Podcasts about living debt free

Send us a textUnlock Proven Strategies for a Lucrative Business Exit—Subscribe to The Deep Wealth Podcast Today

Send us a textWant to experience true financial peace and freedom? In this inspiring episode of Midweek Motivation, Gabe sits down with Megan to hear her incredible journey from financial struggles to a life of abundance and generosity.Discover:The emotional impact of debt: Learn how Megan's relationship with money affected her confidence and well-being.The turning point: Hear the moment that sparked Megan's decision to take control of her finances.The power of budgeting: Discover how budgeting transformed Megan's life and brought her peace of mind.Practical tips for saving and investing: Gain valuable insights into building a secure financial future.The joy of giving: Learn how financial freedom can lead to greater generosity and impact.Be inspired by Megan's story and discover the transformative power of aligning your finances with God's principles.Key Takeaways:Financial struggles can have a significant impact on our emotional and spiritual well-being.Taking control of your finances requires intentionality, discipline, and a willingness to change.Budgeting is a powerful tool for achieving financial freedom and peace of mind.Saving and investing are essential for building a secure financial future.Financial freedom can lead to greater generosity and a deeper sense of purpose.Are you ready to take control of your finances and experience true freedom? Share your goals and challenges in the comments below!Resources:Sign Up for the Westside Financial Peace University Group: https://westsidecommunity.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/1530/responses/newFinancial Peace University Website for more info: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/financial-peace?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1p28BhCBARIsADP9HrOT5NRAnVZuPzWNNG9tkXpTyzwQ8hNAynbqnVREP15wcF3T1jv8LkgaAgWSEALw_wcBEveryDollar App: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/everydollar#midweekmotivation #christianpodcast #financialfreedom #debtfree #budgeting #saving #investing #westsidecommunitychurch

During this special season of After the Message, we'll sit down with members from our congregation to explore the vast and, at times, convoluted world of personal finances.

Matthew 18:21-35: Living Debt Free (The Parables of Jesus) taught by Associate Pastor Justin Butorac on 09-22-24.

This week's episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses onProverbs 22:7

What if you could have all of your debt taken away—canceled?What if someone forgave all of the debt of every person in your family?What if this person dealt with all of the debt in our community?What if they could zero out the national debt?What if they could wipe out the debt of every person who ever walked the earth?How would we respond to that kind of gift?Jesus has forgiven every debt - for every human - for all time! And we are to respond to this gift by following Jesus in forgiving as He forgave us!So what does it look like to live a life that's debt free?Join us as we explore practical ways to share the freedom we have in Christ through actively extending forgiveness to others, just as Jesus has forgiven us!

Listen to Pastor Joe Licavoli speak about all the Lord has done at True Light Church, located in Southold, NY on the North Fork of Long Island. He teaches biblical principles, using scripture in a personal way.

Canadians are more in debt than ever before but we rarely talk about it openly. Shame, embarrassment and despair can make it too scary to look at. On this episode, a millennial opens up about how she's fallen into a spiral of debt that overwhelms her and makes it difficult for her to map an escape route. Then, Shannon Lee Simmons, author of "Living Debt-Free" and founder of the New School of Finance, shares some tips on how to practically and philosophically tackle debt while making necessary space to enjoy your life as you do it. This episode was produced by Ghada Alsharif, Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Sean Pattendon, Kevin Sexton and Andrea Varsany. What you would like to hear on Toronto Star podcasts? Let us know in this survey and you can enter to win a $100 gift card.

Certified Financial Planner, Paul Roelofse on how to go about taking control of your finances this Festive Season in order to be debt free in January. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's “Best of Marriage Kids And Money” episode, Justine Nelson, creator behind Debt Free Millennials and Maeghan Jones, real estate investor, chat about how they paid off debt, changed their financial lives, and are in their generational wealth-building eras. We talk about living within your means, intentionally increasing your income, escaping the “rat race,” and how being blessed allows you to give blessings.   GUEST BIO: Justine Nelson is the creator behind Debt Free Millennials YouTube channel. After paying off $35k, Justine decided to use her experience to help other millennials get on the path to financial freedom. Through her business and social media channels, Justine is all about sharing solid, actionable advice that can help as many people as possible learn how to achieve and live a debt-free life. GUEST SOCIAL MEDIA: YouTube Instagram  TikTok Workbook Website Twitter Facebook GUEST BIO: Maeghan Jones is an entrepreneur, real estate investor, and business coach. She successfully paid off $90k of debt, obtained her salesperson license in Georgia, and teaches others how to live an abundant life in and out of their businesses. GUEST SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram YouTube TikTok Website RESOURCES: The Simple Path to Wealth: Your road map... by Collins, J L Sponsors + Partners + Deals OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE: 30 Profitable Side Hustles For Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads How This Young Mother of Twins Earns Six-Figures Working from Home Lessons Learned From Investing For Our Kids For 10 Years MKM RESOURCES: Make My Kid a Millionaire Course: Want to make your kid a millionaire? Learn more about my course! MKM Coaching: Want 1-on-1 support with your family finance journey? Book a time with me today. YouTube: Subscribe for free to watch videos of these episodes and interviews. Instagram: Follow our IG channel. Voicemail: Leave your question or comments here. Merch Store: Check out our t-shirts, hoodies, and coffee mugs! SHOW INFORMATION:  Marriage Kids and Money is dedicated to helping young families build wealth and happiness. This award-winning platform helps couples and parents achieve financial independence and discover the true meaning of wealth.  To achieve these big goals, we answer questions and interview experts who uncover smart net worth building habits and tools that can help everyone find their own version of financial independence. Learn more at https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com  HOST BIO:  Andy Hill is the award-winning family finance coach behind Marriage Kids and Money - a platform dedicated to helping young families build wealth and happiness.  Andy's advice and personal finance experience have been featured in major media outlets like CNBC, Forbes, MarketWatch, Kiplinger's Personal Finance and NBC News. With millions of downloads and views, Andy's message of family financial empowerment has resonated with listeners, readers and viewers across the world.    When he's not "talking money", Andy enjoys being a soccer Dad, singing karaoke with his wife and watching Marvel movies. DISCLAIMER: This show may contain affiliate links or links from our advertisers where we earn a commission, direct payment or products. Opinions are the creators alone. Information shared on this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Marriage Kids and Money (www.marriagekidsandmoney.com) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. CREDITS: Podcast Artwork: Liz Theresa Editor: Podcast Doctors Podcast Support: Weir Digital Marketing  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New to LIFE? lifeau.org/connect - Need Prayer? lifeau.org/prayer-request - Made a Decision for Jesus? lifeau.org/connect _ To find out more about LIFE, visit lifeau.org Follow us on social media Facebook: facebook.com/lifemelbs Instagram: instagram.com/lifemelbs

Life is full of making tough decisions but that doesn't mean they're any easier to make. That's why I'm so happy to have a return guest on the show to talk about her new book, No-Regret Decisions: Making Good Choices During Difficult Times. Shannon Lee Simmons is back on the show to share how we can all tackle life's big decisions without regret.   Shannon is an award-winning Certified Financial Planner, speaker, Chartered Investment Manager, author, and founder of the New School of Finance. No-Regret Decisions: Making Good Choices During Difficult Times is her third book after, Worry-Free Money and Living Debt-Free.  In this episode, Shannon shares the missing piece when making tough decisions and why we must stop focusing on the outcomes when making no-regret-based decisions. Shannon also shares her go-to strategies found in her new book that outline how to make decisions that are right for you and your life. For full episode show notes visit: https://jessicamoorhouse.com/368

Living Debt Free and in surplus is possible. Learn from The Worthy's journey.

Living Debt Free and in surplus is possible. Learn from The Worthy's journey.

On today's podcast episode, Nika Booth shares her tips for debt-free living! Nika is an award-winning debt expert, personal finance content creator, and the Founder of Debt Free Gonnabe. She created Debt Free Gonnabe to document and share her journey to pay off over $200,000 in debt. Now she's debt free and teaches others how to better manage their money and pay off debt, without sacrificing fun. Nika teaches in a way that is easily understood, relatable, and judgment-free. She won the 2021 Plutus Award for Best Debt Freedom Content and her work has been featured on Business Insider, New York Times, Next Advisor/TIME, CNN Audio, CNBC, & more. WHAT NIKA DISCUSSED: - Her motivation to become debt-free - How her mindset around personal finance evolved - Practical tips on how she managed to pay off her debts - How she stayed motivated on her debt repayment journey - Resources and tools that helped her along the way AND MUCH MORE STUDENT LOAN RESOURCE: https://studentaid.gov HOW TO KEEP UP WITH NIKA: Via her website: https://debtfreegonnabe.com On Instagram: @debtfreegonnabe ❤ Get the best-selling Clever Girl Finance Books: https://clevergirlfinance.com/books ❤ Get access to 30+ free courses, worksheets, savings challenges, and our favorite banking resources: https://clevergirlfinance.com/course-packages/ ❤ Read the Clever Girl Finance Blog: https://clevergirlfinance.com/blog ❤ Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/clevergirlfinance

In today's installment of Money Stories, Jesse talks with YNAB Ambassador Christopher Campbell, a 33-year old marketing director living in Portland, ME. Christopher learned the value of budgeting from an early age, when his mother taught him and his siblings how to put aside money for things they wanted. She led by example, too, always setting aside money for Christmas and birthdays, for emergencies or unexpected expenses, on a middle class income.   Looking to build on the budgeting habits instilled by his mom, Christopher began using YNAB 4 in 2014, and fell in love with both the simplicity of the method and the precision of the software. Using YNAB, Christopher has been able to achieve many notable financial goals -- paying off his student loans and becoming debt-free while living in notoriously expensive Manhattan, purchasing a motorcycle he had wanted since he was a kid, and helping others improve their financial wellbeing through personal coaching and social media. Christopher also enjoys travel, and has learned how to "travel hack" his way through many trips using credit cards rewards. And, because he uses YNAB and reconciles daily, he pays his cards off monthly and never carries a balance!   You can follow Christopher on Instagram: @christopherjcampbell   Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email! askjesse@ynab.com   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

In this episode I take you through a chapter from Anything is Possible and give you some tips on that debt free life. 

Chason and Maria are young entrepreneurs, new parents, and damn good cooks. Their restaurant, Chancho King, is a Jacksonville staple and for good reason- they're the only place for Ecuadorian food in the area. This episode is all about how they're no strangers to hard work and the plans they have for their business. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/yieldcoach/message

As people go about their day-to-day life, they don't think about living without debt because they are just trying to do their best. Here are a few tips to consider to assist you in positioning yourself to live a life without debt which is more possible than you will ever know.Don't neglect saving money, pay your debts but don't do so at the expense of your savings and emergency account.Investing assists in building wealth, do not stop investing because it will help you pay off your debts a lot sooner.Do not get rid of your credit cards, if used responsibly they can make a difference if you have an emergency. Pay more than the minimum each month to accelerate repayment of the debt.Neglecting insurance can result in paying for medical and or automobile debts if you need treatment and or if you have a vehicle accident. You need adequate insurance coverage no matter what and it can help you live debt-free.Stick to a budget, never stray away from it. Come up with your own unique budget, consider the 50/30/20 plan. After-tax income or 50% should go towards your mortgage, rent, and other essentials., 30% should go towards entertainment or fun account, and lastly, 20% should go towards savings, paying off your debt, and investing,The key to living debt-free is to not overspend. The bottom line is to develop a budget, use discipline, and create a concrete spending plan, without it, you will be living with debt which is counter to what you want to achieve financially.You can live debt-free, so you decide when you want to begin this process. If you have any questions about living debt-free contact Paul at (800) 341-6719 or email him at info@paulvannspeaks.comDiscover more about Paul's virtual Financial Fitness course at this link, perhaps it can make a difference along your financial journey: https://bit.ly/3dbperG

In this episode Vanessa brings on her accountant and financial advisor Shannon Lee Simmons from New School of Finance for a vulnerable and personal discussion about how she is healing her relationship with money and finances. They discuss how to navigate stressful, or difficult financial times, the most common financial trends that have been present over 2019-2021, how to begin changing your financial situation in a way that is manageable and empowering, and how to spend and save while honouring "high emotional return on investments" with an "anti-budget". Vanessa shares a bit about her process as a young entrepreneur and what it was like filing for a consumer proposal and how that helped her become more aware and conscious of her money patterns, blocks, and stories around money and how working with a financial advisor like Shannon (who is also a life coach) was, and continues to be incredibly supportive as she rebuilds wealth. This episode is full of Shannon's invaluable money management tips and gives you a break down of her two books Living Debt-Free and Worry-Free Money. IG @newschooloffinance @shanleesimmons Episode produced by Ryan Thompson --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allthatheals/message

How does one do Christmas Credit Card Free and without Debt?  It takes some effort and intentionality, but not only is it totally doable, but there are even ways to even make it FUN.  Moreso, it's a MYTH that you need a credit card to buy online.  We've been buying online for a long time, and have been doing so without a credit card for YEARS now.  Today there are 3 tools that are AMAZING to make this easy for Canadians.ABOUT THE LISTENER QUESTION- The KOHO Card - sign up today, and get $20! - http://www.WePayOffDebt.ca/koho- How To Make a Budget You'll Actually Stick To (And Easily To!) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CKFu9y_Acw&list=PLERRPW110SDYnTJyN2KjLb1cGsXmov0SQ&index=11RELATED- The #1 Reason To Get Rid Of Your Credit Card TODAY! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQcSwi_2gY4- Living a Credit Card Free Life in Canada 2020! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIKy1ESyo2Q- Some Credit Card Math - Minimum Payments - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKyW0mXzQSk

The AVID Investor Podcast with Josh AdamekEpisode # 8 - Living Debt FreeThis episode focuses on the benefits of buying down your debt, eliminating your debt, and living debt free!

Debt is a hard thing to avoid but it isn't impossible to reduce it as much as possible. By making some smart financial decisions, you too can obtain the benefits of living debt free. Here are some things you should think about in terms of debt.

Rate & review the Simply Financial Podcast on ITunes Sources:https://www.marcus.com/us/en/resources/managing-debt/debt-free-livinghttps://www.lendingtree.com/auto/debt-statistics/

Rate & review the Simply Financial Podcast on ITunes Sources:https://www.marcus.com/us/en/resources/managing-debt/debt-free-livinghttps://www.lendingtree.com/auto/debt-statistics/

Let's talk about money!  In this fun conversation with Victoria Volpei we'll talk about getting our money under control.   Victoria will inspire you to get excited about eliminating date so that your money can be used well to serve the Lord and your family.  She and her husband have been married for 7 years and they have two children who are 3 and a half and 16 months old.  In our conversation she'll share her story of how they tackled $65,000 of debt and how they now use their experiences to help others find financial freedom as well.  Victoria has great wisdom to share of tips and tricks for using a budget and conquering debt and will be a great encouragement to you!You can follow Victoria on Instagram at www.instagram.com/victoriavolpei Find more information here on Dave Ramsey and the Financial Peace University. Visit the SEEK WHOLLY LIVING website (With encouragement, information, and fun for all things Mom!)  https://seekwhollyliving.comSIGN UP to receive updates & my free special printable:***THE 3 MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES YOU CAN MAKE TODAY TO BE A BETTER MOM***   ☕ CONNECT with US:INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/seekwhollylivingFACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/seekwhollylivingparenting, christian, mom, homeschool, marriage, seek wholly living, christa svoboda, living debt free, debt, budget, dave ramsey, every dollar 

This week, Carmen and Jordan meet with Shannon Lee Simmons, Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Investment Manager, and founder of The New School of Finance. Shannon is widely recognized as a trailblazer in the Canadian financial planning industry and has published two bestselling books, Worry-Free Money and Living Debt-Free.⁣ In this episode, ⁣Shannon shares her fun and fresh perspective when it comes to budgeting for your first home or investment property. She also talks listeners through some of the top debt mistakes Canadians are making and how to overcome these obstacles, along with how to fast-track for retirement using real estate investing strategies. ⁣⁣What's more, this is an extended version of our episode, so check out the full episode to hear why Carmen and Jordan are so passionate about financial literacy and planning for your future! Episode Highlights:   ·   Shannon's background ·   Strategies and tips for buying a first property ·   First time home buyers and RRSPs ·   Affordability criteria ·   Debt myths, mistakes, and recommendations ·   Investment strategies for retirement ·   The importance of financial planning   Quotes:    “You pay for my brain, nothing else.”   “I like to use the term ‘cash flow plan'.”   “It's definitely something you want to make sure you're getting customized advice for.”   “Those fixed expenses are really important to keep at 55% or lower.”   “I think patience is the real lesson here.”   “I feel like you need a team…it's like a trifecta of awesome.”   “It's so much easier to stay at zero when you're at zero.”   “You can't live in a stock.”   “We've helped people change their lives so many times.”   “That income that is coming from that rental property is mimicking a pension for you.”   “Have a plan!”   “A lot of times people are scared that they're not going to be able to reach where their goals are, so it's easier to ignore it.”   “I actually think financial planning is a form of self-care because at 3 a.m. you don't have to worry.”   “I'm basically just nosy – that's why I got into this business…I'm fun at parties.”     Links:   30 Minutes to Wealth homepage: https://www.30minutestowealth.com/

