#9 5/27-28/2023

Seminar: Scripture Memory 1/6
Dave Ramsey: Three Basic Financial Skills
John Maxwell: Winning Formula
ARTICLE: Scripture Memory, Meditation, Application

(UNEDITED TRANSCRIPT)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Financial Freedom God’s Way, where you are continuing 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.

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. Where are we going during our 30 minute time together today?

1. First of all—first every week is the Your Finances in Perilous Times Radio Seminar. This week we’re going to take a quick look back to review our progress so far, and then, well then you are going to discover the first of the six Bible verses that the Lord is using to form the foundation for all of our times together plus all of your time from this time forward. Plus, we have a great bonus for you—more about that in just a minute.
2. Then, you will hear from our friend Dave Ramsey as he talks to us about the three basic financial skills you and everyone should have but usually do not have—that’s going to be interesting.
3. And finally we will hear yet another Minute with Maxwell as Christian author, speaker, teacher, trainer, mentor and coach give us his formula to winning—John Maxwell’s formula for winning.

So stay tuned, you are not going to want to miss a minute of today’s program.

And as we do each time we are together, let me open us with a word of 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
Review

Now, as you already know, during our Radio Seminar times together you are going to learn what God has to say about how you are take care of, how you are to best manage the material areas of your life and you are going to learn how to do it in ways that are pleasing to Him.

How are you going to do all of that? By prayerfully learning to blend the spiritual and the financial in ways you may have never experienced before. For example,

1. You will not only learn to combine key biblical financial principles along with some critical, scriptural applications.
2. You are also going to take a good look at some Jewish history and some Jewish word pictures.
3. You are going to:
   1. learn some Greek,
   2. You are going to hear some true stories about challenges and lessons learned,
   3. You are going to have some fun, and
   4. You are even going to get to know Rex our Roman soldier friend and see what in the world he has to do with your personal finances.
4. And all of this is going to be based on:
   1. Two Key Biblical Principles,
   2. Six critical Bible verses, and
   3. 7 important spiritual tools.
   4. Plus, you’ll also see the important part the Holy Spirit has to play in your finances.

Now, so far during our Radio Seminar times together over the last few weeks you have put into place a some great foundation stones upon which we will build all of our times together from here on.

1. First, you discovered that you are unique within the Body of Christ. How so? Well, the data shows that fewer than 10% of the Body of Christ will ever step out and take the time and make the effort and even the sacrifice to learn and apply what God’s Word has to say about how to handle money? Only 10%! This means that more than 90% of the other folks in the Body of Christ will sadly, never be able to truly enjoy financial freedom God’s way. You are unique within the body of Christ.
2. Second, you have now responded to the same three questions God has asked folks down through the ages who wanted to be mightily used in His Kingdom. Do you remember those three Questions.
   1. Question #1: Will you show Me your hand? Will you choose to show God your hand? Here God is asking you to open yourself up to Him. He is asking you to either get into relationship with Him or get back into relationship with Him. That’s Question #1—Will you show Me your hand?
   2. Question #2: “What is in your hand? What has God given you that He and you have to work with?”
   3. And finally He asks you, “Will you give Me your hand and what’s in it?” Will you choose to combine your relationship with God and all that He is giving you in order to be a blessing not only to you and your family, but to others through you as well.
   4. God’s three questions will prove to be critically important to you in the weeks and years to come. We’ll come back to them often.
3. And finally, the third thing we’ve done to lay a foundation for all of our times together and all of your life from now on is this. You now know what you have always suspected and that is when you step out to be used by God you can expect that at least some of those steps will be somewhat or even a lot uncomfortable—that you are apt to become involved in what is called spiritual warfare. The good news is that you have also learned God wants to equip to deal with that spiritual warfare and WIN—every single time. That’s why He gives you His spiritual financial armor to prayerfully pick up, put on, and use. The first is the belt of truth, the Logos, the written word of God which is the foundation for the other pieces of His armor that He gives us which is the first of the 7 important spiritual tools you will learn to use during this Radio Seminar.

So, that’s where we have been, you are unique. You have responded to God’s three questions, and you are learning, or relearning to pick up, put on, and walk around in God’s spiritual armor.

