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Are you gambling with your financial security?

When it comes to “Protection,” such as insurance, financial advisors typically choose to offer plans in which you end up paying the highest premiums for the lowest benefit – exactly as the insurance companies like it. Using these plans people usually expose themselves to way too much risk in every single area of their insurance. One’s insurance should be a solid foundation that protects your financial house from ruin. Most people I first meet think they have their’s well taken care of, but as they become more educated end up changing almost every single decision they had previously made.

Kingdom Calling’s clients are schooled in all areas that contribute to sound stewardship. It’s kind of strange that we aren’t licensed to sell car insurance, but we can give you an education that you’ve probably never heard where your car insurance is concerned. In fact, afterward you’ll likely want to have a talk with your agent and get the coverage that you want after you know what’s important and what is just extra cost to the insurance company without benefit that is worth your money.

When it comes to “Production” most financial advisors believe in the mantra “to get a higher return, you’ve got to take on more risk.” This is the same as saying that to get a higher return you’ve got to increase the chances that you lose your money. What sense does that make?

This idea doesn’t work in real life, but it is the prevalent theory out there. It’s a shame that people have to lose so much that they’ve worked so hard for in order to learn this truth. There is a better way.

Do you know what types of risk you’re exposing yourself to? Wouldn’t it be a good idea to find out?

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Photo credit: Idol

Faith like a child

Yesterday, we spoke of the spiritual life that our Messiah calls us to. Today Jesus teaches us how to seek and find Him and then to achieve a peace and rest in Him. I think this is what many in the world are looking for…a life with less stress, more peace and rest!

The key to faith and growth in Jesus is childlike faith. A big problem in the Church is our constant wrestling over and obsession with complex theology. This blog is no exception. We posted an interview with brothers of the Chinese Church a week ago, and what we see of them who are experiencing an incredibly rich walk with the Lord is the simple faith and trust of a child to his parents. The complex theology does not bring us close to Him, the absolute devotion and commitment of our lives does.

Let’s look at the difference between a child with loving parents and a “wise & learned” adult. The adult must bear all the burdens of this life. Everything is up to him or her. The weight of the world is on his/her shoulders. There is often a need to perform, to prove one’s self worthy. There is an unknown future and thus more need to drive hard to have enough or be prepared. The child on the other hand, knows that his/her loving parents will provide everything that he needs. There is provision and protection. He has absolute trust that everything will be taken care of and that he can spend his time playing and enjoying life. Life is easy, in a sense, “care-free”.

The result of this is a life of love, trust, joy, peace and good character. The burdened adult winds up filled with instances of hate, fear, sadness, bitterness, or unrest and the constant temptation to wickedness in order to compensate for his shortcomings.

This child like life is both the promise to us and the way to approach it. We have access to our Father in heaven through Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, who fully represents and knows the Father. As we hand over our burdens to Him, He takes them upon Himself and we are free to follow all the ways in which He is able to care for us. The more we see that He takes care of our every need, the more we grow in our childlike faith and expect Him to take care of all future needs. Thus we grow more and more into this Father/son relationship that Jesus patterned for us. We experience more and more breakthrough into the Kingdom life He calls us to. Again, this all happens through childlike faith and living relationship, not complex theology and rigid routines.

Do not confuse this life as one without suffering. A parent must spank his/her child in order to correct a behavioral or character problem. Our Father in Heaven will also let us endure what we need to endure in order to be made into the person that He needs us to be. When the child is spanked, he/she is not happy. Yet, time passes and his or her faith and trust in his parents has not wavered and goes forward unchanged. So it is the same with us, we will experience suffering. Jesus promised us this when we follow Him. Yet, we are able to have the complete faith of knowing He is right there with us and will take care of everything for us. (Heb. 12:1-13)

Without God, man is the most miserable of all creatures. Worry, anxiety, stress. Insects, animals, birds and fish all live their lives and then they die. They are without care or worry as they have an innate sense of their place in the world. A man without God is a creature of burden and unrest. Rest in the soul is a precious “commodity”. Only when we turn to Jesus Christ, will we find it. His is a kingdom of peace, even as He is the prince of peace, author of peace. Only in Him is our sin done away with and we have peace with God. (Eph. 2:14-18) Then He can prosper us in this life and in the lives of others through us…He can make us to be Peace-Makers. (Matt. 5:9)

The decision to fully give ourselves to Him is a most difficult one because we have become so used to being in control (even though those results have not fared well). But when we truly give ourselves to Him, life becomes simpler and more full of joy because our Daddy in Heaven knows how to take care of us. And we can rely on Him.

What do you see in these scirptures that we’ve missed? We’d love your help in this study. Who comes to mind that ought to share in this blog?

Photo credit: marsup

The emotional rollercoaster of the stock market

All of these options are subject to the schizophrenic, emotional roller coaster of the markets. As you know well, the value of your accounts can go down because of something that has nothing to do with the value of the underlying company. And these negative years hurt far more than the positive years help. So no one does as well as the average return of the investment they are investing in.