What's going on you filthy animals, this podcast I brought on Debt Free Joel. He has a wealth of knowledge in personal finance and investing, and has the CFA, CIPM, and MBA to his name. Tune into this podcast for a great conversation on personal responsibility and investing responsibly. Debt Free Joel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debtfreejoel/ DISCLAIMER: WallStJunky and its content is not tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. Discord and Facebook Investing Communities: https://discord.gg/xg6UaBwZ https://www.facebook.com/groups/301632014175967/ Get yourself a free stock from WeBull Program: https://www.webull.com/activity?inviteCode=RDLGcD4x25iE&source=invite_gw&inviteSource=wb_oversea Reading List: The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - https://amzn.to/39VPWDu The Intelligent Investor - https://amzn.to/36RqeOw Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! - https://amzn.to/3cMEMmp Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink- https://amzn.to/2YVCE3y Principles by Ray Dalio - https://amzn.to/39WlZ68 Follow me on Instagram & Twitter for up to date market color! https://twitter.com/WallStJunky44 https://www.instagram.com/wallstjunky/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wallstjunky/support

So do you really know Mama Margot, Creator and Host of the Military Murder Podcast?  In this Remarkable episode, watch or listen to the amazing Mama Margot tell her remarkable journey of rising from poverty, to going to college, joining the ROTC, serving in the US Military, completing law school, getting married, raising a family, and yes, podcasting. In this packed double episode, Mama Margot joins David Pasqualone to unpack the importance of having a positive outlook, not going to bed upset, learning from others successes and failures, and tips and tricks for growing a world famous podcast. All this and more in this weeks episode of the Remarkable People Podcast, the Mama Margot Story!GUEST BIO: Mama Margot is the host of Military Murder, a podcast that focuses on telling true crime as it relates to military members and veterans. During this chat with Margot, she discusses her upbringing and how being raised in a poor, inner-city, living off of welfare and section 8 housing forced her to strive to not be a victim of circumstance, but instead forced her to learn from her surroundings. Margot not only learned from mentors and role models, but she took what she didn't like in some people and used that to her advantage – it taught her to learn from other people's mistakes.Margot built her beliefs around God and that propelled her to succeed at whatever obstacle came her way.FEATURED QUOTE(S): “Bad role models are just as valuable as good role models to help you grow. Take what you learn and put it in your toolkit and use it. ” – Mama Margot“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:” – Ephesians 4:26SHOW NOTES, LINKS, CONTACT INFO, SPECIAL OFFERS, & RESOURCES MENTIONED:Contact Mama Margot:Website: https://militarymurderpodcast.comJoin the Community: http://bit.ly/TrueCrimeArmyBulletinInstagram: https://instagram.com/militarymurderpodcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/militarytruecrimeSpecial Offer(s):Exclusively for our Remarkable Community, enjoy learning how to podcast for Only $20.21 with our global “Podcasting Made Easy: How to Launch a Successful Podcast in 8 Weeks – or Less!” course that includes Lifetime Membership! Just visit https://davidpasqualone.com/product/podcasting-made-easy-how-to-launch-a-successful-podcast-in-8-weeks-or-less-2/, add the the class to your cart, and use promo code, “RPP2021” at checkout. Enjoy and see you in class soon!  HOW TO SUPPORT THE REMARKABLE PEOPLE PODCAST:Subscribe, Rate, and Review us on YouTube and your favorite podcast players Share the podcast with your family, friends, co-workers, church, and social media networks (https://bit.ly/ShareRPP)THANKS FOR LISTENING TO THE REMARKABLE PEOPLE PODCAST! Have a Question?Click here to connect with David THE NOT-SO-FINE-PRINT DISCLAIMER:While we are very thankful for our guests, please understand that we do not necessarily endorse all the same beliefs, views, and positions that they may have. We respectfully agree to disagree in some areas and thank God for the blessing and privilege of freewill.Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=NDM34NHTKACSG&source=url)

Sign up for our newsletter: bit.ly/THT-Newsletter Shana is an incredibly impressive woman! She moved into a tiny house to get out of debt while teaching and working a second job. Shana sold her car to help and started taking the bus and walking. As of now, her credit cards, student loans and tiny home are all paid off and she is 100% debt free. Shana and Chris discuss what steps she took to pay off her debt, having her tiny home built, living in a tiny home community, and working side gigs. Show notes: https://www.tinyhometours.com/post/living-debt-free-micro-tiny-home

Student Dream is based in NYC, a non profit organization helping students to better understand Wealth and the importance of saving money. They also teach how to get through college debt free. Student has recently released a new album. Check out the show to learn about Student Dream and there music. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/veronica-charnell/message

Coach Beas sits down with Mama Dukes aka Shannon Manning. Shannon is debt free and living life with financial freedom. She explains how she got there and how you can too. DM @Coach_Beas on Instagram with any questions, comments, or feedback. For more about Coach Beasley and the B.E.A.S.T Podcast check out https://beastbasketballtraining.com/ and https://beastbasketballtraining.com/online-virtual-training for the mobile app download. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beastpodcast/message

Jenna Taubel and Michelle Dodd with First Alliance Credit Union identify and explain habits we can all adopt that would help us avoid taking on debt, which is definitely a Good Money Move.

Contact Us: Brian Peller: BrianP@affcu.org James Dickerson: JamesD@affcu.org Submit your questions to: Marketing@affcu.org Follow Us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticFinancialFederalCreditUnion/ Twitter: @affcumd Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/AtlanticFinancialFCU LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atlantic-financial-federal-credit-union

Chelsea’s love of Aldi inspired her to start an Instagram fan account where she posts about her everyday shopping at Aldi as well as Aldi’s famous special buys. Though she was first introduced to Aldi as a kid when her parents shopped there, she initially didn’t shop there as an adult.  She then got reacquainted with it a few years back, and it didn’t take long for her to get hooked. And only a matter of visits, and seeing the cost of a cart full of groceries, before her husband was on board as well.Aldi sometimes gets a bad rap in the US. In Europe, where Aldi began, it’s just a nice grocery store chain. Europe doesn’t have airplane hanger size grocery stores, so everything is small. But in the US, it feels different and to many people, different is scary.We give Chelsea some rapid fire Aldi Q&A.  Listen to the podcast to hear her answers:What is the best thing you’ve ever bought at Aldi?  Weirdest thing?How many different Aldis have you been to? How many different countries have you visited an Aldi in? Or what country would you want to visit an Aldi in?Do you ever shop at other grocery stores? Have you ever been to a Lidl and does it make you question Aldi?Most importantly, we finish with the impact Aldi has had on our lives personally and financially,Our 5 Ways Shopping at Aldi Will Change Your Life:A smaller store makes shopping easier and faster.A smaller store makes you a grocery minimalist and you’ll be happier because of it.Recurring international speciality items makes it easy to explore new cuisine.The Special Buys can save you a ton on the essentials items from gardening equipment to pool toys to clothes to home decor.  But don’t just buy this stuff unless it’s items you need!!The prices are so. Damn. Low.---Show ReferencesAldi for President on InstagramFriends on FIRE episode #24 - Save on Groceries---Follow friends on FIRETwitterInstagramFacebookLinkedInLeave us a voicemail or text us: 404-981-3370eMail us at:  friendsonfiremm@gmail.comVisit our website: www.friendsonfire.org---Other LinksMaggie’s Blog: Mostly Minimal LifeMike’s Book: Your New Relationship with Money

This episode is for traders and aspiring traders. Today, we are joined by Jeff Bishop, one of the greatest traders in the world. Over the past 20 years, Jeff has made millions of dollars trading stocks, ETFs, and options. He is renowned as an incredible trader with a deep insight and a sensitive pulse on the markets and the economy. Jeff Bishop is CEO and Co-Founder of RagingBull.com. Even greater than his prowess as a trader is his skill and passion for teaching others how to trade and rake in profits while managing risk.   In this episode, Jeff shares his insights and knowledge on living debt-free, something we all want to achieve. He also shares tips and tricks on stocks, bonds, commodities, and everything about investing.  Tune in with us as we dive into the trading world.   Episode Highlights:   ●      Jeff’s Journey for the Last 20 Years  [2:30] ●      Marketing Avenues to Build Your Business [8:30] ●      Comparing YouTube, Facebook and Google Ads [10:20] ●      Tips on Living Debt-Free [12:40] ●      Economy Impact & Outlook During the Pandemic [18:00] ●      Tactical Approach to Handling Stocks and Bonds [24:50] ●      Using Options to Invest in Commodities [31:55] ●      Learning Investing Strategies through Raging Bull [37:20] ●      Book Recommendations [42:40]   AND MUCH MORE!   Resources Mentioned In This Episode: ●      If you are a future or aspiring business leader who wants to achieve the next level of success in your profession, get started by getting my FREE video short course: The Secret to Unleashing Your Top 1 Percent. ●      Know more about Jeff Bishop and some trading tips by visiting: ragingbull.com ●      Checkout Financial Peace University, a great resource in helping you live debt-free. ●      Connect with Jeff and Raging Bull: o   LinkedIn o   Twitter o   YouTube o   Facebook o   Instagram ●      Book Recommendations: o   Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson o   Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey o   The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey   Quotes:   “We are not on TV. We are not on print. But, when it comes to digital media, we are all over the place.” “Ten percent of the economy is just gone for the foreseeable future.” “(On living debt-free) You don’t have to be a great forecaster. You don’t have to be an economist to know it’s going to happen. You just prepare for the worst every time and try to have that savings account set up.” “It’s better to learn strategies that put you as the options seller.” “Option buyers are typically not successful in the long run but option sellers generally are.” “Five percent of an established portfolio makes sense.” “I always tell people to not follow my trade. I want you to see the trades I make so you can learn from them. I want you to learn the principles first before you risk your own money.” “So much of being an entrepreneur is just learning it on the job.”   Ways to Subscribe to The Top One Percent:   Apple Podcast Stitcher PlayerFM Spotify

Are you tired of living your life consumed by debt and want to start living financially free and independent? If so, I strongly recommend reading Dave Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover. It will definitely help you to take control of your finances and start making smarter choices with your money. The book is broken down into 7 baby steps that will help you to start paying off your debt, save money for retirement, and overall just live a simpler and less stressful life. If you are interested in purchasing Ramsey's book for yourself, here is a link where you can pick it up: The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness Podcast Setup: Microphone: https://amzn.to/3fRsfMe Audio Interface: https://amzn.to/2XOJGXN

Today Aliya Arnold from Open Doors Open Hearts is back with us discussing how she is living debt free. She gives some great insight on starting early and changing around the budget once you have kids.

Nadia Malik is originally from Pakistan. She is a stay-at-home mom, who also runs an active financial blog, a YouTube Channel, and a brand new website aimed to help other individuals launch their own successful blogging. She heeds the advice from many reputable bloggers in the financial independent movement, to not let debt weeigh down on your family, but rather have you be in total control of your finances. Full interview here 

Reaction To Coronavirus Coverage & Living Debt Free

1 Ball Park Food That Could Have Been / 2 Dr Rob - Toxic Family Debate Over Covid 19, Making Money Off Tragedy & Timing To Start Family / 3 Cash Pressure Cooker / 4 Buying A House Advice & Jokes From The Maggots / 5 Queenie Visits The Show - Contact Survey / 6 Treble Trouble & Coronavirus Coverage Part 1 - Stimulus Package / 7 Coronavirus Coverage Part 2 - Stimulus Package / 8 Master Of Movies & Coronavirus Consumer Survey / 9 Reaction To Coronavirus Coverage & Living Debt Free / 10 Grocery Store Worker Perspective / 11 Showgram Recap

Her goal is to achieve a debt free life for her and her daughter. Alison Brome is "MummyIsDebtFree" and she joins us this week to talk about her debt free journey as well as share sound advice on how others can pursue a similar lifestyle.

Episode 4 | Season 2 We get this question all the time and love sharing about how we live debt free and the importance of it as an entrepreneur. We want this podcast to support young creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit. We are here to share everything behind the assignment to get there. From lifestyle choices, mindset, self-development, business strategy, creating a powerful brand, entrepreneurship, working with your partner and so so much more. Let's go! Raya is a content creator and owns a brand photography company on the Seacoast of New Hampshire, Raya on Assignment. She has shared her story on multiple stages, given voice to the community on her platform People of Portsmouth, and inspires individuals with her positivity, mindset, and lifestyle choices. She co-hosts a podcast with her partner and videographer Miles all around inspiring other young creative entrepreneurs to take their passion and turn it into profit. Raya believes that living a life that is alined with our soul's desire through radical personal responsibility is essential to moving into a live worth living. To learn more head over to: rayaonassignment.com Check out Raya's work over at: rayaonassignment.com linkedin.com/in/rayaonassignment instagram.com/rayaonassignment twitter.com/rayaonasgmt Miles is a business brand videographer / content creator located in New England. Through his production company, Seacoast Flash, he tells the stories of a brands through capturing the people, products, services and spaces that make it up. He has produced multiple short films, documentaries, vlogs, travel videos and commercial work, which all can be found on his YouTube channel. Miles co-hosts and produces a Podcast with his partner Raya, a brand photographer, all around inspiring other young creative entrepreneurs to take their passion and turn it into profit. Miles believes that every human is a creative and if they don't think so, then they just haven't found it. To learn more head over to: seacoastflash.com Check out Miles' work over here: seacoastflash.com youtube.com/c/seacoastflash instagram.com/seacoast.flash twitter.com/seacoastflash facebook.com/seacoastflash linkedin.com/in/milescwoodworth Thanks for listening! Screenshot this episode to share and tag us over on Instagram. We would love to connect with you. While you're searching for your next podcast to listen to, make sure to hit subscribe, leave a rating, and review us, so other people like you can find us. Cheers!

Today's podcast is a list of the top 20 business books, in my humble opinion. Whether you're currently an employee, running your own business, or have creative pursuits on the side, you'll find these books contain the missing pieces to getting down to it and doing your best work. I've broken it down into four categories: productivity, mindset, money and creativity, and I've kept it short and sweet so you can get on with your day.  BUSINESS BOOKS IN THIS EPISODE: The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss [ 1:21 ] Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport [ 2:10 ] The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins [ 3:13 ] Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington [ 4:28 ] Thriving in a 24/7 World by Peter Jensen [ 5:26 ] Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown [ 6:29 ] Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport [ 7:49 ] Careergasm: Find Your Way to Feel Good Work by Sarah Vermunt [ 9:06 ] Tribe of Mentors by Timothy Ferriss [ 10:05 ] You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero [ 11:10 ]  The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte [ 12:10 ] Get Rich, Lucky Bitch! by Denise Duffield-Thomas [ 13:19 ]  You are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero [ 14:22 ] Love Your Live, Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze [ 14:55 ] Living Debt-Free by Shannon Lee Simmons [ 15:54 ] Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill [ 16:49 ] Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert [ 17:51 ] The War of Art by Steven Pressfield [ 18:57 ] Ignore Everybody And 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh MacLeod [ 19:43 ] Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott [ 20:11 ]   Quotable: There's pretty amazing magic that you can find in non-fiction.  ========== Connect with Kattie: Online: www.kattiethorndyke.com Instagram: @kattiethorndyke LinkedIn: @kattiethorndyke

Danielle is a full-time nursing student, wife, and mother to two young girls. Her passion for debt-free living began in 2015, she and her husband have since paid off $73,000 in debt and have a goal to cash flow her way through nursing school.Want to learn more about the membership community? Click herePlease join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram and Facebook. Join the Financially Intentional community and get access to resources to guide you on the path to Financial Freedom.Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Links mentioned:Danielle's Instagram PageAffiliates: Blooom Student Loan PlannerStay connected: Join the NOF Facebook group To read the full show notes, visit www.financiallyintentional.com/nof/14 How to share a podcast How to subscribe, rate and review a podcastWhen you post that review please make sure to take a screenshot and send it to naseema@financiallyintentional.com

Pastor Rawls finishes his teaching on the 10 commandments of living debt-free. In part two he explains the last 5 of the 10 commandments of debt-free living.

Artist, Mother, World Traveler and fashion lover Lizzy Ensor from Lizzy Loves Health comes on the show to share her knowledge and experience in some really fun topics. We talk about homeschooling and how they stay unbusy, her debt free journey, international travel and how she plans to fund it, and we wrap up the conversation with her top tips on finding your fashion style. Make sure to check out the show notes for links to everything mentioned.

Thank you for downloading Living Debt Free by Pastor Jojo Gonsalves Find all information about our churches and services at DreamingRevival.com Pastor Jojo sharing the word from the new series - "Finances God's Way". Here's the next sermon from the series titled - "Living Debt Free". To extend an Invite to Pastor Priji or the leadership team with us, click here, Thank you!

Thank you for downloading Living Debt Free by Pastor Jojo Gonsalves Find all information about our churches and services at DreamingRevival.com Pastor Jojo sharing the word from the new series - "Finances God's Way". Here's the next sermon from the series titled - "Living Debt Free". To extend an Invite to Pastor Priji or the leadership team with us, click here, Thank you!

