Faith in God’s Provision

Yesterday, the Bible is many things, but among its many definitions, it's a book of promises. And one of the most repeated promises is the Lord will provide. 2020 was a year that tested many of us, but we took comfort in knowing the Lord remains in control and is always faithful. Today, Kingdom Advisors President Rob West talks about finding peace and contentment in the new year. Then we'll take your calls on anything financial at 800-525-7000.

800-525-7000. I'm Steve Moore, faith in God's provision, next on MoneyWise Live. Well, Rob, you don't have to be a Bible scholar to know that God's word contains many promises, do you?

Well, not at all, Steve. If you use a concordance to look up the word promise or Google Bible and promise, you'll see a long list of verses with God's promises to us. And as you pointed out, there are dozens that reassure us that God will in fact provide for our needs, coronavirus, pandemic or not. You know, if we take an honest look, Steve, at our lives, we'll see that God provides not only for our financial needs by giving us the ability to earn a living, but also for many other needs as well. Our family, friends and our church, for example.

God knows that we need all of those things and he provides them. In fact, one of the very names for God found in the Bible contains that promise. Let's go to the King James Version. We read in Genesis 22, 14, and Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh, as it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord, it shall be seen. Other versions translate that Hebrew name Jehovah-Jireh as the Lord will provide. And of course, that's where God provides a ram and a thicket in place of the sacrifice of Abraham's son Isaac. But something very important preceded God's provision on Mount Moriah, and that was, well, of course, obedience.

After waiting a century for a son, Abraham was prepared to offer him to the Lord as commanded. Yeah, truly, truly amazing when you read that and put yourself in the place there. I mean, what would I do in that situation? I'm not sure I have the faith for that. All right, so how do we relate to that in what we're facing today, this ongoing pandemic or economic uncertainty that may be caused by it? Yeah, it's a good question.

And I would just say first by understanding that nothing's changed. God's kept his promise almost 4,000 years ago with Abraham, and he still keeps his promises today. There's no doubt that Abraham feared losing the child that he and Sarah had waited so long to have, but he overcame that fear with obedience. You know, somewhere deep down, Abraham found peace by knowing he was doing God's will by bringing Isaac up to the top of Mount Moriah. And that's how we find peace today, by obeying God?

I think that's exactly right. Let me explain what that means, Steve, and what it means that God will provide. You see, when we obey the Lord, we're acting according to his will, not ours. If you're deeply fearful that God won't keep his promise to provide, there's a good chance that what you really fear is that he won't provide in a way that you want him to—emphasis on want. You see, God promises to provide for our needs, not our wants. In the Sermon on the Mount, specifically in Matthew 6 33 and 34, Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms not to be afraid for our daily provision. It says, but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

You see, when we obey God, we're seeking his kingdom and becoming more like Christ, who of course was obedient unto death. Now, for our purposes today, let's just focus on obeying or, you might say, following God's financial principles. These include acknowledging, of course, that God owns everything and that we're stewards or managers of what he's given us. We're to live on less than we earn, pay our taxes with gratitude, save and be generous. And why do we do these things? Well, for the same reason we exist, to give glory to God. You see, when we follow his financial principles, especially by being generous, we act differently than the world, and of course that in turn points others to Christ.

Yeah, yeah. You know, and the Bible may have as many verses on finding peace and contentment as it does on God's promise to provide. I'm reminded of what Paul says in 1 Timothy, Now there is a great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world. We cannot take anything out of the world, but if we have food and clothing with these, we will be content.

Well, that's exactly right. We can talk more about this after the break, but I'm reminded of Philippians 4. Paul says, I know what it means to be in need. I know what it is to have plenty. I've learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or living in plenty or in want, I can do all things through him who gives me strength.

We'll be right back. God's money is available when you click the store button at moneywiselive.org. Christian Healthcare Ministries enables believers to show love for one another by sharing each other's health costs. Through CHM's voluntary health cost sharing programs, members uplift each other spiritually and financially. CHM is an eligible option under the Affordable Care Act and a Better Business Bureau accredited charity.

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What's up? I have questions about planning for retirement, long-term care insurance. I don't know where to start. It sounds like you need the Money Wise app. It's a free app that will help you find those answers and more.

