Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), Ryan Mack
Series Code: DAS
Program Code: DAS000006S
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00:01 What is money for?
00:03 Is it a helpful resource to use for good? 00:06 Or is the love of it the root of all evil? 00:09 Actually, it's both. 00:11 But God may have a different definition 00:13 of success. 00:14 Real success doesn't come overnight. 00:17 It takes hard work and faithful planning. 00:21 To use your dollars well, 00:23 it takes more than a little sense. 00:28 Welcome to Dollars and Sense. 00:29 My name is Yvonne Lewis 00:31 and I'm the co-host for this program 00:33 but our primary host is Ryan Mack, 00:35 financial literacy expert, author, speaker, teacher... 00:41 Thus the list goes on and on and on. 00:43 Always great to be with you. Oh, thanks. 00:45 It's so good to be a part of this series 00:47 because we're learning such great information. 00:50 Well, I tell you Christ is real. 00:51 Yes, He is. 00:52 And Christ is, a lot of people say 00:55 that you know the evidence of things aren't seen, 00:57 but no, you could see evidence of Christ 01:00 and just by looking around at all the brilliant things 01:02 that we have even in the world 01:03 that we live and some of the things 01:05 that we are able to produce ourselves, 01:06 and the purpose of this particular show 01:09 was really just demonstrating 01:10 the concrete tangible economic value 01:14 of faith in Christ. 01:15 And there are many individuals, 01:17 I mean, if we're going to recover, 01:19 and there are a lot of individuals 01:20 who are having a hard time out there economically. 01:23 If we're going to be successful and recover, we need Christ. 01:25 That's right. 01:26 And we need to have faith in Christ. 01:28 And we're not going to be successful without it. 01:30 That's right. And so I have a scripture here. 01:31 Oh, good. 01:33 Of course, James 2:17, 01:34 one of my favorite verses in the Bible, 01:35 it says, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, 01:39 being alone." 01:40 And there is a mathematical, I was thinking numbers, 01:43 if there's a mathematical equation for faith 01:46 that would be one half belief in Christ 01:49 and the other half is action. 01:52 And so we have to have both elements 01:54 in order to be successful. 01:55 You just can't believe in and of itself 01:57 and then expect things to happen. 01:59 We have to put some work behind it. 02:01 And so the question that I always ask is that, 02:04 are we acting according to what we believe God 02:06 is going to perform in your life? 02:08 You know, faith is essentially the expectation of God 02:12 to perform His will. 02:13 So we must act 02:14 as if God is going to perform His will. 02:17 So we need to start setting things up 02:19 and really start making provisions 02:21 for the abundance that God is going to bring us. 02:24 And so there's a difference between 02:26 the truth and facts of life, again, we talked about this, 02:29 is really just understanding 02:30 that the facts show your situation 02:32 that scientific explanation of what is. 02:34 But the truth is what God has for you. 02:37 What He has planned for you. 02:39 So we might not see it today but we can work for it 02:42 because we know God is going to bring it tomorrow. 02:44 And that is what this verse is about, 02:46 that's what the scripture is all about. 02:48 You know, Ryan, it's interesting 02:49 because when we think of faith, 02:51 you know, we think of reliance upon God. 02:54 And also, faith without work is dead, 02:58 so we have to prepare. 03:01 That preparation is critical because that's how, 03:05 if a door opens for you 03:07 and you're not prepared for that opportunity, 03:10 what happens? 03:12 It folds. Exactly. 03:13 I always say like, 03:14 when I was doing mission work in South Africa, 03:17 when I prepared for the trip, 03:20 I packed my bags and I checked the weather 03:23 but I didn't check the weather for Detroit, 03:26 I checked the weather for South Africa. 03:27 Come on. 03:28 So we have to prepare for where I'm going, 03:30 not for where I was. 03:32 And so when I got there, 03:34 I was able to have the right jackets 03:35 and I was prepared for the climate 03:38 because seasons change 03:39 and different changes when we go around, 03:41 and that happens in life all the time. 03:43 So that's what God wants us to do. 03:44 He wants us to prepare and pack our bags 03:46 for the appropriate place where we're going. 