Remember, again, God is the One giving you this Your Finances in Perilous Times Radio Seminar—I’m just the middle-man. You are not here by accident. God is calling you here so He and you can make a difference in His Kingdom. This is not casual radio listening, my friend. This is radio with a purpose. This is radio that that God can use to give you hope as He leads you and your family from Bible-based financial information into spiritual and financial lifestyle transformation. What He is giving your through these radio seminar times together is based on over 35 years of Bible-based financial teaching, training, mentoring and coaching as a Larry Burkett and a Dave Ramsey certified financial coach. You are receiving the best from all their seminars, workshops, and Bible studies—and a whole lot more.

Scripture Memory: Introduction

So, enough with looking back, it’s time to press forward. And by the way, I’m pretty sure you haven’t considered that you are going to have some homework as part of this radio seminar. Homework? Yep, homework. If you really want to get the most of all the Lord has to offer you, you need to become involved in the spiritual disciplines of hearing, reading, memorizing, meditating, and studying six critical Bible verses God has for you.

1. Do you know, it’s been said that when God’s Word becomes rooted in your soul, you bloom and you grow and you become more like Jesus. I believe that is true according to what the Bible says.
2. If you ever tried to memorize and present either a speech or a part in a play—convincingly, word for word, with purpose and feeling—then you know that it is hard work. Your also know that if you don’t review and practice regularly, within a very short time you will forget some or all of what you memorized.
3. Memorizing passages from the Bible is no different. It’s hard work, and can take a lot of time as you begin to learn and practice the process. However, the Bible teaches you that you can memorize, that the work is worth the effort, and that scripture memory and meditation are two of the things God expects of you.

My friend, if you take just one thing, just one thing away from your Radio Seminar experience, I pray that it is the importance of Scripture Memory. I really do. Now, I know that Financial Freedom God’s Way is critically important—I know that, that’s why we’re here. Financial Freedom God’s Way is critically important that’s true, but listen; discovering and living out what the Bible has to say about each and every other area of your life is critically important as well. And, according to the Bible, one of the best ways to discover and start to live, how God would have you to live, is to begin to memorize what He has to say in His Word. So, we are going to invest some time into Scripture memory.

1. Listen, Scripture memory is yet another one of your important first steps along your road to Financial Freedom God’s Way—it really is. My friend, listen to me. You already read and study the Bible, right? Don’t you? Sure you do. Then you are now ready for God’s Word to take hold of your life—including your financial life—in order to shape you and to reshape you from the inside out. So what I want you to do is not to worry about or be fearful about Scripture memory. I want you to enjoy this part of your journey down your road to Financial Freedom God’s Way.
2. So, take a deep spiritual breath, as we start to work with the first of the six critical Bible verses that lay the foundation for all of our times together and for all of your life from this time forward.

1^st Scripture Memory, Meditation and Application Verse: Deuteronomy 8:17-18

The first verse the Lord and you are going to work on is Deuteronomy 8:17-18. You will first hear the verse, then we will summarize the content and the context of the verse. We’ll also talk just a bit about how to memorize, meditate, and apply the verse. I recommend you just listen for now, then go to our website at www.christianfinancialministries.org to relisten, the read and study the transcript and a special report I have for you. OK? Ok, let’s get started.