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You're listening to Money Wise Live. Your host is Rob West. I'm Steve Moore. It's an honor and a pleasure to have you with us today. If you have a question or comment for Rob, now's a great time to call while we have some open lines at 800-525-7000.

800-525-7000. We're talking a bit, Rob, about God's promises, God's provision, our faith and how all that comes together. And you know, it doesn't make any difference whether you've been a Christian a month or 50 years. These are still things that we need to read on a regular basis, remind ourselves on a regular basis. And just when we think we've got it, well, something comes up and God says, nah, let's take another look at that. And obviously this epidemic could be one of those things for a lot of us.

Well, that's exactly right. You know, we were just talking about what I believe is one of God's big ideas related to our money in scripture. And that is this idea of contentment, which the Apostle Paul tells us is learned, meaning we're not born with that naturally.

We have to learn that behavior. But being able to live content within God's provision says, Lord, I trust you that what you've provided for me right now is enough. And I'm going to trust that you're going to make a way for me to live within that. And I need to do my part, right?

I need to live simply and I need to control my impulses. And I need to live within that provision, despite the fact that the world will allow you to live outside of God's provision with something called debt. But you see, God really knows what we need even better than we do. And he's provided those things every day of our lives up to this point.

Why would we think that he wouldn't in the future? Our faith isn't blind. You see, when it comes to God's faithfulness to provide past performance is a guarantee of future results, despite what we might hear in the investment world. So let me just finish today by reminding us what we read in Philippians 4.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. God can be trusted. We can take him at his word and we can rest in that assurance today, Steve. Thanks, Rob. All right, let's dive in.

Orlando, Florida. Rhea, we appreciate your call and your patience. What's on your mind? Yes, I just went to see a lawyer today to draw up a will and I came out with a lot more questions than what I had. And I basically, 65 years old, I have lived paycheck to paycheck most of my life.

I am now retired. And about the will, he told me that the way I wanted to do things is going to create some hurt feelings for my son. And because I mostly wanted to leave things to my grandkids.

And I don't know if I should tell my children my plans, or what to do about it. I do have a son that struggles with making right choices. So I have some questions about that also. Yeah, yeah. Well, Rhea, I can certainly appreciate what you're describing here.

And this is not uncommon. And yet I believe it's important after giving it prayerful consideration, to really think about the importance of communication to align expectations with your plan. Because clearly you have reasons for what you're doing. And I think being able to talk through that in advance, as to not create what we call a coping gap with your children where expectations and reality don't agree. And you know, we would typically recommend you have a family conference of sorts.

And that may sound more formal than it is, essentially, it's a conversation where you begin to talk about these types of things. So that there is an understanding and that, you know, people in your family are not waiting to find out kind of decisions you've made when you're gone. But there's an ability to set expectations and communicate what's on your heart and perhaps why you've been led to make the decisions you've made. And I realized that could create perhaps an even more, if there's not a strained relationship, it could create that if it's not done in the right way or received in the right way. But I still think it's important that that expectations are set. And perhaps to the extent you have some concerns about choices and decisions are being made, maybe this is an opportunity by articulating that to see if, you know, some changes might be made. But I think after you make those decisions, not waiting for them to find out at the reading of the will, what you've done, but going ahead and setting that in place is generally a good idea. What I'd like to do Rhea is send you a book, I think it's the best book on these types of issues, what I'll call the soft side of wealth transfer. It's not the mechanics necessarily, the tools and, you know, legal instruments. It's more of the why and the how behind it.

And it's called Splitting Errors. It's by Ron Blue. And we'll send it to you as our gift today. And what Ron will talk through with you is what he calls the six steps in the wealth transfer process.

And number six is the talk decision, which has everything to do with how you communicate to those you love about the decisions you've made. And I think it'll be helpful to you. And then once you've read it, feel free to give us a call back and we can answer any further questions you might have. So you stay on the line, Rhea, we'll get your information and get Splitting Errors right out to you.

Splitting Errors by our good friend Ron Blue. It's a wonderful book. And Ron gets into just about every aspect you can imagine when it comes to leaving what you have behind to your ears, whether it's one child or 10 children, two grandchildren or 20 grandchildren, he gets into all of that. And also what about leaving some of your money and your possessions to your church or other ministries.