03:48 And make sure 03:50 that we're just doing all the things 03:51 that are necessary 03:53 to when we get to where we're at, 03:54 it's already there. 03:56 And then, you know, my Pastor Warren always says, 03:59 you know, "The table is already prepared." 04:01 You know, he's not preparing the place where you're going, 04:04 he's preparing you right now to be prepared 04:06 for where you're going 04:07 'cause it's already set for you. 04:09 You just have to receive it. Yes. 04:10 And so when you get there, 04:12 the blessings are raining down on you. 04:13 Amen. Well, we want some blessing. 04:15 Absolutely. All right. 04:17 And we serve a God 04:19 who wants to bless His children. 04:22 Right. 04:23 He wants to give good gifts to us, 04:25 so why not we position ourselves 04:29 to receive those blessings? 04:30 You're right. 04:31 And I have a great story, a great video segment today. 04:33 Yeah. Let's do it. 04:35 Crystal Nexton, she is an individual 04:37 that I actually hired 04:38 when I was working with Operation Hope. 04:40 And her story is just amazing. 04:42 She was able to overcome homelessness. 04:45 And she started her own business. 04:47 And I think that because of her faith 04:48 and because she was able to just grab on 04:52 to where she knew that God was taking her 04:54 and she talked about the prayer that she had and she had to do 04:57 and again the perpetual belief 05:00 that things are going to happen for her. 05:02 When things happened for her, now she's on the front cover 05:05 of the free press all the time. 05:07 I mean she's doing her thing and I mean but to know 05:09 where she came from, 05:10 living in drug houses and crack houses to now 05:13 where she is today overcoming all the obstacles, 05:16 I think is very inspirational 05:17 and I want her to share her story. 05:19 Oh, let's check it out. Absolutely. 05:26 Okay. 05:27 When I think of Romans 8:28, 05:30 I think about a very dark time in my life. 05:33 I was homeless at the time 05:35 and I belonged to a local church. 05:37 And I decided to get baptized because from what I heard 05:42 and what people would tell me that when you get baptized 05:45 everything else will be great 05:46 and all my problems will be solved. 05:48 And everything would be fine. 05:51 So I went to church, I got baptized, 05:54 and the man threw me down in the water 05:56 and I came up 05:57 and I didn't feel any different. 06:00 And I thought something was wrong with me. 06:03 I left church, I went home 06:05 to finish packing up all my stuff 06:06 because I was homeless, I had got evicted. 06:10 And I decided to go to the bar 06:12 after I got baptized the same day 06:15 because I didn't feel any different. 06:17 After that, I struggled for about two years 06:20 with homelessness, 06:22 sleeping pillar to post in abandoned houses, 06:24 don't know what I had to do to make it 06:27 and the whole time that I was doing 06:29 and I was thinking, well, where is God? 06:31 Everybody says I would feel different 06:33 and that he would rescue me 06:35 and I would be a whole new person. 06:37 And I wouldn't have anything to worry about. 06:40 Shortly thereafter, while I was homeless, 06:42 I did meet my current husband. 06:44 And when I met him I started hearing God 06:48 and I started hearing him say, "You have to do better. 06:51 You have to do better, you have to do more, 06:53 you have to do better. 06:55 You have to do more." 06:56 So from the moment I met my husband, 06:58 who God sent to me, 06:59 I decided to do better and do more. 07:02 We got married, we had a baby, 07:05 I started going to college when she was two. 07:08 I graduated four years later with my degree in accounting. 07:11 And I now own my own small business 07:13 accounting firm. 07:15 It's just me but I like the word firm. 07:18 And I also work for a wonderful nonprofit 07:22 who helps people just like me financially 07:26 with financial literacy to get their finances in order, 07:29 getting the credit together. 07:31 And I'm just out here 07:33 trying to find another me to help another me 07:36 and if I could tell anybody anything 07:38 it would be two things, number one, God does hear you. 07:42 He does hear you and He is there. 07:44 And number two, go out and get it yourself, honey. 07:47 He's going to be there in the background, 07:49 but you got to do it yourself. 07:51 Okay. That's all. It's life. 07:56 Wow. I love it. 07:58 She has a good story and her spirit is so strong, 08:02 and her faith was wayward but she came back to God. 08:08 She came back to Christ. 