The Big Financial Lie

From the Salvation Army, you're listening to Wonderful Words of Life.

Welcome back to Wonderful Words of Life. I'm Sheryl Gillum. And I'm Bernie Dake. Hey, Bernie.

Hi, Sheryl, and hello to all of our listeners out there. Yes. Well, this week Bernie and Mike discussed the biggest financial lie that's robbing you of your joy. The fear of missing out is driving so many of us to spend money we don't simply have so we don't feel left out. Yeah, FOMO, right? The fear of missing out.

Yeah. According to an article by Alliance Life Insurance, 57% of millennials say they made unplanned purchases because of what they saw on social media. And they say the reason for this is because we're paying more attention to how our friends spend than how we save.

I have one word to that, guilty. I've done that. I'm in a place now I've got a device, an iPad that's made, I don't know, 10 years ago. And the thing is so slow and I just want the next best thing and I don't need it.

But now I'm going to go spend however much money it costs to replace it because someone else has a better one that's more shiny. Yeah, it's a real trap, isn't it? It's crazy.

Yeah. So if you're in debt because of this type of spending, the key to getting out of it is to stop believing the lie that you're missing out. It's debt's kryptonite. And let me give you a scripture to kind of think about that very thing. In Proverbs 14 30, the Bible says, a heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. We don't need to be jealous.

We don't need to worry about what other people have. Don't have a fear of missing out. Be content, as you've already said in this series.

Yeah. It's a great thing. Well, we hope that you're enjoying this series. This came about because of your feedback. We love hearing from our listeners. So send us a message or give us a call.

You can email us at radio at uss.salvationarmy.org or call 1-800-229-9965. The way we share our love, love loves. But I will seek your face, Father, God, above. In spite of it all, we will shout. In spite of it all, we will dance. In spite of it all, lift our hands in spite of it all. In spite of it all, we will praise. In spite of it all, all our hearts and hearts.

All our days, even when life has brought me to my knees In spite of it all Sometimes I don't pray, cause I don't care And then I wonder why you're not there Sometimes the pain I feel is more real than my faith Sometimes I just don't know if I'll finish this race God help me, be patient with your mysteries till I can see You will always be, God help me Be patient with your mysteries till I can see You will always be, God help me Be patient with your mysteries till I can see You will always be In spite of it all, we will shout In spite of it all, we will dance In spite of it all, lift our hands In spite of it all In spite of it all, we will praise In spite of it all, all our days Even when life has brought me to my knees Even when life has brought me to my knees Even when life has brought me to my knees In spite of it all Welcome back everybody. As I've already introduced, my friend Mike is here and in the Salvation Army world, he goes by Major Mike Harris, but the truth is he's Mike and he often says, I was Mike longer than I was ever Captain or Lieutenant or Major and I appreciate that about you, Mike. I appreciate the passion that you bring particularly about your own relationship with Jesus Christ and celebrating that in the idea that you went into financial secretary-ship which is what the Salvation Army calls their chief money manager in each of the divisions as they break it down.

Mike is responsible for that in the state of Texas. You went into that role kicking and screaming in a sense, but you've surrendered that to the Lord and you're seeing fruit from that labor and from that surrender and I'm grateful. Welcome back. Thank you. It's good to be back.

Thank you, buddy. We have the idea to talk about the financial lie this week. We want to share this idea with our listeners. There's this the fear of missing out or what all the kids are saying now, FOMO. How does that impact your thinking when I say those things, Mike? I guess I see this sort of mindset or attitude and I realize how much of a problem it is whenever there's a new iPhone released.

I mean, it beggars belief to me. I'm looking for the best deal. Great, new iPhone.

That means I can get like a seven or eight cheaper. I mean, that's where my mind goes, perhaps because I'm not in that world and perhaps because I can't afford those things. But when a new iPhone comes out, it's with great hurrah and suddenly lines around the corner of the eye stores as people want to keep up because of this almost of this fear of missing out. I even see it in movies, you know, people, a new Star Wars film coming out. They'll be dressing in all kinds of Star Wars outfits as the first showing at 1201 occurs at the theater. Wait, is that a bad thing? I've seen one Star Wars film.