This week on the podcast we're talking with Shannon Lee Simmons about creating a shame-free, blame-free debt repayment plan so we can all live debt free. Something's gotta go. We fell in love with our pale aqua, retro, little car. But after answering our life planning questions we realized she wasn't our thing anymore. It was a tough decision but we are not looking back. Well, maybe a few more drives through the English countryside this spring. Check out the show notes for pictures! This week is a bit of a related podcast to our show from last week, which was all about my student debt and the lessons we learned in paying it off. We talked about our experience, but it's really just one viewpoint. So, I figured it was a good idea to have someone with more debt experience on the show. Debt is one of the big hurdles that can keep you stuck in a negative mindset and it's a real struggle for anyone to figure out how to live a great life today, while you're still paying for something that happened in the past. This week we're talking with Shannon Lee Simmons, a CFP and founder of The New School of Finance. She's the author of two books: Worry-Free Money and Living Debt Free. We wanted to have her on because her approach to debt is so realistic. She doesn't want to punish you for past mistakes and she doesn't think that you have to give up everything you love to get out of debt. Her approach is balanced and fun (kind of like her personality). In this episode, you'll hear How Shannon started her financial planning company by bartering her services with over 300 women. How to stop the shame spiral that comes with debt The major reasons that land people into debt and it's really not what we think. Why sometimes paying off your zero interest debt first, rather than the high-interest debt, may actually be a good idea. How you can pay off your debt without taking extreme measures depriving yourself of the things you love. It's ok to live your life while still paying off debt. Check out the show notes for pictures and links! http://theworthproject.co/2019/04/29/a-shame-free-bla…approach-to-debt/  You can find Shannon Lee Simmons at The New School of Finance http://www.shannonleesimmons.com/

This is the second of a two-part series Money Matters, which takes a look at some of the financial implications of raising kids today. In this episode I've again got two very insightful guests. You may have caught my guest Shannon Lee Simmons' on CBC's Metro Morning, the Marilyn Dennis Show or seen her column in the Toronto Star. Shannon is a certified financial planner and founder of The New School of Finance, as well as the author of two best-selling books, Worry-Free Money and Living Debt-Free. I also get to chat with Doretta Thompson, who's the head of financial literacy for the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. Doretta has a lot of great insights into how Canadians stack up in financial literacy, where we can improve, where we can access free resources and how to get started with turning around a difficult financial situation. This episode is full of straight talk on family finances, as is the first in this series, episode 229. Show Notes  Love our work? Please check out our Patreon Campaign! Become a patron of the show for as little as $1 per month

Luke 4:18-19

Andy Hill shares his young family's motivations and successes working toward financial independence. They paid off $50k debt in 12 months, they paid off their mortgage in four years, and they continue to save for future financial goals. Guest Biography Andy Hill is the host of the Marriage, Kids and Money Podcast which focuses on helping young families build wealth. Outside of writing for his own weekly blog of the same name, his personal finance focused articles have been featured in STAND Magazine, Business Insider, NerdWallet and Rockstar Finance. Trusted as a personal finance influencer by brands such as Quicken Loans, Tomorrow and Credit Sesame, Andy’s message of family financial empowerment has resonated with listeners, readers and viewers across the US. When he’s not “talking money,” Andy enjoys wrestling with his two kids and singing 80’s karaoke with his wife, Nicole. Show notes: http://www.inspiredmoney.fm/083 In this episode, you will learn: Achieving financial freedom as a team requires with good communication with your spouse. (Andy's monthly budgeting parties.) Living debt free means less stress and worry. Tips for teaching young kids about money and saving for college. Find more from our guest: MarriageKidsandMoney.com Marriage, KIds and Money Podcast Facebook Twitter Instagram Mentioned in this episode: Young Family Wealth Playbook: 7 Steps to Solidifying Your Family’s Future Wealth IM 075: Working Together to Pay Off Their Mortgage 25 Years Early | Talaat McNeely Runnymede Money Tip of the Week: Of the hundreds of items we spend our money on throughout the year, three things account for about 70% of our annual spending. A quick, simple tip that can reduce two of the three big expenses. Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter or Facebook. Join us at the Inspired Money Makers groups at facebook and LinkedIn To help out the show: Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one. Email me your address, and I'll mail you an autographed copy of Kimo West and Ken Emerson's CD, Slackers in Paradise. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Special thanks to Jim Kimo West for the music.

Today's episode I'm introducing you to one of my long time fave bloggers and online friends, Olivia and her husband have an incredible story of living debt free and they encourage others to do the same. For more info on how to connect with Olivia and check out everything she mentions in this week's episode check out the show notes here: http://www.andreaworley.com/blog/ep11

The “Money Talks” experts answer a listener’s question on drug makers Bayer and Merck, and provide advice for a couple in their 30s who want to pay off their house as soon as possible to live debt free.

The “Money Talks” experts answer a listener’s question on drug makers Bayer and Merck, and provide advice for a couple in their 30s who want to pay off their house as soon as possible to live debt free.

The “Money Talks” experts answer a listener’s question on drug makers Bayer and Merck, and provide advice for a couple in their 30s who want to pay off their house as soon as possible to live debt free.

I’ve got another repeat guest on the show, who first appeared on the Mo’ Money Podcast this time last year in episode 151 to promote her first book Worry-Free Money. I’m talking about the lovely Shannon Lee Simmons, and she’s back with her second book all about debt called Living Debt-Free. Since her first book was essentially the feel-good personal finance book we were all looking for, Shannon’s second book does the same thing for debt. There are so many negative emotions surrounding debt, such as shame and guilt. Debt is bad right? Well, guess what…real people have debt. And they shouldn’t feel shame or guilt for having it. Shame and guilt aren’t exactly motivators to doing anything, so why would we think making people feel bad about their debt will help them get out of it. Having a Positive Mindset for Debt Repayment Is Key Instead, Shannon shares stories and advice on how to tackle your debt by adopting a new positive mindset and asking yourself some of these helpful questions: What is your debt holding you back from in life? What kind of life could you have without this debt? What’s really important to you? What are your core life values? Having clear answers for these questions will help you stay on track to paying off your debt. Yes, strategies like the debt snowball and debt avalanche are helpful too, but from my experience and Shannon’s, people are more likely to get back into debt or stop their debt repayment plan because they lack positive reinforcement and motivation. By thinking with a more positive mindset, such as “What could I add to my life once I’m debt-free?” instead of being critical of your current situation like “You’re not as well off as your peers because of your debt,” you’ll be able to change your financial picture quicker than you ever thought possible. Not only that, you’ll be able to stay out of debt because you’ll have a clearer vision for your overall finances. Emergency Funds Are for Emergencies Recently, there was a question that popped up in my Facebook group asking whether it was a good idea to use Emergency Fund money to pay off debt. Shannon and I both agreed that Emergency Funds should be reserved for emergencies only, not debt. Lack of emergency savings is one of the main reasons people fall into debt. Something unexpected happens, like their car breaks down, they don’t have the money to pay for it, they use credit to fix their car, now their in debt and can only afford the minimum payments. To avoid this cycle, save up 3 to 6 months of your living expenses and put it in a high-interest savings account. Then don’t touch it until a real emergency happens. And once you touch it, make sure to pay that money back so it’s never empty. Shannon also suggest having two Emergency Funds. One is for real emergencies that you don’t touch unless you absolutely need to. One is more of a slush fund that you are constantly contributing to, but dipping into when you need cash for unexpected expenses (that don’t fall into the emergency category). The Only Way to Avoid Over-Spending with Your Credit Card There are only a few ways to avoid over-spending with your credit card. One way is to use debit or cash for all of your variable expenses, and just link your credit card to any of your regular fixed expenses like your cable bill, phone bill, and utilities. Or, if you do like to use your credit card for your variable spending, set its limit to the exact amount you’ve budget for variable expenses. Then, as soon as you make a purchase with your credit card, move money from your chequing account to pay off your credit card. That’s it! There really isn’t any other magic way to do it. Believe me, I’ve tried them and so has Shannon and these are the ones that work! For full episode show notes, visit https://jessicamoorhouse.com/184

In episode #14 of the MoneySaver Podcast, Ellen Roseman chats with Shannon Lee Simmons, CFP and author of Living Debt Free about how she racked up over $9000 worth of debt in a fourteen month period and how guilt, shame and regret took over because of the debt.   Questions Asked: 1:29  Tell us about the experience of being in debt and what you learned from it.   5:17  And you were worried about your now husbands reaction.  But it turned out to be ok?   7:16  How long did it take for you to raid your RSP to clear up the debt?   12:05  What made you decide to write your book and how is it different from other financial books on the market?   17:52  How long have you been a financial planner?   18:15 You've actually included some case studies in your book.    19:33  I understand that your main focus is the average, everyday Canadian.  How do you make financial planning accessible to those who may not necessarily be able to afford financial planning?   21:47  What does affordable mean in terms of your services?   26:34  Do you find that online courses work well?   32:02  What are your three best tips on money, life, and managing your money and your life.   Ellen's Tips and Tricks : What you can do when you run into problems with your new or newly purchased used car!

Shannon Lee Simmons is the Founder of the New School of Finance, an unbiased advice-only financial planning school. Shannon is a Certified Financial Planner, a Chartered Investment Manager, and a public speaker. She is the celebrated author of the national bestseller Worry-Free Money and has penned a new book called Living Debt Free: The No Shame No Blame Guide to Getting Rid of Debt. Shannon is a financial expert on The Marilyn Denis Show and a columnist for CBC’s On the Money and Metro Morning. She has a BAH in Economics and Finance from Queen’s University.   Shannon joins me today to discuss her new book, which details a practical approach to eliminate debt and work toward living debt-free. She shares the principles of her plan to help people out of debt which includes key strategies and a step-by-step approach that will help you quickly clear your debt. She also shares several vital components of financial planning including creating a ‘Debt Map’ and why ‘Debt Stacking’ is the most efficient approach to reducing debt. “Mapping out your debt is the first step to getting debt-free. After all, you can’t tackle a problem unless you know what the problem is.” - Shannon Lee Simmons This Week on Young Money:   The inspiration behind Shannon’s latest book, Living Debt-Free: The No Shame No Blame Guide to Getting Rid of Debt. Why it’s essential to recognize how and why you got into the debt loop. How reframing your debt and having a perspective switch will be motivational and help you keep going. The key strategies for dealing with debt. Why you should create a ‘Debt Map’ when multiple debts exist and how to prioritize it. How to figure out what amount of money you can realistically put towards clearing your debt. How to ensure you don’t suffer debt fatigue and why your repayments need to be palatable. What ‘Debt Stacking’ means and why it’s the fastest and most effective way to clear your debt. How consolidation and using your spare savings are two ‘Debt Slammers’ that will help reduce stress and make your debt more manageable. Why you should continue to build emergency savings and avoid becoming one of the 90% that give up on clearing their debt when a surprise financial expense occurs. The most common misconceptions that surround debt and the emotional elements to consider when creating a financial plan. Shannon Lee Simmons’ Advice for Living Debt-Free:   Create a map of your debt. Figure out the amount that you can put towards clearing your debt. Tackle one debt at a time and prioritize it with the highest interest rate. After the first debt is cleared, use those saving to clear the next debt. Consolidate your debt to the lowest interest rate. Take spare money out of your savings and use it to lower your debt. Continue to build an emergency fund. Resources Mentioned:   EP057 Bankruptcy and Consumer Proposals 101 with Doug Hoyes EP045 Stop Feeling Broke with Shannon Lee Simmons Gail Vaz Oxlade Connect with Shannon Lee Simmons:   Shannon Lee Simmons website New School of Finance Living Debt-Free: The No Shame No Blame Guide to Getting Rid of Debt by Shannon Lee Simmons Worry-Free Money: The guilt-free approach to managing your money and you life by Shannon Lee Simmons Shannon Lee Simmons on LinkedIn New School of Finance on LinkedIn Shannon Lee Simmons on Facebook New School of Finance on Facebook Shannon Lee Simmons on Twitter New School of Finance on Twitter Shannon Lee Simmons on Instagram New School of Finance on Instagram Rate, Share & Inspire Other Young Millionaires-in-the-Making   Thanks for tuning into the Young Money Podcast - the advice show for young millionaires-in-the-making! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, head over to iTunes and leave us a rating and review. Visit our website to learn how easy it is to leave a review on iTunes.   Don’t forget to share your favorite episodes on social media!   Subscribe to the Young Money Podcast on iTunes so you never miss an episode and reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, our Linkedin Company Page, or by visiting our website.  

In this episode, I sit down with Shannon Lee Simmons, founder of The New School of Finance to discuss how we can be more intentional with the dollars that enter and exit our bank accounts. We explore key concepts from her book, Worry-Free Money, that provide permission to opt-out of our life checklists, ditch traditional budgeting and end financial drama for good.   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS & TOPICS DISCUSSED: Shannon shares what led her to pursuing the field of finance and what inspired her method of financial planning Navigating feelings of being “broke” and our fundamental beliefs to either spend or save Letting go of the “life checklist” and how social media plays a role in our financial decisions Why traditional budgets don't work (and what to do instead!) The intricacies of financial planning for the self-employed The importance of giving our money a role (an intention) and why it's so important to honour it The concept of ‘EROI’ or emotional return on investment and “happy spending” and how this can help us follow through with our financial plans How to normalize the money conversation   SHOW NOTES & REFERENCES: Grab a copy of Shannon's book, Worry-Free Money and newest release Living Debt Free. Explore Wealthsimple "investing on auto-pilot". Get $10k managed free for a year when you open an account through this link. This episode is supported by our monthly patrons. Head to patreon.com/ideaswithintention to learn more about becoming a show supporter or show influencer!

In This episode I wrap up my interview with the Pool chaser Podcast. We discuss everything from automatic cleaners, my coaching site and living debt free! I hope you have enjoyed this 4 part podcast. 

The It’s A Look podcast presents fresh and knowledgeable views on the people and places you may know but not know much about. Join Fredia and Jena for a monthly dose of comedy and curiosity through a curated collection of candid interviews, sonic experiences, and live podcasting shows. Fredia’s expertise within the show is laughter and making heavier topics more digestible. Jena drops the insightful gems, the questions that expand your perspective. Before you hear anything else, you hear their friendship. As a duo, F+J are tastemakers who have their freshly manicured nails set on the pulse of humanity and what holds us together. At its core, It’s A Look is historic. It’s what Jena’s mom and Fredia’s grandmother didn’t do. It’s bigger than both of them. It’s what they saw that you didn’t-- A Look. It’s A Look is produced by three bad ass brown women- Fredia, Jena, and Sami Hiromi. Music by Jarin Tindall. Videography by Aquavis Warfield. It’s A Look branding and website design by Amy Jasinki.

As a practicing Periodontist, Jeff obviously had student loan debt. He also had a mortgage, both are paid off now. Jeff is here to tell us how he was able to do pay off all of his debts while also investing in real estate. If you enjoyed today’s episode remember to subscribe in iTunes and leave us a review!   Best Ever Tweet: “If god didn’t want us to be in debt, that’s enough for me” - Jeff Anzalone   Jeff Anzalone Real Estate Background: Periodontist in a solo practice in Monroe, LA Dental Specialist Consultant at JeffAnzalone.com Shows how any specialist can double their revenue in 6 months by using strategies he's implemented Investor Mentor with Dentists and an Passive Investor with Joe Fairless Based in Monroe, Louisiana Say hi to him at You can listen to his Best Ever Advice here:   Get more real estate investing tips every week by subscribing for our newsletter at   Made Possible Because of Our Best Ever Sponsor: List and manage your property all from one platform with . Once listed you can: accept applications, screen tenants, accept payments and receive maintenance tickets all in one place - and all free for landlords. Go to to get started today!

Managing personal debt can always be a stressful and difficult experience for a majority of the people around the world but, the Qoins app may just be the one thing which will help people overcome that burdensome obstacle. Joining me in this episode is Christian Zimmerman, the Co-Founder & CEO of the Qoins app which promises to help individuals manage and eliminate their debt. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-remso-martinez-experience/support

Living Debt Free - TRUE FINANCIAL FREEDOM - Nathan Dickerson This session features fellow Kentucky native Nathan Dickerson. Nathan will share with you how the DECISION to become debt free drastically changed his life and how all of our listeners can follow the same path to stress free, debt-free living. Dale has always taught network marketing is a business model that gives average people, with above average desire the opportunity to create generational wealth. Becoming Debt Free is an import part of the six steps he teaches. SIX STEPS TO GENERATIONAL WEALTH WITH THE NETWORK MARKETING BUSINESS MODEL 1) When you are making $1000 more a month with your business part-time than you are with your full-time profession go full-time. 2) As your income grows work towards paying off all debt except your home. 3) After all debt is gone except your home go through a short TOYS stage. Pay cash for the dream car, or go on the family vacation to Hawaii. 4) Pay off your Home and become 100% Debt Free 5) Invest in income generating assets. 6) You have made it when you have enough cash flow coming in from your investments to live a comfortable lifestyle. We hope you enjoy this session with Mr. Dickerson. To order his book “Living Debt Free” visit www.NathanDickerson.com and use discount code W9Q6EXQV and listeners of the MLM Success Podcast will receive a 40% discount.

Senior Minister Randy Nation talks on Living Debt Free.

The average American household carries almost $130,000 in debt. Whether it be from credit cards, student loans, mortgages, or car loans, debt seems to be a standard part of most people’s lives. While many people view debt as an ordinary part of life, carrying a large amount of debt can place an extreme amount of stress and pressure on a individual or family. In part two of this series, we discuss the mindset needed to get out and stay out of debt, as well as some of the practical tools Michael Sr. and Ardella used in their journey. We talk a bit more about the share cropper's mindset, discuss what the debt snowball is, and explain the reasoning behind having an emergency fund.

The average American household carries almost $130,000 in debt. Whether it be from credit cards, student loans, mortgages, or car loans, debt seems to be a standard part of most people's lives. While many people view debt as an ordinary part of life, carrying a large amount of debt can place an extreme amount of stress and pressure on a individual or family. In part one of this series, Michael Sr. discusses his motivations and mindset when attempting to tackle the $70,000 in debt that plagued his life. He shares some of the strategies he employed before endeavoring on this journey, and some of the considerations he was mindful of while on the journey. He also discusses the differences between a sharecropper's mindset and a steward's mindset, and explains how important getting out of debt is for weathering the storms of life. Listen. Learn. Enjoy.