So it's a wonderful book. If you're facing these kinds of choices and decisions, you'll find it on our website, MoneyWiseLive.org. West Palm Beach, Florida. Hi Marie, what's going on in your life?

Hi, and thanks for taking my call. My husband and I, we have a house that's like 40 years old. The bathroom for the master bath has never been remodeled and it is showing it. So we had a guy come in and give us an estimate, which turned out to be like around $15,000, I think. But then we postponed.

We didn't make any decision except for to postpone. But then I ran into a person that told me, if I think, which I do think we might have a mold problem, that our homeowner's insurance would cover repairs for that. And he said, if you go through your homeowner's insurance, of course, you're going to pay whatever deductible you have and have your homeowner's insurance paid for it then. And then another thing that I read was, well, if I called my company and they said, well, if we have sent somebody out to see, is it mold or not? And if it is, there's a thousand dollar deductible. But if you go on your own and like hire a contractor and then the contractor says, oh, you have a mold problem. It changes it. It's like a higher deductible and a more out of pocket.

So I'm like really struggling with where, how do we do this? Yeah. Well, I think the first issue, Mary, is whether or not your homeowner's insurance policy will cover the mold issue. Often there's vague wording regarding mold coverage, and it can be difficult to determine whether any mold damage you encountered will be covered. A lot of policies will exclude coverage for mold damage, except when the mold is a result of a covered claim like water damage. So, for example, an example of mold that would be covered is when your water heater ruptures and releases water that causes black mold to grow on the surrounding walls, or you have a home fire and mold develops after the firefighters use water to extinguish the flames, or you have a dishwasher that floods your kitchen because it malfunctions and then you have mold growing along the base of your cabinetry. What it won't cover is, you know, a bathtub or a bathtub or a bath tub that's leaked for years and you discover mold, you know, in the ceiling, or you live in a human climate and, you know, fail to use a dehumidifier, you know, things like that. So it's really going to depend on what, where is the mold, what is it as a result of, and is that a coverable item? And then typically it'll state that the maximum limit is somewhere between one and ten thousand dollars for the mold remediation. And if you want more than that, you have to buy broader mold coverage as an additional rider. So I think you need to check this out and just find out, you know, first of all, what does your policy say is covered?

And that should be as simple as a phone call. Before you place a claim, just find out kind of what the parameters are. And I think as you understand that and compare that to the type of mold that's being found in your home and where it's coming from, I think you'll have a better idea of where, whether or not that's going to be covered and then you'll know how to proceed. I think at the end of the day, you know, if you've got to take care of mold, I mean, this can become a health issue quickly.

If it's not already, the question is just, Lord willing, can somebody else pay for it? And if not, then we'll have to look at the very best ways for you to cover the cost yourself. And with that, we hope you're able to work through this problem.

Mold issues can be problematic. We've have, some of us here have some friends who've gone through that, and it's good to start earlier rather than later. And Marie, we're glad that you called today. We wish you the very best with that.

You're listening to MoneyWise Live. We'd like to talk with Rob West today. It's 800-525-7000. 800-525-7000.

We'll be back with a lot more after this. If the heavy burden of debt is robbing you of freedom and peace of mind, Christian Credit Counselors can help. We're a nationwide nonprofit credit counseling organization that has helped over 300,000 individuals in the last 27 years get out of credit card debt 80% faster while honoring that debt in full. To learn how Christian Credit Counselors can help you, visit christiancreditcounselors.org.

That's christiancreditcounselors.org or call 800-557-1985. You probably have a strategy for your finances, your career, even your retirement. But do you have a strategy for your giving? At the National Christian Foundation, we can help you create a giving strategy to inspire your family, maximize your resources and leave a lasting legacy of faith.

To learn how visit moneywise.org slash ncf. The word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. Here's Beth Moore with a quick word. Jehovah conveys his distinctiveness and ours. This is a name when we hear and when we hear the word holy, when we hear the word sanctify or sanctification, it's conveying one primary thing and that is distinctiveness, separateness, his distinctiveness and ours because he repeats and it's something we'll never be able to push out of our theology if we're biblically sound. I am holy, so you be holy, he says to us. And it's talking about a distinctiveness, not only his, but because we are his, our own. I wanted to just point your point out that the amplified version adds to that scripture in Exodus 31 13 where he defines himself as Jehovah. When he says, I am the Lord who makes you holy, or I'm the Lord who sanctifies you. The amplified version has been a parenthetical statement that defines what it means because we can get off and also if you're in a theology class, you can get in all sorts of debate over what sanctification means, but in its most literal form, in its most pointed context, this is what it's about and it's in this parentheses in the amplified.

