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August
31

Abundance vs. Lack

Posted by FaithfulDEEDS at 10:25 pm

Have you ever wondered why people are after their “slice of the pie” when it comes to financial wealth? Why not focus on the pie instead of the slice? Why not focus on abundance instead of lack?

In today’s culture we have proven that it does not take education to make money, nor does it take lack of education. It does not take money to make money, nor does it take poverty or extreme obstacles to make money. The truth is; there is an abundance of money and other resources in the world for everyone to have exactly what they want, if they’re willing to work for it! This is exemplified in the Old Testament of the Bible. In Deuteronomy 28 the Children of Israel are told that if they follow and obey the Lord than an abundance of blessings shall come upon them, but if they disobey and do what is displeasing to the Lord than an abundance of curses will come upon them. The question remains, are you obeying the Lord?

Stewardship is more than just a money management technique to gain greater wealth, it’s an act of obedience recognizing that God is the source of every possession and resource we possess and without Him we would have nothing. But God does not ration out blessings. God promises to “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (Malachi 3:10, NIV) And what do we have to do to receive this promise? Be obedient.

Test God in His faithfulness, focus on being the best steward you can be, giving freely and recognizing Him as your source, you just might receive more than you expected.

You aren’t limited to a “slice of the pie,” if you are obedient you can have the whole pie and the crust too! Your blessings of tomorrow start today, setup a budget, get some accountability and show God you are ready and willing to manage His money, His way.

If you are ready to start your journey as a financial steward contact Financially Faithful today at: www.financiallyfaithful.org or toll-free at 877.59.FAITH.

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June
8

Culturally Irrelevant

Posted by FaithfulDEEDS at 1:14 pm

When people ask you about the latest music, movies or other entertainment, do you know the answers and have the ability to carry on a conversation about it? If not you might be culturally irrelevant! But don’t worry, that’s a good thing.

Call me crazy but I count it as a complement when people think of me as culturally irrelevant because it means that I am separating myself from the world and setting my mind on Godly things instead of the cares of the world. How else can you understand the concept of holiness? When 1 Peter 1:15,16 says, “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”, it refers to Liviticus 19:2 when God commands His people to be holy, I guess what we really need to understand is holiness…

Being Holy is when something or someone has been dedicated to God and sanctified. The santification process is a lifelong journey for all Christians, but it requires a desire to be seperate from ungodly things and/or people. However, this is not an excuse or reason to not talk to or evangelize to non-Christians, its simply a call to be in the world but not to be OF the world. Being holy helps us to learn more about God and the things of God, while releasing the cares of the world’s culture and mindset.

We shouldn’t know the latest songs and their lyrics, nor the latest movies and their plots, as Christians we should have more knowledge of Kingdom Culture and less knowledge of the World’s Culture. Take this simply as a challenge, something to help you set your eyes and mind on the things of God and be secure enough in yourself and your identity in Christ to be Culturally Irrelevant.

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May
7

Are you Self-sufficient or Self-reliant?

Posted by FaithfulDEEDS at 10:32 am

Reaching your goals and fulfilling your purpose should not be a one man (or woman) show. The greatest lesson we can learn from reading the Bible is that we are to depend and rely on God, not as a crutch, but as a foundation and the source of our existence.

I read a survey recently that was done back in 1960 as researchers were seeking to find out how millionaires reached their level of financial status. The survey surprised the researchers because it showed that millionaires did not make their money through traditional investing and saving, but rather through finding something they love to do, making themselves valuable to others and exchanging their value with the value of others who helped them reach their goals. So were they self-sufficient or self-reliant? The research showed that “self-made” millionaires don’t exist. Wealth was created through the exchange of value.

The difference between self-sufficiency and self-reliance is value exchange. If you fail to make yourself valuable to others then you will not be able to reach true success. Self-sufficiency is doing everything yourself, without cooperating with, giving value to, or receiving value from others. Self-reliance is being accountable for yourself, while providing value to and accepting it from others. Simply put, there has to be an interdependent relationship in order to be self-reliant and achieve your goals. You have to provide value and be humble enough to accept it!