1. Here is Deuteronomy 8:17-18 from the New International Version of the Bible. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.
2. These are Moses’ words to the people just before they entered the promise land. He reminded them of their slavery in Egypt and their hard times in the desert. Then he told them that in the promise land the scarce times would turn to abundant times–they would have houses, and lands, and crops, and plenty of food, clothing, wives and children and animals. But he cautioned them to remember that all they would have and the ability and opportunity to produce all they would have—would all come from God. Therefore, Moses cautioned the people to put their hope, trust and confidence in God, not in their abilities, not in their opportunities, and not in their provisions. They were to trust and have a relationship with the Provider, not the provision. They should have the attitude of stewards (managers) who not only serve the Owner but who also partner with the Owner to serve others. In this way they would learn to appreciate and not take for granted God’s provisions and spiritual blessings.
3. So, that’s what Deuteronomy 8:17-18 has to say and what it is all about. Now let’s talk for just a minute about Scripture memory and meditation.
   1. First of all, what is Scripture memory? Why is it important? Why do it? Well, Scripture memory puts God’s Word in your mind. Your goal should be to repeat each verse word perfect from memory to include the topic, the reverence, the actual scripture, and then the reference again. That is what Scripture memory is—it puts God’s Word in your mind.
   2. On the other hand, prayerful meditation puts God’s Word into your heart. Meditation is thinking with a purpose, it’s asking God to direct your thoughts. Your goal should be to relate each verse to your own unique circumstances. However, remember, don’t confuse Bible knowledge with spiritual maturity. Knowing more about the Bible does not automatically make you a better disciple of Jesus Christ. Remember that many of the Pharisees knew the Old Testament, yet they were spiritual phonies. The key to spiritual maturity is applying God’s word to your life.
   3. Now, how can you go about memorizing, meditating, and applying these six verses—starting with the verse in Deuteronomy? Wow, that is a class in and of itself. Now, you may already have and use a great Scripture memory, meditation, and application process. If so, that’s great. If it works for you, don’t chant it. If, however, you may need a refresher on a good process to follow, simply go to this recording on our website at christianfinancialministries.org, There you will be able to re-listen to and even read or print out a transcript. At the bottom of the transcript you will find an article titled, “Scripture Memory and Meditation Questions and Answers.” Check it out. I believe you will find it most helpful.
4. Remember, memorizing, meditating, and working to apply passages from the Bible is hard work and it takes time. However the Bible teaches you that you can and should memorize; that the work is worth the effort; and that memorization, meditation, and application are three things God expects of you if you are to successfully make it along the road to Financial Freedom God’s way.

Wow, that’s enough for now, actually that’s probably more than enough for now. Wow, are you getting the feeling you have just taken a drink out of a fire hose? That is why we give you all the backup on our website, so remember to check out the website. Next time, wow, next time you are going to begin to take a look at our economy today…a biblical look, not a political look. You will get a good feel as to how our current economy is impacting American families today, both Christian and non-Christian Families—and how it is impacting your family. It’s going to be a surprising and an interesting time together, so don’t miss it.

Dave Ramsey

You know, Dave Ramsey has been giving out fantastic financial advice for a whole lot of years…it was my great pleasure to start working with Dave back in 2004. Over the years, I’ve discovered that he has a knack of taking the complicated and making is simple. You will see what I mean today as Dave gives us the three financial skills everyone needs to know. Here’s Dave.

So, what are the three basic financial skills that all of us need to have? We need to be able to spend, save, and give in ways that are pleasing to God. And the key? The key is balance.

Minute with Maxwell

Now, let’s start to wrap up our time together today with one of the highlights of all of our times together. Let’s spend a Minute with Maxwell as John Maxwell gives us his thoughts on winning—you are just about to discover John Maxwell’s formula to winning. Let’s listen in.

Thank your John Maxwell.

CONCLUSION

We are flat out of time but I want to make sure we spend the time to close in prayer: Father, thank You for bringing us together again today, and for each of the days yet to come, to Your glory, in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

We will see you next time for Financial Freedom God’s Way Radio!

_____________________________________________________

Scripture Memory and Meditation
Questions and Answers

INTRODUCTION

It’s been said that when God’s Word becomes rooted in your soul, you bloom and grow and become more like Jesus.

My friend, if you take only one thing away from your Academy experience, I hope it is the importance of Scripture Memory and Meditation. Financial Freedom God’s Way is a critically important subject, but it pales in comparison to the importance of learning God’s Word.

Below you will find some helpful “Questions and Answers” to encourage you along is as you move into the spiritual disciplines—hearing, reading, memorizing, meditating and studying the Word of God.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What is memorization all about? Scripture memory puts God’s Word in your mind. Your goal should be to repeat each verse word perfect from memory to include the topic, reference, scripture, and the reference again.

What is meditation all about? Prayerful meditation puts God’s Word into your heart. Meditation is thinking with a purpose, asking God to direct your thoughts. Your goal should be to relate each verse to your own circumstances. HOWEVER, remember, don’t confuse Bible knowledge with spiritual maturity; knowing more about the Bible does not automatically make you a better disciple of Jesus Christ. Remember that many of the Pharisees knew the Old Testament, yet they were spiritual phonies. The key to spiritual maturity is applying God’s Word into your life.

