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- Quote: “I shouldn’t have been surprised at the faithfulness of God, but somehow, when you’re living on the edge- trusting God and not knowing where the next dollar is coming from- it never gets routine.” (pg. 13)
- Quote: “There are many ways of trusting God in finances. We can learn to live by faith in His variety of provision. And we can step out and see Him at work on our behalf. Best of all, we can learn His ways. Once you’ve experienced the life of faith, it ruins you for the ordinary.” (pg. 16)
- Quote: “If you are willing, God will lead you into a lifestyle where everything is done with faith in Him, including how you get and how you use your money.” (pg. 17)
- Note: Cunningham describes how he was on a missions trip in eastern Nigeria when one of the tires on his host’s car blew. The author decides to help his host and uses the only money he had to buy a new tire. Cunningham had been planning to use this money for his two day layover on his way home for a hotel and food. He describes how he decided to put his trust in God to provide for him on his return trip. To his surprise, he gets a letter all the way out there in the middle of nowhere from a friend back home, who had never given him anything, with $150. In this story, Cunningham shows us how God provides for us if we trust in Him and let Him lead the way in our lives.
- Quote: “No, you haven’t seen a worried bird! We can learn from the birds the secret of living like this. Jesus told us we were not to be anxious for what we would eat or drink or for the clothes we needed. In fact, He said our lives should be different from those of unbelievers who run after these things. We are to be as carefree as the birds of the air.” (pg. 19)
- Quote: “Soren Kierkegaard popularized the term “a blind leap of faith.” But Bible faith is neither blind nor a leap. It is walkingin the light.” (pg. 20)
- Quote: “God may call you to go to a country as a missionary in the more traditional sense. He may lead you to share your goals with others in order for them to give toward your work. Or he may tell you to go with no money in your pocket, no contacts in that country, no place to stay or work when you get there. Either way, the key to living by faith is not in a method. The key is to hear, obey, and trust God.” (pg. 25-26)
- Note: Cunningham describes how we, as believers, are meant to trust in God. When we trust in God, he will provide the things we need in life. To have trust, we first need faith- believing that you will have what you need, that God will come through for you, and that God knows the solutions to all your problems. When we read about God’s faithfulness from both past and present and see when He has come through for us, we can be convinced of His faithfulness to us and have true faith. Our Bible faith tells us to do the possible and let God do the impossible things.
- Quote: “Similarly, if we never have needs in our lives, if we can do everything without God’s help, how can we learn to trust him?” (pg. 34)
- Quote: “Such dramatic provisions and miracles don’t happen every day, but the ones that do serve to remind us of God’s faithfulness for years to come. Such special provisions do not prove our spirituality, but they do prove to us that God is great enough for any circumstance or test.” (pg. 37)
- Quote: “He showed us that when He speaks, even though circumstances say otherwise and things go wrong, He is the one who brings things to pass.” (pg. 44)
- Note: Cunningham tells us that we must increase our faith. He gives the example of infants learning to walk. First they have to learn how to lift their heads, then they can start to roll over and crawl, and then finally they can start to walk. This is a slow process, taking the first year of life to accomplish, and takes much effort and practice by the growing infant. Our faith is like this. By struggling time after time, our trust in God grows and so does our faith in Him.
- Quote: “ The power of money can bring life or death.” (pg. 46)
- Quote: “There’s nothing wrong with money itself. But because of the sin in men’s hearts, the love of money can lead to pain and bondage – even for Christians.” (pg. 48)
- Quote: “Money and God are not on opposite sides, either. In fact, God uses money as a practical tool for many things. He uses money or the lack of it to test us, to see what is in our hearts. How we use our money is a gauge of where our priorities are.” (pg. 48)
- Note: This chapter is about the power of money in our lives. Money holds the power to ruin lives, marriages, the wellbeing of others, etc. but also holds the power to help and restore people. God can use both moments of abundance and moments of poverty to teach us to trust Him. Money is a temporary thing but God is not and there is freedom in letting Him take control of our finances.
- Quote: “How would we describe this role of Satan today? We wouldn’t call him the King of Tyre. We would probably call him the King of Wall Street. You see, Satan is trying to control the trade of the entire earth” (pg. 54).
- Quote:“Satan, therefore, rules people through the area of finances, using greed, the lust for power, pride, and fear.” (pg 56).