08:10 And it was Christ who never abandoned her, 08:13 had never forsaken her but she had to figure out 08:16 some things that she had to do. 08:17 Yeah. 08:19 Well, you know, I think it's a misconception 08:21 that you have to feel differently 08:24 when you get baptized 08:25 because if we rely on feelings, we can get so deceived. 08:29 So it's not about feelings 08:30 but it's about what the Bible says 08:33 and, you know, she also felt that the Lord was telling her, 08:37 "You have to do better, you have to do more, 08:40 you have to..." 08:41 And the Lord wants to bring us up 08:43 to a different level. 08:45 The word says that, 08:47 "He wants to give us an abundant life." 08:50 And so in order to have that abundant life, 08:54 we invest in Christ, 08:56 we seek first the Kingdom of Heaven 08:58 and its righteousness 09:00 and then all these things will be added to us. 09:02 Because if we're seeking Him first, 09:04 then whatever our hands find to do, 09:06 we're going to do with all our might, 09:08 we're going to focus on doing it right, 09:10 focus on Him and then He opens the doors for us. 09:15 Absolutely. He makes such a difference. 09:19 I remember for me briefly that I didn't know 09:23 what I was going to do 09:24 when I left traditional Chinese medicine. 09:27 I didn't really know what I was going to do 09:30 because that was 95% of my income. 09:33 And I knew the Lord was leading me out of it 09:35 but the Lord consistently opened doors for me 09:38 and opened this door here at 3ABN 09:40 and I ended up having the best job 09:42 I ever had in my whole life. 09:43 Right. 09:45 So to me it's like, if we just trust, 09:48 God have faith in God, 09:49 we don't know where He'll take us 09:51 but we do know He'll take us somewhere. 09:52 That's right. 09:54 And the question we have to ask ourselves 09:56 is what other choice do you have 09:59 but to not have faith? 10:01 I mean we're sitting down and many of us have, 10:06 I mean, a lot of the economic struggles 10:08 every single day 10:09 and we're living check to Tuesday. 10:11 And we've tried everything else, 10:13 we've tried this scam over here 10:16 or this financial predator who said, 10:18 "I can give you some money, quick fast over there." 10:20 And we've tried everything else. 10:22 But why not just try Christ? Come on. 10:24 Why not just try Him and just see what happens. 10:26 Come on. 10:28 Because, I mean, Christ has done 10:30 so many things for me 10:31 and I remember 10:32 when I walked away from Wall Street 10:34 and God said to me 10:36 that you will be the teacher and educator of many, 10:40 and I said, 10:41 "Okay, well, I'm going to believe in 10:42 what You said," and I got an offer 10:45 but something inside of me that said that offer that, 10:47 when that individual said that I can only work 10:49 with high net worth individuals. 10:51 And I won't reveal the company's name 10:52 but they said I could work with them 10:54 but I can only work with rich people. 10:57 And I remember that scripture that said, 11:00 "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it 11:02 when it's in your power to act." 11:04 And I had to have faith 11:06 that I had to stand on God's word, 11:07 then I said, you know what, 11:09 if this is not for me 11:10 and I think that God is leading me 11:11 in a different direction, 11:13 I've got to have faith and walk in that direction. 11:14 That's right. 11:15 And long story short, I eventually came on CNN. 11:19 And God just blessed me so wonderfully 11:22 and it was all because of Christ, 11:23 it's all because of Christ. 11:25 And I think today I would like to just exemplify 11:28 how we have to have that crazy faith, right? 11:31 Okay. 11:32 That's that crazy faith is when you do things, 11:35 you know, Crystal, for example. 11:37 For her to believe 11:39 that as she was a homeless person, 11:40 to say I'm going to be an accountant one day, 11:42 many people might have looked at her and said, 11:44 "You know, you're crazy, 11:45 you're never gonna be an accountant, 11:46 you're homeless, you're living in drug houses, 11:48 and you're not going to be successful." 11:49 But she had that crazy faith enough 11:51 to believe that, yes, we can do something. 11:55 And so we have to believe that 11:57 because God is going to give you a message 11:58 that no one else can hear. 12:00 That's right. 