Randy Petrick's Blog
July 17, 2025
How I Forgave Myself for Not Forgiving Myself
June 18, 2025
Decorating My Hotel Room
May 5, 2025
FEEL THE PAIN, FUEL THE MISSION: FIGHTING BACK WITH GENEROSITY
March 25, 2025
THE "HAPPY MARRIAGE" SECRET NO ONE TALKS ABOUT
February 16, 2025
THE F.I.S.T. OF GOD: FINDING PURPOSE AND MAKING PROGRESS IN 2025
Let me clear the air right away: the F.I.S.T. doesn’t belong to God—it’s mine. Yep, I lied. I liked the catchy title, okay? But before you start judging me, know that if you complain too much, I might have to slug you with it. Stick with me; this metaphor is worth fighting for.
The F.I.S.T. is my quirky tool for living intentionally, managing the gifts that God has entrusted to me, and finally breaking free from the cycle of unfinished goals and unfulfilled expectations. It represents my approach to reclaiming control over four key areas: Finance, Intellect, Strength, and Time.
Before you imagine me shadowboxing in my living room, let me clarify. The F.I.S.T. isn’t about throwing punches—it’s about eliminating distractions, breaking bad habits, and letting go of anything that keeps me from fully living out the ministry God has given me. It’s a simple yet powerful framework to help me use my resources wisely, gain wisdom, strengthen my body and mind, and maximize the time God has entrusted to me.
If you’ve ever felt stuck—setting goals but never quite following through—then stay with me. This might be the tool you need to overcome procrastination and step boldly into God's purpose for you. Buckle up; this is going somewhere meaningful, even if it starts with my accidental sabbatical.
In December, I took two weeks off for what, in hindsight, I’ve come to call a sabbatical. At first, it was just a glorified vacation—I wanted an excuse to read books, pray, and stare out the window without anyone asking if I was okay.
But before long, the usual New Year’s pressures set in—big plans, impressive resolutions, and the urge to prove (to myself and everyone else) that 2025 would be my best year ever. You know, the typical low bar. But this year felt different. Instead of planning to impress, I sensed God nudging me to slow down and ask a bigger question:
What ministry has God given me?
Cue Oswald Chambers, the spiritual heavyweight who decided to haunt me (via book, don’t worry):
“Have you received a ministry from the Lord? If so, you must be faithful to it—to consider your life valuable only for the purpose of fulfilling that ministry.”
Wow, Oswald. Way to turn a guy’s “I just want to read some books” vacation into a spiritual intervention.
Then I came across Napoleon Hill, the self-help guru from way back, who said:
“Finding one’s definite chief aim is the most decisive and important step in life.”
At 71, I figured it was about time I nailed mine down. After a lot of thinking, praying, and avoiding emails, I wrote this:
My definite chief aim is to live out the two greatest commandments – loving God and loving my neighbors.
As I reflected on what was holding me back, four areas of my life needed better stewardship:
· Time
· Strength (energy, will, discipline)
· Intellect (including aspirations and ambitions)
· Material possessions (my relationship to money and stuff)
This brought me to Finance, Intellect, Strength, and Time—not listed in order of importance but organized into a handy acronym: F.I.S.T. (because acronyms make everything sound more official, obviously).
After defining my aim, I wrote this:
I will prepare and remain ready to love God and my neighbors by wisely managing the resources of finance, intellect, strength, and time (F.I.S.T.) that God has entrusted to me. By achieving my FIST goals, I will free up time, energy, and financial resources for spiritual growth and meaningful impact.
My Commitments for 2025
· Finance: Increase giving, reduce debt
· Intellect:
Inward: Read one Christian, financial, or self-improvement book weekly
Outward: Write two blog posts per month
· Strength: Improve physical vitality and emotional resilience.
· Time:
Remember that my time belongs to God
Spend more time in prayer, devotion, and stillness.
The Hamster Wheel Dilemma
But here’s the thing—I’ve set similar goals before. And many of them fizzled out. Why?
I prayed for clarity, and God showed me that the problem wasn’t bad goals but bad habits—not outright sinful things, just distractions.
“There are things in each of these areas that are distracting you from your mission,” I sensed God saying. “If you abstain from them (even just partially), you will be far more successful in your calling.”
So, I took another hard look at my life. And here’s what I found:
The Distractions God Called Me to AddressFinance: Overspending on unnecessary stuff.
· Solution: Reduce impulse purchases.
Intellect: Too much fiction and gaming, not enough learning.
· Solution: Cut back on entertainment reading and screen time.