Why memorize and meditate on God’s Word? Why? Because God encourages you to do so. Consider these verses:

1. Psalm 119: 9, 11: How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Scripture memory can help you get victory over sin. When temptations come along, you can call up a verse from memory that specifically addresses the temptation.
2. Deuteronomy 6:6: These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Deuteronomy 11:18-21: Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. God instructed the Jews to have His Words in their hearts. The same principle is also beneficial to you as a Christian. His Word is a powerful tool that should be at your disposal at all times.
3. Colossians 3:16: Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom; Memorizing the Word of God will greatly aid in fellowship, because if you have Christ’s words in you, then the rest of the verse will naturally follow…teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
4. I Peter 3:15: But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… Having God’s Word memorized makes you a more effective witness for Him. If you are indeed ready to share the Gospel with others, God can use you, and the verses you have memorized, to bring others to Him. Remember…you don’t always have a Bible handy when you need it.

Why memorize and meditate on God’s Word? Why? Because God wants to communicate with you through His Word. You take your praises and problems to God through prayer. Then He shows you His solutions through His Word. In prayer, you call out to the living God from the depths of your soul. In Scripture memory and meditation, God calls out to you from the depths of His living Word.

Why memorize and meditate? Consider what others have to say.

1. Dr. Howard Hendricks of the Dallas Theological Seminary said that if it were up to him, every student would be required to learn one thousand verses word perfect before they graduated.
2. “Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization!” (Dallas Willard, professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California.)
3. “I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture….No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified” (Chuck Swindoll).
4. One of the reasons Martin Luther came to his great discovery in the Bible of justification by faith alone was that in his early years in the Augustinian monastery he was influenced to love Scripture by Johann Staupitz. Luther devoured the Bible in a day when people earned a doctorate in theology without even reading the Bible. Luther said that his fellow professor, Andreas Karlstadt, did not even own a Bible when he earned his doctor of theology degree, nor did he until many years later. Luther knew so much of the Bible from memory that when the Lord opened his eyes to see the truth of justification in Romans 1:17, he said, “Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory,” in order to confirm what he had found.

Is this something I can do? Yes, because you can ask for and count on God’s help to memorize and meditate. He will give you a deep hunger and thirst for His deep wisdom and counsel in scripture. He will help you digest His Word as you memorize and meditate on it. As you learn to focus on Scripture in a very personal way, taking God’s Word to heart, He will encourage you to put that truth into action in your life.

Are you sure this is something I can do? Yes, because you already memorize important information. You already have a good memory! For example, think for a minute about all the information you already know by heart—your address and phone number, all the people you know by name, details about your job, facts and figures about your favorite sport or hobby, and on and on. Once you stop and think about it, you’ll see that your memory is pretty good after all. Anything is easy to memorize when you really have an interest in it.

What am I going to memorize and meditate on during my time with the Academy? There are seven modules to this Seminar. The first six Modules each include a “Scripture Memory” button on the left navigation bar. When you click on the button you will find a hard copy of the verse for that module as well as a Microsoft Word document of my personal study notes. I’m giving you a Microsoft Word document rather than a PDF document so you can first consider my notes, then add, subtract, multiply and/or divide as you and the Lord prayerfully determine. Here are the six verses you will memorize during this seminar:

1. Deuteronomy 8:17-18: You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me,” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.
2. Matthew 6:19-21: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
3. Matthew 6:24: No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
4. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
5. Philippians 4:11-13: I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
6. 1 Timothy 6:9-10: People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

How do I go about memorizing and meditating? I know, that you know, that you know, that Bible memorization and meditation are important tools for your spiritual growth. But how do you do it? What’s a good plan to follow? I’m glad you asked. Here’s an outline of the process God gave me. Perhaps it will prayerfully work for you. At least it will be a good review or a good place to start.

