How do you move from wherever you are now to financial freedom?

Reading Time 4 mins 30 secs –

God wants you to be able to:

Dream dreams — BIG dreams!.

Walk out the calling He has on your life.

Do the things He prompts you to do, like pay for someone’s gas or groceries, sponsor a child who needs help, advance the Kingdom….

How much time do you spend doing any of these things ⇧⇧⇧ when you’re worried about paying your bills or having enough just to get by each week?

So many people are under great stress in their financial situations because of debt.

Debt steals your peace by demanding more and more of your labor, of your life.

Debt keeps you from fully serving God.

Debt keeps you from following the path God has for your life.

Debt keeps you enslaved.

That’s why I talk about money and finances.

The enemy has schemes and tricks designed to put us into servitude to debt or anything else we’ve made a master in our lives. He wants us strapped financially so we don’t have the freedom or time to have relationships with God and the people we love, or to do what God is calling us to do.

I talk about money and finances because I care about your freedom, friend— your freedom to follow God, to make choices, and to pursue your dreams and your God-designed destiny as YOU desire, not as your bills and debt dictate.

That’s why you’ll also frequently hear me share my story.

The Bible says that God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). That means He doesn’t play favorites. What God has done for Drenda and me, He will do for you.

Research tells us that most people need to hear/read/see a message between 18 and 20 times before they really get it. So Drenda and I keep sharing—for you and for anyone who hasn’t heard the Good News of the Gospel and the Kingdom principles that completely changed our lives, so that you can GET it and live FREE too.

See, Drenda and I know what it’s like to feel hopeless.

When we were first married, we had no money. In fact, we borrowed $500 from a friend to even get married, so we really started out in debt. We lived on commissions from my work at an insurance company, but my commissions just weren’t enough to keep up with life.

Not knowing better at the time, we started using credit cards to buy what we needed. Then, when we ran out of credit card options, we used finance company loans to consolidate those cards. When money got tight again, we’d get new credit cards.

We also had two car loans. Then, of course, we bought a house, which we didn’t really qualify for. Drenda’s parents loaned us the down payment, and my boss wrote a letter, which actually exaggerated our income, to the mortgage company. The mortgage company approved the loan. But when the first payment came due, we didn’t have it.

We scraped by. And when things broke, we used more debt.

Then, there were taxes. Working on commission means you pay your own taxes, and since we didn’t have the money to pay them, I didn’t file. I really thought I’d get around to it when the money was there. But the money just never was there.

Eventually, we had to file, and we ended up owing thousands of dollars, which led to tax liens and extreme stress.

After just six years of marriage, we had accumulated 10 maxed out and canceled credit cards, two car loans on old run-down and broken cars, three finance company loans at 23% interest each, judgments filed against us, and thousands of dollars in tax liens. On top of that, we owed our parents tens of thousands of dollars, which we had borrowed from them just to survive.

Life was horribly stressful, and I was having trouble coping.

I ended up having panic attacks and being put on antidepressants. One day, I woke up to find my body paralyzed. I couldn’t move. Fear had a death grip on me. I lived so stressed out that I even became afraid to leave my house. Drenda even began to plan how she and our children would survive.

It was hell on earth. I wasn’t living life. I wasn’t at peace. I couldn’t even rest, let alone dream dreams, walk out the call God had placed on my life, or do even little things to help others financially. I had no freedom.

Fixing our situation looked impossible. We were beyond desperate. We knew we must have been missing something.

And that was when God revealed several life-changing things to us.

First, He told me that we trusted debt and the world’s system more than we had trusted in His Word and His Kingdom.

God said, “Take the time to learn how My Kingdom operates. Most of My church is in the same situation that you are … I want my people free financially. ”

We went from financial ruin to being completely debt free over the next two and a half years!

I can’t even describe how that feels. We went from feeling completely hopeless to the elation of being able to pay cash for our new cars, building and paying for our dream home, and prospering at a level where we were actually giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to various ministry projects around the world.

We’re not exaggerating whatsoever when we say our lives drastically changed. Our memories of those nine dark years gave us a passion to teach people about the Kingdom of God.

Drenda and I are on a mission to help people all around the world experience the same financial freedom that we experienced.

YOU can be financially free too.