Strength: My vitality was low due to poor diet and inconsistent exercise
· Solution: Stop late-night snacking, exercise five days a week, and eat better.
Time: Social media and online shopping were consuming too much of my time.
· Solution: Set limits and track time using Apple’s Screen Time app.
My Challenge to You
Why am I sharing all this? Because I know I'm not the only one wrestling with distractions. Today's world bombards us with content, notifications, and endless ways to waste time. It’s easy to drift away from God’s calling without even realizing it.
The F.I.S.T. framework isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. It’s a way to reclaim your focus, energy, and purpose, one small step at a time.
So, here’s my challenge to you:
1. Ask God about your ministry: What has He entrusted you with? This would be a great time to ask if you struggle with finding purpose.
2. Identify your distractions: What’s pulling you off course?
3. Commit to small changes: Start abstaining from one distraction a few days a week.
4. Pray for strength: God wants to help—ask Him.
I’m Praying for Your SuccessSo, this year, I’m praying for success in both my ministry and yours.
I pray that you discover your purpose, shake off the distractions, and draw closer to God than ever before.
May this post be the metaphorical punch in the arm you need to step into your calling, and may 2025 be a year of purpose, progress, and divine impact for all of us!
Let’s make it count.
August 26, 2024
PROACTIVE PRAYERS: CAN WE IMPACT THE FUTURE?
Today, I’d like to revisit an idea from a devotional I wrote in The Soul Repair Manual Volume 2: Finding Hope and Joy. I called the idea “Proactive Prayers.”
As Christians, we believe in the power of prayer and its ability to connect us with God, right? Prayer is more than just asking for things. It is a means of communication with God that involves talking to and listening to Him.
The topic of prayer inevitably raises lots of questions. As with so many spiritual issues, discussing prayer always reminds me that a finite mind limits me and that there will always be certain truths I will never fully grasp. And yet, I soldier on. Here are some of the questions I’ve been contemplating.
To this, I would say “yes.” There are too many biblical examples to say otherwise. Hanna prayed for a child, David pleaded for Bathsheba’s son, and Abraham conversed with God over Sodom and Gomorrah.
This question came into focus for me when studying Matthew 7:7. (“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”) I learned that in Greek, there are two kinds of imperative: the aorist imperative, which issues one definite command, and the present imperative, which issues a command that we should always do something or should keep doing something.
The imperatives in Matthew 7:7 are present; therefore, Jesus is saying, “Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking.” He is telling us not to get discouraged but to persist in prayer. I like that this verse encourages us to actively engage God through prayer and promises responsiveness on God’s part to the petitions we bring. (Noting, however, that the verse doesn’t promise we’ll always get the answers we may be hoping for!)
Do you recall the story about the father who brought his son with an impure spirit to Jesus’s disciples? The disciples could not drive out the spirit, but Jesus was able to heal him immediately. Later, the disciples asked Jesus why they hadn’t had success.
Mark 9:28-29 KJV And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Maurice McCarthy (Pastor of Plymouth Christian Fellowship in Michigan) commented on this situation:
“Do you think that Jesus is telling his disciples that certain situations will require them to leave the situation, pray, and fast, and when they have done that, they can come and deal with it? Or was He saying that you need to have a lifestyle of prayer and fasting that will keep you always in a fit state to deal with these things?” [From Life Unedited, a sermon on www.sermoncentral.com]
Did Jesus leave this situation to pray and fast and then return? No. He immediately cast the spirit out. His continual practice of prayer and fasting kept Him ready to deal with problems as they came up.
Most of us tend to pray “responsive” prayers; that is, a situation arises, and we respond by praying. Maybe it’s time for us to consider living lives of prayer and fasting ahead of problems. I would call that “proactive prayer.” To be proactive is to act in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes. While we may not know what future problems may arise, perhaps we can be like a general who always has his troops and supplies in order so he can respond immediately to any threat.
This question reminded me of the story of the golden calf (Exodus 32). While Moses was up on the mountain, the people made an idol, a golden calf, to which they presented offerings and then promptly “sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”
In Exodus 32:10, God warned Moses, “Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”
In response (verses 11 and 12), Moses took on the role of a mediator and pleaded for God to show mercy, ending with the plea for God to “Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.”
Verse 14 says, “And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.” Could it be that Moses’ prayer changed the mind of God? It might seem so, but then we run into the complicating words Moses later wrote in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.” I started wondering how to resolve that apparent contradiction.