12:01 God is going to give you a signal, a dream, 12:03 a vision that no one else is going 12:05 to be able to recognize but you, 12:07 not your mother, not your father, 12:08 not your best friends, not anybody else, 12:10 nobody else on the face of this planet 12:13 will be able to receive the message the way 12:15 you receive it from Christ. 12:16 It is a unique and special message 12:19 only for your ears. 12:20 And your spirit, and so you have to take that 12:23 and grab hold of it. 12:24 And as we develop Christ like innovation, 12:26 I want to read one more scripture here. 12:28 Yes, please. 12:29 And this is John 2:7-9, 12:33 that says, "Jesus saith unto them, 12:35 Fill the waterpots with water. 12:38 And they filled them up to the brim. 12:40 And he said unto them, Draw out now, 12:43 and bear unto the governor of the feast. 12:46 And they bare it. 12:48 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water 12:50 that was made wine, and knew not whence it was." 12:54 This, to me, exemplifies what Christ can do. 12:59 He can take something that is just water 13:02 and make it into wine. 13:03 We saw that also I believe in Matthew 13:05 where He created 13:06 one loaf of bread and fed the masses, 13:09 and the fish and fed the masses, right. 13:11 So this is what Christ can do. 13:13 So if we are to strive to be like Christ, 13:16 then we also should be able to do similar things. 13:19 When people say all right, you know, you're talking, 13:21 you know, you're talking crazy talk, 13:23 this is not possible. 13:25 Well, there are many examples of individuals 13:27 actually doing things every single day. 13:30 I actually found some here. 13:31 There was one example of a potter in India, 13:35 was a poor potter. 13:36 And he wanted something to feed his family 13:38 and didn't know exactly what to do 13:40 but he figured out that he could design 13:42 from clay a refrigerator. 13:45 So he took his clay and he molded it 13:48 and he made a refrigerator and without any electricity 13:51 it could keep food fresh for many days. 13:54 So he started making refrigerator, 13:56 he made one for his family 13:57 and that became their refrigerator. 13:59 But then he started to sell his refrigerators. 14:01 He didn't make a ton of money 14:03 but he made enough money to feed his family. 14:05 And then there is another example, 14:06 out of Lima, Peru, a region that had high humidity, 14:09 only received one inch of rainfall every single year. 14:13 Well, an engineering college essentially designed 14:16 a giant advertising billboard that advertised 14:20 that absorbs air humidity 14:22 and converts it into purified water. 14:25 Now, again, this generates 14:27 over 90 liters of clear drinkable water 14:30 every single day. 14:32 Wow. 14:33 In a place where there's... 14:34 Only one inch of rainfall. 14:36 So they needed water but it had high humidity. 14:39 So he was able to look at the air and say, 14:42 "There's water in the air, 14:44 I can design something to essentially turn this water 14:48 in the air into drinkable clean water." 14:50 Wow. 14:52 And then there's another example 14:53 here in Kenya 14:54 where two university students created a mechanism 14:56 that could recharge a cell phone using bicycles. 15:00 And lastly we have another example, 15:02 a little girl in Ghana 15:05 who again she was in poverty 15:08 and she didn't have a lot of money 15:10 but she looked around and said, 15:13 "Look at all these bamboos around here, 15:15 look at all these trees." 15:16 And she grabbed the trees and she realized 15:18 that the bamboo was very hard, it was very solid. 15:21 And she just thought and she used her mind 15:24 and she said you know what, 15:25 I'm going to make a bamboo bicycle. 15:28 And she started to make bamboo bicycles. 15:30 And now those bamboo bicycles 15:32 are being shipped all over the world. 15:34 Amazing. 15:35 So we've got examples of individual 15:37 making refrigerators from clay, 15:40 individuals making water from air, 15:43 an individual making electricity from a bicycle, 15:47 and a young girl making essentially a bicycle 15:51 out of trees, out of bamboo, 15:54 something from nothing 15:55 and they make money off of these things. 15:57 And so what we have to understand 16:00 and then Ephesians 1:3, I believe it says, 16:02 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 16:05 who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings 16:07 in heavenly places in Christ." 16:09 So it says, hath blessed us, 16:11 it doesn't say going to bless us, 16:13 it's past tense. 