Steve is a Personal Finance Architect from St. Louis and his passion is to educate others on how to manage their checkbooks better so they can live a debt-free lifestyle. His website won a Plutus Award for Best Debt-focused Blog in 2014 and is one of the few individuals to ever have an article featured on the Dave Ramsey Radio Show. He's here to help us pay attention - not interest. Inside this FREE “First Millionaire Manifesto”, J V reveals the seven steps to seven figures and how to put more money in the bank, enjoy a richly rewarding life, and make a big difference. Subscribe in ITunes Like this Podcast? Help spread the word. Subscribing and leaving a review helps other business owners and entrepreneurs find our podcast…and make their big difference. They will thank you for it.   Watch this FREE Video to discover the Secrets to getting in your zone, achieving fast results, and building a high-profit conscious business.   Conscious Millionaire Podcast: On his free podcast, Monday through Friday, J V interviews top successful entrepreneurs and business owners who reveal their business solutions and business opportunities on topics such as: conscious business, social entrepreneurship, business online marketing, internet business solutions, internet marketing, team building and culture, goal setting, how to become a wealthy entrepreneur, and developing a high-profit business plan that will change lives and the world.

Steve is a Personal Finance Architect from St. Louis and his passion is to educate others on how to manage their checkbooks better so they can live a debt-free lifestyle. His website won a Plutus Award for Best Debt-focused Blog in 2014 and is one of the few individuals to ever have an article featured on the Dave Ramsey Radio Show. He’s here to help us pay attention - not interest. Inside this FREE “First Millionaire Manifesto”, J V reveals the seven steps to seven figures and how to put more money in the bank, enjoy a richly rewarding life, and make a big difference. Subscribe in ITunes Like this Podcast? Help spread the word. Subscribing and leaving a review helps other business owners and entrepreneurs find our podcast…and make their big difference. They will thank you for it.   Watch this FREE Video to discover the Secrets to getting in your zone, achieving fast results, and building a high-profit conscious business.   Conscious Millionaire Podcast: On his free podcast, Monday through Friday, J V interviews top successful entrepreneurs and business owners who reveal their business solutions and business opportunities on topics such as: conscious business, social entrepreneurship, business online marketing, internet business solutions, internet marketing, team building and culture, goal setting, how to become a wealthy entrepreneur, and developing a high-profit business plan that will change lives and the world.

Paul Lawrence Vann interviews author Georgette Miller a financial and legal expert who helps people live a debt-free lifestyle. Whether you were impacted by the economic downturn or not, striving for fiscal stability should be one of your number one priorities. Geogette Miller is author of the highly acclaimed book, Living Debt-Free: What FICO Score Fear Mongers and Debt Peddlers Don't Want You To Know. Trying to avoid mortgage foreclosure, get rid of a second mortgage, stop judgments and or avoid lies from credit card and debt consolidaiton companies? You should listen to Georgette Miller because she is an expert at providing rock solid counsel for people who want to live the debt-free lifestyle. Tune in, listen in and call in with questions on the toll-free listener line at: (877) 404-1615 and or join us in the web chat room: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/paullawrencevann

Join us on Saturday, May 26, 2012 at 11 a.m. / EST as Rene Agredano and Jim Nelson share tips and practical advice you can use to start living debt free!  These two adventurers don't just know how to live debt free, they've actually been doing just that for several years!  They also travel the country, exploring the outdoors, own their own business and call the shots for their lives.  This couple is truly doing it "their way!" Catch this rewarding show on May 26 right here at Off The Shelf! See you then! Bring a pen and pad as you might want to take notes!

Today we will identify what is holding you hostage and how to be set free from that bondage.

Today we will identify what is holding you hostage and how to be set free from that bondage.

Today we will identify what is holding you hostage and how to be set free from that bondage.

Today we will identify what is holding you hostage and how to be set free from that bondage.