Thankfully, during my study, I came across a sermon by Brian Bill aptly titled “Does Prayer Change God’s Mind?” Bill is the pastor of Edgewood Baptist Church in Rock Island, Illinois, and quoted one of the Edgewood members as saying, “Moses did not change God’s foreknown sovereign will. A human cannot change God’s will lest he be more knowledgeable and powerful than the Lord.” The point: God’s purposes are unchanging.
Pastor Bill then made a second point: God’s plans are unfolding. He refers to J.D. Greear’s insight on this subject:
The text of Exodus says God changed His course of action based on Moses’ prayer. Here’s the irony: God is the one who tells Moses to go down and see the situation in verse 7: “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.” Moses didn’t know about the people’s perversion, so God had to show him.
Furthermore, the very thing Moses pleads in prayer is God’s own promise to the patriarchs in verse 13: “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’”
Do you see what’s happening? God put Moses into a situation so he would see the problem God already knew about, remember God’s promises, and petition God to change His course of action. Moses’ prayer itself is a result of God’s plan. God wants Moses to ask this, so He sovereignly puts him in a situation where he will ask for it. That’s deep, isn’t it?
Pastor Bill finishes that thought by saying, “Prayer isn’t about changing God’s mind; it’s about changing my mind so my will lines up with His will. If God does not change and yet He tells us to pray, then somehow prayer matters.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Indeed, prayer is connected to the good works God prepared for us to do. As J.D. Greear said,
“God has sovereignly placed us in certain situations for the express purpose of praying His promises… Like Moses, God has ‘sent you down’ into a family, a group of friends, a neighborhood… You are placed where He wants you to be so you can obey and pray for the things He wants to do, to perceive the problem, believe the promise, and release His power into the situation.”
Take time to consider your situation. Are there prayers that could benefit your family, friends, community, country, or world? Let’s not leave those prayers unprayed.
Are There Biblical Foundations for Proactive Prayers?
Yes. The Bible does contain accounts of prayers that significantly impacted the future. Through faithful prayer, individuals such as Moses and Elijah demonstrated their trust in God’s intervention while pleading for others.
In Exodus 32:9-14, Moses interceded on behalf of the Israelites to prevent God’s wrath and secure their future. In the story of Elijah, found in 1 Kings 18:41-46, his persistent prayer for rain ended the devastating drought that afflicted Israel.
Another biblical foundation for proactive prayers is found in James 5:16b (NLT), where the Apostle James wrote,
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
Are events different than they would have been had we not prayed? I think that’s a reasonable conclusion, but it’s interesting to wonder if our prayers were part of God’s plan all along. Does God place us in places and situations He knows will lead to our prayers, enabling needed changes in events? To consider that the Creator of the Universe is allowing us to participate with Him in what He is doing is beyond exciting.
Christians are called to pray without ceasing. As author Gordon Saunders said to me,
[to pray without ceasing] “…means that we won’t be able to be in our prayer closet on our knees 24/7. Prayer has to become a way of life. I used to describe it to my students (in the olden days) as taking our phone to God off the hook when we wake up in the morning and never putting it back on the hook – so the conversation is ongoing, but we still do the other things we must do.
Somehow, we need to consider prayer a lifestyle rather than an activity. Fasting is an activity that is time-limited and occasional. Prayer is not, or at least it shouldn’t be. It’s as if you have a person beside you all the time, and you and they are continually processing everything that happens in conversation with one another (or even without conversation since you are experiencing it all together).”
Proactive prayers may not guarantee specific outcomes, but they allow us to participate in God’s work and seek His guidance in shaping the future. Ultimately, the power of prayer lies in its ability to transform our hearts, bring us closer to God, and align us with His purpose. I can give an Amen to that.
PARTICIPATING IN GOD'S WORK
Today, I’d like to revisit an idea from a devotional I wrote in The Soul Repair Manual Volume 2: Finding Hope and Joy. I called the idea “Proactive Prayers.”
As Christians, we believe in the power of prayer and its ability to connect us with God, right? Prayer is more than just asking for things. It is a means of communication with God that involves talking to and listening to Him.
The topic of prayer inevitably raises lots of questions. As with so many spiritual issues, discussing prayer always reminds me that a finite mind limits me and that there will always be certain truths I will never fully grasp. And yet, I soldier on. Here are some of the questions I’ve been contemplating.
To this, I would say “yes.” There are too many biblical examples to say otherwise. Hanna prayed for a child, David pleaded for Bathsheba’s son, and Abraham conversed with God over Sodom and Gomorrah.
This question came into focus for me when studying Matthew 7:7. (“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”) I learned that in Greek, there are two kinds of imperative: the aorist imperative, which issues one definite command, and the present imperative, which issues a command that we should always do something or should keep doing something.