We all have a responsibility to find and fulfill our life’s purpose, while developing and exchanging our value with others. So how do you find your life’s purpose? You have to ask your manufacturer! When Kodak creates a camera they know exactly what that camera is supposed to do, they build in it certain abilities and technologies, they know who will use it and how long it will last. The same goes for our Creator. God knows what you were created to do, what talents and abilities He placed in you, how you can use those talents and abilities to fulfill your purpose and how long you will last here on Earth. In order for you to learn these things you must connect with your manufacturer.

If you understand your purpose and you understand what it means to be self-sufficient then you’ll recognize the impossibility of being self-sufficient and fulfilling your purpose. Ask yourself a couple of questions: What do I want out of life? What do I have to give? Who can I serve? How can I increase my value to others? By answering these questions you will discover the passions and desires God placed in you and who is affected by your purpose.

Remember, your purpose is bigger than you. The quicker you come to the realization that life’s not about you, the quicker you will understand true freedom and happiness. Depend on God and be self-reliant, you already have everything you need to succeed in life, you just have to apply it!

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May
4

Satisfied… On Purpose!

Posted by FaithfulDEEDS at 11:29 am

Recent statistics show that nearly half of all Americans expressed they are dissatisfied with their jobs. Are you one of them? If so, why are you dissatisfied? Could it be that you’re not fulfilling your life’s purpose?

The truth of the matter is that you will never obtain true happiness or satisfaction unless you’re actively pursuing your passions and unique purpose in life. No external possession or privilege will provide you with the fulfillment you seek in your occupation. But just because you don’t have satisfaction, doesn’t mean you can’t obtain it. Who’s holding you back from achieving your life’s purpose?

The roadblock to achieving your purpose might not be “who” but most likely it’s “what.” Financial pressures have caused Americans to seek security rather than achieve purpose. Since the Great Depression money has become the largest slave driver of our culture today, causing families to work harder and longer than ever before, yet still failing to obtain the true riches of lasting relationships with faith, family and friends. We tend to seek temporary solutions to long-term, and even eternal problems. So what can we do to change this pattern?

The first step to going after your life’s purpose is to discover it. Being in the rat race of life most Americans seldom have the time to discover what their talents and abilities are because they’re not taking the time to nurture them daily. Without the daily cultivation and application of our talents, we fail to develop the skills necessary to make a lasting impact on the lives of others. Your purpose is bigger than you. We all have a unique mission in this life to do something great that has never been done before and never will be done if we don’t take the time to actively pursue purpose. The fruition of our gifts, talents and abilities start at the root, not the branch. We must connect to the source of our creation in order to ask the question, “Why am I here and who’s benefiting from my existence?”

Once you discover your purpose in life, then its time to develop a plan for achievement. Your plan is going to be different and unique so don’t look for examples on how to fulfill your purpose, instead look for those who can hold you accountable to the plan you create. Accountability is key to achieving goals, that’s why you must seek out those who can review your plan objectively and provide you with beneficial feedback. Don’t get caught up in looking for someone to approve your plan, instead you should be looking for someone who is going to challenge you and push you to exceed your expectations. With the stretching of your faith, you will soon discover the stretching of your abilities.

Now what? You discovered your purpose, you put a plan in place, you have an accountability coach to help you along the way, now what do you do? Now it’s time to expect it to come to pass! This is where your faith will be tested. This is where you are most likely to give up because you don’t see results in record time. I urge you that when you come to those times of deep personal doubt, that you review your plans, talk to your accountability coach and rediscover the “why” to your life. The more you stay focused on the “why,” the more the “how” will become increasingly simplified.

Getting started is the hardest thing you’ll do because it takes an effort and a true commitment to make a change, but it can be done, and it must be done. Going after your purpose is a process that should be taken with persistence and confidence. Your success is not measured by the swiftness of achievement, but rather by the persistence of your passion. Start small and gradually increase your efforts, this process will gradually increase your faith and ultimately increase your value. It’s not about what you possess, it’s about whose lives you impact.

Going after your purpose will give you a sense of satisfaction and joy that is unexplainable. When you take the steps necessary to create change in your life, the people around you will soon catch on and benefit from your actions. It’s not your boss’ job to help you obtain satisfaction, it’s your job and it starts with a decision. Money can’t hold you back. People can’t hold you back. Now’s the time to look at the opportunities around you and discover your own personal satisfaction… on purpose.

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April
23

How Do You Store Treasures In Heaven?