Pastor Jeff Williams: March 27, 2011 Living Debt-Free, Part VI, "Why Is Reconciliation Important?" If you have a plan, how many of you think it's a good idea to have a Plan B, to have a backup in case something goes wrong? We prepare in life for when things don't go the way we would hope they would go. How many of you have insurance for your house, your car, your health? We plan. Some of you even have Aflac or AAA in case something goes wrong with your car. We prepare for things to go wrong even though we hope they don't. We hope that things go well. It's good to know what we will do in the event that things do not go as we desired or as planned. Some have mistakenly thought that when man fell, when man sinned, that God said, "Oops!" That blindsided God. God said, "I didn't see that coming. I don't know what I'm going to do now." He panicked and kinda came up with a Plan B. "Yeah, I'll do that Jesus thing that I thought about. Yeah. Things didn't go as well as I thought, so what do I do now?" He was kinda scratching His head. The Bible says that Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. God planned our redemption before He even created man; before He even set our world in motion, He had a plan for our redemption because God in His sovereignty knew that man would fall. In the Bible, it talks about the fall of man, and we see the freewill of man and the consequences of His decision. How can God be sovereign and in complete control and man have freedom? Sometimes people think there's a conflict there. They are summoning the sovereignty camp. They're like, "Oh, yeah, we don't believe in freewill. We're for God's sovereignty." Others will say, "Yes, God is sovereign, but it's all about freewill," and there is conflict and tension between them. In the history of the church, they have been in conflict. Tozer, a theologian, describes it this way: there is a ship sailing, and the captain is in charge of the destination. On that ship are many passengers who are completely free. They're talking with whom they want to talk; they're sleeping when they want to sleep; getting up when they want to get up; eating what they want to eat; building friendships and relationships, but the chart or the path of the boat is set. He says, "Sovereignty and the freewill of man coexist. They both are there." God is steering this great vessel. We are on this vessel; and while we're on this vessel, we're free to make choices and live with those consequences. Sometimes we choose incorrectly. We incur debt. That's what this series is about. It's about our moral debt. It's about forgiving debt and reconciling and Living Debt Free. We've spent a number of weeks talking about the forgiveness component. Now we've switched to talking about the reconciliation component because we can have forgiveness without reconciliation, but we cannot have reconciliation without forgiveness. We had to spend a lot of time on that, but now we're going to be talking about reconciliation. I want you to turn in your Bibles please to Genesis 3:8 (page 3 of pew Bibles). In Genesis 3, we find the fall of man. When I say man, I mean mankind-men and women. We find the need for reconciliation. We find the first attempt at reconciliation. The word reconcile means to restore to unity or restore to order. It implies that something was once in order and aligned and is now in disorder. It needs to be repaired; it needs to be restored; it needs to be brought to the way it's intended to be, the way it should be, the way it used to be. It's brought back into harmony. That is the meaning of to reconcile. In the Garden, man is created, and there is harmony between God and His creation. They are submitted to His will. He has made His Will clear. Then there is going to come a time of disruption to that unity. Into the Garden, there is going to come an evil presence. The Bible identifies this as Satan, the devil, or Lucifer. He comes into the Garden, and he begins speaking through a reptile. People who are critical of the Bible will use that to discredit and call it a fable. They'll say, "Well, reptiles don't talk," and they're missing the entire point. We'd agree with reptiles not talking, but what the Bible says is happening is that this evil, wicked being is speaking through the mouth of the serpent. A lot of Third World Countries are familiar with satanic activity and possession, and they deal with voodoo and things like that, and they wouldn't question this story. I myself have seen some pretty amazing things. I know that when a powerful being like Satan is trying to get his voice across and is using this reptile, it is he who is speaking-not the snake. We shouldn't say, "Oh, yeah right, talking snakes." Satan is talking, and he needs a body to communicate. Adam and Eve are out of the question, so this innocent reptile is targeted; and he begins speaking to Adam and Eve and gets them to question and doubt what God has said, His authority, to doubt His Sovereignty. "Did God really say that or did He say you shall not surely die?" They begin to listen to him. They come into agreement with him. They should be in agreement with their Creator, but now they are in disagreement with their Creator and need to be reconciled. They should be in disagreement with this evil presence in the Garden, but they are in agreement with him. God is going to come on the scene much like a detective who knows all the facts. You're watching a TV show, and the detective is questioning the suspect. He knows more than the suspect knows he does. The suspect is trying to cover up what he's done and hide what he's done; but the suspect knows the truth. He's able to trip them up with their own words. We've all seen that plot happen on TV and in the movies many times over. It happens in real life. We see it happening for the first time in this account in the Garden. God is interrogating Adam and Eve, the suspects, as to the crime that they perpetrated. We pick up the story in Verse 8. They have already partaken of the forbidden fruit. "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking the Garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the Garden." That's our natural response, right? When we've done something wrong, we hide or cover it up. We hope we're not found out. "But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' "He answered, 'I heard you in the Garden and I was not afraid because I was naked; so I hid.'" He's still trying to keep everything concealed. "And He answered, 'Who told you that you were naked?'" You can kinda see Adam and Eve going, "Uh-oh, busted. We let a clue go there." It's like going back to that detective in the TV show where the detective is saying, "You're the one that killed Joe!" He said, "I didn't kill Joe! I don't even own a gun!" The detective said, "Who said it was a gun?" Joe's like, "Ah! Busted!" He's busted. He's like, "How am I going to get out of this? I've already told too much." "'Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?'" It's like a little kid that's busted. He's like, "What am I going to do?" "'The woman you put here with me…'" That's how he starts it off. "I was doing pretty well. I was minding my own business. I was doing everything I was supposed to do until the helpmate You put in here for me… So really it's kinda her fault and Your fault because if You remember, if You recall, before you pass judgment on me, prior to her arrival, everything was great." That's what the sin nature does. It covers up; it passes blame; [it does] everything else but accept responsibility. "'…she gave me the fruit from the tree, and I ate it.' "Then the Lord said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?' "The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.' "So the Lord God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life."'" The serpent will eat dust while it's navigating. It will take dust in, but the fact that it's on its belly is to serve as a reminder of the fall of Satan. It is a reminder of the curse of Satan. He says, "'"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. He will crush your head, and you will crush his heal."'" That verse is significant, and we're going to spend some time there in just a moment. "'To the woman He said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."' "'To Adam He said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."'" God introduces to them, to their vocabulary, the word pain. This word pain is used over and over again. It's describing many different things. It's describing the anguish of the field now as they encounter thorns and thistles; the pain of childbirth; it's describing death-"…to dust you'll return." Pain is the Hebrew word itstsbown. It sounds Italian, but it's not. It's Hebrew. Itstsbown means the consequences of the fall that is pain. You and I encounter pain in our existence. Things go wrong. We know in this world that things are not the way they are supposed to be. Things are not the way they should be. Death is not part of God's perfect plan. Death is not our friend. Death is an enemy. Sin is an enemy. The world itself is under this curse. In Romans 8:22 (page 1119 of pew Bibles), Paul says the whole creation groans and desires to be reconciled to God; so as part of this curse you and I encounter itstsbown. We should make some new bumper stickers for our cars that say, "Itstsbown happens." It will be a good conversation starter. "What do you mean, itstsbown?" "Well, it's just this whole Biblical concept of bad things happening-emotional, physical-pain that we have to endure because we live in a fallen world," so they're learning about this pain. They're learning about death, the consequences of their actions. We said 15 is an important verse; 15 is very important. Here's what Verse 15 is and here's why it's important: somebody gives you trivia and says, "What is the first prophesy in the Bible?" You can tell them, "Genesis 3:15." If somebody asks, "Where is the first promise in the Bible?" You can tell them, "Genesis 3:15." If somebody says, "Where is the first mention of spiritual warfare in the Bible, the conflict between good and evil, God and Satan, light and darkness?" "Genesis 3:15." If somebody says, "Where is the first mention of the Gospel, of redemption, of God redeeming man and reconciling man to himself?" The answer, the first mention of the Gospel in the entire Bible, is not Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. It is Genesis 3:15. This verse is really important. Let's take a look. God is speaking here directly to Satan. Understand that. He's not speaking to a snake. He's speaking to the adversary. He says, "I will put enmity…" or hatred or hostility "…between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers…" Right now she is in agreement with you. Mankind is in agreement with you, and they are in disorder with Me; but I'm going to change that. I'm going to bring a hostility there. I'm going to take away that harmony, and I'm going to take away that agreement. God is going to restore the harmony between His creation and Himself and at the same time destroy the harmony that is existing between the serpent and mankind. God says, "I am going to reconcile. I'm going to make this right. I'm going to put hostility between you and the woman, between Satan and mankind and between her offspring and your offspring." Those who would follow the directives of Satan and those who will follow the directives of God-there will be hostility between those two groups. He's letting Satan know he's not going to win. He says, "He will crush your head. You will strike his heal." That's the first prophesy in the entire Bible. There is going to come an offspring from Eve, a male offspring, a he, who will destroy you. It's talking about redemption. It is prophetic. Who is this He? Satan himself must wonder who this He is. Martin Luther said that Satan spent many a century looking at every male offspring of Eve and wondering, "Is this the He? Is this the One who is to come? Is this the One who is going to destroy me?" Notice the conflict. One is striking at the other one's heal; and One is crushing the other one's head. There is going to be warfare. There's going to be a conflict between this offspring that is to come and Satan. It's hinting here at the cross, isn't it? It's a foreshadowing of the cross. What do you do when you wound someone? When you strike their heal, you wound them, don't you? If I hit you in the heal, do I destroy you? No, but it sure hurts. Somebody gets hit in the Achilles', that hurts, but it doesn't kill them; but if I crush your head, I've destroyed you. At the cross, Jesus is wounded, but through His resurrection, Satan is crushed. He is destroyed. The Bible tells us that. It says, "Through His resurrection, He destroyed the works of the devil. He conquered sin and death and the grave." He restored that which was lost in the garden. He made a way for man to be reconciled with God. There was a restoration. Satan's plan and purposes were utterly destroyed and conquered; so it foreshadows this conflict between the Savior and the enemies of our souls. God tells the outcome, "You will wound Him, but He will crush you." So in this story when there was a breakdown in relationship, who is the first one to seek reconciliation? Was it man or God? It was God. God is the reconciler, so through the cross, God reconciled Himself to us. He says it's up to us to take the next step. What we're going to do is take a look at some of the stages or steps of reconciliation. We'll linger on some of them, and some of them we'll pass on through. The first step is an acknowledgement of wrong. When there has been a break in the relationship, there has to be an acknowledgement of wrong. When you have a relationship that is broken down and maybe one party does or the other party doesn't acknowledge the wrong, that relationship will be dysfunctional. Maybe both parties pretend like the wrong never happened. You and I know of people we had conflict with. Maybe it's within your family or maybe a friendship. There's been no reconciliation-nothing, and we just allow time to pass by. We allow tempers to calm down, the dust to settle, and then we just simply go back and live as if nothing has ever happened. As a result, that relationship is not what it should be. It's not what it's supposed to be. It's not what it was. It either stagnates or it digresses, but it does not grow. It cannot grow because it is broken down. It needs reconciliation. When one party or both parties fail to acknowledge the pain and the damage to that relationship, that relationship is in jeopardy of dying. It happens all the time. People have conflict, and they say, "Well, I don't want to deal with that. It sounds too painful to deal with. It sounds too difficult to deal with." Other things are consuming their time and energies, and they just pretend it never happened. "I don't like conflict, so we're just going to go on as if it never happened," and that relationship deteriorates, doesn't it? Those people grow apart because there has been a breach. There has been a break, and nobody has taken the time to acknowledge that break. If you break a bone, and you don't acknowledge it, it isn't going to heal correctly; but it's going to heal wrong. It's not going to be stronger than it was before the break, so there has to be an acknowledgement of wrong. That's what God is attempting to have Adam and Eve do-acknowledge what they did, acknowledge it was wrong. Stop passing the blame; stop justifying your actions; take responsibility for what you have done. Be honest with God. Be honest with yourself; that's number one. Number two, there has to be an initiator. There always has to be an initiator. Someone has to take that first step. This is a big one too because of anger, because of pride. Maybe you were the person who was wrong or offended. "Why should I be the one to go to them? They should come to me." Jesus says that His followers are to be peacemakers. He said His followers are to be initiators. What did He say? He said, "If you're bringing your gift to the altar and your brother has something against you, you go. If your brother has wronged you, go to your brother. Then come and present your gift at the altar." He says, "Even if it wasn't your fault, you initiate." I want you to think of reconciliation as a bridge. Right now we are divided. There is chasm. That chasm is the offense, and the bridge is what is going to bring us together. We're going to cross over the offense, and we're going to unite together on top. There are a series of steps back and forth that must take place. There is that first step of the initiator to move toward the person that they need to reconcile with. Sometimes it's the person who was wronged, as in the Garden. It's God who is the initiator. Other times, it might be the person who caused the offense. Maybe we're feeling guilty about what we've done, so we want to be restored; and we take the initiative. It can be either party, but that first step is crucial because unless that first step happens, there is no hope for reconciliation. If both parties stand their ground and stubbornly refuse to move, no reconciliation is possible. Forgiveness is possible, but reconciliation is not. Reconciliation takes more than just you. After I've initiated, the next step (step 3) is the response; and that's really important. If the person you're seeking to reconcile with does not want to reconcile with you or does not see it to be healthy-or maybe it's dangerous to reconcile with you-he or she may choose not to reconcile with you; then there's nothing you can do other than wait for time to pass and try again. In three weeks, we're going to be talking about the subject of when we should not reconcile. Is Satan going to reconcile with God anytime soon? No. Are there times when it is not healthy or wise to reconcile? There really are, and we're going to talk about those issues in a few weeks. For the sake of this topic, we're going to assume that it is right and good to reconcile; so that next step is important. How will they respond? How will Adam and Eve respond to God's initiation to reconcile with them? That's important. If the person holds his or her own ground and says, "I don't want to reconcile with you," reconciliation breaks down at that point, and we get stuck at the bridge. Nobody can proceed any further. However, if that person acknowledges, "Yes, I want to reconcile," and there is a mutual decision to reconcile, what has to happen next (step 4) is confession. We've talked about confession. Confession means to be in agreement. It means to say the same word-homologeo. It's to say the same word or be in agreement. In this case, confession would be Adam and Eve being in agreement with God-that He is right and they are wrong. Next week, we're going to spend our time together on apologies. That's important. Remember the movie, "Love Story," from the 70s? Any old-timers out here? What was the big line from the movie? Love means…"never having to say you're sorry." The kids are all going, "What? That's ridiculous." It is. It is; it's dumb. We're going to be talking about love meaning you have to say you're sorry. Next week, we're going to talk about Biblical apologies. What does it look like? I don't mean you're going to be saying, "I have confessed to thee that…" I don't mean that. I mean we're going to talk about principles of apologies and how to give a true apology. When we do that, you're going to see the false ones. They come out of Hollywood all the time. They come out of the sports world; they come out of entertainment; they come out of the political realm all the time-apologies that really aren't apologies. You'll recognize them after that. You'll be able to read in the paper [and know], "Well, that's not an apology!" That's what is coming up. And there'll be no missing next Sunday and apologizing to me for that (congregation laughing). So before you interrupted me, where were we (congregation laughing)? We were talking about Adam and Eve. So you confess; you say the same thing. You're in agreement. The next step (step 5) that follows is forgiveness. We're not going to spend a lot of time on this because that's what we've been on for the last month. We talked about the story of Philemon and Onesimus, the runaway slave and how Paul encouraged Philemon to forgive him. He released the debt. Forgiveness means to release the debt, to make the decision to release. We talked about David and Shimei. Remember the unforgiveness that David was holding onto toward the man who called him names, threw rocks and stones at him, and cursed him? In his last dying words, David said to his son, Solomon, about Shimei, "Bring his grey head down to the grave in blood." He was still holding onto resentment all the way to the end. So what are the barriers to forgiveness? We talked about David and the Prophet Nathan. David was this great king, and he was a man after God's own heart. Because of his lust for Bathsheba, he became an adulterer, a murderer, a liar, and a conspirator. He had to say to himself, "Here's who I want to be, and here's who I am-this cognitive dissidence. Here are the rules I have established for myself, and yet I broke all those rules." How did he live with the guilt? How did he forgive himself? If you've not been here for any of those, maybe you'd like to go back and order the CD, listen online, or read the transcripts so you can get caught up. I'm just going to say we've talked about that forgiveness, and I would encourage you to read those Scriptures and study them. We're almost to the top of the bridge; we're almost reconciled, so the next step (step 6) is commit. Commitment says, "Here's what is going to be different. Here is how I will change. Here is how I am going to stop doing this. I'm going to start doing this." There are changes that need to be made so we don't keep repeating the same mistake. "I'm going to walk this bridge and reconcile with you, but I don't want to have to do this over and over and over and over again." That's a problem, isn't it? To have to forgive someone for the same offense over and over and over and over, it becomes a problem. Pretty soon people say, "I'm tired of walking up this bridge and meeting you at the top for the same issues. There has to be changes." It's a mutual commitment to the relationship that says, "Here is what we will do differently. Here are the changes we will make." If those steps are followed, if there is acknowledgement, if there is initiation, if there is a positive response, if there is confession, if there is forgiveness, and if there is a commitment-a mutual commitment-to change in that relationship, then reconciliation is almost impossible to stop. You are then on the course to reconciling. There are very few relationships that will break down at that point. We're probably going to have a successful restoration of fellowship in that scenario. Let's take that paradigm and let's plug it into the Scripture and see if it fits. Let's see if it works. Turn in your Bibles please to Luke 15 (page 1035 of pew Bibles). This is the familiar story of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Luke 15:11, "Jesus continued: 'There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate." So he divided his property between them.' He doesn't ask his father; he commands his father. He demands of his father. This would not go well if you had an inheritance and your child came to you, while you were still very much alive and healthy, and said, "Give me what's mine. Give me what you're going to give me after you croak. I want it now. I'm not happy here. I want to go." That would not go well, I guarantee you. The father realizes he has lost his son, so he decides he would let his son learn a lesson, "I'm going to let my son experience the consequences of his decision," so the father gave his son exactly what he wanted. Be careful what you wish for, right? He took the money, and the Bible says he squanders it. He went to a far-off country, and he squandered it in wild living. He soon ran out of cash, and then he looked for a job. He found a job as a farmhand. He was slopping the pigs, and he found himself desiring what the pigs were eating. He was hungry, and he was destitute. He decided he would go back to his father. In Verse 17, it said, "'When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men." So he got up and went to his father.'" Who in this story is the initiator of reconciliation? The son. So it can be either party. It could be either the person who has wronged or the person who perpetrated the wrong. In this story, it's the person who did the wrong. He feels bad. He knows he made a mistake, and he is going to be the initiator. He is going to go back and approach his father. Now the father is the responder. Remember in this story, in this Parable, the responder is God. God is the Father, and Jesus is trying to tell this to people to say to them, "It's okay to repent." How does God feel about a person who has been wayward, lost, who returns in sincerity, authenticity, and honesty and confesses their sin? How does God feel towards them? God would welcome them with open arms. God will embrace them, and kiss them. God will celebrate their decision. He won't punish you; He won't put his wrath on you. He is going to offer you forgiveness and mercy. That's one of the reasons why He tells this story. Verse 20, "'But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.'" That's what I'd do too. If my boy did that, I'd be looking down the road every day. That's what he was doing. He was looking down the road, "Is today the day? Is today the day?" When he saw his son, he ran to meet him. He didn't berate him. He didn't scold him; he didn't rebuke him. He simply offered him forgiveness and grace. He responded positively, and so far we're climbing that bridge toward reconciliation. What is next? Confession. What does the son do? He says, "'"Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son."'" He apologies the right way. He doesn't pass off any blame. There are no buts or ifs. He simply said, "I blew it. What I did was rude. What I did was disrespectful. What I did was harmful. What I did was prideful and arrogant, and I am asking for your mercy today. I am asking you to forgive me." The next step in the process is what? Once confession has been made, action must be taken. Either we give the gift of forgiveness or we withhold the gift of forgiveness. The father extends forgiveness. He said, "'"Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." So they began to celebrate.'" We're not going to talk about Old Grumpy Pants afterwards who said, "Hey, you never had a party for me." That's another lesson. We'll leave him out of it for a moment. The father forgave. He said, "We're going to have a new start, you and me. We're going to begin again. You are my son. Even when you were in rebellion and sin, you remained my son. Now we are restoring our relationship. The past is done. We are beginning anew. I am releasing your debt. I am reconciling with you. You and I are once again father and son." This story has a happy ending. Not all of life's stories have happy endings, do they? This one does. I chose this one because it is a model for us to look at. Then what about commitment? What is the commitment of the son? Do you remember the change in the son when he was rehearsing his confession over and over again? The last step in this paradigm is commit, right? We're at the top of the bridge. We make a commitment to change. "Here is what I will do differently to make sure that there is no longer a breach in our relationship." What is this change? Did you see it? He goes back, and he says, "Make me like one of your hired men." What is he saying here? He's saying, "I'm a new guy. I recognize now that you don't owe me anything, and the world doesn't owe me anything. I'm going to earn my keep from now on. You are receiving back a different son. If you don't restore our relationship, I understand because I deserve it. Just let me be a servant there. I'll be like one of the servants. I'm going to work for what I get. I've learned to work now since I was gone, and I am going to work. I am not going to take you for granted. I'm not going to take our relationship for granted. You're receiving back a new man, Dad. I have a changed heart. I don't think I am entitled anymore. I've seen the light." That's a commitment to change, isn't it? He was saying, "I'm not going to be the same spoiled brat son who thought you owed me everything and then went out and squandered what you had earned. That's not me anymore. I've learned the hard way from life that I have to earn my way," so he made a commitment to change. Those are the steps that we need to follow if we are going to have reconciliation. The most important reconciliation that we can take part in is to be reconciled with our Heavenly Father. Paul talks about that in the Book of 2 Corinthians 5 (page 1145). In talking about the Gospel, he says in Verse 18, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ…" Notice he uses the past tense. "…he reconciled himself to us through Christ…" The ball is in our court. Now we must take the next step. God has initiated; we must respond. Will we accept His offer to restore a rightful relationship, or will we reject it? "…that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us…" the church "…the message of reconciliation." That's what I'm doing today. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." That is what I'm doing today. That is one of my charges as a pastor-to implore you to be reconciled to God. What does that look like? In the Garden, man fell because he wanted to be like God. He wanted to take the reins. We talked about that earlier today. He wants to be in charge. "I want to be like God," and he fell. When we become Christians, what we're saying is, "God, You are God and I am not. I don't want to be in charge. I want You to have the reins. I don't want to be God. I want You to be God. I'm going to be Your creation. You're going to be the captain of the vessel. I'm just going to walk around on deck, but You're in charge. You're setting the course. I receive Your Lordship." In Genesis 3, man rejects God's sovereignty and Lordship. In 2 Corinthians 5, man accepts God's Lordship. What happens is what was lost in the Garden is restored. What was lost in the Garden when we fell is now brought back, and we are reconciled and put in right standing with God. That is the Gospel. That is what He foreshadowed in Genesis 3:15 when He said He. Satan didn't know who the He was. Adam and Eve didn't know who the He was who was going to come and crush the serpent's head; but God knew who the He was. Before the foundation of the world, it was established that He would come and restore what was lost in the Garden. Our second response is to reconcile with our fellow man. Is the Holy Spirit prompting you? Is there a relationship that is dead right now that needs reconciling? Has it been damaged or hurt? You need to take the initiative. You need to confess what your part is in that relationship if any of you need to forgive those who have harmed you. You need to commit to that relationship. My prayer is the fruit of this series is going to be that we're going to hear stories of reconciliation all over this congregation. People within the church, in your families, in your marriages; people that you are in a relationship with in other parts of the world, other parts of the country, that you are going to reconcile with them because we're following God's directives. That is my prayer. There is a song I want us to listen to right now by a group called D.C. Talk. D.C. Talk wrote a song called "Between You and Me." One thing I like about this song is it's just chalked full of content. There are some songs that are just kinda fluff. This song has substance; this song has Biblical content and action to it. This song is a response to what we have just heard from God's Word and what plan of action that we might take. As you listen to the words of this song, see if you can see the steps we've talked about for reconciliation as well. [Lyrics for song can be found here: ] Let's listen and then we'll talk about it and pray. Let's pray together: Father, the first step is the most important step, and that is we need to be reconciled with You. We need to bring into alignment our relationship with our Creator, and that comes through acknowledgment of wrong. As You have initiated that reconciliation, we respond and confess our sins. You will be faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and we commit our lives to You. There is then reconciliation that takes place. I pray that if there are any listening who have not made that choice, Father, today would be the day when they commit themselves fully to You. I also pray, Lord, for relationships in our church and relationships outside of our church where there has been a break. I pray, Father, that there can be Biblical reconciliation and restoration. That would be the fruit of Your Spirit working in us and through us. I pray, Lord, we would not just be content to leave things broken. I pray, Father, we would say, "I need to take that first step," that we would act upon the truths that we've heard today and be reconciled with our brothers and sisters, with our children, and with our spouses. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Pastor Gary Shields: March 13, 2011 Living Debt-Free, Part V, "Forgiveness 2.0." My name is Pastor Gary Shields. As many of you I know, I live here in Janesville. Today Pastor Jeff is going to be preaching down at my church, and I'm going to be preaching here. First of all, I want to welcome all you 9:30 worshippers and all of you 8 o'clock worshippers that may have forgotten to reset your clock for daylight savings time. Today we're going to continue talking in this sermon series of "Living Debt-Free," this study of forgiveness and reconciliation. We're going to move today to what I call "Forgiveness 2.0," the idea of reconciliation. As we'll see, forgiveness is an act of one person; for reconciliation, there are at least two people necessary-confession and repentance to each other and forgiveness to each other. Let's begin with a word of prayer: Father, as we study Your Word today, open our hearts to this call for reconciliation that You have given to us and most importantly, the reconciliation with You, the gift freely given. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. There are several types of reconciliation. The first one I want to look at is reconciliation with yourself. I understand last week, Pastor Jeff preached to you about forgiving yourself. I know as a Christian, sometimes it's hard for us to forgive our past deeds. It's important that we forgive ourselves, but with "Forgiveness 2.0," it's where you learn to reconcile with yourself. Let me try to explain that to you. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 5:17. If you're using a pew Bible, it's page 1145. Pastor Jeff made a good start by helping you to understand that you need to forgive yourself, but I would say with "Forgiveness 2.0," it's more than forgiving yourself; it's reconciling the fact that through Jesus Christ, you are a new creation. Let me read the Passage. This is written by Paul, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" What a wonderful word that is to us. Let's understand what it means to accept this word as reconciliation to yourself. What Paul is saying here is as a Christian you're not turning over a new leaf. You now have a new life. You are not being reformed; you're not being rehabilitated; you're being recreated. A lot of people think that Jesus wants better people. I would tell you that's not true. Jesus wants different people. He doesn't want us to merely be more kind, more compassionate, more loving. He wants us to be kind, to be compassionate, to be loving, so we're not reformed, rehabilitated; we are recreated. What a greater example of this new creation in reconciling one's self to a new creation than Paul himself who wrote these words. If you remember, Paul was not a nice guy before he knew Jesus, was he? Usually when we think of stoning, we think of somebody taking a rock, bringing it back like a pitcher, and throwing it at a person. Well, that's not what a real stoning was. A real stoning involved the first witness either standing on a platform or a cliff about ten feet above the accused, taking a boulder, and slamming it down onto the body of that person. While guys were getting ready to do that to Stephen, Paul was kind enough to say, "Hey, let me hold your coats for you while you stone this man to death." It went beyond that. He persecuted and persecuted and persecuted the Christians, driving them out of Jerusalem, and that still wasn't enough. He figured, "I need to go after them. I cannot stop until they're destroyed." Of course, on the way to Damascus, he made a wrong turn, and who came into his life? Jesus Christ. I would say he made the right turn. He understood something. He was now a new creation. He wasn't re-educated. He was a new creation, and he reconciled himself to that and did marvelous things in the name of Jesus Christ. He was not perfect. Does anybody remember how Mark was thought to be a real wimp? No one really wanted to have anything to do with him. Barnabas helped Mark to understand the need for courage. Paul even admitted in his writings, "Yeah, I made a little mistake there. Now he's my brother," but he knew as a new creation that God had something in store for him. Just like as a new creation, God has something in store for you. If you not only forgive yourself of your past but reconcile and understand that God can make you anew, you can do great things for God because of His strength now in you. Another way to look at this is through "Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress." Has anybody read this? I sure wish they'd translate it out of Old English because I have to keep re-reading it to understand what's going on. In "Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress," we're talking about an ancient book; the hero, Christian, in the story comes up to a mirror. What he sees in the mirror is what we see of ourselves, that distorted image that shows us we're not whom we should be-sinners saved by grace. The amazing thing was on the other side of that mirror, the side that God sees, was not this distorted image of Christian, but the image of Jesus Christ. You see, when you become a believer, God now sees you as Jesus. You are filled with the Holy Spirit. When God looks at you, He looks at you as being righteous. He sees Jesus in you. This sounds so simple, but it's so hard. The act of reconciling with yourself is to go and be what God already sees in you. I warn you: that is a lifetime pursuit, and it's not going to happen overnight because we do have the flesh in us, and we struggle; but it is that simple. Go and be what God already sees in you. Reconciling with yourself and understanding you're a new creation is to break free from that past and go be what God already sees in you. Now that sounds pretty difficult, but we're going to now move on to something that seems in churches to be even more difficult. That's reconciling with each other. I honestly believe that one of the biggest problems in the church in the United States today is that too many people are interested in their own desires, interested in getting their own way so that there is no such thing as forgiveness anymore in the church. There is no such thing as reconciliation in the church. There is no such thing as "what does Jesus want to do with the church?" It comes down to learning how to have relationships. Let's turn to Matthew 5:21-24, page 959. What we're seeing here is the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus helps us to understand He didn't come to eliminate the law, to do away with the law, but to fulfill it. Here He helps us to understand how the law has expanded-in this case, for murder. He says, "'You have heard that it was said to the people long ago…'" which I'm guessing was during the time of Moses. "'"Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment."'" Basically, don't kill people or you're going to end up in court. But that's not enough. He says, "'But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother'" or sister "'will be subject to judgment.'" Now this judgment is not judgment in court. That's divine judgment, and I'm not so sure I want to know what that would be. Then he says, "'Again, anyone who says to his brother, "Raca," is answerable to the Sanhedrin.'" Now, there are no real English translations for Raca. It's an Aramaic word for contempt. The way I would describe it is Raca is what you as a Packers fan would feel toward a Bears fan. I can say that because Pastor Jeff isn't here. Then he goes even further. He says, "'But anyone who says, "You fool!" will be in danger of the fire of hell.'" Now the word used for hell here is Gahanna, which is where the Valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, was a place where children were sacrificed by fire to the Pagan god Molech-not a pretty place. Now, in the reign of Josiah, one of the few kings of Judah who got it, he realized they needed to draw closer to God and refocus on serving God. He turned that Valley into a city dump where fire burned constantly. It was a smelly, worm-infested dump. I'm not going to call anybody a fool ever again-what about you? You see, what Jesus is talking about here is anger. Is anger really worth it? Is holding a grudge really worth it? Or, is it more important to restore relationships? He continues on and says, "'"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother"'" or sister "'"has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be…"'" what? "'"…reconciled to your brother"'" or sister "'"then come and offer your gift."'" The men would go to the court of Israel during Biblical times at the high festivals, like Pentecost and Passover (ladies, you got stuck at the court of women). They represented the family and gave a sacrifice, an animal, to the altar. It was their form of worship. What Jesus is saying in essence is "how can you worship if anger and bitterness are in your hearts?" If you haven't reconciled with a person, how can you worship? I'm working at a church right now that has had its problems and was not really growing. The last pastor-who had problems and made mistakes-was pushed out; but we discovered something as we were trying to move towards revitalization at this church. For decades now, there has been an environment of mistrust; of rebellion; of allowing some sins because "well, that person is a high giver;" or "that person always does Sunday School, so we'll ignore that"; or getting legalistic to the point where they're going to beat somebody over the head with their sin, and there's nothing they can do to receive grace. If you look back to 1967, [you'd see] this church split from another church in that town over nothing but personality issues. One person desired this; one person desired that, and nobody really tried to decide what God wanted. As elders and the Board, we decided to go back to that church. In fact, at the same time, that church was feeling the same as we were. The elders came together and prayed with each other. Even though not one of the persons in that room was involved in that split, we as representatives of each church asked for forgiveness and wanted to reconciliation. What we discovered was that both of those churches had a cracked foundation because of sin that never really was exposed and confessed. I don't think it's any coincidence that not too long after that, six new faces appeared in the pew. Then a few weeks ago, as we had a seminar on restoring relationships, we spent a Sunday talking about confessing to one another. Twenty five to 35 people came up to the altar with me at the end of the service to confess their sins to their brothers and sisters in the congregation. Later that Sunday, the elders went to the previous pastor. This is a God thing-how typical of God; this pastor lives in the state of Washington and happened to be in the area because his father was sick. God is a hoot. They went to this pastor, and it wasn't to focus on what he did incorrectly because he did a lot of things incorrectly; it was to focus on how they treated him. They asked for his forgiveness. Not only that, but they thanked him because a lot of what he did paved the path to get us to the point where we are now. You could imagine there being one very surprised pastor. I hope he has gone back to his ministry feeling restored. Guess what happened within the next couple of weeks? Six more people showed up-new faces. I firmly believe in what it says in Acts 2:47 (page 1079), "And the Lord added to their daily number those who were being saved." You see, there's something we learned: I could sit here and preach on reconciliation until the cows come home, but the sure way to teach it is to model it. I hate when God does this because it's been bothering me all week. There is a couple, and I drive by their house, and God keeps saying, "Hey, when are you going to go over there and reconcile? Stop worrying about being right and [start worrying about] having a relationship." To model to you, after worship this Sunday, I'm going to go knock on their door-they live here in Janesville-and make that relationship right. I could preach to you until the cows come home, but the best way I can show you how true this is and what God can do in a powerful way when you reconcile with each other is to do it [myself]. That's what we've learned at the church we're at now. There are still some people who don't quite understand that yet, and we pray for them. We pray that they too will see what God is doing. That's reconciliation. Now I want to clarify that that reconciliation is a two-person action. Reconciliation sometimes means having boundaries. If a person says, "I'm so sorry. I want to reconcile," and turns around and sins again. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I want to reconcile," and then they turn around and sin again, I would say that's not a person who is truly repentant. Reconciliation takes two who confess their sins and are truly repentant, so where does that leave you as far as your obligations to that person and to reconciliation? Let's turn to Matthew 18:21-35 (page 975). This is the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Forgiveness is the act of one; reconciliation is the act of two or more. So what is your obligation? Well, I can forgive and confess, but what if that person rejects me? Well, we have an audience of one. All we can do is what is right in the eyes of God. Let's look at Matthew 18:21-35. I tease Pastor Jeff because he preached on forgiveness, and he said, "I'm not going to preach on this Passage because that's what everybody is expecting," so surprise! We're going to talk about it right now. "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?'" That sounds like a good number. Seven, eleven and twelve: those are good numbers-especially in the Bible, right? Seven has to be a good number. "Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but…'" 70x7. So, 490? Is that what Jesus is saying? "Okay, I'm at 489. You have one more, and I'm done forgiving you." No, I don't think that's what He's talking about. What He is talking about is we have to keep on forgiving. Then He starts with this Parable that puts it in perspective. "'"Therefore, the kingdom of Heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him."'" Ten thousand talents-what does that mean? I did some research, and a talent is the equivalent of 60-70 pounds of a precious medal. It could be silver; it could be gold. I really think what we're talking about here is gold because what we are looking at is a debt that cannot be repaid. I got the old calculator out-one that can do a lot of numbers-and figured it out. The equivalent of 10,000 talents of gold today would be over $13 billion dollars. If you're a guy like me who loves cars or anything on wheels [here's a story for you]. My family and I go to Chicago, and there is a Lamborghini dealership that my son and I have to go to every time we go to Chicago-like I can afford a Lamborghini. I notice the salesmen never come up to me; I wonder why that is. The Lamborghini Murcielago-we're talking about [this car] going 200 MPH while you're standing still. It has a V10, 7-speed; you could just fly down the road at 25 MPH and just look like you're going fast. It cost $400,000. Yeah, it's one of those economy cars (congregation laughing). With 10,000 of gold, you could purchase over 33,000 Murcielagos. I don't think I could drive each one in a lifetime, but that will give you some perspective. What happens? It continues, "'Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.'" In Biblical times, if you owed a debt, they took it out of your hide. You would be put in jail; your children, your grandchildren, and your spouse would be sold into slavery, and you would be in jail until the debt was repaid. Let's face it: this dude was not going to see the light of day. What happens? "'The servant fell on his knees before him. "Be patient with me," he begged, "and I will pay back everything." The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.'" Whew!! Man, what a lucky guy. I would imagine after a lesson like that, he would probably be a pretty merciful guy. Let's see what happens, "'But when the servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,'" which is about a paycheck. "'He grabbed him and began to choke him. "Pay back what you owe me!" he demanded' "'His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, "Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'" "'But he refused. Instead he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.'" Did I miss something here? Does this sound familiar in any way? Think of the debt we owe to God for His Son dying on the cross for us. Is there really anything anybody could do to you compared to that forgiveness? Think about it: what could they do to you that would make you feel you had the right not to forgive that person? You see, in reconciliation that is your obligation. To forgive, you're obligated to confess and then pray God will change the heart of the person you're reconciling with and they will do the same. Sometimes you'll have your hand bitten off. Other times, you'll see a movement of God beyond anything you could ever expect. You see, we have to do this. There is no option here. Why is that? It's because as I said: we've been reconciled with God. That is the third type of reconciliation. We've been reconciled with God-not through anything we did, but through His free gift. Let's look at Romans 5:6-11 (page 1116). "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless…" That's powerless to avoid sin. "…Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He didn't wait for us to do the right thing. He just did it. The same goes with our reconciliation. Don't wait for the other person to do the right thing. You go and you reconcile or at least try to reconcile. "Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!" My friends, you see before we were believers, we were enemies of God. Didn't we always turn our backs on Him and walk the other way? But while we were still sinners, He sent Christ down to die for us; so if you're a seeker or you're not a believer, I need to tell you that today is the day you can accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then through His Word, you'll discover how to reconcile with yourself and become that new creation that is in you and how to reconcile, forgive, and to love one another. Here's what God does. If you're still seeking and you're not a believer, Satan does a good job of writing your list of sins-adultery, cheating, lying, anger, drugs, alcohol… I don't have enough time to write that list. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, now God is your Father; and He takes this list, crumples it up, and throws it away. He asks us to try to do the same with each other. Let's pray: Father, it is only through You that we can be reconciled and know what it means to be a new creation. If there is anyone here who is seeking You for the first time, Lord, I pray that You will turn their hearts toward You, that they will stay after with someone here to pray with them and show them what it means to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. For those of us who have already made that decision, help us to understand our call to forgive, our call to seek reconciliation, our call to restore relationships. I pray this all in the beautiful, wonderful, merciful name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Pastor Jeff Williams: March 6, 2011 Living Debt-Free, Part IV, "How Do I Forgive Myself?" We are talking about forgiveness right now. One of the most difficult things to do in forgiveness is to forgive yourself. Sometimes it's easier for me to forgive the person who wronged me than it is for me to forgive myself for the things I've committed. We're going to watch a testimony right now of a young lady who went through an awful tragedy and crime and then had to deal with the guilt and shame when she came to realize that what happened to her was partly her fault. How did she come to the point where she resolved that guilt and shame? This testimony is a little longer than what we normally have, but you'll see that it's worth it. It's a powerful story of transformation and freedom. As soon as that's done, I'll come up and share the Word with you today. (Here is the link mentioned: http://sermonspice.com/search?q=forgive+yourself). That was pretty powerful. That's what we're going to talk about today-forgiving ourselves, Living Debt-Free. There's a song that Frank Sinatra sings that most of us have heard called, "My Way." He sings, "I did it my way." He was rather proud of the fact that he lived life on his own terms. There's a line in the song where he says, "Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention." I've lived my life. There aren't a whole lot of things that I'd take back. There aren't a whole lot of things I'd do differently, he said. I don't relate to that. There is a long list of regrets that I have from my childhood to teenage years to young adulthood and into adulthood. I'm sure if I live long enough to see the senior years that are just around the corner, I'll have some regrets there too. I have a lot of regrets. There are a lot of things that I've done, said, or shouldn't have done or said. I have regrets, and there have been times I've had to deal with guilt or shame. I'm sure you're the same way. Let's take a look at a man who lived life his way. This guy just lived life on his terms. He was just as comfortable with a harp in his hand as a spear in battle. While other soldiers were going out with armor, swords, and knives, he went out with a slingshot. He did it his way. Do you know who I'm talking about? David. David seemed to live a charmed life, didn't he? All through his life, people were choosing him and saying, "You're the one we want." God said, "You're the one I have My hands on." When he was a young man, Samuel the Prophet came to his house. They didn't know why Samuel was there. Samuel said, "I am here to anoint the next king." God said, "It's one of Jesse's sons." Jesse's sons are paraded in front of Samuel. Samuel said, "It's not him. It's not him. Do you have any other sons?" "Well, we just have David, but it couldn't be David. He's a little shepherd boy. He's in the field." He said, "Bring him to me." When David came in the room, Samuel said, "You are the one. You are the one that God has chosen to be king." How do handle that when you're a teenager? He anoints his head with oil, and he says, "You will lead the people of Israel." David can't believe it. "Me, chosen?" He said, "I'm the man? I'm the one?" "You are the man that God has chosen." Wow! He lives with that, and he goes back to a normal life; but it's really hard. He thinks about that, "How could that be? It seems so far away, so surreal that I don't even know if it will ever happen." Not long after that, Israel was in battle with its dreaded enemy, the Philistines. There's a giant named Goliath, and he is taunting the army of Israel. He said, "Choose a man who will fight. If I defeat him, you will serve us. If he defeats me, we will serve you." Nobody would take him up on the challenge. Goliath's right thigh was bigger than any man in Israel's army. Nobody wanted to face this guy, and David heard the taunting. He said, "Who is this guy to think he can defy the living God? Let me fight him!" Everybody said, "Oh, you're too young! You're too small! You're a boy!" He gets an audience with Saul, and he says, "God was with me when I slew the lion. God was with me when I slew the bear when it tried to attack the sheep, and God will be with me when I slay this uncircumcised Philistine." It's like Saul's eyes were lifted, and he could see that David was the chosen one. He said to David, "You're the man. You're the one God's going to use, and may God be with you," and He was. The rock was slung, it hit the giant, and the giant fell; and David was triumphant, and Israel was triumphant. Then he led him on many military campaigns, victory after victory. There was a parade through the city, and Israel gathered to celebrate their victories. Their territory is enlarging. Their influence is growing. People start singing a spontaneous chant, "King Saul has killed thousands, David has ten thousands." It was like the whole city was rising up