The imperatives in Matthew 7:7 are present; therefore, Jesus is saying, “Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking.” He is telling us not to get discouraged but to persist in prayer. I like that this verse encourages us to actively engage God through prayer and promises responsiveness on God’s part to the petitions we bring. (Noting, however, that the verse doesn’t promise we’ll always get the answers we may be hoping for!)
Do you recall the story about the father who brought his son with an impure spirit to Jesus’s disciples? The disciples could not drive out the spirit, but Jesus was able to heal him immediately. Later, the disciples asked Jesus why they hadn’t had success.
Mark 9:28-29 KJV And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Maurice McCarthy (Pastor of Plymouth Christian Fellowship in Michigan) commented on this situation:
“Do you think that Jesus is telling his disciples that certain situations will require them to leave the situation, pray, and fast, and when they have done that, they can come and deal with it? Or was He saying that you need to have a lifestyle of prayer and fasting that will keep you always in a fit state to deal with these things?” [From Life Unedited, a sermon on www.sermoncentral.com]
Did Jesus leave this situation to pray and fast and then return? No. He immediately cast the spirit out. His continual practice of prayer and fasting kept Him ready to deal with problems as they came up.
Most of us tend to pray “responsive” prayers; that is, a situation arises, and we respond by praying. Maybe it’s time for us to consider living lives of prayer and fasting ahead of problems. I would call that “proactive prayer.” To be proactive is to act in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes. While we may not know what future problems may arise, perhaps we can be like a general who always has his troops and supplies in order so he can respond immediately to any threat.
This question reminded me of the story of the golden calf (Exodus 32). While Moses was up on the mountain, the people made an idol, a golden calf, to which they presented offerings and then promptly “sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”
In Exodus 32:10, God warned Moses, “Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”
In response (verses 11 and 12), Moses took on the role of a mediator and pleaded for God to show mercy, ending with the plea for God to “Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.”
Verse 14 says, “And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.” Could it be that Moses’ prayer changed the mind of God? It might seem so, but then we run into the complicating words Moses later wrote in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.” I started wondering how to resolve that apparent contradiction.
Thankfully, during my study, I came across a sermon by Brian Bill aptly titled “Does Prayer Change God’s Mind?” Bill is the pastor of Edgewood Baptist Church in Rock Island, Illinois, and quoted one of the Edgewood members as saying, “Moses did not change God’s foreknown sovereign will. A human cannot change God’s will lest he be more knowledgeable and powerful than the Lord.” The point: God’s purposes are unchanging.
Pastor Bill then made a second point: God’s plans are unfolding. He refers to J.D. Greear’s insight on this subject:
The text of Exodus says God changed His course of action based on Moses’ prayer. Here’s the irony: God is the one who tells Moses to go down and see the situation in verse 7: “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.” Moses didn’t know about the people’s perversion, so God had to show him.
Furthermore, the very thing Moses pleads in prayer is God’s own promise to the patriarchs in verse 13: “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’”
Do you see what’s happening? God put Moses into a situation so he would see the problem God already knew about, remember God’s promises, and petition God to change His course of action. Moses’ prayer itself is a result of God’s plan. God wants Moses to ask this, so He sovereignly puts him in a situation where he will ask for it. That’s deep, isn’t it?
Pastor Bill finishes that thought by saying, “Prayer isn’t about changing God’s mind; it’s about changing my mind so my will lines up with His will. If God does not change and yet He tells us to pray, then somehow prayer matters.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Indeed, prayer is connected to the good works God prepared for us to do. As J.D. Greear said,
“God has sovereignly placed us in certain situations for the express purpose of praying His promises… Like Moses, God has ‘sent you down’ into a family, a group of friends, a neighborhood… You are placed where He wants you to be so you can obey and pray for the things He wants to do, to perceive the problem, believe the promise, and release His power into the situation.”
Take time to consider your situation. Are there prayers that could benefit your family, friends, community, country, or world? Let’s not leave those prayers unprayed.
Are There Biblical Foundations for Proactive Prayers?
Yes. The Bible does contain accounts of prayers that significantly impacted the future. Through faithful prayer, individuals such as Moses and Elijah demonstrated their trust in God’s intervention while pleading for others.
In Exodus 32:9-14, Moses interceded on behalf of the Israelites to prevent God’s wrath and secure their future. In the story of Elijah, found in 1 Kings 18:41-46, his persistent prayer for rain ended the devastating drought that afflicted Israel.