- Quote: “What the King of Tyre fears most is people who surrender their rights and place their trust in God. Satan has nothing to hold over us if we have repented from greed, if we are continually responding in generosity and giving freely with no strings attached. What can he do if we have turned from pride, humbled ourselves, and flung ourselves in the care of God without fear?” (pg. 61).
- Note: This chapter illustrates how the intent and desires of Satan hasn’t changed since biblical times. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Cunningham notes that in Ezekiel 28 there was a prophecy given that referred to both the actual King of Tyre, and Satan (who was given the same title in comparison to the human king of that time). Cunningham asks the question: what title would be given to Satan now? His answer is, the King of Wall Street. Satan looks to rule our economy, trade, and finances (in turn, us) through the same tools he’s utilized for thousands of years. He looks to control us through greed, lust for power, pride, and fear.
- There is nothing wrong with a flourishing economy–the opportunity to engage in free enterprise.Striving for financial security and gaining wealth are things that allow the greatest damage to be done against evil. It’s only when we allow greed, power, pride, and fear to pervade our heart that financial success becomes worthless, meaningless–in some cases, evil. How can we break off the chains of these four things? Untethered, cheerful giving. This breaks off Satan’s hold on us through these four things. What good is greed if we do not hoard and give away much of what we have and earn? How can a lust for power take a hold on us when we are using our platform for the glory of God (and we think of our influence not as our own power, but the Lord’s)? What about pride, when the act of giving is humbling oneself and saying “this is God’s money, not my own. Therefore, I must steward it in the way we’ve been instructed.” Or fear, when we give with confidence because we have been promised providential care when submitting ourselves to His will.
- Quote: “In order to learn to live by faith in the area of finances, we must rely on an outside source of information, not just on our own perception of the circumstances” (pg. 64).
- Quote: “The written Word of God gives us many principles to guide our finances” (pg. 64).
- Quote: “If we give only ten percent, that makes us one percent better than a thief.God’s word shows us He considers that ten percent is His property and anything less is stealing from Him” (pg. 69).
- Note: This chapter details 5 certain principles that will act as outside sources to help navigate our finances.It is not enough to look at the world–the reality of our surroundings–simply through the lens of our own human perception. God gave us a blueprint of what constitutes a life worth living through his Word. In His Word we find these principles which we are to adhere to; thus, in doing so, we will not crash. These are: Don’t worry about money, set right priorities, be diligent and responsible, invest money and see it grow, and be generous.
- Every Sunday morning in church we have a basket or plate passed down our pew.Tithe was a cornerstone component of how we were to worship. God declared that 1/10 or 10% of all we earn belongs to him and is required to be given for the Kingdom’s progression. Cunningham notes that we can’t pat ourselves on the back for simply throwing a $20 bill in the plate now and then. Anything lessis stealing from God. Budgeting and setting aside what we already owe God is necessary for all those who claim to be His follower. Implementing the 5 principles discussed in this chapter direct our finances towards this goal of giving more than our required tithe.
- Quote: “Generosity is always based on the proportion of the gift to what the giver owns” (pg. 74).
- Quote: “If we are generous in heart, we will be generous with our time, generous with forgiveness, generous with teaching, generous with our influence, generous with our people, generous with any resource which God has given us” (pg. 76).
- Note: In this chapter, Cunningham talks about God’s plan for provision.We all fall under one of four categories: the breadwinners, the poor and needy, the sent ones, and the manna people. The breadwinners are those who earn what they have through trade of goods and services. The poor and the needy are those who need financial help and benefit through the generosity of others. The sent ones are those who have arisen out of a group to selflessly help another–receiving help from those who don’t directly benefit from their endeavors. The manna people are those whose special purposes are a calling from God (and are miraculously supported by the Lord’s direct providence. In all of these groups, Cunningham says that generosity is measured by its proportion to overall wealth. God calls us to do more than just an easy offering once a week to the church. He wants us to be uncomfortable. He wants us to give until it hurts a little. He wants us to start living on the edge with full confidence in his providential care. Cunningham believes that in giving generously, we become generous in all we do.Once we unlock the door to God and allow our hearts to be filled with a passion for giving, we begin to understand that anything we have to offer is His. This goes for anything whether it be tangible or intangible. The money we make, the time we utilize in our day-to-day life, the wisdom God has blessed us with through personal experience, the people we are connected to and the influence carried regarding them–all of these more generously distributed with a loving and humble heart of service.
