#73 10/1-2/2022

Radio Seminar: Spiritual Armor/the belt of truth

SCAM ALERT: Free solar panels

Minute with Maxwell: “Blame”

Community Event: Prayer Force

 

(Unedited Program Transcript)

INTRODUCTION

 

 Attention

 Welcome to Financial Freedom God’s Way radio where you begin 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 these very uncertain times.

Overview

Hi and welcome everyone, 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 …

• You will start out with another Radio Seminar segment where you will begin to learn how to pick up and put on your very first piece of God’s spiritual, of God’s financial spiritual armor.
• Plus,
  • Ought oh, watch out, if you have an offer for free solar panels, the BBB tells us it’s likely a scam—we’ll talk about it.
  • Spend a great “Minute With Maxwell” where Christian author, speaker, teacher and trainer John Maxwell will share with us his thoughts on the word BLAME,
  • We are going to answer another personal financial question we received from you, our radio family through our email..
• And finally, well finally, you are going to hear just a bit about a community event you really need to be a part of.

Motivation

So, that’s where we are headed today, but first, as always, let me open us up in prayer:  Father, thank You for meeting with us again today.  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.

• So far, during our Radio Seminar times together,
  • You have discovered three important lessons from the Bible.
    • Lesion #1: You live your financial life on a spiritual battlefield.
    • Lesson #2: You are confronted on that battlefield by a very real spiritual adversary,
    • And Lesson #3: You must learn to deal with and oppose your spiritual adversary using spiritual weapons AND worldly weapons.  Remember, you need both, because worldly weapons alone such as a budget and even tithing, worldly weapons alone are never going to be enough for the Lord and you to win on the financial spiritual battlefield.
  • So, that is what the Lord has shown you us so far.
  • Now, let me ask you a question. Here’s the question: Given what you now know, what is likely to be your next step?  What is next?  What is the next thing the Lord would have you to do to continue to get ready to fight you spiritual financial battles?
    • The answer—according to the Bible, here is the answer to the question: You need to learn, understand, and apply the two most important financial principles in all of God’s Word, AND you need to learn how to pick up and put on God’s financial Spiritual armor. This week we will start with the armor then move into the first of the two most important biblical financial principles next week.
  • So, right now, you are just about to discover the very first peace of God’s financial spiritual armor as described in the Bible book of Ephesians, written by the Apostle Paul.

2. So, what we find in Ephesians Chapter six, beginning with verse 10, is this….
   1. …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
   2. 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.
3. 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 truth.  So, let’s start right there.  What exactly is the belt of truth?
   1. Well, to the Roman soldier, his belt
      1. 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.
      2. But it was. How so?  Well, it wrapped around his waist and over his shoulder
      3. 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
      4. His belt held together everything he carried into
      5. That’s the belt from the Roman soldier’s perspective.
   2. Now, from our perspective, what is God’s belt of truth
      1. Is first, the only weapon that we can actually see and hold in our hand today.
      2. Paul calls it the logos, which is the Bible, the written word of God.
   3. You see, if you want to walk through the financial areas of your life dressed in your spiritual armor,
      1. 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
      2. 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.
      3. 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 are going to do during our times together is to set into place two key biblical financial principles based on the Logos, the written Word of God.
   4. You see, according to the Bible, winning or losing in the financial areas of your life is your
      1. If you choose, you see, it’s your choice, if you choose to NOT walk daily in the power of truth from God’s Word, neither are you walking in your God-given suit of spiritual financial
      2. Without the Word of God up and operating in your life, your financial battles are over—they are lost even before they begin.
      3. 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 the loin belt, of 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 first look at the first of two most important, the two most critical, biblical financial   principles in all of God’s Word.

SCAM ALERT

 

Ought oh, watch out, if you have an offer for free solar panels, it’s likely a scam.  If you want solar panels, be very careful when evaluating installation offers. Con artists use misleading sales tactics and outright lies to trick homeowners out of money and personal information. If you’ve received an offer for “free solar panels,” it’s likely a scam.