It says that you may know that I the Lord sanctified you and in the parentheses it says set you apart for myself, set you apart for myself. You've been listening to Beth Moore with a quick word. Beth is excited to announce now that faith has come, a study of Galatians is available as an online experience or as a printed workbook edition. Grab your copy today at BethMoore.org. See you next time for another quick word with Beth Moore. The Bible reminds us in Matthew, Matthew 6 21 for where your treasure is there will your heart be also a vital and important verse to not only memorize but ponder and try to figure out just exactly what Jesus is saying to you in that regard and if we can help you in any other financial regard give us a call today that's why we're here 800-525-7000. Mary in Charleston, South Carolina what's in your mind? Hey it's beautiful here come on down we'd love to have you all right wherever you are yeah you have any coffee you have coffee Mary do you have coffee we don't come unless there's some coffee involved sure we do we have anything you need anything you want I love it some some years ago we took the advice of a counselor on Christian radio not yours that was advocating I'm sure it was when the economy was not doing well advocated buying precious metals which my husband and I did and I don't know if we went overboard well with the current situation and the thought that maybe things might be getting bad in this situation we wondered if perhaps we have enough or too much of the precious metal coins which I have in my possession so I wondered which assets you consider when you want to figure up a normal percentage to be invested in precious metals and then whether it's different now than it might have been say 10 years ago and then if situation got really bad how would you spend precious metal coins yeah yeah and that's one of the challenges Mary with the precious metals when you're taking physical possession is not only do you have the the markup when you buy them because you're usually buying them from a dealer and then if you try to sell them the same thing happens on the transaction on the sale but you've got the insurance you've got the security and you know the safe and the safety of them in your home you know and just as you store that physically in terms of a percentage you know I like to just hold to the typical percentage of five percent and based on you know what you heard on the air and whether it's tv or radio in times of uncertainty especially like a situation we went through last year with the pandemic where the market was just really going haywire there for a couple of months you see a huge spike in the number of people telling you leveraging that business opportunity telling you to buy precious metals buy buy buy right and they say that because and there's elements of that that are very true it's a store of value it's a hedge against inflation a falling dollar any number of things and you know they might even prey on you know folks that you know are concerned about the collapse of the U.S. economy or something like that I don't fall into that camp you know I would say you know we should hold steady to what has been proven over the last hundred or 200 years in terms of the prudent investment strategies that have had the lowest risk and the best performance is a properly diversified stock and bond portfolio where maybe an allocation to gold again is no more than five percent of the portfolio it acts as a little bit of a hedge in the portfolio in the in a down market but you know it's just too volatile and then the long-term performance has not been as good in terms of over weighting in it not to mention the other challenges that you and I both articulated at the outset of this conversation so you know I think if if we were to get into real difficult times which I don't see that on the horizon you know financially just based on everything we know today you know would gold be a good investment yes it would rise in value but you do have the liquidity issues that you're describing here and you know if you know I think we all have to step back and say what's the worst thing that could happen and if that plays out you know having a bar or coins of precious metals would be very difficult to operate with even though the underlying price of the precious metal may be increasing so I would just do what you can to follow God's principles recognizing you are only responsible for what he's entrusted to you you can't control the US GDP or US national debt or the stock market or the tax code or the presidency apart from voting what you can control is what passes through your hands and are you living within your means and giving generously and properly being diversified as we read in Ecclesiastes and on down the line and from my standpoint that means a relatively small allocation to the precious metals and Rob you would agree that when we're talking about gold coins well I guess even gold bullion how do you buy a loaf of bread how do you buy gasoline with that as your as your means of legal tender right I mean difficult at best becomes very difficult absolutely all right we hope you are able to work that out Mary feel free to give us a call back if you and your husband chat about this and want to discuss it further thank you very much we'll be right back to speak with Poi Floyd and Lupe and Grace this is MoneyWise Live don't go away investing is more than just returns it's an expression of who you are and what you value does the way you invest your money reflect your identity as a Christian at Eventide we design investments for performance and a better world so you can invest with the confidence to reach your financial goals while remaining true to your Christian values and commitments we call this investing that makes the world rejoice more is available at invest eventide.com that's invest eventide.com when it comes to investing guidance you want advice grounded in God's word that's the approach offered by Sound Mind Investing SMI has helped tens of thousands of Christians acquire investing wisdom and confidence regardless of your investing experience or how much you have to invest you can learn to be a wise and faithful steward in the area of investing a short video webinar on profit and peace of mind is available now at soundmindinvesting.org how do you reach people who call themselves Christian but don't know Jesus find out by reading the unsaved Christian Dean and Sarah was a cultural Christian today he pastors a thriving church and he wrote this book to offer starting points that lead to deeper conversations you'll be equipped to confront cultural Christianity and lovingly share the gospel to the cultural Christians in your life cultural Christianity is a huge mission field in desperate need of missionaries get your copy of the unsaved Christian at moody publishers.com do you feel stuck are you tired of going through the motions of faith do you want to make real progress in your life but not know where to start how to grow is a book to help you grow spiritually and help others grow as well we often see the gospel as a starting point of the Christian life rather than the main point of all life how to grow a new book by Daryl Dash available at moody publishers.org that's moody publishers.org many people adopt an attitude toward marriage and finances that it'll all work out somehow but sadly it often doesn't financial woes can devastate a marriage but there is a better way God's way money and marriage God's way by Howard Dayton will help you discover God's approach to growing your finances strengthening your relationship with your mate and cultivating Godly joy money and marriage God's way is available when you click the store button at moneywise live.org with SRN News I'm John Scott Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he will not be calling the Senate back into session ahead of schedule to accommodate a Democrat effort to remove President Trump from office before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in the UN atomic watchdog agency says Iran has informed it that the country has begun installing equipment for the production of uranium metal which would be another violation of the landmark nuclear deal with world powers two former Michigan health officials charged with involuntary manslaughter and the deaths of nine people who got Legionnaires disease following the Flint water crisis.