1. Determine the best time and place to regularly practice these spiritual disciplines.
2. Pray for wisdom. Ask God for help to memorize and meditate to His glory.
3. Review the previous memory verses
4. Understand the context
5. Study the content
6. Summarize the content
7. Memorize (I find it best to memorize in 30-minute sessions.)
   1. As you start to memorize a verse
   2. Read in your Bible the context of the verse.
   3. Try to gain a clear understanding of what the verse actually means. You may want to read the verse in other Bible translations or paraphrases or perhaps consult a commentary-after you’ve done your personal study!
   4. Read the verse through several times thoughtfully, aloud or in a whisper. This will help you grasp the verse as a whole. Each time you read it, say the topic, reference, verse, and then the reference again.
   5. Discuss the verse with God in prayer, and continue to seek His help for success in Scripture memory.
8. While you are memorizing the verse . . .
   1. Write the verse on a 3×5 card. Record the verse on your Mp3 player.
   2. Work on saying the verse aloud as much as possible.
   3. Learn the topic and reference first.
9. After learning the topic and reference, learn the first phrase of the verse. Once you have learned the topic, reference, and the first phrase and have repeated them several times, continue adding more phrases.
10. Think about how the verse applies to you and your daily circumstances.
11. Learn to repeat the verse with feeling and purpose as if you were the author.
12. Always include the topic and reference as part of the verse as you learn and review it.
13. After you can quote correctly the topic, reference, verse, and reference again . . .
    1. Writing the verse out can be helpful. This deepens the impression in your mind.
    2. Find a friend to check you on the verse. Better yet, memorize together!
    3. Review the verse immediately after learning it, and repeat it frequently in the next few days. This is crucial for fixing the verse firmly in your mind because of the tendency to forget something recently learned. Review! Review! Review! Read your 3×5 card and listen to your MP3 recording. Repetition is the best way to engrave the verses on your memory.

How to Meditate

1. Pray: Praise God for the way His character is revealed in the verse. Thank Him for any promises you see. Ask Him to apply these promises into your life. Confess any failure. Do it all out loud.
2. Paraphrase the verse.
3. Ask questions: who, what, where, why, how.
4. Emphasize different words or phrases.
5. Find and “consider” cross references.

Application Suggestions

1. Pray: Continue to ask God to give you discernment and wisdom to apply what He’s teaching you.
2. Do: Practice what you learn.
3. Review
4. Record: I strongly suggest you keep a spiritual journal

CONCLUSION

Well, there you have it. Some Questions and Answers to prayerfully help you along as you learn to memorize and meditate on God’s Word, specifically the six critical “money” verses.

In closing, I want to share with you parts of an old article written John Piper entitled “Why Memorize Scripture?” Over the last few years God has renewed my desire to memorize and meditate on His Word. To my very great surprise and enjoyment, I’ve found that I’m actually able to memorize—even to memorize extended sections when I’m willing to put in the effort.

Piper offers a list of reasons why we should memorize Scripture. They are:

1. Conformity to Christ – Bible memorization has the effect of making our gaze on Jesus steadier and clearer.
2. Daily Triumph over Sin – As sin lures the body into sinful action, we call to mind a Christ-revealing word of Scripture and slay the temptation with the superior worth and beauty of Christ over what sin offers.
3. Daily Triumph over Satan – When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness he recited Scripture from memory and put Satan to flight.
4. Comfort and Counsel for People You Love – When the heart full of God’s love can draw on the mind full of God’s word, timely blessings flow from the mouth.
5. Communicating the Gospel to Unbelievers – Actual verses of the Bible have their own penetrating power. And when they come from our heart, as well as from the Book, the witness is given that they are precious enough to learn.
6. Communion with God in the Enjoyment of His Person and Ways – The way we commune with (that is, fellowship with) God is by meditating on his attributes and expressing to him our thanks and admiration and love, and seeking his help to live a life that reflects the value of these attributes.

These are six really good reasons to memorize and meditate on God’s Word. On the flip side, I suspect that the primary reason most of us do not commit more Scripture to memory is simply the difficulty involved. It is a difficult and time-consuming process to take those words and force them into our minds.

My friend, you already read and study the Bible. Now you’re ready for God’s Word to take hold of your life—including your financial life—in order to shape and reshape you from the inside out. Enjoy this part of your journey down your road to Financial Freedom God’s Way.