Another biblical foundation for proactive prayers is found in James 5:16b (NLT), where the Apostle James wrote,
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
Are events different than they would have been had we not prayed? I think that’s a reasonable conclusion, but it’s interesting to wonder if our prayers were part of God’s plan all along. Does God place us in places and situations He knows will lead to our prayers, enabling needed changes in events? To consider that the Creator of the Universe is allowing us to participate with Him in what He is doing is beyond exciting.
Christians are called to pray without ceasing. As author Gordon Saunders said to me,
[to pray without ceasing] “…means that we won’t be able to be in our prayer closet on our knees 24/7. Prayer has to become a way of life. I used to describe it to my students (in the olden days) as taking our phone to God off the hook when we wake up in the morning and never putting it back on the hook – so the conversation is ongoing, but we still do the other things we must do.
Somehow, we need to consider prayer a lifestyle rather than an activity. Fasting is an activity that is time-limited and occasional. Prayer is not, or at least it shouldn’t be. It’s as if you have a person beside you all the time, and you and they are continually processing everything that happens in conversation with one another (or even without conversation since you are experiencing it all together).”
Proactive prayers may not guarantee specific outcomes, but they allow us to participate in God’s work and seek His guidance in shaping the future. Ultimately, the power of prayer lies in its ability to transform our hearts, bring us closer to God, and align us with His purpose. I can give an Amen to that.
August 5, 2024
SOUL SOOTHING: FINDING GOD'S PEACE IN A WORRIED WORLD
Worry is a relatively modern word. Did you realize that? Try a search in the King James Version of the Bible, and you won’t find a single use of the word worry. It is only in more modern translations that the Greek word (which I can neither spell nor pronounce) meaning “to be anxious or to be troubled with care” has frequently been translated as “worry.”
Nonetheless, even though worry is a more modern word, the feelings we describe as worry aren’t new. I suspect Adam and Eve might have felt something akin to this emotion between when they ate the apple and the next time God visited them in the garden. Thankfully, the Bible also tells us there is an alternative to worry—peace—and clues us on how to find it.
Yes, I hear you saying, “Hey, you don’t need to give me this list. I should be giving YOU the list!” Fair enough, but let’s see how closely my list matches yours.
We worry because life is hard. We worry because of the uncertainty of the future and the fact that we don’t know what it holds. Could there be job cuts, illness, accidents, terrorism? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
We worry because we can’t control everything. We continually try to control things we were never meant to control (like our spouses). Uncertainty about relationships, finances, health, or other aspects of life can create plenty of fodder for worry. Overusing technology, such as spending excessive time on smartphones, social media, or electronic devices, can be one cause of this type of worry. Excess screen time can lead to information overload and feelings of inadequacy from comparing ourselves to others. Isn’t it interesting that we can believe God can redeem us and give us eternal life, and yet we struggle to believe that God can get us through the next couple of days? Perhaps we don’t believe God as much as we claim.
3. We Worry Because We Forget What’s Important. We let ourselves get worried by things of enormous importance (not!) such as a misplaced wallet, lost keys, clogged pipes, and on and on. For example, when I was a teenager, I had severe acne. Invariably, my worst breakouts were at inopportune times – like right before a big date. At age 16, those moments felt world-ending. Turns out they weren’t! Fast-forward some years to losing my job in my 40s and 20% of my investments in my 50s…those felt like worrying was more appropriate. In both those instances, I did (temporarily) lose sight of God’s hand over my life and my place in His kingdom. I let worldly matters take on far more importance in those moments than spiritual matters, and I worried. I had yet to learn peace amid chaos. And let me add one final statement I’ve found incredibly thought-provoking. We worry about what we eat but don’t care enough about what we do with the life that food makes possible. (That one smacks me every time I read it.)
4. We Worry Because of Our Affluence.
a. Yes, really. Ecclesiastes 5:12 warns about this condition: “The sleep of the laborer is sweet, but the abundance of a rich man provides him no rest.”
b. We think the more we have, the more secure we will feel, but the opposite is often true. The more we have, the more we have to worry about.
c. Affluence can also lead to worries about economic downturns, poor investment decisions, unforeseen expenses, theft or fraud, and even how best to allocate funds to make a meaningful impact in the world.
As Christians, we have access to unique resources to help us navigate the challenging feelings of worry. Here are what I consider to be the best steps to finding God’s peace:
Be Confident in God’s Sovereign Providence. Don’t allow your circumstances to trouble you. Deep down, know that all is well between us and God. He is on His throne and as lovingly in control of everything now as He’s ever been.