Why expose yourself to these risks?

We here at Kingdom Calling are hesitant to take on any of this market risk. Many of our clients pulled money out of the stock market before the serious crash began as they were being educated in stewardship. Some have just recently started looking at the market, but with new eyes. They are studying stocks that will pay them to own them, so that if they have to suffer their stocks losing value, at least they are receiving a nice income for doing so.

Others would prefer to be totally outside the market so that they don’t have to worry about these fluctuations. There is no reason for you to own a stock or bond to build incredible wealth. In fact, wealth is almost never created in the markets (unless you’re a financial institution making money because others are paying you to manage their money in the market).

I’m now wondering if any wealth has really been created in the market. I read last week that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is today worth only the amount that has been invested into it. I have not researched this, but it blows me away. The greatest investor of all time has the same amount of money after decades on investing in the market that has been invested with him?!? There is a better way!

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The Kingdom life taking root

Matthew 11:1-17

After training and sending off His disciples, which we discussed Friday, Jesus went to preach in the towns of Galilee. It’s interesting that John the Baptist and the disciples were key players in the ushering in of the Kingdom Jesus came to bring, and yet they didn’t really have a clue what God was doing.

Each was an important part of God’s plan, and He worked through them. John heralded the coming Kingdom and yet he did not know what it was. They could not see beyond their own simple understandings. Their world revolved around their own lives and their own deeply ingrained misconceptions. They believed that Jesus would come ahead of an army to kick Rome out of Israel and restore its sovereignty. They had no understanding of the new spiritual life that God wanted to breathe into His people and that He is very patient to bring about the ultimate conquering in order to foster this life within us.

This section goes hand in hand with Mt 17, so we’ll talk more about it when we get there. But Jesus is teaching that He is the fulfillment of all that came before, both the Law that Moses represents and the prophets which Elijah represent. Jesus is the fulfillment of these two offices. He is the reigning King (of the law), and He is the ultimate Prophet (who hears the voice of God).

The Kingdom that He ushered in brought this new reality and it is ever increasing. Through Jesus opening the Way for us and the Spirit of Truth revealing it, those in Him have the Law written on our hearts, and have access to the wisdom of God! This was not yet a physical revolution as man tends to look for, but a powerful upheaval in the Heavens. Jesus came to bring a new spiritual reality.

Yes, as we see in this chapter, the outward signs were clear evidence of what was happening, but the true work Jesus came to do was in the internal…Life through the Spirit!

“Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Mt 11:11)

Jesus came to usher in a new reality. There were many incredible men in the bible (also with incredible faults). They did amazing things. But Jesus here said that it is the calling of each of us for a greater life than any of these. That doesn’t mean that millions of people will know our name. Our unique calling may be big or small in man’s eyes, but what is possible in our life with God is huge! There must be a spiritual rebirth, where the old in us dies, and the Kingdom life takes root. This is where the greatest blessings come from.

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” (Mt 11:12)

The Kingdom does not advance on this earth, or within each of us, without great resistance. There is a mighty heavenly struggle still going on. It requires commitment and dedication from us to receive all that God has for us. It is there for the offer…will you take it?

Invite a friend to take this journey with us, and add something that we’ve missed.

Photo credit: morning_rumtea

What has your money done for you lately?

Now, saving is important. And not wasting your money frivolously is important. But if that’s where most of your focus goes, you can’t focus on being more productive. If such frivolous spending is a problem, then it needs to be addressed (and sometimes we spend considerable time with clients on this), but once there’s a reasonable amount of discipline here, there is far more that can be accomplished by focusing on producing more with what we have.

So where financial advisors encourage hoarding, Kingdom Calling focuses on cash flow, so your assets can actually send you money instead of giving you only paper gains. Think about it: you can’t eat a paper gain, but you can definitely be hurt by a paper loss.

We at Kingdom Calling also focus on “Velocity.” Velocity is an economic principle dealing with how hard your money works for you. Does it earn multiple rates of return, instead of being stuck somewhere only earning one rate or return (or possibly losing value)?

So where is your money, and what is it doing for you?

More on the financial advisor vs. Kingdom Calling duel Monday – so share this post with someone so they can join the conversation.

Are you in control of your money?

1)Does a bank, or other financial institution want all of your money or just some of it?

2)When you make more money in the future, do they want that too?

3)Do they want to give your money back to you soon or a long time from now?

4)When they do give it back, do they want to give it back all at once or over a long period of time?

Do you remember, or know the answers?__

1)The financial institution wants all of your money

2)Yes, they want that money, as well

3)They want to hold on to your money for a long, long time

4)They would prefer to return your money over an extended period

Another question: What do you think financial institutions do with your money while they have it. Do you think they do like your financial advisor tells you to? Do they hoard the money and throw it into a vault somewhere and hope that it grows?

Of course not. They put that money to work for them. (Some with more wisdom and integrity than others.)