A late slide in several big tech stocks left major indexes lower on Wall Street today the Dow dropped 69 points the Nasdaq was off 16 and the S&P 500 fell 14 points this is SRN News. Some great hey if you're having a financial struggle of some sort or maybe you maybe you're dealing with a great financial blessing of some kind or something in between if we can help you today give us a call we'd love to 800-525-7000 is our phone number uh back to our lines they're almost full not quite Motley Minnesota. Hey Floyd is it Motley that I pronounce it correctly Floyd? It is it's Motley and I'm part of the Motley crew if you're as old as I am and know what that means.

I do and I'm glad you said it about yourself because I would have gotten in trouble had I done it so how can we help you? But I when I when I when I didn't know what they were we had our little um fair and they had all these pictures and all this stuff said Motley crew and I thought oh how cool it made something special for our little tiny town of 600 and I didn't realize the Motley crew was our hardcore rock band but okay my deal is but I know now I never never bought no pictures so um I took an early retirement last last year it's been going on almost a year and what I'm calling about is this I can make only a so much above my um retirement before I get penalized and let's just call that 20,000 so I can make 20,000 over and above my my um my um social security now I've got some small RAs and let's say I wanted to buy a a golf cart and well if I buy that golf cart for 5,000 is that included will it take a hit on that 20,000 or is it doesn't matter? Yeah in other words sure yeah well I think what you need to understand there is the distributions Floyd you receive from an individual retirement account an IRA or 401k fund don't affect how much you're entitled to receive and social security benefits each month but they can affect the taxes you pay and so you don't have to worry about a reduced benefit but you do need to consider the tax implications of those withdrawals and so I would just encourage you to if you don't have a tax preparer somebody that you work with to help you navigate that plan for tax liabilities being so you're setting the proper amount aside and even paying it in periodically if you need to then I would encourage you to consider having somebody like that that you can consult with but you don't need to worry about a reduced benefit as a result of a distribution.

Great that's what I was concerned about and I do have a tax preparer and um I don't know because maybe I'll buy a four-wheeler so I can go walk on water right now. Yeah well it's frozen solid I guess right? Pretty good. Thank you sir. God bless you. Thanks Floyd.