Posted by FaithfulDEEDS at 11:30 am

Are you focused more on building treasures on Earth than you are on building treasures in Heaven? In Matthew 6:19-20 Jesus illustrates the problem with wealth here on Earth – moths and rust destroy it, thieves break in and steal it, it doesn’t last forever – so how do we store up treasures in Heaven?

Many Christians don’t know what it truly takes to store Heavenly treasures because they can’t see it in the here and now, so instead they decide to go after Earthly treasures, telling themselves that one day they will use their Earthly treasures to build Heavenly treasures, but what if you never obtain it?

What if you seek treasures – money, possessions, prosperity (in its secular form) – but never obtain it. Or even worse, what if you obtain it then spend so much time trying to preserve it that you fail to use it properly. I’ve been told that it’s easier to make a million dollars than it is to keep it. Do you think that’s true?

As I was praying about this subject matter God challenged me to not just do the study and present my findings as the “10 most important things Christians can do to build Heavenly treasures.” Instead He challenged me to ask you… What do you think are the most important things you can do on a daily basis to store up treasures in Heaven?

We’re going to compile this research from Christians (those who go to Church on a regular basis and those who do not), from Pastors and from Biblical Scholars. I believe this research will help both you and I gain a deeper understanding of true riches. We created a quick survey on our website that will ask you to simply prioritize a list of daily activities that should be done to build treasures in Heaven. This research will be 100% anonymous and should take you less than 1 minute.

After we complete our research we will post the results and establish a list of daily deeds to help Christians store up treasures in Heaven. Will you help us? If so, click on the link below and take our short survey…

Click Here To Take The Survey!

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April
16

Christians Should Use The “B” Word

Posted by FaithfulDEEDS at 10:00 am

Shhhh, don’t tell anyone that I use the “B” word, it’s almost against the law within the Christian community. In fact Christians only use it when no one is around to hear them. I’m not afraid to say it. I’ll say it in front of my Pastor, in front of my wife, my mom and my daughter.

I’m talking about the word “BUDGET.”

Why do we avoid the word budget? Why do we have to create different names, like Spending Plan, just to make budgeting an easier pill to swallow? Isn’t budgeting just a written accountability plan, like the Ten Commandments?

I think I know why we stopped using the word… our thinking is too limiting. We all have a little Adam and Eve in us that tends to focus on the limitations of God and not on His abundance. Adam was told not to eat from a tree in His abundant garden, yet focused solely on what God told them not to eat. They missed the 90% and focused on the 10%, sounds a bit like tithing right? Similar to that particular time in history, we look at the limitation of a budget instead of looking at it simply as a way to manage our current possessions so God can bless us with increase. Remember, He’ll never put more on us than we can bear…

In the American culture we’re surrounded by consumerism and materialism, but where is the accountability? Is anyone holding you accountable to your goals? Of course we all want to be debt free, but how do you do it without a written plan?

But before you get started with the application of a plan, let’s start with cultivation. Cultivating takes work, takes discipline and takes a breaking up of old thoughts in order to align our thoughts with God’s. In Matthew 13:8, a commonly used scripture for financial blessings, we often look over the fact that increase comes from planting seed in “Good Soil.” The question we have to ask ourselves is… Does God think of me as Good Soil?

Sure God wants to bless us one hundred, sixty and thirty fold, but most importantly He wants us to be good soil. Cultivate your mind by learning what God expects from you and your finances. Cultivate your mind by learning more about how money works and how you can make it work harder for you. It’s not hard, but it is work. Then you’ll be ready to develop a budget and realize that this “B” word will lead you to God’s abundance.

It’s ok, you can use the “B” word too, as long as it’s Budget!

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April
9

What about the econoME?

Posted by FaithfulDEEDS at 10:00 am

The American economy is in a recession, that’s a fact. But what does that have to do with you and your family? We’ve seen bailouts, we’ve seen market crashes and we’ve seen job losses, but who’s prospering during this time? If it’s not you then you should read on…

First to make sure we all understand the true definition of prosperity, Webster’s Dictionary defines it as: “The condition of being successful, thriving”

As you can see prosperity isn’t about money, it’s about success along a journey. It’s not about how many cars you have and how many houses you own, it’s about thriving, or moving forward. So in order to prosper you need to keep moving forward. The worst thing you can do right now in today’s economy is be stagnant. Simply put, if you’re not moving forward you are moving backwards because the rest of the world is still moving.

