it.
- Then, during our Minute with Maxwell time together, Christian leadership author, teacher, trainer, mentor, and coach John Maxwell will share with us his thoughts on the word IMPACT.
Motivation
So stay tuned, won’t you. It is going to be another great time together with the Lord you are not going to want to miss. Let’s start by making sure it is The Lord who is in charge and directing this time together with Him—let’s open with a word of prayer. Father, we thank You for meeting with us, teaching us, and challenging us again today. Will You please give us ears to hear and the faith to put into practice all that you have planned for us today, to Your glory, in Jesus’ mighty name we ask, amen.
BODY
RADIO SEMINAR
INTRODUCTION
Now, as we get started, I have a couple of questions for you —if you are driving, just listen to and think about these questions. If you are not driving, you might want to grab and pencil and paper so you can write down your answers to these same questions, OK? Question number one: Why do you suppose it is that some people struggle and struggle and struggle and never reach their financial goals? Why do you think that is? Think about it or write down your answer. Question number two: Why do you think it is that some folks seem to have continued financial success without any effort at all? Why do you think that is? Again, either think about it or write down your answer. Now, what’s the point of these two questions? Very simple. These questions drive us directly into the Bible for the answers. Under the authority of God’s Word, my friend, both answers can be found in the Ephesians Chapter 6 discussion of spiritual warfare and God’s spiritual armor.
You see, according to the Bible, in every minute of your material and your financial life you are going to be involved in an emotional, in a physical, and in a spiritual battle. And according to the Bible, you’re either going to win or lose this battle–there is no middle ground–you‘ll either be the victor or you are going to be the victim, and the choice is yours. You see, you can choose to get to know who your enemy is, and know how to fight, and learn how to win, especially—particularly—in the area of finances.
My friend,
- As we work our way through our Radio Seminar times together you’re going to begin to see the link between spiritual warfare, the seven pieces of God’s spiritual armor, and your personal finances.
- But you may say, “Wait a minute, Bob, I already know a thing or ten about spiritual armor and I only count only six pieces?” Ah yes, then, you are in for a surprise or two.
- Today, right now, you’re going to start this part of our journey together with some critical background on the Book of Ephesians, then a bit of background on Ephesians Chapter 6 which is where you’ll find Paul’s teaching on God’s spiritual armor.
BACKGROUND: TWO TRUE STORIES
Now, as we start, I want to share with you a couple of short stories. So sit back, get comfortable, but listen carefully.
- There was a time not that long ago when the LA Times reported about a man and his wife who died in their 50’s. They were found dead in their apartment. The autopsy showed that they had both died of malnutrition. What was interesting about this article was that when the police found their bodies, they searched the apartment and found in the closet a pile of little paper bags filled with $40,000 in cash. Now, I have to tell you, it’s a little ridiculous to die of malnutrition and have $40,000 in cash stuffed in your closet. Wouldn’t you agree? Now, hold on to this while I tell you a second true story.
- You see, in American history there was a lady named Hetty Green. She was called, among other things, she was call a lot of things and among all the things she was called, she was called America’s greatest miser. When she died in 1916 she left an estate of over $100m. That was a whole lot of money in 1916—and that’s still a lot of money today—true. But that was a whole lot more money back in 1916. Hetty Green was one rich lady but she was also so miserly that she said she ate cold oatmeal because it cost too much to heat the water. At one point her son had a severe leg injury. She spent so much time trying to find a free clinic to treat the leg that eventually the leg had to be amputated. Now, I gotta tell you, that was one strange lady. To have over $100m in your estate and let your son’s leg be amputated because you took so much time to find a free clinic.
- Now, my question to you is: what do these two stories have in common?
THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS
Now, you may be saying something like, “Great stories Bob, but what in the world do they have in common and what in the world to they have to do with God’s spiritual armor and my personal finances?” Well, if that’s what’s going on in your mind let me answer this way.
- The book of Ephesians is written to Christians who are exactly like Hetty Green and that couple who died in LA. You say, “What do you mean? What kind of Christian is like that?” Well, let me tell you. It’s the kind of Christian who does not understand the riches he or she has in Christ. It’s the kind of Christian who wanders through life slowly dying from spiritual malnutrition. I mean, it’s the kind Christian who is forever drinking milk and really never gets to the real feast. The kind of Christian who does not know how to tap into his resources–maybe because he doesn’t know what they are–so he never finds out how rich he is.
- During all my studies I found a whole lot of authors who call the book of Ephesians the “treasure house of the Bible.” Others call it the bank of the believer. But I have another definition for it. I see the Book of Ephesians as your spiritual ATM machine—a very special ATM machine. How so? Listen, every time you make a withdrawal, your spiritual blessings account balance doesn’t go down. In other words, you can make spiritual withdrawals from all the riches of God, as often as you want, for as much as you want, and never reduce your account balance. That my friend, is the book of Ephesians.