16:15 So a lot of times we're asking God for things 16:18 when He's already provided us things, 16:21 everything we need to be successful. 16:23 We're waiting on God, but God is waiting on us. 16:26 So those examples, 16:28 the young girl didn't have to wait on God. 16:31 God had already given her the trees. 16:33 The young man didn't have to wait on God, 16:35 God already allowed the design of bicycles 16:38 to create electricity. 16:39 The man in India didn't have to wait on God, 16:41 he had already had clay to create everything he needed. 16:44 And so now we have a lot of... 16:47 At one time I saw a protest on television 16:50 and it really upset me, a group of individuals, 16:54 large group and it's still going on today, 16:57 were very upset that McDonald's 16:58 was not paying them $15 an hour. 17:02 Now regardless of how you individuals feel 17:04 about increasing minimum wages is not the point, 17:07 this is not the point. 17:08 What we have are groups of individuals 17:12 who have decided to ask a company 17:14 to give them as opposed to going 17:17 to another organization like a community college 17:19 to get education for free. 17:22 Again so reading Proverbs 16:16, 17:25 "How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! 17:28 So to get understanding 17:30 is to be chosen rather than silver!" 17:33 So if we're chasing money 17:36 to say McDonald's pay me $15 an hour 17:39 as opposed to chasing education, 17:41 so we can go to community college for free, 17:44 get free education. 17:45 You know how many individuals have actually walked over 17:48 to a community college, 17:49 met one individual that was teaching 17:51 and we had a workshop and he said, 17:53 "Ryan, you're selling a false bill of goods." 17:55 And I said, "What do you mean?" 17:57 He said, "Well, I can't go to college. 17:58 I just don't have the... 17:59 I'm not, I'm in an alternative high school. 18:01 I can't go to school. 18:03 It's not for me, 18:04 I'm never gonna get out and repay. 18:05 There's nothing out there for me." 18:07 I walked that individual 18:09 over to Wayne County Community College 18:11 and my mother was working there at the time 18:12 and we sat him down and figured out 18:14 that he can get 18:15 some remedial classes to get his GED. 18:19 And we worked with him. 18:20 She was able to enroll him, 18:22 had some financial aid that was available. 18:23 And he enrolled to school, 18:24 two years later had his associates, 18:26 four years later he had his bachelor's. 18:27 It's just that, I mean, as opposed to protesting, 18:31 okay, if you want to protest that's fine, 18:32 but make some time to get education. 18:35 Absolutely. 18:36 Education, I mean research has shown 18:38 that people graduating from high school 18:41 make more than 18:42 those who don't people graduate from college, 18:44 I think make four to eight times 18:45 more than people who don't. 18:47 So I mean it's your ticket out. Right. 18:51 If you need a ticket out, 18:52 obviously the Lord is we're not saying 18:54 to the exclusion of the Lord, 18:56 we're saying grab on to Christ's hand 18:59 and get some education and learn something. 19:03 If you don't want to go to college, 19:05 learn a skill, 19:07 get a skill that you can use because that's also important. 19:11 To have something that you can do. 19:13 Nowadays, I mean they had something 19:15 on one of the programs I listened to on the radio, 19:18 sometimes a talk program, about coding. 19:22 And you can make a lot of money if you know how to do coding. 19:24 Tons of money. 19:26 But I mean the education 19:28 which is I'm so, I'm so right here, 19:31 because education is key. 19:33 And that the problem that we're having 19:34 when again going back to McDonald's theory 19:37 and seeing people protesting McDonald's 19:39 for not paying them $15 an hour. 19:42 Is that what's happening now is that 19:45 McDonald's is also investing in technology. 19:48 And then investing in technology 19:49 that essentially is going to allow them 19:51 to have cashier-less or a robot cashiers. 19:56 So robotics now is taking over. 19:58 Exactly. And it's already there. 19:59 They have McDonald's now where you can walk into a store 20:03 and you can walk up 20:05 and you can pay a cashier which is a robot. 20:08 You put your money in, you take the order, 20:10 it places order and your food is then delivered to you. 20:13 So some people will say, 20:15 "Well, Ryan, that's taking jobs away." 20:18 Well, again in the world of Christ 20:21 we don't have small minds like that, 20:22 that's not the small mindset we have. 20:24 We have to have a... 20:25 We have to take the tops off our vision. 