By Chuck Bentley

In Luke 16: 10 it says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

You see, if you are unfaithful in small things, you will be unfaithful in large things. You cannot be entrusted with much if you cannot be trusted with a little. My way of expressing this principle is that money always flows towards trust, just as water flows downhill.

Let me give an example. If I give my 14-year-old son $20 to go into the grocery store for a gallon of milk and he returns with the milk and I never receive the remaining balance or the left over change, I will not send him into the store with $100 the next time I need milk! In the same way, God has entrusted money to your care. In exchange for what He has provided, He asks you to be faithful to use your time, talent, and resources to build His kingdom. If you carry out His purposes, you will hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Jesus did not die on the cross for you and me to become financial successes; He wants us to become financially faithful. The good news is that you can be faithful whether you have a lot or a little. The bad news is that you can be unfaithful whether you have a lot or a little. Everyone is measured by the same standard—we are either faithful or unfaithful. Do you desire to see your financial conditions improve? Start being faithful—even in the smallest of details.

Originally posted 7/7/2015.

By Chuck Bentley

I travel frequently and am familiar with rules and regulations for my luggage. The primary rule is the size or volume of the bag. But far more important than that is the content—what is inside the bag. The airlines must know what is inside your luggage. So much so that they take an x-ray to see what you have packed.

In a similar way, man looks at the size of our bank account or a company or possessions. We are very concerned with volume when it comes to money. And I can assure you that most financial teachers out there today make sure this is your primary focus as well. But God uses the x-ray method to examine our hearts. He is more concerned with the content of our hearts than the size of our earthly treasures.

When Jesus confronted the Pharisees, he said their cup was clean on the outside but dirty on the inside. In other words, the part that man could see looked good, but what God could see looked bad. And what did his x-ray reveal? Their cup was dirty because it was filled with greed. Have you ever thought that you could be a financial success in man’s eyes and a failure in God’s eyes? God said we must clean the inside of the cup first and then the outside will be clean also. How do you accomplish that?

Ask God to reveal to you any attitudes that need to be made right. Seek His wisdom before making financial decisions. And finally, seek God and His righteousness above all else.

Originally posted 7/6/2015.

By Chuck Bentley

The word awesome means overwhelming reverence, admiration, or fear.

Jacob was the first to use this word in the Bible in Genesis 28:16-17:

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place!’

The Bible places an exclamation point after this phrase, so I don’t think Jacob used “awesome” in a tone like my kids might say when they are bored and want me to move on in the conversation. No, I think being in the presence of God Almighty took Jacob’s breath away. I think he was catching his breath and saying, “How Awesome is this place!” Wow! He was electrified, stunned, shocked, moved to the core of his being.

That’s why I don’t use the word for a new pair of shoes or when I get a bonus or to describe a vacation or when I watch someone make a buzzer shot to win a game. Those things don’t take my breath away. They might be impressive or make me glad or bring me joy, but that is not on par with an encounter with God Almighty, Jehovah Jireh, the Bright and Morning Star, the Alpha and Omega, the great I AM.

So today, I want to encourage you to have an encounter with the living God as you work through your financial challenges. Seek Him, read His Word, fast and pray in secret. Ask for His help. Knock on His door—persistently, faithfully. And persevere. When He intervenes, I hope it will take your breath away. Not because you got out of debt or paid off the student loan or put more savings in the bank, but because He was present in the details of your life. When that happens, call me or write me, and then you can say, “Truly…how awesome was that!”

Originally posted 7/1/2015.

By Chuck Bentley

I recently participated in a conference that featured Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, author of both The Harbinger and The Shemitah. Rabbi Cahn is convinced that the year of Jubilee beginning in September of 2015 will bring a significant shaking of the financial markets. I enjoyed listening to his logic based upon an understanding of Scripture and the times in which we are living. However, Rabbi Cahn is quick to point out that he is not a prophet and does not know the future. He is simply giving a warning of his concern more as a son of Issachar who understands the times.