and saying, "You are the man!" All the girls wanted to marry him, and all the boys wanted to be him one day, be a warrior like that. When he matured into full-fledged manhood, King Saul died. The people of Judah where he was born said, "We would like you to be our King. We see in you the leadership, the anointing, and the devotion to God that we need in our King. You are the man, David. David, would you be our King?" David humbly accepted. David at age 30 became the King of Judah. The northern kingdom was ruled by Saul's son, Ishbosheth, but he was executed. When he died, the people of Israel said, "David, we see how you reign in righteousness in the South. We remember all of your exploits and all the good things you've done. David, will you be our King too? You are the man! You are the one we have chosen to lead us," and David agrees. Israel is united. It's no longer the North and the South; it's just one country with one King." Then through the Prophet Nathan, God said to David, "You all have homes to live in, and David has a palace to live in, but my Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, lives in a tent. Make a house for me. Make a house for my dwelling, and, David, out of all the people in the world, I choose you to be the one to start building that temple. You will start the plans to build a house for me." God was saying, "You are the man. You are the one I have chosen," so David envisions building a magnificent temple for God. There is a summary verse in 2 Samuel 8:15 (page 303) that talks about this pinnacle of David's life. Let's read it together, "David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people." This is the pinnacle. David is living up to hype. He is a man after God's own heart, and he is governing in righteousness. He is conducting himself with justice, and he is doing his God and his people proud. This is the height of his popularity, the height of his influence, and then things begin to go wrong. David is going to make a series of choices that we're going to look at that cause him to fall from his lofty height that are going to bring his spiritual adviser and friend, Nathan, to his door to tell him a story. David is going to be outraged at that story, and he's going to say, "The man who did this deserves to die," and Nathan will look him in the eyes and say, "You are the man! You're the one I'm talking about." This time you are the man is not a good thing to be. This time you are the man means you are going to bear the guilt and shame of the things that you have done. How will David live with himself? You see, what happened was David sent off his army to battle. Normally, he went with them, but this time he didn't go. For whatever the reason, he didn't go. He stayed home, and he was up on the roof of his palace looking down. He saw a beautiful woman taking a bath on her rooftop. He spied on her and said, "Who is that?" His officials understand where he's coming from, and they say, "Isn't that Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite's wife?" In other words, "David, isn't she married?" [He's asking because] David has all these wives, all these concubines. All the eligible maidens in the kingdom want to be his wife. That's their culture, but he's interested in Bathsheba. "Bathsheba, ha? Bring her to me." So they bring her to the King. Like the woman we saw in our video, she doesn't have a whole lot of choice in the matter. He's King. He's all powerful. He has his way with her, and he sends her home. He wanted her because he wanted her; he had her because he could. She went home crying; she went home in shame and guilt, wondering what she would say to her husband Uriah when he came back from battle. How could she look him in the eye? David goes back to life as normal. Weeks later, news come from Bathsheba-two words in a note, "I'm pregnant." It's not going to just be swept under a rug. David thinks, "What am I going to do?" [He knows] when Uriah comes back from battle and his wife is expecting along with Uriah's knowledge that he's not the father, he's going to start asking questions. If she says, "'David did it,' what are people going to think of me when I'm sleeping with the wives of my own soldiers and impregnating them? What's going to happen to my pole numbers? What will happen to my ratings? I mean I'm the all-Israeli's guy! I'm the one everybody loves and that everybody has this great opinion of. If they find out I did that, they're going to think so poorly of me. I have to do something to protect myself." He sends for a messenger to get Uriah from the field of battle. Uriah doesn't normally report to the King, so he's kinda surprised. He comes to the palace, and he doesn't know if he's done something wrong or what's going on. He said, "How are things going out there in battle anyway, Uriah?" "It's going good, King. Everybody is working hard and sacrificing, and I think we're doing well." "I just wanted to talk to a guy on the field. Normally I talk to Joab, but, you know, it's his job to tell me good things. I wanted to get an objective point of view from somebody on the ground, so it's going really good, ha?" "Yeah, it's going good." "You're a good soldier, Uriah. You're one of my mighty men. You're a good guy. Come, have a meal with me." "Well, okay." He's surprised, and he eats at the King's table. Then the King says, "Go home. Be with your wife. Go home and spend some time with your lovely wife, Bathsheba. She would love to be with you," and the plan is foolproof. He would go be with his wife and nature would take its course. When the baby was born, everybody would remember, "Well, you know, Uriah had that leave of absence. That's how that happened," and David would be off the hook. It would be Uriah's child, and the only ones that would know would be Bathsheba and David. Uriah would never know. They would raise King David's child-foolproof! Uriah said, "No way! No, no, no. While my men are out there in a field fighting and dying, you want me to go home, sleep with my wife, and sleep in my own bed? I won't do it! There's no way I'll do that." Uriah is a man of uprightness and character, and he ends up sleeping outside. David was like, "Ugh! Why do I have to have such good men in my army? I have to come up with another plan," so he invited him back for dinner again. This time, he decides to get him drunk. How do you say no to the King when the King is offering you a drink? "We're getting to know each other as friends-not just King and subject, but as men. Have another one, Uriah." The next thing you know, Uriah is drunk, and he and the King are having a good old time. Uriah said (in a drunken voice), "You're the best King in the world! You are the best King, David. Can I call you David? You are a good King! You lead us into battle, and we win. It's a great country! I'm telling you it's a great country! It's an awesome country!" "Yes, it is a great country, Uriah. You're right." "We have the best country. We have the best God!" "And you have a wonderful wife! Bathsheba's a wonderful wife!" "Oh, Bath! I love Bath! She's the greatest wife you could ever have! She's been with me since I was a kid. I love Bath! I love my wife. I love her, Dave! She's the best!" "You have a great life!" "I have a great life!" "Go home and be with your wife! Tell her you love her. Spend the night with her." Even in a drunken stupor, he has his integrity. He said, "Aww! I can't do that! No, no, no way. I'm not going to do that!" David is like, "I don't know what to do with this guy!" Uriah sleeps outside again. Then David does something very dark. He takes out a piece of paper and writes to Joab on there, "Put Uriah on the frontlines where the battle is the fiercest, and then pull back from him." In other words, "Make sure he dies in battle." He follows the orders of the king, and he gets closer to the wall than he normally would. They kill him. An arrow hits its target, and Uriah dies on the field of battle. A lot of men died as well. Joab sends a messenger back to the King and says, "If David gets upset, if David gets mad because we lost so many men, and if he says, 'Why did Joab get so close to the wall,' then you tell him Uriah the Hittite is dead also," and so he did. David heard the report, and rather than getting mad, he said, "Oh, I understand. These kinds of things happen. Tell Joab he's doing a good job, and tell him I understand. Encourage him to keep up the fight. He's doing great! Encourage him with those words." Problem solved. Uriah is gone. Bathsheba gets the news, and she grieves for her husband. After the period of mourning is done, he takes her home to be his wife. It's a perfect plan. When she has the baby months from now, everybody will know that's David's baby. "That brave man, that hero, has taken the wife of Uriah-he's taken Uriah's widow to be his wife. What a guy! I'm still a popular King. Everybody still loves me. Nobody knows about it. I have a baby; I have a wife." David is in a good mood. All of us right now like David a little bit less than we did when we came here this morning. That's all about to change because a spiritual advisor shows up at the door, and he has a troubled look on his face. "Nathan, what brings you here today?" He says, "I have a story to tell you, King." David said, "Please, tell me. What kind of a story?" Nathan's telling this not as a Parable, but he's telling this as if it really happened. He's telling him news of something that happened. Based on the response [Nathan gets, he realizes] you don't get this mad when you're hearing a make-believe story. David thinks this is real. When he hears the outcome of the story, he wants justice. Let's look at 2 Samuel 12:1 (page 305 of pew Bibles), Nathan tells this to David: "'There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.' "'Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.' "David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, 'As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.' "Then Nathan said to David, 'You are the man!'" You are the one in the story. You are the rich man. At first there's a look of shock, "What are you talking about?" Then he begins to share things that only God would know, things that Nathan didn't know, things that nobody else knew-details of the story. David then knows that Nathan is talking to him as the voice of God. How would you feel if somebody confronted you and started telling you all of your sins that they would have no way of knowing, that nobody else knew? They said, "God said to tell you this…" David starts to feel this sense of guilt and shame. He probably put his head down as he listened to what he said. Nathan said, "This time 'you are the man' is not a good thing." Verse 7, "'I anointed you King over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms…'" after Saul died. "'I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the Word of the Lord by doing what is evil in His eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'" What does the sword mean? The sword cuts and divides, and the sword kills. There will be divisions and death in the house of David. That is a consequence of his sin. "'This is what the Lord says: "Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you."'" He would have one son sleep with his half-sister, and when the other son found out about it, he killed his brother. One son killed another son. Another son would try to be king, and David would advocate his throne. He would go into the throne, and he would sleep with his concubines in broad daylight. His name was Absalom. Another son later on will ascend to the throne only to be killed by another son, Solomon. David's family is going to be in disarray in his life in a downward spiral. There are going to be heavy consequences to pay for his actions. "'"Before your very eyes, I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight."' "Then David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the Lord.' "Nathan replied, 'The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.'" Then Nathan went home. For a moment, David just took it all in. He took in the consequences. Have you ever had the consequences of your actions hit you square between the eyes? All of the sudden you're confronted with what your choices have done, the bed you now have to lie in, and it just seems overwhelming to you. "What am I going to do? Every time I walk by my wife, Bathsheba, and she is crying because her soul mate is dead, I know it's my fault." How do you live with that kind of guilt? How do you live with yourself when the soldiers come back and they mourn their fallen soldiers? There's a funeral for those who died in that battle that day, and you know you, the King, were supposed to look after them, and you killed them? How do you live with yourself? Sometimes song writers write their best songs when they go through heartache and tragedy. Poem writers will write their best poems when they've gone through some sort of a loss. David is no exception. David gets out a piece of paper and a pen, and he starts to write. He starts to write a song of repentance to God. As he's writing this song, his tears are falling down and it's staining the ink. This is a song many of us have read, and many of us have read and said to God while praying when we went through a time of repentance. Let's open our Bibles up to Psalm 51 (page 562 of pew Bibles). Let's see how David dealt with this sin. How would he break free? We're going to find that David deals with the past, the present, and the future. The first thing that David does is he writes this Psalm. In Verse 1, he takes responsibility for his past. I want you to notice how many times he says my sin, the word my. "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are proved right when You speak and justified when You judge." He takes ownership for his sins. Number one is you take ownership for your actions, the consequences of your actions, and what you have done. You say, "I did this. Here's what I've done." You don't own false guilt. Sometimes we will do things, people will blame us, and they're not our fault. That's called false guilty. Or they'll put shame on you that isn't your shame; that's called toxic shame. They make you think it's your fault; they make you think it's your guilt; they make you think it's your shame, but it's not. We'll talk a lot about that when we get to reconciliation. You have to ask God for discernment and say, "When this is something I've done and take responsibility for" or "is this something somebody's tried to put on me that's not my fault at all? This belongs to somebody else." So that is number one: I own, I confess, I say this is mine, and I deal with the consequences of that sin. David was going to reap many consequences for what he did. He said, "It's nobody's fault but mine. I failed you, God, and here's what I did." The second step in that process of forgiving yourself is to come to terms with the reality of the present. The first step looks at what I did. This question says, "What now? Now that I've done this, what do I do next? How do I get rid of this shame and guilt?" The answer is forgiveness. Those same steps we did when we talked about forgiving others, we have to apply to ourselves. You see, here's the dilemma that David faced. In psychology it's called cognitive dissidence. Have you heard that term before? Cognitive dissidence is when you say, "Here is my ideal self. Here are the rules I have set for myself. Here is the kind of person I want to be." Then we say, "Over here is the person I am. Here's my ideal self. Here's my real self." If those are close together, there isn't as much dissidence or distance. If I set a high standard for myself, high rules for myself, and I pretty much live by those as David did at one time, there isn't a lot of dissidence there. There's healthy self-esteem. I'm less likely to deal with depression, less likely to feel anxiety; but the greater the dissidence, the greater the distance between my ideal and my real, is going to cause some psychological problems for me. When I'm not living up to my own standards of the kind of person I should be, that causes stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem in a person's life. Here he wants to be this great King, and so far all he has done is become this great King. Everybody has told him what a great King he is, and now he's confronted with the reality when he looks in the mirror of "I'm a murderer, a conspirator, a liar, and an adulterer." Here is who I expect myself to be in ideal life, and here is who I am right here. Now all of the sudden, there is this huge gap in his life. Maybe you've had that gap. Here is the kind of husband I want to be. Here's the kind of son or daughter, the wife, the mother or father, the friend I want to be-the Christian; and here is what I've become. How do you bridge that gap? How do you bridge that dissidence? It's through forgiveness. There is a saying I want to share with you about forgiveness. It says, "Forgiveness is letting go of the hope for a better past." David had to let go of this image, "I'm going to be this king. I'm going to be a man after God's own heart. I'm always going to live for God. I'm always going to do what's right." Now he has to come to the realization that there's going to be a blot on his record. God can forgive him, but no matter what happens, "I killed innocent people-my own men. I killed one of my own soldiers to have his wife. I slept with his wife. I've committed adultery and murder. No matter what happens from here on out, I'm not the King that I thought I was, not the person I thought I was." To give up the hope of a better past is to come to terms with what happened and "now what am I going to do?" I think it's important for us to extract from last week one of those five points. Remember we identified five obstacles for unforgiveness. We said, "If you're struggling, you're probably struggling with at least one or more of these obstacles. Identify the obstacle that's giving you the most problems and work on that." Remember that message? The last obstacle was a failure to see the whole person. We said we sometimes have a difficulty forgiving when we fail to see the whole person. We said unforgiveness is like taking a snapshot of a person at their worst. We said it's like if you woke up in the morning and before combing your hair-ladies, before you could put on your makeup; guys, before you could shave-you just woke up and still have bed face, you still have eye boogers; you don't look very good, [someone snaps your picture]. You may have that baggy eye look that you see I have most of the time; you have it in the morning. You wake up, and somebody says, "Good morning!" snap, and takes a picture. You say, "Ahh!!" They put it on Facebook, and they say, "This is you!" Everybody looks at that and says, "Oh, my!" You say, "That'd be terrible!" Some of you have yearbook pictures like that. You showed up at school, and you didn't know it was picture day. "Oh, no!" Snap, and there you are. Your kids see your old yearbook, "Mom, Dad, can I look?" "Oh, no, don't look at that!" Forever you're in the yearbook with this awful picture that people would look at and say, "That's you? Oh, man. Sorry!" You have this snapshot of you at your worst and say, "Well, this is me." We say that's what unforgiveness is. Unforgiveness takes a snapshot of you at your worst and says, "This is you." The Bible says that Satan is the accuser of the brother. Have you ever had him take a snapshot of you when you were at your worst and had it put in front of your eyes to say, "This is you. How can you be a Christian when you did this? How can you claim to love God when you said that? How can you be a Christian with the way you treated those people?" You're forced to confront that image. Maybe you have a person in your life who likes to continually bring up the past. They're always saying, "You ruined my life! You did this! You did that!" Year after year, they're always bringing up that photograph of you at your worst and saying, "This is you," to the point where that comes to define who you are. We talked about Jared Loughner, the man who shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in the head. The bullet went through her brain, and she survived. She's recovering, but a little girl died, a judge died, and a staffer died; others were injured. His mug shot appeared for the country to see, and we looked into his face and saw a monster. Look at those eyes; they look crazy. He has that creepy smile like Charles Manson. We say, "That guy is evil. That guy's a monster." There is only so long we can look at that. It's just creepy. That picture defines him for us. We see this man who is a monster. He killed a child. He did awful things, but when his mom and dad or his best friends look at that picture, do they see a monster? They think of him as a baby. His mom and dad think of him riding his bike, growing up, laughing and being a normal kid because they knew him before he was a mass murderer. They knew him before the country hated him. He is someone they love. That photograph does not define that man for his parents and his friends. Friends, that event that you are so ashamed of and so embarrassed about that you don't want to tell a soul about-that does not define you either. By unforgiveness, you keep that in your forefront, and you look at that from time to time and say, "That is me." I would say, "Yes, that was you for that moment, but that does not define you in your totality." God said to David through Nathan, "I forgive you. You will not die" because God knew that that was not all David was. Yes, he was an adulterer; yes he did commit murder, but he had been a good son, a good brother, a good soldier, a good King, a good follower, and he will be again. So David focuses on the present. You notice that in these verses? He said in Verse 5, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely You desire truth in my inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place." Right now, I need truth more than anything else. Right now, I need God to teach me. "Cleanse me with hyssop…" That was a plant in which you used for medicinal purposes or to sprinkle blood during religious ceremonies. I need the blood applied to my soul "and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." I need forgiveness. "Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice." I need some good news right now. "Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast Spirit within me." I need renewal; I need forgiveness; I need grace. "Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me." I need your presence in my life right now, God. As he came to the reality of his sin and he looked at the snapshot of who he was, he said, "God, I need Your forgiveness and Your grace right now. I need Your pardon right now." This step looks at that in all of its ugliness. God has called you to release yourself just like you release those who hate you. I was very close with my mom, and I still love my mom very much. I think about her often. She was a great support to me, and I tried to be a good son to her. When she was just diagnosed with her Alzheimer's, I made a decision that hurt her. I caused her pain, and I felt terrible for that. As her mind digressed and she began to lose her memory and eventually pass away, I was like, "What do I do with this anger at myself, with this grief, this guilt? What do I do with this?" I was driving down the interstate this week, driving home after dropping off my daughter. We have a big group of our people and our girls at a dance competition in Chicago. They did excellent, by the way. I was driving home, and I was thinking about the woman's testimony that we're going to show and I was thinking about what I did. I was thinking about some of the guilt and shame I carry with me, and I started to pray. I said, "God, You know how much I love my mom. You know how much I thought of providing for her and protecting her. You know what a good son I was to her. You know this bad decision I made, and You know how badly I feel about it. I've asked You to forgive me, and right now, in Jesus' name, I forgive myself. I release myself." I let go of the hope of a better past. This is what I did. I hurt somebody I loved, but I said, "Lord, that does not define me as a son. I was a good son before that event, and I was a good son to her after that event. I watched over her, and I made decisions. I cared for her, and I loved her until she died. That event is not going to define my relationship with my mom anymore. Lord, I forgive myself. I release myself." I was crying. I know if she were here, she would release her son today. I know that's made a difference in me, and I'm not saying I won't deal with some of that stuff again; but I know that was a healthy and right thing to do. That was good for me. Some of you need to take some steps like that, but here's the good news: when I've taken responsibility for my past, that which is truly my fault; I've confessed my sin; I've dealt with the consequences; I've asked for God's forgiveness; and I've forgiven myself, then the good stuff happens. Then I have the hope for redemption in the future. I still have the hope for a better future that I can turn my life around, that I can be a different person, that I can have a new start because of the grace of God. That will not define me anymore. That's the third point: it's the redemption of the future, trusting for the redemption of the future. I want you to notice the turn now it takes as he closes out this Psalm in Verse 12 (again, page 562). Everything is future-minded. "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation…" in the future. Restore that joy. "…grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." I want to keep moving forward. I want to keep growing as a person. Right now, I feel like giving up. Sustain me. "Then I will teach…" in the future. "…I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will turn back to You." I will prevent people from doing what I have done, and the people that have done what I've done, I will help bring them back to God. I'm going to be a changed man in the future because of Your help. "Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me..." What does that mean? That's the people who he killed. That's Uriah and the fellow soldiers that he had killed on that wall. That's bloodguilt. Their blood is on his hands. Save me from bloodguilt. "…my tongue then will sing of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise." In the future when I'm forgiven, when I'm healed, and when I'm cleansed, words of truth and life will come from my mouth, and I will praise Your name. He looks forward to the day of redemption. Friends, that can be your future too. It doesn't matter what your past has been. If you'll follow those steps of forgiveness and forgive yourself, your future will be better than your past. You can know what it's like to know that freedom-not only having God's forgiveness or the forgiveness of others, but to forgive yourself. Let's pray together: Father, we're thankful for the woman who had the courage to share her story in front of the camera. She went through the same steps that we saw David go through. When David wrote the Psalm we just read, he was at the lowest point of his life. In years to come, he would experience the consequences in his family-the pain of death. The one thing he would know is he'd remember the words of Nathan where You said he was forgiven. Lord, You restored him, and that would no longer define him, but it would be about redemption. You would change his story. I want you to pray this prayer with me this morning if you have guilt and shame and need to forgive yourself. "Father, I come to You in Jesus' name. Lord, I've confessed my sin to You, and I've asked for Your forgiveness. I know You've forgiven me, but I've not forgiven myself. Today, Lord, I pray that in Jesus' name, I can forgive myself. I release myself of that debt. It does not define me as a person. It does not define that relationship. Lord, I look forward to a future of restoration that You will give me. You'll cause my heart to rejoice and my mouth to praise. I take this action today in Your name." Lord, all around this church; everybody is living through their story, their drama, and working through their past. They're coming to the terms of their reality. Lord, You're helping us all. When we emerge through this process, we will be a stronger church because we will be healthier individuals. You're going to repair our relationship with You, with others, and with ourselves. Thank You for the things that You are teaching us and showing us and for how Your Word is changing us from the inside out. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Pastor Jeff Williams: February 20, 2011 Living Debt-Free, Part III, Why Do I Forgive?