20:27 If we take the tops off, 20:29 see sometimes we have this sad glassful of vision 20:32 for ourselves, 20:34 but God wants to give you an ocean full of blessings. 20:36 That's right. 20:37 And so we have to take 20:39 the top off our vision and say, "No, 20:40 that's not taking jobs away from me, 20:43 I can be the one to design the technology 20:47 and put it in McDonald's." 20:48 Because those jobs have a less than 1% unemployment rate. 20:52 But the jobs of being a cashier that you're striving 20:55 for that has less than maybe $10 an hour if that even, 21:00 those jobs are dispensable. 21:02 How much do you think fear of success comes to play 21:07 with this like, I can't do it, I don't have an education. 21:11 Look at me I live in the projects 21:13 I mean what am I... 21:15 I can't do it. 21:16 I believe it has a huge, 21:18 I believe that much of poverty is low self-esteem. 21:21 I believe much of it is believing 21:22 that it's not for us. 21:24 I believe 21:26 if we have other things like a lack of network 21:28 or a lack of access to opportunity, 21:30 but much of it is not believing 21:32 that what's in front of me is for me. 21:34 There have been many times that I've done many workshops 21:37 to gang members and those who formerly incarcerated like, 21:39 and I mean, 21:41 I would probably say that most individuals 21:43 that I've worked with have not been successful. 21:46 And it's not because they had a lack of opportunity 21:48 or access because 21:49 I was there providing them the access, 21:50 I was not just providing education 21:52 but we also had connections to different organizations, 21:55 I was the chair of Medgar Evers College, 21:56 I was, I said, 21:57 "So, here's your resources I want you to use, 22:01 most of them are free of charge 22:03 that we want you to grab on to." 22:04 But they didn't believe it was for them, 22:06 they didn't believe it was for them. 22:10 Christ is so tangible, 22:11 Christ is so real, He is such a... 22:14 Man, He's just the most tangible thing 22:18 you could ever experience in life. 22:20 I'm sorry, I got caught up 22:21 in the moment there for a second. 22:22 It's all right, it's all right. 22:24 It's all right. We love it, we love it. 22:25 See, when Jesus cured the blind man, 22:29 He said, you know, He said, He placed some clay 22:34 and rubbed it into the blind man's eyes 22:35 and said, "Walk two miles to the riverside 22:37 and you'll be able to and you'll be able to see." 22:39 The blind man had the choice, he could say, 22:43 "Christ, I don't feel like walking right now, 22:45 it's not for me. 22:47 I don't feel like moving, 22:48 it's just, I'm a little bit too tired today. 22:50 Why don't you just do it tomorrow? 22:52 Can't you just feel me right here?" 22:55 See, the blind man understood Christ's logic. 22:59 Sometimes Christ gives an instruction 23:02 to justify the blessing. 23:04 So the instruction to walk two miles to the riverside 23:07 to see was that instruction 23:09 that the blind man had to follow. 23:11 When he followed that, followed that instruction, 23:13 followed Christ, he was able to see. 23:16 Following Christ helps you see. 23:18 And there are certain things that you were asking for. 23:21 We have no right to ask for something 23:23 if we have not worked for it. 23:25 That is not... 23:26 That is a basic element of Christianity. 23:28 Absolutely. And you need to say that again. 23:31 We have no right to ask for something 23:34 if we have not worked for it. 23:36 And when he saw and so, 23:38 for instance, if you want a job, 23:42 you have not interviewed up in Christian network, 23:44 you have not done increased education, 23:46 you're not walking. 23:48 If you want a house 23:49 you have not increased your FICO score, 23:51 you have not budgeted, you have not saved, 23:52 not researched things in a neighborhood, 23:53 you're not walking. 23:55 If you want to go back to school, 23:57 you have not researched scholarships, 23:58 you have not done the networking 23:59 and talk to some counselors, you are not walking. 24:01 If you want to start a business, 24:03 you haven't read a few books on how to start that business, 24:05 you haven't put a business plan in place, 24:07 write it down on paper, you're not walking. 24:09 Christ wants us to walk 24:11 because it's through that walk that we get growth. 