Limit News and Social Media Consumption. Take regular breaks from the news and social media, and be mindful of how much time you spend on those activities.
Practice Gratitude and Contentment. In a world that often emphasizes materialism and comparison, it is common to be lured into desiring more and feeling discontent with our current possessions. It is essential to redirect our attention from our perceived inadequacies to the abundance we already possess to avoid this trap. Try practicing daily introspection, keeping a gratitude journal, and simply expressing thanks to God and others.
Surrender Control. Human beings are finite and limited in our understanding, whereas God is infinite and all-knowing. We can find solace and reassurance in uncertainty and fear by relinquishing control and trusting God’s guidance and wisdom.
Immerse Yourself in the Bible. Worry sometimes indicates that we are not trusting our Heavenly Father. An effective remedy for this is to immerse ourselves in the Bible. By studying it, you will learn more about who God truly is. Learning of God’s faithfulness throughout history strengthens our faith and assurance in Him for today.
6. Pray. Any time we begin to worry, let it be our invitation and reminder to pray. I’ve always loved the saying, “Before you go to bed at night, leave your concerns with God. He’s going to be up all night anyway.”
7. Cultivate a Sabbath Rest. God instituted the Sabbath as a day of rest, and this principle is crucial for our mental and physical health. In the hustle and bustle of modern life, it’s essential to set aside regular times for rest and reflection. Sabbath rest means not just physical rest but also mental and spiritual rejuvenation.
8. Take Things a Day at a Time. Any person can fight the battle of just one day. It’s when we add the burdens of yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.
9. Live by Faith, Not by News. If God oversaw the world well before we came into it, and if we expect that same God to manage it just as well after we’re gone, why wouldn’t we trust that He will oversee it just as well while we are in it? You can rest easy once you realize the answer to that question.
10. Find Support in Community. Engaging with a church community or small group can provide support, encouragement, and accountability. Sharing burdens with fellow believers can be tremendously comforting.
11. Have an eternal perspective. Realize that any circumstance you face is only temporary. And be encouraged that there is a reason why you are facing difficulties—God uses them to perfect you.
Worry is a prevalent issue in our society due to various factors such as societal pressures, economic uncertainty, and personal struggles. As Christians, however, we have the unique opportunity to approach these challenges with faith, trust, and reliance on God’s promises.
As we navigate the complexities of life in today’s world, we can find comfort and strength in the truth that God is always present, cares for us, and works all things together for our good. Here’s what I’ve learned from my worries:
· The scars left from my acne are signs to others that I’m human, just like they are, and that I’ve gone through my own periods of difficulty. They keep me humble.
· Losing my job in my 40s revealed how much I had let my job become my identity and how I needed to rediscover my identity in Christ.
· Losing a large portion of my investments in my 50s reminded me that my sufficiency and security come from God and not from the larger “barns” I was attempting to fill.
Stay humble, find your identity in Christ, and let God provide your sufficiency and security. Turn to God in prayer, practice gratitude, and focus on the present moment. These are the secrets to finding true peace in a world filled with worry. Be at peace, friend. God is in control and still on His throne.
July 21, 2024
SHOULD CHRISTIANS BUILD WEALTH OR AVOID IT?
It’s a complex issue that has sparked debates for centuries. Opinions on this matter vary among individuals and even among Christian denominations. The Bible acknowledges the potential dangers of wealth and cautions us against the love of money. Still, wealth can also be a tool that can be utilized for good when managed responsibly. We are called to love our neighbors; sometimes, loving them well requires resources.
Is wealth inherently evil? Jesus never labeled it so. Instead, He warned about its
potential to distract us from our devotion to God and our service to others. Fair warning, indeed. Yet there were Old Testament figures such as Abraham, Job, Solomon, and David who were wealthy yet had faithful relationships with God and used their resources to serve God and others. The New Testament also has numerous wealthy individuals who were part of the Christian community, including Barnabas, Zacchaeus, Lydia, and Barnabas.
We face a delicate balancing act here, and the two main perspectives observed throughout history may each have something to teach us. One perspective could be called the ascetic perspective, and the other could be called the stewardship perspective. Let’s look at each.
This view sees material wealth as a potential distraction from spiritual growth. Prominent examples include monastic movements, where individuals choose lives of poverty and simplicity to focus on their spiritual development. St. Francis of Assisi, for example, advocated for a life divorced from material wealth, emphasizing what he saw as the pure pursuit of spiritual riches instead.