On a practical level, the markets are due a correction. Government intervention and monetary policies have caused a distortion of real values in the market. A professional investment advisor friend told me that he expects a 10 to 15 percent correction at a minimum sometime this year. So here’s my advice: Be conservative, be diversified, and be at peace. Like Jonathan Cahn, I too believe the safest place on Earth is in the center of God’s will. The market goes up and down and will continue to do so. Our peace, our provision, and our protection come from the Lord, so we have nothing to fear. Do we need to be wise and diversified for turbulence? Yes, by all means. Do we need to be panicked? Never.

God wants His people to be prepared, not paranoid. So here is a quick check list:

1. Are your investments diversified?

2. Are you living beneath your means with financial margin to weather a downturn?

3. Are you serving God’s purpose for your life?

If so, keep calm and carry on.

Originally posted 6/30/2015.

By Chuck Bentley

A recent call from listeners to our radio program gave me great joy. The couple shared with me their plan to re-purpose their lives and asked for some financial advice. Both are now 68 years old; the husband retired from the postal service and has a modest pension. They currently live in Florida and have many friends there who plan to take it easy, walk on the beach, play golf, and enjoy their senior years.

Not so for these two…they believe God is leading them on a different adventure. Both were separately inspired by the praise song, Oceans by Hillsong. One line struck them in the heart…”Lead me to faith without borders.” That phrase caused both of them to ask the Lord what He would prefer they do other than the typical retirement.

Being totally debt free and with the freedom they have to do something different with their lives, they realized the Lord wanted them to move from Florida to be closer to their children and grandchildren. That narrowed the locations down to one of several in North Carolina or Georgia. Instead of simply picking a location convenient to the children, they began looking at a variety of ministries where they might be able to plug in as full-time volunteers. By visiting these ministries and helping out for short stints, they asked for clarity where they could best serve.

One particular ministry seemed to strike a chord in both of their hearts; the ministry works with children who are aging out of foster care and need help getting on their feet as they transition to living on their own. After a number of weeks there as volunteers, God united their hearts around this ministry. Now the house is on the market in Florida, the new location is chosen, and they are on their way to fulfilling a new purpose for their lives—living a faith without borders. Well done!

Originally posted 6/29/2015.

By Chuck Bentley

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal called How Rich and Poor Spend (and Earn) Their Money, the middle class wage earners spend a much higher percentage of their income on transportation than any other wage earners, rich or poor.

Analyzing data from the Consumer Expenditures Survey gathered by the Department of Labor, middle class folks spend nearly 20 percent of their annual income on transportation.  That is about 5 percent more than the rich or poor spend as a percentage of their income. In other words, the middle class is the one spending too much on expensive cars.

This cost could actually be much lower using my advice, which is always to drive a used car that you pay for with cash. If you purchase a quality used car that is 3 to 5 years old, has been well maintained (preferably by one owner), and has low miles, you will get a much better overall value than buying new. Further, if you are able to pay cash for your car, you will save much of the cost of financing or leasing your car.

Many cannot imagine paying cash for a car, so let me give you a strategy. First, if you are currently making payments on the car you drive, accelerate the payments so that you can own the car as quickly as possible and eliminate the cost of interest payments which average around 3 percent right now for a 60-month loan. As soon as you pay off your loan, continue to make payments to your own savings account as if you were still making car payments. Do this for 3 to 5 years, or long enough to accumulate the cash you need to make your next purchase without borrowing. This plan will save you lots of money and create more financial margin in your budget.

Originally posted 6/25/2015.

By Chuck Bentley

Many people make daily decisions for earning, spending, saving, investing, borrowing, and even giving money without ever considering their motives for these actions.

Proverbs 16:2 says, “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.”

Solomon is teaching us that we think our actions are always right and justified, but the Lord is looking much deeper into our spirit. In other words, motives matter.

Here are a few starter questions:

* What is my motive for the work that I do? Is it to get rich? Store up a retirement fund so that I can take a long vacation and eat, drink, and be merry? Or is it to glorify God by taking care of my family and doing work that pleases Him?

* How about your spending? Do you find yourself wanting the latest gadget, the highest quality, and the name brands because of pride? Or are you careful with spending, recognizing that you are a steward of God’s money?