All right Oswego, Illinois. Lupe thank you for holding sir how can we help you? Um hello how are you? I'm fine Lupe I'm so sorry I I misread my computer screen I didn't mean to call you sir but uh forgive me for that okay. No that's okay that's okay um so I have a question on my daughter is in those teenage years she just turned 14 last month yeah and she's been asking me and wondering if there's something that I should get out for her or let her kind of use my credit card you know when she goes with friends to the mall you know it's kind of like try to give her you know some cash but I think she's like mom you could take out a credit card for me so um any recommendations on that I also just became a grandmother um last year he's healthy a little preemie um and yeah yes so I'm very happy about that and you know big joy with everything that's going on with the world but you know I also work in the medical field so in the hospital um but he's doing well and I was just thinking a lot about you know saving or perhaps opening a savings account even though where I think or banks just you don't make anything out of having money there any recommendations for us? Yeah absolutely Lupe but let me just say first how much I appreciate your service in the midst of a really trying time working as a healthcare professional we realize has been really difficult strenuous and frankly scary sometimes so thank you for doing that and you sound like a wonderful mom and grandmother and I like this idea I probably wouldn't go in the direction of a credit card I would go more toward a debit card and I'll give you a particular type of account to check out there's from Capital One they have what they call the Capital One uh money teen checking account and it's basically a fee free bank account for teens that comes with a debit card and a really good mobile app so if your daughter has a a smartphone that she uses even an older one a few years old she would be able to manage it that way I actually um opened one of these for my son recently and I've been really pleased with it the nice thing about it is you can really easily transfer money into the account he uses it you know if he's going to go out with some friends or go out to dinner or do things like that when he's off at his baseball or basketball tournaments and things of that nature he can set goals savings goals so if he's wanting to if he's doing some work he you know works at the church refereeing games on the weekends and gets paid that goes into his account and and can build up toward a certain savings goals but it's just a really effective tool and again there's no cost to it including the debit card which is free and there's 40,000 fee-free ATMs that your daughter would be able to use and then there's also some parental controls where you can shut it down monitor it and as I said very easily add money to it which I suspect that would be happening quite a bit so I would check that out and I think it will accomplish both purposes give you a tool to begin teaching your 14 year old how to manage money God's way and do it wisely and give your teen you know a debit card that could be used without having to carry cash when when your teen is out doing things teens do and and needing access to some funds does that sound like what you might be looking for yeah definitely so it's called capital one team yeah it's called the capital one money teen checking m-o-n-e-y teen checking and you could do a google search for it very highly rated and I think it'll be a great solution for you and there's no cost which is even better for your grandchild let me recommend that you consider assuming you want to set money aside at least to start with specifically for college I think having his parents your children open a 529 plan and then you contributing to that might be a great way to go just because you'd be able to begin putting some money aside that could be invested and grow tax-free that would be available specifically for college so go to savingforcollege.com to find out which 529 plan either the one offered in the state of Illinois or another one would be the best option for you again that website savingforcollege.com Lupe we're glad that you called today thank you very very much Rob just before we hit a break here might this be a good time for you to tell us about the new and exciting world-changing MoneyWise Live app I'd be happy to it's always a good time to talk about the new MoneyWise app yeah it's out it's ready and it's available for you if you haven't downloaded it let me encourage you to do that today just head over to your app store if you're in the Apple ecosystem go to the Apple App Store if you're a Google Play Android user go to the Google Play Store but search for MoneyWise Biblical Finance it's the best digital envelope system I've ever used and not only that but there's a community where I weigh in to the I weigh in periodically on your questions and all the MoneyWise Live broadcast archives are there as well do that today and don't go away we'll be right back would you like your life to be infused with joy would you like to interject an eternal dimension into even the most ordinary day author Randy Alcorn says you can when you discover the treasure principle in a concise power pack style this newly revised and updated book offers a six-step plan to finding the immediate pleasure and eternal rewards of the treasure principle and once you discover it life will never look the same the treasure principle is available when you click the store button at moneywiselive.org many people are experiencing financial challenges such as credit card debt downsizing debt in jobs and depleted savings in fact more than half of all divorces are the result of financial pressures at home but there's hope in your money counts biblical financial expert Howard Dayton shows that the Bible is a veritable blueprint for managing your finances and you'll discover the profound impact it has on your relationship with God your money counts is available