That’s why we frequently share our story, and why I frequently talk about money.

As a friend of Faith Life Now, we want to help you.

Financial freedom doesn’t just happen. We’ve been there. There are some steps to take. It will take some work. There will be a price involved, and it may take you some time.

But know this… Your FREEDOM is worth it.

So, how do you get there? How do you move from wherever you are now to financial freedom?

#1 You have to learn what the Bible says about money and how to apply the financial
principles of the Kingdom to your life.

Matthew 6:33 tells us that if we seek His Kingdom first, “all of these things will be given to you as well.” If we take the time to see knowledge regarding His Kingdom and how it works, then we can access it and walk in it. For your life to change financially, you must take the time to study, write down, dissect, and understand the function of the laws that govern the Kingdom of God, specifically in the area of finances.

#2 You have to make important practical decisions to change your financial future.

We are born into a world that survives through the debt system. It's natural to trust it to meet our needs—especially when the going gets tough. In order to operate in God’s system, we must turn away from that system and learn to exercise faith in God’s Kingdom.

This can be YOUR YEAR!

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Take steps today to live financially free; to build the life you want; to make 2021 your best year yet—the year you experience financial freedom.

Order the complete Your Financial Freedom Package here. These tools will help you dramatically change your financial situation and future!

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5 Steps to Release the Kingdom in Your Life

By Gary Keesee • 10 Apr, 2024

Reading Time 2 mins 13 secs – In John 6, we read the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Do you know it? It’s where we see Jesus teaching the disciples how to release the Kingdom of God into the earth realm. Basically, a large crowd was following Jesus, listening to Him teach, and watching Him perform miracles. It got to a point where the people needed to eat, and Jesus asked the disciples what they planned to feed the people. Of course, Jesus knew the disciples would freak out. They couldn’t feed 5,000 people. In fact, they started talking about how it would take more than half a year’s wages to buy just a bite for that many people. Jesus was teaching the disciples, and He was teaching us— the Kingdom of God has all the answers you need . How can you release the Kingdom of God into your life? Here are the five steps Jesus took. 1. Look at what you have. Jesus asked the disciples what they had to feed the people. What do you have in your life that you can give God to work with? Jesus multiplied bread into bread and fish into fish. What do you need multiplied in your life? Find some of it. That’s your seed. Also, remember that money can be named. You don’t sow money to believe for more paper or digital money. Money represents your life and can be named to be the thing you need multiplied. 2. Make sure you’re in faith. “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, GNT). You have to know how to judge whether or not you’re in faith. How? Do you have the right picture? When you close your eyes, what do you see? Do you see yourself with the thing you’re believing for? Can you defend your position? Why do you believe it? Prove it! Because you can be sure that between the “Amen” and the “There it is!” the enemy is going to contend for it, so you better be able to defend it. Do you have joy, expectancy, and peace? Are you in agreement with your spouse? 3. Confess over what you have, and release it in faith. Be specific. Say exactly what you’re believing for and release the seed to God. 4. Get the plan from God. Be ready for new direction, new ideas, and new concepts by revelation from the Holy Spirit. Carry a notepad and a pen. Write everything down. 5. Act quickly! When God gives you the plan, MOVE! It’s wise to have counselors and get wisdom, but you need to act swiftly on any direction you receive from the Holy Spirit.