Christians following this perspective argue that we should prioritize a simpler, more humble lifestyle and focus on spiritual values rather than material wealth. They believe wealth can be distracting and lead to a heightened sense of self-importance, which may interfere with our relationship with God and our ability to practice compassion toward others. Additionally, they argue that pursuing wealth can lead to greed, selfishness, and a neglect of spiritual values.
If taken too far, this view insists that material wealth and wealth creation are intrinsically corrupting and must be avoided at all costs. This “poverty gospel” may fuel a pietistic spiritual pride that asserts the more significant your material poverty, the more spiritual you must be! That’s a step too far for me, yet there is Ascetic wisdom that shouldn’t be neglected. Ascetics rightly call our increasingly affluent Western Church to more extraordinary material generosity and deeper sacrificial living.
This perspective views wealth as a force for good when managed wisely and used in alignment with God’s purposes. Here, financial resources are seen as tools for supporting one’s family, helping those in need, and contributing to the community. Matthew 25:14-30 (The Parable of the Talents) is often cited, where servants are commended for wisely using and multiplying their resources.
Christians in this camp view wealth as a tool for blessing others and advancing the kingdom of God. They also emphasize using wealth for charitable purposes, providing for their families, supporting the Church, and helping those in need.
If taken too far, this view can lead to the belief that God blesses His true followers with health and wealth and the assertion that God wants everyone to be materially prosperous. This leads to ignoring scripture’s balancing call to a sacrificial lifestyle fueled by neighborly love. The wisdom? Wealth accumulation should be approached with caution and responsibility.
Many financial coaches (including Christian) have taught us how to get out of debt, fulfill our monetary obligations, have financial stability, anticipate our retirement needs, and ensure that we give God a tithe. None of those things are wrong, and all of them are helpful in some way, but have these coaches caused us to become so focused on our personal needs that we are neglecting God’s grand gospel agenda? Are all those nifty plans leaving us devoid of our more significant call to be God’s ambassadors on earth? These are questions worthy of some serious reflection.
YES! Both the Ascetic and Stewardship perspectives agree on the importance of generosity in its various forms, not just monetary but also in time, talent, and other resources. Wealth should be used to bless others and further God’s work, like supporting the local Church and the poor, funding missions, and helping those in need. In his letters, Paul speaks about the grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7) and how God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Does a commitment to generosity mean we should commit to tithe? Not necessarily. If generosity is only about a levy, it completely misses the point. It’s as if 10% belongs to God and 90% belongs to us rather than 100% belonging to God. [Watch for a future post on this topic. It’s challenging!]
This idea is tremendously helpful. Suppose we view our wealth as a calling and responsibility to manage God’s resources rather than as something we earned. In that case, we can begin looking at living a lifestyle of continually seeking God’s will so that we can steward His resources in accordance with His plan. We can actively look for ways to bless others and be wise about giving in ways that will make the most Kingdom impact. Furthermore, an argument can be made that we should also look to multiply the wealth God has entrusted us with by saving and investing to continue giving to His Kingdom’s work.
The path between the Ascetic and Stewardship perspectives must be navigated with wisdom, prayer, and a heart oriented toward serving God and others. While there isn’t a universal answer to whether Christians should be wealthy, we can come to a few conclusions that fit all of us:
Wealth should never take precedence over our relationship with God or the call to love and support others.
2. We should all continually assess our relationship with wealth and seek God’s will in our financial decisions.
3. We should seek to honor God in how we earn, manage, and use our resources.
4. We should engage in critical reflection, prayerful discernment, and dialogue within our faith communities to navigate the complexities of wealth and its implications for our spiritual journeys.
5. We should each seek guidance through prayer, scripture, and wise counsel to determine how to best use our resources for God’s glory and the well-being of others.
If you are in a season of material wealth, you may have found, like many others (me included), that this season may be the most challenging of all. Thankfully, Paul the Apostle gives us some excellent guidance in 1 Timothy 6:17-18 where he advises us to do four things:
1. Avoid arrogance by remembering the Source. Don’t think of yourself as better than others because of your wealth. In Deuteronomy 8:18, Moses gave us a foretaste of this idea when he said, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
2. Don’t put your hope in your wealth. As I found in 2004, an excellent job with steady earnings can be here today and gone tomorrow. (My company downsized, and I went from substantial to zero income overnight!) [Side Note: Our Emergency Fund helped us immensely in this period. See more about that idea here: https://www.wordsofabundance.com/post/building-resilience-how-an-emergency-fund-provides-a-safety-net-in-uncertain-times]
Take heed of Proverbs 23:5, which says, “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” The stock market crash in 2008 reminded me all too well of that truth!