So why would financial advisors and the financial institutions they work with tell you to hoard your money somewhere? Because it helps them accomplish their goals. It gives them access and power of stewardship over your money.

If you want to be a wise steward, giving up control of your money is one of the worst things you can do.

How can you manage your money well if you can’t access it?

The key is to put to work the same principles that the banks and the wealthy understand. By doing so, you’ll increase your control, decrease your risk, and increase your certainty and return.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t ever use a financial institution’s products. Because sometimes they can be helpful. The key is to use them in the way that most benefits you – and not the way that most benefits the institution.

Is this starting to make sense to you?

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Will you carry your cross and follow Him?

We have been looking at the disciple relationship which Jesus began teaching here. Remember, these are the words that Jesus had given to those disciples whom He most trusted who had agreed to give up everything to follow Him. Jesus promises the small few Believers who are truly willing to follow Him (not just those who believe in Him and will get to Heaven some day) that they will be transformed into His image and be His representatives on this earth.

In this section, Jesus teaches that the values of a disciple and his perspectives of life must change. There is no longer any room for fear as one follows Christ because the trust and faith in Him should imbue the disciple with a peace.

The more a person submits to being a disciple of Christ, the more he or she must give up expectations in and entanglements with the world. His or her own interests have to be denied and done away with before one can be truly qualified as a disciple.

The Kingdom life introduces and substantiates a whole new set of values and roles into the life of a disciple of Jesus. This new reality must become settled in order to become firmly established in his or her calling in the Kingdom of Heaven.

“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39″He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”(Mt 10:38-39)

Jesus promises a totally new life. The things that are old and wasting away, will be replaced with eternal things. Some like to paint a picture that this means life is all rosy, but this is not what Jesus tells us. We must take up our own cross just as Jesus did. There will be suffering, but that will come with the immeasurable blessing of knowing and live a life with your Creator and Savior. These blessings will be both in the afterlife and in this life. (see Mark 10:29-31)

Matt. 10:40-42

Jesus sends His disciples out with His full authority. He has equipped them and He has blessed them, that they can bring His favor with them. They were His representatives in every sense of the word. They basically were Him to those they came in contact with. He gave them this much responsibility and backed them up as if they were Him. How much more so now is that responsibility and authority offered to those who fully give their lives to Him today?

We’ve moved quickly through these scriptures. What would you like to add here?

Do you feel like you're not going to make your dreams a reality?

I also realized that when you’ve acquired “enough” assets to reach your current “goals,” financial advisors will routinely encourage you to be less efficient moving forward. They won’t tell you this, of course, but that’s typically what their recommended course of action “says.” So one of the great products that a relationship with a financial advisor can offer you – is a shiny new glass ceiling for you, your money and your dreams.

On the other hand, Kingdom Calling teaches you how to be successful in multiple areas of production, most of which are outside of the market. At times there are good opportunities in the stock markets, but for most people they are tantamount to legalized gambling.

One of the fundamental principles we focus on at Kingdom Calling is “predictability.” Most people think that to get predictable, you have to settle for 2-3% return. Such is true only when you are letting the financial institutions take the big profits for handling your money instead of handling it yourself. There are many opportunities outside the markets that provide a better rate of return and less risk – opportunities that are designed to actually let you outperform the market – not just mimic or fall short of it.

Tomorrow we’ll discuss giving, or not giving your assets to the control of financial institutions.

Invite someone to join us by sharing this post.

Powerful transformation can occur within you when you yield to being discipled

We’re continuing the discussion from yesterday that began here about how to be His disciple. Far too many of us desire to be true disciples of Christ, but either don’t know to, or don’t follow through to put ourselves in actual discipling relationships. A follower of Christ Jesus should position himself or herself rightly in spiritual relationships. There are teachers of the Kingdom of Heaven and they need to be received as such. We can’t receive them until we honor and relate to them accordingly.

There is something unseen that happens in a relationship such as this. When we grant someone stewardship authority over our lives, God begins to show them how to best train us. We begin to understand the spiritual things that they are teaching, first with our spirit, then with our mind. We begin to change because of this disciple relationship. This is a major way that God grows us. I don’t mean to sound mystical. Outwardly, strange things are not happening, but inwardly God uses these relationships to teach us.

The disciple must yield to his teacher. (That being said, beware someone who comes to you telling you you must yield to their authority. One capable of teaching would let you come to him or her. It is not God’s way to force Himself on us, and it is likewise not the way of His devoted to stray from His standard. The one discipling would look at this relationship as something precious to steward and would not take it lightly. Such relationships must be affirmed in the heart and requires yielding in real life.

Yes, it is ultimately the Holy Spirit that will teach us all things. But the ones entrusted with the Kingdom are also entrusted with this mission of discipleship of others.

Jesus was sending out His disciples to train them in such things and as always with scripture, we should look to see how these things apply to our lives. One last thing…if you are hungry for a teacher, pray to God unceasingly. He will send one.

What can you add to what we’ve written here?