Rob West shares 10 common personal finance mistakes to avoid, including borrowing from 401(k), claiming Social Security too early, and overextending oneself for kids. He also discusses biblical wisdom for financial decisions, credit scores, and investments, and answers listener questions on topics such as home equity lines of credit and credit unions. [... more]

Employment scams skyrocketed last year, increasing by nearly 120 percent. The FTC routinely handles thousands of employment scam complaints each year, but that number is rising dramatically as technology makes conning job seekers easier for online thieves. Meanwhile, a listener seeks advice on how to pay off a mortgage and remove a co-borrower from the deed, while another listener wants to know how to determine the value of a commemorative coin collection. Additionally, a listener asks about the impact of taking a part-time job on disability benefits, and a couple seeks advice on how to plan for retirement. [... more]

Christ instructs his disciples to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves when facing a world of religious leaders who will seek to destroy them, just as the serpent and dove are contrasting yet complementary creatures. [... more]

Jesus has given believers authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, promising that nothing shall hurt them. However, Satan is a real and active force, seeking to destroy Christian faith and cause division. To engage against the demonic, one must focus on the gospel, putting faith in God's promises and covering oneself with the truth of the word. By letting Jesus be large in one's life, Satan cannot possess where Jesus is present. [... more]

God's plan to deliver the Israelites from Egypt is underway, but Pharaoh's hardened heart makes it difficult for him to believe the miracles and signs that God is performing through Moses and Aaron. The story of the staff turning into a serpent and swallowing up the staffs of the Egyptian magicians is a powerful display of God's power and a warning to Pharaoh and the Egyptians about the consequences of their refusal to listen to God's voice. [... more]

Jesus teaches about the importance of compassion and helping those in need, using the parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate the difference between being lukewarm and being on fire for God. The speaker emphasizes the need for churches to be effective in helping their communities and to have a strong spiritual presence, particularly in areas where people are spiritually broken and in need of deliverance. [... more]

Jesus' message to the church of Laodicea emphasizes the importance of being either cold or hot, rather than lukewarm, as a symbol of spiritual vitality. He uses the example of water, comparing the refreshing cold water of Colossae to the lukewarm water of Laodicea, and the healing hot springs of Hierapolis. Jesus' message encourages believers to be effective in helping those in need, to be a source of spiritual refreshment and healing. [... more]

Jesus' letter to the church of Laodicea in Revelation reveals a spiritual condition of being neither cold nor hot, but rather lukewarm, which is seen as a state of being poor, naked, and blind, and is contrasted with the desire to be hot or cold, which represents a genuine commitment to faith or a sinful state. [... more]