You see, as good as your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ may be, I got to believe you are going to have a revolution of spiritual growth as you learn from Ephesians to see and use what it is that is yours in Jesus Christ. Part of what God gives you to use are seven spiritual tools that are tied to the seven pieces of God’s spiritual armor that Paul talks about in New Testament Book of Ephesians. Why is this so important? Why is this included in your Radio seminar?
- Because In Ephesians Chapter six, beginning with verse 10, Paul tells you to…
- …be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 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 stand.
- What Paul is telling you here is that you, as a Christian, you are engaged in a spiritual battle. Because you asked Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior you will often find yourself subject to the attacks of the devil. Paul is telling you to use every piece of God’s armor to resist these attacks from the devil including his financial attacks.
- What does all this mean? It means that according to the Bible, the devil is real, he’s not just some cartoon character with long horns and a pointy tail. It means that you, my friend, have very real spiritual adversary that you must learn oppose with genuine spiritual weapons.
- You see, according to the Bible, worldly weapons, even the best material/financial weapons –well, they are never going to be enough…budgeting is never going to be enough, tithing is never going to be enough. Good time management plus all the rest—they simply will never be enough.
- You see, according to the Bible, you also need spiritual weapons and a strategy that tells you how to use your spiritual weapons.
- This means you must learn to combine and use both Bible-based financial principles and applications along with what a Paul calls the “whole armor of God” in Ephesians Chapter six.
HARD FACTS ABOUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE
- What I want you to see right up front are some hard facts about spiritual financial warfare in your life. For example,
- Did you know that the word “devil” is more of a job description than it is a name? Did you know that? In the Bible, the word Satin is a proper name and when you find “Satin” written in the Bible, because it’s a proper name, so it’s capitalized. On the other hand, I’m sure you have seen that the word “devil” is not capitalized and that’s because the word “devil” is not a proper name.
- As the matter of fact, the word “devil” is from the Greek words dia and The word dia means “through” as if to pass through something, and the word balos means repetition—like again and again and again. These words combine to form the Greek word diabalos which is one words that the Bible uses to refer to—or even better—to describe Satin. You see, the word devil, or diabalos, actually describes the repetitive action of hitting something, anything again and again and again, until finally the wall or the membrane is so worn down that it can be completely and thoroughly penetrated.
- And if you stop and think about it, that is exactly how the devil works, isn’t it? It is a job description that has become what we use as a name. You see, the devil wants to “attack” your mind repeatedly, again and again, with lies, suggestions, accusations, and allegations. He wants to bombard you with one slanderous assault after another in order to break down your mental resistance and lead you into a maze of selfishness and self-centeredness so that he can take captive your mind, your emotions, and even your finances.
- And listen, his attacks against you are personal. The devil may try to get you to think something like, “Just try to walk in divine health. I dare you. Try it!” Or, “I defy you to succeed in the ministry.” Or maybe something like, “I defy you to believe that your personal financial situation is ever going to turn around.” The devil’s attacks are personal—they are personal.
- My Friend, you need to remember that you have an adversary who adamantly and actively opposes righteousness—do you realize that? He hates the Gospel. He detests even the mere presence of the Church. He works around the clock to discredit the message and the person of Jesus Christ. Listen, the devil works to tear you down, wear you out, swallow you up in self-pity and make a shambles out of your finances.
- My friend, according to the Bible, the devil’s entrance into your personal financial life is allowed primarily through your personal negligence. You see, he slips in through an undisciplined, an unorganized, and an uncommitted mind and then begins to wage warfare against your mind and your flesh and your finances.
- What can you do? Well, according to the Bible, rather than just ignore your circumstances or rather than try to run and hide, what you need to do is to learn and apply Bible-based financial principles. But more than that. The Bible tells you that you must also learn how to use God’s spiritual armor, that way—that way according to the Bible—you can stand firm and you will not give the devil even an inch of new ground; as the matter of fact, you can learn to boldly move to retake ground already lost; and in the future you might even to conquer new spiritual and financial ground.
- You need to remember that Christianity is not a playground. According to the Bible, Christianity is a battleground and God gives you His spiritual armor to pick up and put on as you enter into the battle.
WRAP UP
Ok, that’s a lot of information—fast and furious—I know. So let’s take just a quick second to review.
- Remember the couple from LA and Hetty Green? True, they had to endure some tough times, but they refused to use the resources they had to walk through those tough times.
- The circumstances of life for that couple in LA and for Hetty Green–they were real and they proved devastating because they did not choose to use the tools, they didn’t choose to use the resources, they didn’t choose to use the provisions they had available to them.
- My friend, your spiritual and financial circumstances are real as well, but you are not only going to recognize the cause of your circumstances, you are going to learn to use the spiritual tools God gives you so your spiritual and your financial circumstances will no longer prove devastating. The times we are going to spend together discovering and uncovering God’s spiritual armor–these are going to be some fantastic times together.