I like that the dictionary used the word “thriving” because if you think about thriving it takes energy, it takes action and it takes a willful effort. In order to thrive you have to be both willing and able. I think the sad part is most people aren’t willing until they are no longer able. Most don’t start planning to save and invest until they’re in their 60’s and now forced to work during their retirement years. Most don’t create a budget until they’re headed to bankruptcy and most don’t prosper because they simply become stagnant.

So what about ME? That seems to be the question most people are asking. How do I reap the benefits of today’s economy? (And yes there are benefits!) Money is exchanging hands, stocks are very cheap, real estate is very affordable. To answer the self-interest question “what about me?”, you must take advantage of today’s economy by applying your faith to your finances. Applying your faith means you need to sow seed now to reap a harvest later.

See, when farmers sow seed they don’t know what to expect, there could be a good harvest or a bad harvest depending on a variety of uncontrollable variables, but they sow by faith expecting to see a bountiful harvest. What are you sowing today that you expect to receive tomorrow? If you’re going deeper into debt today you can expect more debt tomorrow, if you’re sowing faith today you can expect an increase in faith tomorrow. You should be sowing money (or what’s left of it), time, energy, passion, kindness, love, etc. The Bible is very clear about what happens if you fail to sow: Proverbs 20:4 says “A sluggard does not sow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.” Don’t wait until it’s too late, start sowing now, start saving and investing, start applying your faith to your finances. Remember, applied faith pleases God, not your results. It doesn’t matter if you start saving $1 a day or $100 a day… Don’t believe me? Read the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25.

So here’s what you should do… THRIVE! Start applying God’s word to your family’s finances and you will reap a harvest. If you don’t know what to do, seek Godly counsel from someone who does.

I pray that everyone who reads this post will take action and prosper in faith.

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April
1

God Wants You To Be In Debt

Posted by FaithfulDEEDS at 10:00 am

What? Financially Faithful has lost it’s mind right? Wrong. Before you close your browser and claim blasphemy let’s look deeper at what God wants us to be indebted to.

Debt is mentioned 22 times in the Bible, but the most intriguing mention of debt comes in Romans 13:8. This scripture tells Christians to let no debt remain except the continuing debt to love one another. So when the question arises, “Is all debt bad debt?” the answer is simply no, however you must recognize what debts should remain and which debts should be paid. The scripture before Romans 13:8 explains in detail how we must pay our responsibilities, but recognize this… you will never be truly debt free if you are a Christian. Though you may be free of financial debts we should always strive to go deeper into Godly debts. Debts of love, respect, honor and reverence.

So instead of aiming to be debt free, Financially Faithful wants you to simply exchange your worldly debts for Godly debts because that is how you will experience true freedom! You don’t want to be servant to your debtors, unless your debtor is God. By exchanging your financial debts for debts of love, honor and respect, you will come to know God on a deeper level as you are striving to break free from financial bondage. This is our goal for you at Financially Faithful. So if you are ready to get out of financial debt and get to know God on a more intimate level, contact us today!

If you have questions about your finances or personal financial challenges, feel free to leave a comment and we will be glad to help you find solutions and opportunities to help you succeed.

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March
1

Are You Committed?

Posted by FaithfulDEEDS at 10:00 am

What are you committed to? A true commitment is when you pledge yourself to someone or something without question.

It’s amazing when you hear friends, family members and fellow Christians talk about how broke they are and how they wish they had enough money to do what God has called them to do. The question is, are you committed to making a change? Change will bring about problems/opportunities, that’s guaranteed, but if you stay committed through the problems you will come to solutions, which will result in change. It’s a cycle. Change brings problems/opportunities, problems/opportunities bring solutions and solutions bring about change.

If you are tired of being broke and tired of not being able to fulfill your true purpose, make a change and stay committed to your decision. If you do so successfully, you will see true financial solutions and God will be able to change your financial situation for good! Don’t treat getting out of debt like a yo-yo diet, decide to make a change, decide to stay committed, make a once-and-for-all decision to get out of debt today!

For a personal consultation with one of our Financial Coaches, contact Financially Faithful today and get started on your journey to true financial freedom.

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