when you click the store button at moneywiselive.org this is Barry McGuire I'm a car guy here to help you understand God's purpose for your life through the eyes of a layman it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor or have lots of time or no time to spare there's generally a routine of life that runs all the days together unless you're determined to share your faith with someone every day which makes every day unique because every faith sharing experience is an emotional experience intentionally sharing your faith on a daily basis doesn't have anything to do with a dry throat or sweaty bobs or responsibility you dread it's the extreme opposite that's why Jesus told us in John 15 11 that when we bear fruit his joy remained with us and our joy remained full and that my friend is what life's all about your job is to ignite revival outside the walls of your church by moving everyone every day closer to Jesus for help doing that go to rotw.com authors Robert and Nancy Walgo-Muth have heard many life stories they all point to the same God whose hand we see in everything so we can trust him to write the story it's encouragement you need to give God the control and he's wanting our lives to be a written living demonstration for our good and for his glory you can trust God to write your story by Robert and Nancy Walgo-Muth order your copy today at moody publishers.com after the success of her first two books heather Holloman received many requests to write a bible study and as a college english instructor she wanted to make sure it really taught and didn't simply inform the result included in Christ a narrative driven study where you can bring your life before scripture in the context of community included in Christ honest real bold more at moodypublishers.com welcome back to MoneyWise Live a place where we do our best to help you understand God's word and how it applies to your money 800-525-7000 grace in orlando thanks so much for holding there and what's on your mind thank you for your program i enjoy it on my drive home every evening most of the time i listen to your thank you very much my question is one of my church members had suggested to me about quicken will maker and trust have you heard of them uh yeah you know grace there's a lot of tools out there do-it-yourself tools for wills and even trusts um you know it's better than nothing uh you know i don't want you to be one of the high percentage of americans that doesn't have a will because i think it's really important especially if you have an under a minor child because that's where you designate guardianship but even beyond that just to be able to take what the lord has entrusted to you beyond your life your personal things and assets and be able to direct them according to your wishes whether that's to heirs or to charity or ministry and without a will you're going to be you're going to leave that decision up to the probate court so i'd rather you have a will and if that's really you know that would be better than nothing but my preference though grace is for someone to connect with an estate planning attorney a simple will shouldn't be you know terribly expensive a few hundred dollars and that way you can make sure that it is exactly the way that it needs to be based on the laws in your state which it does vary from state to state and he or she can ask questions perhaps that you haven't thought of about how you want to handle certain things even give you some counsel and i would look for somebody who's a godly individual who knows the council of scripture and can help you walk through it from that standpoint and definitely if you're going to go to the extent of a trust just because there are so many nuances there so if you don't have someone i would consider you know hiring someone to do that you could connect with a certified kingdom advisor there in orlando and ask for a referral to a godly estate planning attorney all ckas will have somebody in their rolodex that they trust that serves in that capacity and you can find a cka there in orlando by going to our website moneywiselive.org just click find a cka and you can put in your zip code but again you know if it's the if it's uh that or nothing i would say yeah use the software but my preference would be you hire someone grace thank you very much let's go to ohio uh cleveland area wcrf our station there and lorraine what's your situation uh with your family and uh well you're wondering about how to leave things behind when you pass huh yes sir um i don't know when that will be i'm 71 three children 54 48 and 42 um my daughter's estranged at this time but she'll come back um yes my oldest son has offered to buy my home and let me live here rent-free however we would do that deduction at the time of sale okay so this has been introduced to me two weeks and it's just really on my mind so my third child my baby has already had a kidney liver transplant and now his kidney is failing and um we have a donor a relative god bless her um if things go well i would like after i'm gone for hiding my daughter and my youngest aaron to be able to live here if need be i don't know what the future will hold and this is all i have to give them yeah well i think you know unfortunately these two things are in conflict with one another uh in the sense that if you were to sell the home lorraine uh to your son then it would be his and he wouldn't necessarily have to abide by your wishes after death because it's his house um so i think the question is you know we've got to solve for both items you know number one is i assume he's trying to help take some of the pressure off of you financially now by buying it and perhaps there's another way that he could help you make those payments um you know it to reflect his desire to be of assistance to you but you still maintain possession of and control of the home on the title which then gives you the ability to plan for how it's used beyond your life which could involve you know a will or even a trust if you