As you work your way through this Radio Seminar,
- You are going to see—first of all—why Paul said his teaching on God’s spiritual armor was the most important teaching in all the Book of Ephesians.
- Then, you’re going to begin to take a detailed look at each piece of armor both from the Roman soldiers’ point of view and from God’s point of view.
But, as you go forward, you need to remember a couple of things.
- The first thing you need to remember—Paul tells you to get dressed for battle. He tells you; he does not ask you, he tells you. He tells you—he tells you to put on the whole armor of God.
- Second, also remember that it is God’s Armor.
- You don’t get it from your denomination, you don’t get it from your church, your school or from your mom and dad. You don’t get it from doing good works or feeding the poor. Nope. That is not how it works.
- So how do you get God’s spiritual armor? Well, do your recall God’s first question to you…remember, “Will you show me your hand”? Remember, that question was to set or reset into place your relationship with God. You see, according to the Bible, you received God’s armor when you answered that question and accepted Jesus Christ into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior. That’s when you got it.
- But then recall God’s second question, “What’s in your hand?” That question is a call for you to discover what God has placed into your hand—you already have it, you just don’t know that you have it or you don’t know how to use it, so God wants to make sure that you see what you have so you can learn to use it. Part of what He has already placed into your hand is His spiritual/financial armor.
- You see, God has already given you all you need to fight and to win spiritually as well as financially. Now you must see what it is you have been given—you just have to see it. That’s what our FFGW radio seminar is all about—discovering, using, and passing along the spiritual and financial principles and applications God has for you. You are going to see all of that.
So, more to come, much more. As we prayerfully discover what Paul has to say about spiritual warfare and God’s spiritual armor we will discover a lot more about ourselves and why we may have succeeded in the past and why we may have failed in the past when it comes to managing the material areas of our lives.
I’ll see you next time as we begin to dig into the six critical, financial spiritual armor Bible verses It’s going to be a great time together. So, I’ll see you then.
SCAM ALERT
As you already know, money flipping cons have long been popular on Instagram and Twitter. But as TikTok’s popularity grows, so the don artists. You need to watch out for the TikTok scam which promises to turn a few hundred dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency into thousands in no time at all
Here is how this scam works. You are scrolling through TikTok when you come across a video showing a pile of cash. The author says they earned the stack of money in just a few days by investing in cryptocurrency. Even though you may not know much about cryptocurrency, this so-called investor can help you get the same kind of return for a modest fee. Or better yet, they have a 100% guarantee that they can triple your money in less than a week.
So, when you contact the supposed investor through one of the many messaging apps, they will be polite and professional. They will ask you to send money—usually a few hundred dollars to start—through a digital wallet service like PayPal. They may even ask you to buy the cryptocurrency yourself and send it to them. Then they will invest your money where it allegedly starts multiplying right away.
Well, as you might expect, this scam isn’t what it seems. When you try to get your money back, the scammer will claim you need to pay some more fees and if you don’t, you will end up loosing a large part of your return OR they may even threaten to take some legal against you. In either case, the scammers will try to extend this con for as long as they can get you to still pay some fees.
So, that’s what the scam is all about, but what can you do to avoid this and a whole lot of other tech support scams?
- First, prayerfully use good judgment. Get-rich-quick schemes and investments are nearly always scams…you know, if it sounds too god to be true…
- The second thing you can do is to do some research. Before you contact someone through TikTok or any other social media platform, look them up on line. If they are cons, you’ll li8ke be able to read about it.
- Third, don’t give into scare tactics. Any investment you need to make right this very minute is likely a scam. If they threaten legal action against you—likely a scam. Just hang up the phone and delete their email..
- Finally, learn how digital wallet services work. Treat any money you send through a digital wallet service like cash. Why? Because once you send the money, there will be little you can do to get it back if you were scammed.
MINUTE WITH MAXWELL
Now it’s time for one of my favorite times together—it is time for another Minute with Maxwell where Christian leadership author, teacher, trainer, mentor and coach John Maxwell shares with us his thoughts on the word IMPACT.
Wow, what a great word. What do we learn? Do Something – Say Something – Be Something, all while making a difference in someone’s life. Thank you John Maxwell.
WRAP UP
And that wraps up our time together for today. But before we go I want to remind you again that you can both re-listen to or read a transcript of this of any of our Financial Freedom God’s Way Radio Seminar sessions by heading over to our website at www.christianfinancialministries.org. That’s www.christianfinancialministries.org.
Wow, what a great time together today, I’m praying you counted it a blessing. Now, well now, let’s close as we always close, and that is with a word of prayer. Father, we thank you for bringing us together and teaching us today and for each of the days yet to come, to Your glory in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Have a blessed rest of your day won’t you, and we will see you next time as we continue down your personal road to Financial Freedom God’s Way.
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