* Consider why you want to get out of debt. Some are motivated to have financial freedom simply to increase their lifestyle and live more comfortably than others. Some want to be out of debt to become more materialistic but with less guilt or lower costs. A better motive is to be free from the control of any masters to serve God to the fullest—to have one master only.

* We should even examine our motive for giving. Do we give to get something in return, to impress others, to make a name for ourselves? Or do we give to please God and look only for the rewards He promises to cheerful givers?

Motives matter…so be sure you are pleasing God, not yourself, when you make financial decisions.

Originally posted 6/25/2015.

By Chuck Bentley

There was some irony in a certain news story out of CBS New York.

After decades of studying and working with tens of thousands of patients, researchers at the Mayo Clinic, one of the most prestigious health organizations in the world, say they’ve cracked the code to being happy.

According to psychiatrist John Tamerin, “for many people the root of everything we’re chasing, a better job, more money or true love, is a pursuit of happiness.”

But this endless pursuit often backfires. “If you lead your life always waiting for a great thing to happen, you probably will be unhappy,” Tamerin said.

And perhaps one of the biggest hindrances to being happy is too much thinking about one’s self, research shows.  “Complainers are never going to be happy,” according to the research. “Happiness is a decision.”

So why did the Mayo Clinic decide to study happiness? Studies show happier people are healthier people.

And why did I decide to share this with you? Because the Bible gives us clear directions on how to be happy:

Don’t worry about tomorrow, learn to be content and rejoice always. Again I say rejoice, consider others better than you.

God’s Word is the ultimate guidebook not only to daily happiness but to lasting peace and contentment. When we are healthy emotionally, our finances will be healthier as well. For instance, we will tend not to make purchases to try to find happiness or to believe money will buy us happiness. We make better spending choices and give more when we are content than when we are empty and trying to find happiness in our stuff.

Originally posted 6/23/2015.

By Chuck Bentley

Nobody likes to suffer. I sure don’t. But I have learned that it helps to endure the pain if I put it all in context.

For instance, if I hit my thumb with a hammer, it hurts, and it makes me want to scream and shout and dance around on one foot while being really mad at myself. But if a fireman breaks through a window to rescue a child from a blazing house fire and barely escapes with his own life, even though he may have cuts and burns and may be suffering from smoke inhalation, holding that child safely in his arms makes it all worth it. He will not complain about his own injuries or pain.

You see, Paul said we should see our pain and suffering much like the fireman; it has a greater purpose. Listen to Romans 5:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Paul explains that we have two reasons for rejoicing. First, we know and are known by God; all other human achievements pale in comparison to that! And second, we can now rejoice in our temporary sufferings because God will use them to strengthen our character and through that, to give us hope.

So if you are suffering, rejoice that you know and are known by God, and rejoice that your suffering will ultimately result in good. Be the fireman, not the one dancing on one foot, squeezing your thumb.

Originally posted 6/22/2015.

By Chuck Bentley

Most of us are looking forward to something that we think will improve our contentment. Have you given thought to what would immediately increase your personal contentment?

A better car? A better job? Maybe just a raise? A long vacation? How about becoming debt free?

I understand that our financial condition can cause a lot of worry, stress, and discontentment. And I think it is important to be working toward improving your financial well being, but not at the expense of losing your contentment right now.

Let me explain…

Paul spoke of this in Philippians 4:11-13:

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

In this incredible proclamation, Paul makes a couple of points I don’t want you to miss:

1. He knows what it is to be lacking. In other words he has tasted the pain of not having enough, of suffering, of sacrificing, of delayed gratification, of dashed hopes, of painful sorrows, of what he calls “humble circumstances.” He could make a long list of things that were real needs in his life.

2. He flips the coin to the other side and says he has also experienced an abundance. He knows what it means to have comfort, to taste prosperity, to have all his needs met. But his point is that neither of these conditions gave him contentment. His secret was that Christ was the source of his contentment, not his circumstances.

I hope you can make the same declaration today, right now. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Originally posted 6/18/2015.