want to be able to have certain stipulations as to how certain assets including this home are used once you're incapacitated or go home to be with the lord but unfortunately you know if you have any reason to believe your expresses your wishes would not be carried out by your son then there's no way to guarantee if it's his home that he's purchased from you that it would be able to be used the way you're describing beyond your life does that make sense yeah and i thought about that and my question again would be uh how do i move forward do i just stay and he already asked me you want a one-year plan a three-year plan a five-year plan he's a goal maker he's a money maker yeah what is it you're trying to accomplish is there a shortfall in your budget each month oh yeah okay so talk all right so talk to me about that what are you bringing in an income each month 957 all right and what are your total expenses bare minimum um 957 okay and that and what is realistic though on a monthly basis that it costs you to maintain your lifestyle keep your bills paid i take two to three hundred dollars out of a small um a state that i received from my mother okay and it's at twenty five thousand as we speak okay so you you've got a twenty five thousand dollar state and you're taking let's say three hundred dollars so that's going to last you know 83 months um you know that's seven years uh that that money will last if you continue to take it at that pace um and when you take that 300 a month on top of the 957 you're able to cover your bills including the house payment yes okay and um obviously your son is wanting to help one way he can do that is to buy the home and then uh you know you take that you take that expense off the table is he willing to help another way by providing assistance to you supplementing your income rather than buying the home that has not been discussed yeah well i think that's kind of the next step have you sat down with him and gone over your budget in detail yeah he used to take care of our 401k etc i've been a widow for 12 years now and i'm still in the house yeah well i think you need to have that conversation again and including expressing your desire for how the home be used beyond your life um and you know depending on his relationship with these other children that may or may not go over well uh perhaps we need to look at that perhaps we need to look at another alternative there i mean maybe there's a way uh you know to provide for them uh beyond this scenario you've come up with where they don't live in this home and in fact this may not be the best place for them depending on how long the Lord tarries and how long you know it is before the Lord calls you home so i think right now what we need to solve for is how do we keep your bills paid and honor your son's desire to help you and then come up with a good plan longer term for how you can be of assistance uh you know to your other children but i don't think selling it uh to your son is is the solution if that's ultimately your desire so i think the next step is to sit down with your son explain all of this what you're trying to accomplish and to see if the two of you can't come up with a workable plan moving forward Lorraine we wish you the best you don't have to move quickly like you know you don't have to get all set aside and put together in the next week or so but you don't want to drag your feet on this either and we'll be praying for you as you work through this thank you so much for your call today uh indiana genie a little bit of time left can you give it to us quickly i sure can uh since things are going like they are i've had people say that maybe i should buy like a survival kit food to have back in case if something happens i believe christ will supply my needs if i have them i'm set very well as far as finances i owe nothing um i'm a widow two years so just reach out to you guys is that a wise thing to have water supply food supply um do all i can and the lord can do the rest yeah sure genie i think the question is ultimately is your dependence remaining on the lord and you've already called out that idea that you certainly want it to be because we don't want to trip over into a hoarding situation where we try to insulate ourselves from having to rely on the lord but clearly proverb 6 tells us go to the ant you sluggard considered its ways and be wise it has no commander no overseer or ruler yet and here's the key it stores its provisions in the summer and gathers its food at the harvest in other words to plan for the future is godly and wise and to that end having some food and water in the event of an emergency isn't a bad idea i'm from south florida where we had hurricanes and we did that regularly so i think the question is are we just trying to weather a couple of weeks of a disruption like we saw with the pandemic we can't leave the house or a storm or a natural disaster or is it something much bigger than that and ultimately where is our heart and at the end of the day are we trusting in the lord as our provider for provision and only you know where that line is but i don't think uh there's anything wrong with having uh you know some food and water and you know some some cash available you know in the event of a disruption of the flow of goods and services for any number of reasons that might be known or unforeseen down the road but i certainly wouldn't go you know way beyond that and try to have months and months and months genie we hope that helps you something to think about and pray about i'm glad you brought it up today thanks so very very much this program money wise live is a partnership between moody radio and money wise media thanks so much for joining us today also my thanks to our production staff now that would be amy and deb and rich and gabby t that t of course for telephoto one of the many lenses that gabby has in her photography bag we'll be back with more tomorrow radio not photography i hope you'll join us for another edition of money wise live you