Pastor Jeff Williams: February 13, 2011 Living Debt-Free, Part II, "What Is Forgiveness?" We're starting a new series, as you can see from the image behind me and on the wall over here. It's called, "Living Debt Free." We're not talking financially. It's not a financial seminar. We are talking about debt in the sense of the words of Christ when He said in His prayer, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." This is the moral debt that you and I incur in our lifetime. When we transgress, when we sin, there is moral debt that we owe. We wrong one another in life. People have wronged you, so what do we do with this debt? Do we allow it to accumulate, or do we remove it? If we remove it, how do we go about that? The way we remove it is through forgiveness. Before we actually get into the Scripture and start talking about forgiveness and what it is, I thought it would be good to try to see it first. I think if you can see it, then it enables you to receive the teaching better because there is a clear visual that you can focus in on. One of my favorite actors is Liam Neeson. I don't know if you like him or not, but he's probably my favorite actor. He played the part of Oskar Schindler in "Schindler's List." He plays the voice of Aslan in "The Chronicles of Narnia." He was in "Star Wars." He did a film called "Les Misérables." You may have read the book "Less Miserables," (Pastor pronouncing it phonically). In "Les Misérables," he is an ex-convict who is on the path to redemption. In this particular scene, he seeks shelter and food at the home of a bishop. He is appreciative; but at the same time, he has no money. He knows he can't stay there forever, so it looks like he's going to enter back into a life of crime. That's all he knows. It's what he wants to do. He wants to be a good person. He wants to be a new man, but because he has no job, because he's alone, all he knows how to do is steal. It looks like he's about to return to a life of crime. Let's go ahead and watch this clip from the movie, "Les Misérables," and then we'll talk about forgiveness: (link can be found here: http://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/les-miserables/back-to-god). That is pretty powerful stuff: "I've ransomed you from fear and hatred, and now I give you back to God. With this silver, I have bought your soul." This is an act of forgiveness, an act of grace. Biblically, you've heard a lot of definitions for forgiveness over the years. I want to give you a very simple, easy-to-remember definition of forgiveness. The word forgive in the Scripture literally means to let go, to release. In releasing Jean Valjean, he was forgiving him. He was giving him a new start. He was sending him on the path to redemption. He was saying, "You're past is gone. You have a fresh start. You're going to be a different person." Have you been following the news about Egypt? It's been riveting television. I happened to catch a couple key moments. You're watching revolution right before your eyes. I saw the clashes of the demonstrators with the police and how horrific that was. I saw the loss of life there. It was just gut-wrenching to watch. The people basically said, "We're not going to leave. We are going to topple this dictator, so we're going to clog up the streets of the biggest city in our country. We're going to leave our jobs and basically bring the economy to a halt. This number is going to keep growing and growing until you step down." Then when he refused to step down, rather than retaliating in violence and looting, they began to shout chants of peace. They also began saying to him, "Get out! Get out! We're not leaving! You leave!" Then he finally stepped down, and the military took over. The first thing they say-I don't know if you caught that story or not-is "you need to forgive the police. You need to respect the police and forgive the police. We are one country. We are one people, and we want a new start. We can't have a new start if we're fighting each other." The police were doing their jobs. They were taking orders, but now there will be a new government in place, and "you need to respect the police." I checked the news today, this morning before I came, and it showed the police and the protestors hand in hand, hugging each other, and shouting, "We are one! We are one people!" That's amazing! That's forgiveness in action. They said, "We're going to let go!" It's not saying they aren't going to go after Mubarak for justice, but they were saying, "We're going to forgive these events of the past because we want a new start!" Therefore, to forgive means to let go. I want to read a couple of Scriptures. I'm not going to talk about them per se, but I just want to read them at this point. I'd like us to turn in our Bibles to Ephesians 4:31-32 (page 1159 of pew Bibles). Paul writes and says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger…" Let it go. "…brawling and slander, along with every form of malice." Release those things. How do you do that? "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you." In Matthew 6:14-15 (page 960), we read the Lord's Prayer, but seldom do we read the Verses that came immediately after Jesus' teaching on prayer. Verse 14 says, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." So, having read those two Passages, let's talk about some of the attributes of forgiveness. We define forgiveness as letting go, releasing. What does that look like? What are the attributes and characteristics involved? What are we doing when we engage in forgiveness? What I'm going to do is take the word forgive and assign a word to each letter as a memory device to help us remember these facets of forgiveness. Of course, we're going to start with F which stands for Freedom. Notice the image (put up on screen), the exuberance of this individual. This individual acts as if he/she is being set free, like he or she is liberated or a load has been lifted-quite the opposite of the image we were using in the last series that we went through. This is a person who feels a new sense of life. Notice the green color there. It stands for a newness of life, for a new start that forgiveness can bring to an individual or to a relationship. As I contemplate this series, my mind keeps going back to an event that happened about five years ago when a lone gunman walked into an Amish schoolhouse. He made the little boys leave. Then because he was angry that God had taken his young child from him years ago, he took that anger against God out on those innocent little children and began shooting them. He killed many of them in cold blood. The nation was shocked with that story. Who would do such a thing? What kind of a demon could do something like that? The news began spreading quickly, but the response from the Amish also shocked the world as well. Do you recall what they did? They showed up at the home of the widow and offered her forgiveness. They said, "We forgive your husband, and we're here for you. We can't imagine how difficult it was for you to lose your husband, to lose the father of your children. We're praying for you, we love you, and we want to support you." The world could not believe what they were seeing. When the funeral (for the murderer) came a few days later, not many people showed up-the wife, the children, and just a handful of people. Then, literally while the funeral was getting set to begin, on foot, over the hill in mass came the Amish community. Like the cavalry coming over the hill, they came hand-in-hand to support that widow and her family and to show forgiveness. One of the things you couldn't see that was behind the scenes was a family [that had lost a daughter, a sister] that was really struggling. The wife was struggling; the daughter was struggling, and she was angry with her dad because she saw his forgiveness as a betrayal to her little sister. She said, "How could you forgive him, Daddy? He took my sister! He killed my sister! How can we forgive him? I hate him! I hate him, Daddy!" The father put his arm around the little girl and said, "Honey, how does that hate inside of you feel? How does it feel?" She said, "It doesn't feel good! I don't like it, Daddy! It doesn't feel good!" He was trying to describe what hate and unforgiveness do to a person, and he gave this little girl a word picture, which is as profound for us adults as I think it would be for a little child. He said, "Hate is like a monster that lives inside of you with sharp teeth. It will eat away at your heart until there is no room left for love." How is that for a vivid word picture of hate? It's like a monster living inside of you with sharp teeth that will eat away at your heart until there is no room left for love. What this father was trying to do was liberate his family from bitterness and hate. He wanted her to experience the freedom that we see portrayed in this image on the wall. Paul is saying, "I don't want you to be burdened by bitterness and malice hatred, slander and rage." He said, "That's going to destroy you. That's going to kill you." Paul is saying, "Let it go. Get rid of it. I want you to be free. If you have had a heart that has been dark and cold because of hatred, bitterness, and unresolved anger, and you are able to release that, there is a freedom that is there." I am not debt-free. I hope to be debt-free someday. I hope to say, "Someday I will own my house free and clear. I don't have a loan in the world." I'm not there yet. If you're there now, we don't want to see your hands because we will all hate you, and then we'll have to practice forgiveness against you; so don't raise your hand if you're a show-off. "I have no debts!" We don't want to hear about it. But…how about the joy of the soul who is debt-free in the spiritual sense-who knows, number one, his or her sins are forgiven and covered by the grace of God? And, number two, they have forgiven those who have wronged them. What kind of a joy and a freedom is there to say you are living a debt-free life? "I am forgiven, and I have forgiven." Just like being financially debt-free, being morally debt-free is a place we would all like to be, right? So I think we're in the right place. The O in forgiveness stands for Obedience. When Paul gives us the command to forgive in Ephesians 4, it's in what is called the imperative mood. It's always in the imperative mood. In the Greek, the imperative mood means this is a command. It's not a suggestion. God doesn't say, "It'd be a nice idea if you could forgive. If you get around to it-if you have some time-would you consider taking this step? We don't want to tell you what to do. I don't want to be pushy, but I think it would be kinda nice if you could maybe forgive somebody." That's not what God is saying. God is issuing a command that we either obey or disobey. We have to make a choice. Oftentimes, that choice is inconsistent with our feelings. Is it not? You might say, "Well, I feel like if I make a choice that's against my feelings, I'm going to be a hypocrite." Well, maybe you didn't feel like coming to church this morning, but you're here. Maybe you felt like sleeping in. Maybe when the alarm rings tomorrow and it's time to go to work, you won't feel like going; but you're going to go, right? When you get to work, there probably won't be anyone who is going to call you a hypocrite for having done so because you have a job to do. You have responsibilities, and the consequence for missing work is that you could lose your job. If you lose your job, you'll lose your income. If you lose your income, bad things will happen to you. Pretty soon, you won't have a roof over your head or food to eat. You, therefore, make a choice contrary to your feelings. That is what forgiveness is-it's an act of obedience. It is an act of our will. It doesn't mean our feelings aren't important or that we shouldn't address our feelings. We'll talk about that in a while, but understand that forgiveness is commanded of God. It is not optional for us. It is His expectation of us, so we are to be kind and forgive one another as God in Christ has forgiven you. That reminds me of the R. The R stands for Reciprocal. Do you notice when it talks about forgiveness in the Scripture, it's always reciprocal? You can forgive because God has forgiven you. "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." It's reciprocal. In Matthew's Parable 18, "The Unforgiving Servant," he chooses not to forgive. The King, who stands for God in the Parable, says to him, "I forgave you of so much. Shouldn't you have forgiven this man here? Ephesians 4:31-32, that we just read, "Forgive one another as God in Christ has forgiven you." Our ability to forgive is because God has forgiven us. It is reciprocal. It's a mutual thing. Understand because you have received grace, God expects you to extend grace as well; so forgiveness is reciprocal. Fourthly, G-it's a Gift. Forgiveness is a Gift. When Jean Valjean received the candlesticks and the silverware from the bishop, that act was more than a monetary, material gift. It was a spiritual gift. It was the opportunity for a new start. When the Amish extended forgiveness to this woman and her family, it was a gift. She remarked to them, "Your forgiveness is not only changing my family. Your forgiveness is going to change the world. It is a gift." When God forgives you, it is a gift. It is not something you've deserved or earned. It is because of His grace. You and I have the opportunity to give the gift of forgiveness to those who have wronged us. In fact, we are obligated to do so-the gift of forgiveness. We have the opportunity in return to receive that gift and complete that gift for others. Let's talk about the I in Forgiveness for a moment. The I stands for Imitate. You are never more like your Father in Heaven than when you forgive. Paul says, "As God in Christ has forgiven you…" When you forgive, you are imitating the Lord. You are imitating His nature, His character. Sometimes you and I get angry if a stranger bumps into us in the grocery store. He may say, "Excuse me," but you get a little miffed and think, "Well, you're clumsy. Watch where you're going!" Well, how about Jesus? He looked down from the cross at the people who deliberately pulled out His beard, put a crown of thorns on His head, spit on Him and beat Him. They'd stretched out His arms, nailed His hands, and nailed His feet to a cross. They lifted it to the ground and continued to mock, jeer, ridicule, and scorn; and what was His response? "Father, I hate them! Father, destroy them for what they've done!" Is that what Jesus says? The heart of the Savior, even on the cross, was one of forgiveness. He said, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do." So when you and I forgive, we are imitating our Father. That's what we're called to do as Christians. We're called to walk as He walked; so as believers in Christ, we're called to be imitators of our Heavenly Father. We do that when we forgive. The V stands for Vital. This is Vital. Let's look at Matthew 6:14 (page 960) again for a moment. Let's read that Scripture one more time, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you…" Notice he says when. It's not a matter of if they will sin against us. "…your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." That's a pretty ominous Scripture, isn't it? Isn't that a rather scary Scripture if you are in the process of digging in your heals and saying, "I choose not to forgive. I choose to hold on to my anger and my bitterness and hatred. I like it. I'm going to keep it." At the same token, you expect God to impart His grace to you? Jesus says it doesn't work that way. He's saying, "Listen, the most important relationship you have is your relationship with your Heavenly Father whether you realize it or not." It determines where you spend eternity. It determines your moral state, your spiritual condition. Jesus says if you want to have a healthy relationship with the Lord, if you want to be morally debt-free, then you need to forgive others as He's forgiven you. This is absolutely vital, it's absolutely essential to your spiritual well-being. That's why we're not having a one-time shot in this series. We're not saying, "Okay, I'm going to preach on it one Sunday, and then we'll be done." Actually, this series is going to bring us into spring. Doesn't that sound good? It will bring us into spring. We're going to spend a lot of time talking about this subject and trying to look at it from various angles. We're going to go deep into the subject. The goal is not to accumulate head knowledge. The goal is that it will rejuvenate our relationships, but most importantly, it will bring us closer to the Lord. That's what we all want. He says, "It is vital that you understand this. Do you want to be forgiven? Do you want God's grace?" It's not "I want grace for me and I want justice for you." It doesn't work that way. This is vital for us to understand. I want to spend some time on this last point, on the E, because I think sometimes this is an area of teaching on forgiveness that is overlooked. The E stands for Emotional. To forgive is emotional. Look at what Paul is telling us to release. He says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and malice." What do each of those words conjure up? Strong emotions. When you talk about rage, have you ever been filled with rage before? I'm sure those parents, as they began to deal with what happened to their children, were filled with rage. When the police were beating the people in Egypt for simply wanting freedom, when Mubarak refused to step down, there was rage. Some of them shouted, "We hate you! We hate you!" in unison and rage, anger, and bitterness. Bitterness is anger that's been seething, brewing, and boiling for a while. We are talking deep-seeded emotions here. We are talking emotions and feelings that don't easily go away, do they? They don't easily go away. Sometimes I think because in the church we teach, and rightly so, that forgiveness is a decision, an act of the will, that we oftentimes bypass emotions that need to be addressed. I believe forgiveness is a process we go through. I think when the Amish said to the widow, "We forgive you," that what they were saying was, "We are beginning the process of forgiveness." It's like when you set a bone in place. You broke a bone. Does that heal it when you set it? No, but it aligns the bone so that healing can take place. I believe when there has been an egregious act that has been committed against us, and we say the words, "I forgive you," we are saying, "I'm entering into the process." Friends, forgiveness can be messy, and it can be hard. If you suppress the emotions that you have, then you are doing so to your own determent. What I'm suggesting to you is not that we allow emotions to dictate our actions and dictate our decisions. What I'm saying to you is those emotions need to be acknowledged, they need to be expressed, and they need to be worked through. That is part of the forgiving process. Sometimes I think Christians aren't allowed to be angry. We're not allowed to grieve. The offense happens, and some think instantaneously we should say, "Okay, I forgive you. I'm going to forget about it and put it out of my mind." In the meantime, all of these emotions are underneath the surface just churning away. I would like to recite for you the example of our Lord and how He dealt with emotions concerning the Passion Week. We're not going to be looking at the Scripture right now. I'm just going to be telling you the story. It's a story you're familiar with. He takes Peter, James, and John into the Garden. He goes deep into the Garden, and He says, "Pray with Me. My soul is deeply distressed and troubled to the point of death." He says, "I am just heavy of soul right now. I am heavy of Spirit right now." He understands that in a few short moments, He is going to bear sin. Evil is going to be placed upon Him. He understands He is going to go through immense physical, mental, spiritual torment and anguish. He tells the Disciples, "Pray with Me." When the Disciples fail to pray with Him, He is disappointed. He really feels rejected by them, and what does He say? Does He play mind games with them? Does He give them the silent treatment so they then have to ask Him, "What's wrong, Jesus?" or "You know…" No, He tells them straightforward, "You've really let Me down. Couldn't you pray with Me for one hour?" Then He goes and speaks to His Father. He says, "Father, if there be another way, let this cup pass from Me." What is He feeling? He's feeling some anxiety, some apprehension. There is fear of this cross that He has to bear. "I've known My whole life that I have to bear this cross, but now I'm at that moment. Father, is there another way?" And He was so anxious that He questioned the Father three times with the same prayer. He expresses that to the Lord. On the cross, He feels abandonment. He says, "My God! My God! Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" He feels alone in His time of greatest need. He cries out to the Father, "Why hast thou forsaken Me?" I'm quoting the Scripture of Psalm 22, the prophetic Messianic Psalm. How do we know the emotions that Jesus experienced during that Passion Week? How do we know them? They are recorded for us. Why are they recorded for us? Because He expressed them. He expressed His anger; He expressed His disappointment; He expressed His fear; He expressed His anxiety; He expressed His distress. Did He allow those emotions to keep Him from going to the cross? No. Did He allow those emotions to come down from the cross? No. He stayed the course; He finished the work that God had given Him to do. He went to the cross, He endured the suffering, and He died. He accomplished the mission. At the same token, there were emotions that He had to acknowledge, express, and deal with. He did not allow those emotions to detour Him from His mission. He made the correct choices in spite of His emotions and feelings; yet, He acknowledged those and dealt with those. His decision to offer forgiveness to those who were destroying His life-was that an emotion or was that a decision? Friends, what I'm saying to you is I think one of the most unhealthy things we could do when somebody has really hurt us, would be for us to just robotically say, "I forgive you. Forget about it. Move on." That is doing a disservice to you, and it is doing a disservice to the process of forgiveness. Forgiveness is work; forgiveness is hard. It's hard because there are a lot of emotions and memories that surface that we have to deal with in this process. It's messy. If you're sitting out there and saying, "Boy, they have an easy time forgiving. Why is it so hard for me?" Sometimes it's such a struggle. Some of those feelings of anger come back, and some of those memories come back, "I'm starting to feel some of the same emotions. What's wrong with me?" I'd say, "What's right with you? You're doing it correctly. If it's hard, you're doing it correctly because you're fighting that." If you give into those feelings and emotions and allow the bitterness and rage to take you, I'm not saying you're doing it correctly; but if you find those thoughts, feelings, and emotions begin to resurface and you have to again start to work through this forgiveness process, I'd say to you, "You're doing things right." We acknowledge those. Forgiveness is emotional. Is it an act of the will? Yes. Is it obedience? Yes. But because we are human beings, there is a lot we have to sort through and work through. That's part of the process, and that's what we're going to be doing in the weeks ahead-talking about what it is and next week, we're going to start talking about, I believe, how you do it-the nuts and bolts of it and how we can get to that point of being able to release those who have wronged us. Eventually, we're going to get to the point where we talk about reconciliation which is quite different. It's related to the topic, but it's quite different in how it is expressed; so if that sounds like a plan, we'll plan on meeting here again next week. Deal? Same time, same place. Let's pray: Father, we thank You for what Your Word says about forgiveness. I am not making up what I've said. It is not my opinion. I am conveying to this congregation what You have said about forgiveness, why it is important, and what it is. I pray that we, as a body, would commit to learning all we can about this subject, but that, Lord, there will be some changes in our lives. There are going to be some people who we forgive. There are going to be some people who we confess to. There is going to be some reconciliation when it is healthy and right to do so. I pray that would be the fruit of our time together, but most importantly, we can enter into "Debt-Free Living." We will know our sins are forgiven, we have forgiven those who have sinned against us, and that, Lord, our relationship with You is unhindered. We can have that freedom of soul and spirit. We commit ourselves to that end. In Jesus' name, Amen. F-Freedom O-Obedience R-Reciprocal G-Gift I-Imitate V-Vital E-Emotional