24:14 And we know that the blessings 24:16 that He's already prepared for us 24:18 at that table as my pastor would say, 24:21 we're not going to be ready to eat 24:22 if we're not growing on the way 24:24 to that table. 24:25 And this is the economic principle. 24:27 See, when you're getting back to economics now, 24:29 starting that business, 24:32 there are many ventures that have failed simply 24:34 because I had not adequately prepared myself. 24:37 And those failures 24:39 really allowed me to do all that was necessary 24:42 to turn around and then be successful. 24:45 If I had not done that walking and then... 24:48 but the failures say you ain't right, 24:49 I needed to walk in a different way, 24:50 I need to walk in a better way. 24:52 I need to do this, I need to do that. 24:53 And it was because of that, it allowed me to be successful. 24:56 And every other business owner 24:58 that I've ever talked to says exact same thing. 25:00 But all these principles are laid out 25:03 in the Word and the Will of God. 25:04 And so we don't have to go to any... 25:08 Steve Jobs, rest his soul, he's passed away, Ryan, 25:12 how are we supposed to learn about that? 25:13 I know Steve Jobs was a smart guy 25:15 and I admire him a lot, but guess what, 25:17 there's a book I can find, 25:18 that's probably a whole lot better than him. 25:20 It's the Bible. Yes. That's right. 25:22 So just praise God for all of the things 25:25 that He's been doing for us. 25:26 Yes, yes. 25:27 And for all the principles that are in the Word. 25:29 You know, when you said the Lord wants us to walk, 25:34 He wants us to do something. 25:36 You know, when He healed 25:37 the paralytic, rise, take up your bed and walk. 25:41 You have to have faith in God 25:44 which we're talking about crazy faith today. 25:46 Faith that we can do it through Christ. 25:50 And then we get up and do it. 25:52 It's crazy to think someone who is paralyzed 25:54 and get up and walk like that. 25:55 Right. 25:57 But if you believe in God, it can happen. 25:58 That's right, that's right. 25:59 So three quick tips I wanted to give. 26:01 Okay. Just very quick here. 26:02 And then you have a takeaway. Yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. 26:04 So there are things 26:06 that we have to start doing in order to make sure 26:08 that we can exemplify that we have faith in Christ. 26:11 And one of those things 26:12 especially for those individuals 26:13 who are out of work and underserved, 26:16 one of those as we can try to relocate 26:17 to another place 26:19 where our skill sets are needed. 26:20 The second tip is to pursue education. 26:23 Make it sure that you can get demand 26:24 higher level of skill sets 26:25 than those skill sets in your local area, 26:27 they can now call upon you. 26:29 And the third one is start a new business. 26:32 It's time for us to take a leap of faith 26:34 and be an entrepreneur. 26:36 And we can go research how to do it, right? 26:38 Absolutely. All right, great. 26:40 You're gonna give us a takeaway? 26:41 Absolutely. Awesome. 26:50 With faith in Christ, nothing is impossible. 26:52 Faith in Christ 26:54 will make your first home become a reality, 26:55 that new job happen, any goal you desire comes true. 26:59 What is faith? 27:00 Faith is not rainbows, unicorns, 27:02 and other false notions of reality. 27:05 Faith is effort, faith is diligence, 27:07 faith is consistency, 27:08 faith is real 27:10 and faith in Christ is hard work. 27:11 You can read all the empowerment books you want, 27:14 but if you choose to believe that the principles 27:16 within are not for you 27:17 or that you are predestined to live a life of lack, 27:21 you will not be successful 27:22 and you will not receive 27:24 the blessings that God has in store for your life. 27:26 You must believe that 27:27 there is a greater quality of life for you, 27:29 your family, and your community. 27:31 On the other side of your hard work, 27:33 sweat and tears, 27:34 there is someone waiting on the greatness 27:36 in you to bless them. 27:38 So the epitome of selfishness 27:39 is quitting and not working hard. 27:41 The most important task 27:43 you can contribute to this world 27:44 is making it better. 27:46 The best way to make a better world 27:47 is to start with making a better you. 27:49 And through Christ that is exactly 27:51 what you will receive. 27:52 Be the change you want to see. 27:54 Always remember, 27:55 the purpose of life is a life of purpose. 27:57 This is Ryan Mack, Dollars and Sense, signing off. |
Revised 2021-06-01