I've seen it four times, but I've only seen one. So really, I couldn't tell you. Just checking. Our listeners really represent a makeup of people from all over the world. And we realize that here in the United States, there is sort of an idea of excess. You've already mentioned a new iPhone comes out. I go to church with a young man who actually subscribes to a program where whenever a new device comes out, he is immediately eligible for an upgrade and he pays a premium for that service. What I don't think he realizes is there is a contractual obligation. He will be paying for these devices well into his retirement because he is fixed on the idea that he must have the next best thing.

And the truth is, you can be at peace about your finances, but you need to arrest some ideas, some lies that society tells you about you must have, you must get this next thing. And our producer gave us this idea that we always need more, we need the next best thing because we're convinced there's something better and we're missing out. But the truth is, I think all we're missing out on is the faith aspect of trusting the Lord for what we need day to day.

Mike, you talked about that in the Lord's Prayer just a couple weeks ago. Address in more detail the idea that we can find peace in trusting in the Lord and not worrying about the next best thing. Yeah, as I look at this fear of missing out, the word that sticks out to me is fear. We should not live in fear in any way, shape or form. And to me, I guess where I'm at in life, that's the most ludicrous thing to be fearful of, is the fear of missing out. And fear flies in the face of peace, does it not?

I mean, those could be more opposite ends of the spectrum. And perhaps as I navigate this particular one, it's the hardest one for me because quite honestly, that's not where I'm at. As long as my phone works, as long as I can call somebody or I can check on the soccer scores or whatever the case may be in my life, that's all I'm bothered about. But it concerns me that we have, dare I say, a generation coming through where that actually is their life. And in some way, status perhaps, or whatever motivation it is, they have to have the latest of this, that or the other.

And living now in this world of electronic devices, the IT world is fast-paced, it's ever-changing, that problem is only going to get worse. So you either become more fearful or you find a way of releasing yourself of that fear. And the only way you release yourself of that fear is to accept the peace that Christ gives and be released from having to get the latest thing.

I think for me, and we wouldn't get into conspiracy ideas or speaking ill of any particular company or organization, but from a technology point of view, there are these known instances of planned obsolescence where people will actually update devices with necessary upgrades, but what's really happening is they're getting the update but the device is slowing down, and then that causes this desire to want more. I think for me, if we, like a deer pants for water, would chase after God, we might lose the desire to constantly have the next best thing, and we would have a peace in a sense. Well, no, in reality we would have peace because God is the creator of peace, amen? Amen to that. He's the enemy of evil, amen to that. Amen to that. And for our listeners, I just want to make sure we don't miss the idea that you'll never miss out with God at the center of your life. But it's not a promise of prosperity. We've already talked about that.

It doesn't mean that you would be exempt from hard times. In fact, when you surrender your life to Jesus, we know that you become a target then of the evil one's desire to tear you down. Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy.

He has only desire in life to keep us far away from the peace that comes with a relationship in Jesus Christ. And weekly, Mike, we try to encourage our listeners to consider that very thing. We've got a phone number and a website that they can call, people that are willing to pray with them. And I just want to make sure that you have that opportunity to invite them into a right relationship with Jesus Christ during this series.

Absolutely. Just like the deer panteth, that's where our fears should be, if anything. The fear of missing out on Christ, which we will not do.

Therefore, by accepting him, we receive that wonderful peace. Come back and join us next week. And if there is a story that's impacting you in a particular way or something that you feel you could share with us that might give our other listeners strength for their journey, don't hesitate to contact us. The Salvation Army's mission, Doing the Most Good, means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army. Visit salvationarmyusa.org to offer your support.

And we would love to hear from you. Email us at radioatuss.salvationarmy.org. Call 1-800-229-9965 or write us at P.O.

Box 29972, Atlanta, Georgia, 30359. When you contact us, we'll send you our gift for this series. It's totally free for listeners like you, one per household while supplies last. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes or your favorite podcast store and be sure to give us a rating. Just search for Wonderful Words of Life. Follow us on social media for the latest episodes, extended interviews, and more. And if you don't have a church home, we invite you to visit your local Salvation Army worship center. They'll be glad to see you. This is Bernie Dake inviting you to join us next time for the Salvation Army's Wonderful Words of Life. 🎵