3. Be rich in good deeds. “A good deed is a free and voluntary act of service toward another person. Doing good deeds for others is the fruit of your salvation in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” –Unknown.
4. Be generous and willing to share.
In the end, I’ve come to appreciate both points of view. It wouldn’t hurt me to be a bit more of an Ascetic. I believe God is calling me to a more extraordinary material generosity and deeper sacrificial living, and I want to submit to that. And I want to be a better steward as well. I have found it so helpful to view wealth as a calling and responsibility to manage God’s resources.
Should Christians build wealth or avoid it? It’s a question of wisdom and balance. May God grant us the former and guide us in the latter.
June 12, 2024
TRUE FINANCIAL FREEDOM
As a Chartered Financial Consultant, I am excited to review the remarkable "True Financial Freedom" course created by Bob and Linda Lotich, which offers a comprehensive and faith-centered approach to personal finance management. Here's my evaluation based on my own forty-five years of studying and teaching Christian and financial subjects:
Content Quality and RelevanceBob Lotich has a well-established reputation for providing valuable financial advice through his blogs, books, and devotionals, and this course maintains that standard. It covers various economic topics, from budgeting and saving to investing and giving.
This course is an excellent learning place for anyone who wants to manage their finances better. The content is practical, actionable, and deeply rooted in biblical principles of money management and stewardship.
In short, "True Financial Freedom" is an exceptional course for Christians who want to learn to manage their finances in accordance with their faith.
Course Structure and Delivery
The course is designed to accommodate participants of all levels of financial knowledge, starting with foundational concepts and gradually building up to more advanced strategies. Additionally, it utilizes diverse delivery methods, such as videos, worksheets, and personal reflections, to cater to different learning styles.
The accompanying workbook is one of the best aids I've ever seen. It is filled with valuable exercises, session summaries, supporting Bible verses for study, and prayers that help keep participants focused on the course's spiritual underpinnings. The workbook is a valuable resource all on its own.
One of my favorite aspects of the course's structure and delivery is how Bob and Linda (Bob's wife and self-acknowledged Champion Spender) present it together. They share real marital issues and potential conflicts from both a husband-and-wife perspective and a spender-and-saver perspective. Bob and Linda have warm and engaging personalities, making listening to them a fun experience.
Results and ImpactThis course will help participants gain valuable skills and insights to manage their finances, including reducing debt, increasing savings, and giving like never before. (Session Five, "Make Eternal Impact," is one of the most inspiring sessions I've ever heard on Giving!)
Will the course have a tangible impact on participants' lives? The answer depends, of course, on the participant. For those willing to go "all in" on the worksheets, exercises, prayers, and other resources offered, I can guarantee you will find True Financial Freedom transformative!
When you cultivate a more profound sense of purpose to underpin your financial choices, all aspects of your life improve exponentially. This course will lead you toward that deeper, more profound purpose.
Participants can expect to witness real and tangible positive changes in their financial and spiritual well-being as they implement the lessons from this course.
Cost vs. ValueEvaluating the cost of any course relative to the value it provides is subjective. A course's value will always vary based on your financial situation and how much course content you implement. Anyone willing to actively engage with the material and apply the lessons offered here will find a high likelihood for economic savings, debt reduction, investment growth, and discovering or enhancing the incredible joy of giving.
Will each person's growth as a steward exceed their initial investment in the course? Absolutely. Potentially by hundreds or thousands of times!
Conclusion"True Financial Freedom" by Bob and Linda Lotich is an exceptionally well-crafted course that seamlessly blends practical financial advice with Christian spiritual principles. It was designed to be accessible and impactful for a broad audience, from financial novices to those more experienced, and it succeeds beautifully.
Christians will find this course invaluable for managing their finances in ways that are consistent with their beliefs and glorify God. It is a gold standard in this learning space.
Finally, if you are a minister, pastor, or other leader of a Christian group, I can't encourage you enough to look at this fantastic course for use with those you shepherd. How wonderful it would be for you to enable them to become better stewards of everything God has entrusted us. I truly believe this course can help make that a reality.
Visit TRUE FINANCIAL FREEDOM. If you scroll down on the landing page, you will find participant reviews, more about Bob and Linda Lotich, and a section of frequently asked questions. You will also find class options for churches and small groups, live sessions for large groups (100+), and a link to take the course as an individual or couple.
DISCLOSURE: If I don't make at least a small commission when you click to go to True Financial Freedom and make a purchase, it's an oversight on my part, and I will correct it soon. (LOL) Any compensation I make is at no cost to you. Enjoy the course!