- Quote: “The Word of God tells us every good gift comes from our heavenly Father (James 1:17).We in turn show our love back to Him by giving to others. But instead of merely strengthening our love relationship with God, our giving also binds our heart with the recipient of our giving” (pg. 85).
- Quote: “Missionaries need more than money.They need people backing them up, praying for the extension of God’s kingdom, engaging with them in spiritual warfare though giving and intercession” (pg. 86).
- Note: Cunningham talks about supporting missions–as he calls it–Jesus’ way.He echoes the question that many ask, “Why doesn’t God support missions? Why doesn’t He direct a billionaire to leave his wealth for the Great Commision?” Cunningham believes the reason for this is because a powerful, heartfelt, and effective mission is made possible not through financial contributions, but the interconnectedness and community of people. He refers to this as heart-link giving, where we are linked physically, emotionally, and spiritually as a result of our generosity. The power of being connected to people in common purpose of mission work–as opposed to impersonally giving large sums of financial support–is what gives a cause its beating heart. Without the relationships formed through giving, mission work would just be the privatized version of social government programs.
- Cunningham talks about what he calls the 30/30 rule.He encourages those trying to start a mission to ask 30 people (one for each day of the month), to generously give enough to support him for one day. In doing this, you are not only garnering enough support to carry on with the Lord’s work, but also inviting 30 other people to partner and share in the blessing of giving. He talks of how most of us know at least 30 people who would be able to pay for our cola. Instead of showing up to their houses and asking for the necessary money for a cola, we ask for the same amount in order to progress the kingdom of God. And what if they go on to ask those they know for the kind of money to buy a cola? The possibilities are endless.
- Quote: “Miracles can happen on the mission field or your regular job” (98).
- Quote: “Once you know you are in the right place-the place of God’s choosing-doing the thing God has called you to do, then you act as a missionary would act in that place” (99).
- Quote: “Sabbath-setting aside work for one day a week- is a constant commitment to trust God with your unfinished work” (105).
- Note: This chapter focuses on how to keep God at the center of any and every career. God can use anyone through any field of work, as long as the person is a faithful servant and seeks God’s provision in their work. Christians are called to commit themselves to excellence and integrity through their work and every other aspect of their lives. The Holy Spirit works through Christians to succeed in that excellence and integrity. It is important that Christians seek God first when choosing a career. God has a calling for each individual person, and that calling is often in respect to the unique gifts and talents God grants each person. Praying about any and every decision is wise and allows God to move in great ways, granting Christians with His provision and blessings. Serving others is also an important aspect of serving God through work and business. Galatians 6:2.v
- Cunningham discusses the importance of sabbath in this chapter. This is literally one of the 10 commandments God gave to Moses. Clearly, it is an imperative and God knew that we would need a day of rest, in the midst of a culture that does not slow down and romanticizes progress. We trust God with what we cannot handle or accomplish on our own, and He knows that.
- Cunningham reminds Christians that with great wealth comes great responsibility. Though it is not a sin to be wealthy, it is what Christians do with that wealth that matters. Christians need to seek guidance on how to spend, save, and give that wealth. It is important to remember Matthew 6:19.
- Quote: “The only way to remain sane, solvent, and soft in our hearts is to ask God to direct our giving” (112).
- Quote: “The second step in learning how to give is to relinquish your rights to money” (116).
- Quote: “If we will all be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His leading, offerings will become a highlight of our lives” (126).
- Note: In this chapter, Cunningham discusses giving God’s way. When deciding to give, one should always seek God’s guidance. Just like the story of Don Price hearing God tell him not to give the money to Bjourn, even though it seemed like the right thing to do at the time, God made it clear that he would provide in His own way and time through the right person. It is also so important that we give God complete control over our finances; especially giving. This is hard for many Christians to do because of the anxiety and money can bring, but real peace can be found through allowing God to have control over everything. Prayer and giving should go hand in hand. We should look to our spiritual leaders as role models in giving. Lastly, giving generously and not being greedy is so important. It is important to always remember Proverbs 11:25
- Quote: “First, realize that if God is calling you into full-time service, He knows all about your needs” (127).
- Quote: “God wants to give us big visions-greater challenges and exploits to do it for Him (140).
