Posts Tagged ‘DeForest B. Soaries’

Finanacial Freedom Friday (dfree tip of the week 03/15/13)

Friday, March 15th, 2013

Dear Friend,

I hope you have found the Financial Freedom Friday series helpful.  These tips, if implemented, will improve your financial behavior.  Are you making progress?  If not, use this week to reset, recharge, and restart.

Let’s review.  I began the series with a characterization of dfree living.  I suggested that dfree living requires a complete change of mindset about the choices we make, and the realization that those choices greatly affect us and our families.  Remember, dfree living demands an examination of values, habits, attitudes, perspectives, and relationships.

After I shared the dfree living concept with you, I presented seven suggested changes to your financial behavior.  For brevity, I have consolidated these changes into five broad areas.

  • Be content with what you can easily afford.  (Do not live beyond your means).
  • Analyze your finances.  (How much do you owe on loans, credit cards, and other bills?  What is your income?).
  • Stop spending.  Only buy what you need.  (Plug the leaks; those small luxury items that add up over time).
  • Pay off your bills and save money.  (Little by little.  Remember, small increments add up over time).
  • Continually reassess your progress and follow your plan.  (You will be tempted to fall back into bad habits.  Be strong. You can do this!).

If your progress has stalled, use this week to start up again.  Review and recharge, re-read Romans 12:1-2, and pray for strength to make financial decisions that are good and perfect.

God bless,

DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.

Comments Off

FBC Weekly eBlast – March 08, 2013

Friday, March 8th, 2013

Click here for newsletter: March 08, 2013

JOIN FBC Mailing List

Comments Off

Financial Freedom Friday (dfree tip of the week 02/15/13)

Friday, February 15th, 2013

Dear Friend,

During the season of Lent, many of you enter a time of reflection, repentance, prayer, and sacrifice.  Today, I ask you to consider an additional type of sacrifice.

People often tell me they cannot afford to cut anything from their regular expenses.  Look closer. Try to identify items that zap money from your budget, often unnoticed. We buy these items and fail to notice the expense that adds up over time.  For example, one large latte, purchased twice weekly over the course of a year, could cost $250 or more!  I call these items, “spending leaks”.  I challenge you to sacrifice those items.

Read Matthew 25:14-28, then pray for wisdom concerning your financial matters, and the strength to plug your leaks.

God bless,

DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.

Comments Off

Financial Freedom Friday (dfree tip of the week 02/01/13)

Friday, February 1st, 2013

Dear Friend,

As I meet and counsel with people concerning their finances, I’ll often say, “don’t finance your own fall”.  I encourage them to get their arms around their financial reality and do something to improve it.  I challenge them and you, to get your financial affairs in order.

Is your financial reality a mess? Do you know what you spend monthly on general household expenses such as utilities, groceries and insurance?  How much do you owe on loans, credit cards, and other bills.  What is your monthly income?  Can you meet your financial obligations and start a college-fund for your child and save for retirement? You cannot address the mess until you measure it.

Luke 16:1-8 reminds us that being close to God is compatible with being prudent and shrewd about business matters.  This weekend, read Luke 16:1-8, pray for help from God, then gather your financial documents and assess your financial situation.

DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.

Comments Off

Financial Freedom Friday (dfree tip of the week 01/25/13)

Friday, January 25th, 2013

Dear Friend,

Over the years, I’ve learned that living dfree necessitates a complete change in the way we live, and changing the way we live necessitates a complete change in the way we think. We think we must have that new pair of shoes, or that very nice suit, or that brand new car, even if it means using high interest credit cards and loans to get them. Borrowing has become a lifestyle and Americans are drowning in debt. This is fact: you cannot be financially free, until you get out of debt.

Recently, I told the story of my dear friend, a highly educated, prominent, financially secure minister, and owner of the oldest Mercedes that I’ve ever seen! He drove his old car with pride and contentment; knowing that for years, he had not had a car note. The idea that we must have certain things, the latest and greatest, suggests that we cannot be content without them. The apostle Paul teaches that God gives strength to be content in all circumstances. The ability to do that is a sure sign of spiritual maturity. For Paul, and my friend with the beat-up Mercedes, contentment came as a result of their relationship with Christ. If we have that same relationship, we can be content and resist the thought that we need things to make us happy.

This weekend, in acknowledgement of the correlation between faith and finances, read and study Philippians 4:11-13, and pray for contentment in all circumstances.

God bless,

DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.