 

Here is how this scam works.  Someone contacts you through email, phone, social media, or even in person. They are pretending to be a solar company salesperson. The “representative” has a special offer: they can install solar panels on your home for a very low cost – or even free. The amazing deal is only available for a limited time, so you must act now! From here, the scam can take several turns. In some versions, the scammer is after your personal information. They ask you to fill out forms with your banking details “to see if you qualify.” Other times, the “solar representative” claims you need to pay upfront costs, which they promise will be reimbursed by a (non-existent) government program. BBB Scam Tracker has seen numerous reports of this kind of scam. One homeowner was approached by a door-to-door salesperson “claiming he could get me a new roof plus solar equipment, with a government rebate for 26% off cost, essentially paying for the new roof.” After doing their research, the homeowner found that while a government rebate program existed, the salesperson was misrepresenting it to make a sale. See the full article on BBB.org for more examples.

 

How to avoid solar panel scams: Do your research. Genuine incentive programs and reputable solar energy contractors do exist. Before you accept an unsolicited offer, do some research on solar companies in your area. Investigate each company’s reputation and business practices before you consider signing a contract for services. Don’t give in to high-pressure sales tactics. Con artists want to provoke an emotional reaction that would cause you to give in to their requests without thinking it through. Take your time and know that a legitimate company won’t pressure you to act. If someone is using aggressive sales tactics on you, it’s best to cut off communication immediately. Get competing bids. Contact several solar installers if you plan on going solar and get bids from each company. If someone is pulling a con, they will be much easier to spot this way. Ask plenty of questions and consider the answers. Ask questions about any aspect of a contract or proposal you don’t understand. If the company gets upset about your questions, refuses to answer them, or is vague with their answers, consider it a red flag.

Minute with Maxwell

• I really love the fact that I get to share a Minute with Maxwell with you each week.  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.
• Today’s word is Blame. I blame my bank for my problem…I blame my job, I blame the economy…we all tend to sometime play the blame game, right? Sure we do, so let’s see what John Maxwell has to say about the word, blame.
• 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.  Taking responsibility is tough. No one wants to admit when they mess up or they are wrong—it goes against all our natural instincts. However, when you start to point fingers and play the blame game, remember that several fingers are pointing right back at you.  I believe John is suggesting that we learn to take responsibility early on—the first time—so you can learn from your mistakes and grow, becoming that much more effective as a person, as a husband or wife, as a financial manager.
• Blame, another great word study from John Maxwell

Q&As

OK, how are we doing on time?  Well, it looks like we have time for one Q&A—that’s where we respond on air to questions you send us via email through our website at www.christianfinancialministries.org.

Here is the question for this time. I teach a class on finances in my local church, and one of my class members brought a question to me that I’m not sure how to answer.  Bob, can you tell me where in the Bible it says, “Neither a borrower nor a lender be”?  The most important part of my question is, should Christians borrow?

Wow, great question.

• Actually, that quote comes from Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac. It is not from God’s Word; it is religious folklore—it is a statement that sounds biblical but simply is not found in the Bible.
• Now, for your real question: should Christians borrow.
  • Very simply, the Bible does not prohibit borrowing. However, borrowing is always highly discouraged.  In fact, every biblical reference about borrowing is negative.  For example, Proverbs 22:7 tells us “The rich rule over the poor and the borrower become the lender’s slave.”
  • The scriptural guideline for borrowing is very clear. When you borrow money, you are making a vow—you are making a promise to repay.  Moreover, we know that God requires we keep our vows.  Recall that Psalm 37:21 says, “The wicked borrows and does not repay.”  Therefore, if we do not want to be counted among the wicked, we are to repay everything we owe.
  • A great side note here is that in biblical times, when a man borrowed money and could not or would not repay, he was thrown into prison, and his family was sold into slavery. When somebody gave his word and then did not keep his word, that person brought dishonor to himself and disaster to his family.  Not repaying was worse than stealing, because it violated a trust.
  • Now, just because we do not normally throw people into prison for not repaying what they owe does not make the trust relationship any different today than in Bible times. Scripture shows us that we are to be very cautious about borrowing, and borrowing should never be a normal part of our life.  Yet, when you look at our society today, you find that borrowing is rampant.  We think it is normal to borrow for periods of 30 to 40 years, or even longer.  We have created a personal and a national economy that borrows to exist.  That is not God’s best for His people.