Want Growth and Success? Here Are 10 Steps to Help Take You There

By Gary Keesee • 13 Mar, 2024

Reading Time 2 mins 34 secs – How can you make sure you’re equipped for the growth coming your way this year? Here are my 10 steps to posture yourself for opportunity and success. 1. Ask yourself how you’re handling your current responsibilities. Don’t run from your responsibilities. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you should be a success. People will still see the evidence of God even if you think you’re in the wrong spot. 2. Detox your life of the things that keep you from having time to think. We live in a fast-paced world. There are plenty of things that can keep you distracted. But it’s in the moments that you stop to think that you’ll find ways to solve problems, and that’s where the opportunities are. So figure out what is consuming your time. Start saying no to some things. Find time to think. 3. Don’t hang around people who are always losing. I know people hit rough spots, but if the people in your life are chronically losing, it’s time to expand your circle. Hang around people who are better than you are, who don’t see things as impossible, and who have vision. It may be uncomfortable for you, but their influence will cause you to think differently. 4. Write down EVERY idea that you have, no matter how strange it seems. Most people filter opportunities and ideas through what they perceive their ability to be. This means most people discard ideas by the dozens because they don’t think they can do them. But God isn’t limited to what you know how to do. The ideas He gives you might seem so weird to you that you can’t process them fully. Write them down so you have time to think about them. 5. Research. Research. Repeat. You don’t need to know how to do something; you need to know how to learn how to do it. Research until you find what you’re looking for. 6. Count the cost before you jump. A lot of Christians hear God and jump out too soon, resulting in catastrophe. There are seasons for everything. God will prepare you for where He wants you to go. Be patient. 7. Always be in agreement with your spouse. Never, ever march out into battle without your spouse being in total agreement and your faith aligned. 8. Ask God for direction. Ask Him to help you, to show you where to go, and what to do. And always remember that prophecy from other people shouldn’t lead you; it should only confirm what God has already said to you. 9. Commit to never quit. Quitting is not an option. Once you’ve moved, don’t move again until God speaks to you. Stay with it. Walk it out. Don’t quit. So many people have so much potential, but they get uncomfortable and they quit. If you want to win, you should always be stretching. 10. Get ready to embrace bigger things. Your ability to see the big picture will keep growing as you change and grow on the inside. You’ll pick up on even more opportunities. For more principles, check out this FREE video on success.

The Consequences of Strife: Why You Should Never Allow It in Your Life

By Drenda Keesee • 14 Feb, 2024

Reading Time 2 mins 59 secs – A stuffed toy laid in the road at the scene of the accident. As we passed, the Lord spoke to me, “ Okay, this is your last warning. Are you going to continue this? You know you are opening the door to the enemy.” Gary and I had had a disagreement just before we had left the house for our family road trip. And there we were six hours in and we’d barely said a word to one another. Six hours. You think driving from Ohio to Tennessee is a long stretch of highway? Try doing it while giving someone the silent treatment. One word: torture. Then we passed the accident. Gary and I both felt the same conviction when we passed it, especially because it clearly involved children. But... pride. We knew what we were doing wasn’t good. (What kind of example is it to your children to ignore each other?) But neither of us wanted to lay down our pride. I kept hearing the voice of the Lord, and I’d think, No, I’m not going to fix this thing, because then I’ll have to talk to him. It was almost a competition to see who could hold our grudge for the longest. But strife is dangerous stuff. What is strife? Drama, conflict, friction, disagreement, bickering, arguing, bad blood, disputes… whichever words you use to describe it, it’s dangerous. Whether it’s between you and your spouse, you and your child, you and a friend, you and a family member, or you and a coworker, you don’t want to let strife remain in your life. The Bible says that where there is strife, there is confusion and there is every evil work (James 3:16). Our small argument between Gary and I had gone unchecked and had escalated, and neither one of us were listening to the voice of the Lord. And there were consequences for our strife and outright disobedience. About an hour after we passed the accident, a car pulled out in front of our vehicle, and we were in what could have been a very serious car accident. I started yelling the name of Jesus, and God supernaturally protected our entire family. Initially, it looked as though there were going to be serious issues. They told us our son’s spleen might rupture. I was pregnant, and the doctors worried that I might lose the baby. Through all of these things, we stood on the Word of God, and we all came out unharmed, including the young preacher’s son who had pulled out in front of us (he was in disobedience at that moment too). Even in the midst of this difficult situation, through our prayers, standing on God’s Word, and our children’s words to the medical personnel, we had opportunities to minister and impact the little county hospital we had to visit. The enemy tried to take us out, but he lost. We were responsible for opening the door to the enemy. But the name of Jesus is more powerful than our mistakes and circumstances, and that is what kept us protected. You MUST stay on guard and not allow strife in your life, with anyone. How? Here are just three quick tips: Bite your tongue. You don’t have to say everything you think. Don’t lash out or give the silent treatment. Work on communicating with others in a healthy way. Repent quickly and forgive quickly. Take responsibility; admit when you’re wrong. Say you’re sorry and ask for forgiveness. Don’t hold onto hurts. Forgive as you’ve been forgiven by Jesus.