And I believe we have just about time for one more, here’s another borrowing question:

• I’m from a school of thought that says use other people’s money (OPM); in other words, borrow to do whatever you want. it’s a hard mentality to shake, even though I now understand it’s contrary to God’s Word. I was recently at a meeting in which fund raisers recommended that people in a congregation borrow to give to the church building program. That sounds more reasonable to me than the church itself borrowing. What do you think?
• Larry Burkett once wrote, “If you knowingly violate biblical principles, it’s wrong, no matter how noble the purpose. I don’t believe God would direct anyone to violate His Word to accomplish His work. The principle of surety says that we’re not to borrow against an unknown contingency. The idea of using other people’s money has bee greatly overplayed in our society, especially within the church. I believe that God has provided us Christians all the money necessary to do anything we want if we are committed to it. Borrowing should never play a part in giving.  We should always give what belongs to us, not what belongs to somebody else. “Thank you yet again Larry Burkett! I agree–don’t borrow to give to your church.

Community Activities

Now, as you know, one of the things you will find as you listen to this program—well, you’ll learn a bit about some upcoming community activities.  And I have a good one for you today.  As the matter of fact, if you read the North GA News or the Towns County Herald last Wednesday, you saw a short article titled  “Taking Seriously the Call to Pray.”  Let me read to you what that article said.

The Chatuge Community Prayer Force is a young and growing, non-denominational, grass-roots community that regularly prays FIRST and foremost for every segment of our Hiawassee, Young Harris, and Hayesville communities; THEN for our two States, our Nation, and for the peace of Jerusalem

The Prayer Force is open to all who have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and desire to pray for God to pour out His blessings on our Lake Chatuge communities.  Team Members currently meet to pray the first Tuesday of each month from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the Chatuge Ministry & Event Center (previously the Mountain Home Music Hall), 2532 Highway 76, in Hiawassee.  Then, individual Team Members pray throughout the month for specific “Community Prayer Partners” such as our local businesses, service organizations, churches, government offices and officials, first responders, schools, and others.

“In light of all the issues that impact our local community today, the Chatuge Community Prayer Force is an excellent and encouraging way to help bring our community together as one, exercise our responsibility to keep informed, and seek God’s intervention and guidance,” said Dr. Louder, the head of the Chatuge Community Prayer Force.

The next Team Meeting is set for Tuesday, October 4^th.  If you would like to come and pray, become a Community Prayer Partner and be prayed for, or have any questions, please contact Dr. Bob Louder by phone (678-386-2640) or email (b.louder@good-steward.org).   You can also Google “Chatuge Community Prayer Force.”

CONCLUSION

Review

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 taking a look at 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’s your Bible.
• The Better Business Bureau gave us a head’s up on the “free solar panel” scam that going around.
• John Maxwell talked with you for a minute or so about the word, “blame.”
• We responded to a listener question and discovered that although the Bible does not prohibit borrowing, it is not His best for His people.
• And finally, well finally if you would like to come pray with the Chatuge Community Prayer Force this coming Tuesday from 10-11 AM at the little red music hall at 2532 Highway 76 on the west side of Hiawassee, or if you would like to become a Community Partner and have us pray for you, in either case, please give me a call at 678-386-2640 or just show up next Tuesday morning at 10. I know you know that our community needs prayer, so please come join us or give us the chance for us to pray for you and your business or organization.

Re-motivation

My friend, remember that our times together are really His times with you, not my times with you.  My prayer is that somewhere along the line today He and you connected with something He and you can use to help make your life in Christ better than it’s ever been.

Closing:

In closing, first, remember to check out our website at www.christianfinancialministries.org.

And second, well, please 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.