- Note: Firstly, Christians should submit everything to prayer when considering decisions to make, especially regarding money. It is important to note that impressions can come from our own minds, other’s minds, the mind of God, or the mind of Satan. Because of this, Christians should lean into 2 Cor. 10:5. God can silence thoughts not form Him and fill your mind with His thoughts, so that what He calls us to do can be made clear.
- Note: Though many believe that what we are called to give will be made crystal clear by God, He still calls us to be responsible and make a plan, and in this case a budget. We obey God when we do this. Through our giving we should be trusting that God will provide for our needs as we help others in need. God never leaves us nor forsakes us, but asks that we trust in Him. Deut. 31: 6-8.
- Quote: “We should never see people as sources for money but should always value them as friends” (145).
- Quote: “Every communication, including one in which we present needs, should have as its goal bringing each individual closer to the Lord and to us in relationship” (145).
- Quote: “When we communicate need, we should always encourage people to obey the Lord in their giving” (148).
- Note: In this chapter, Cunningham discusses raising financial support and the do’s and don’ts of asking for money. He warns against using guilt, pity, greed, fear, or the appeal of donor’s pride to ask for money, as all these ways tarnish the meaning and purpose of giving and receiving gifts. It is important to note that God calls Christians to give and be obedient to Him, by faith that God will use what they have been called to give for greater good than we can imagine.
- It is important to remember that having someone ask for support on your behalf is actually a way that God can bring great blessings. Cunningham brings up the story of Paul in 2 Corinthians and how he commended others instead of himself. God gave us a community of believers to support each other and work together for His purposes.
- Quote: “Does living by faith mean weak tea? Does it mean shoes with rundown heels and cars that will hardly start or that you can hear coming when they’re a block away? And which was weak, the tea or the faith?” (pg.151)
- Quote: “I have found it more difficult to have plenty than to be in need. It is far easier to listen to the Lord every day when you are trusting Him for the next meal than when things are easier” (pg. 154)
- Quote: “The Lord’s way in Scripture is not to pass laws or taxes and forcibly redistribute wealth equally to all. Nor is it to take vows of poverty – this way you can no longer give. His will is that those who are blessed by Him share it generously, of their own free will.” (pg. 158)
- Note: This chapter presented how we are supposed to steward money, specifically when we are in places of spiritual influence. There was an example of a family who was able to purchase a pre owned Mercedes that appeared to be a sign of wealth, but cost very little in upkeep and got good gas mileage. However, when people kept making comments about their “extravagant,” they felt like they needed to trade in the Mercedes and purchased a minivan. The minivan ended up costing more in upkeep and gas than the Mercedes ever did, but no one made any comments about them wasting “the Lord’s money.”
- It is important to remember that having someone ask for support on your behalf is actually a way that God can bring great blessings. Cunningham brings up the story of Paul in 2 Corinthians and how he commended others instead of himself. God gave us a community of believers to support each other and work together for His purposes.
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Another note that was interesting was the idea that we should not live above or below the people that we are serving. If we are serving a wealthy congregation, we should live similarly, so that they are able to confront us with comfort. However, if the Lord was to call us the next day to an inner city, lower socioeconomic area, we should live among that population. By living among the people that we serve, we are able to talk to them as their equal, rather than someone of superiority or inferiority.
- Quote: “No one will think that you are weird if you move from one side of the nation to the other to get a higher salary, even if that means uprooting your family and leaving behind friends, familiar neighborhoods, and everything that you love. But if you tell people you are moving in order to obey God, perhaps taking a cut in pay, or even moving into a ministry where you have no guaranteed income, you will certainly be considered peculiar… When you threaten people’s gods, they are going to feel threatened themselves.” (p. 160-161)
- Quote: “There is a great difference between faith and presumption. Faith is based on hearing God’s voice and doing what He tells you to do. Presumption may appear to be spiritual on the surface, perhaps something you are “doing for God,” but in fact, you have moved out on your own without consulting Him.” (pg. 162)
- Quote: “The principle of being faithful over a little before we are given responsibility for much is repeated in many areas of our lives. God in His faithfulness will not subject us to the test of abundant money until we have been faithful with our nickels and dimes… We are not to despise the small beginnings. We are to be faithful in them. Whatever big projects or goals He has put in our hearts to do, He will not release them until we pass our tests in the day of small things.” (pg. 168)
- Note: This chapter talks about what happens when we feel like we listened to the will of God, but it just didn’t work out. What do we do when we have listened but the money runs out. One thing that was particularly interesting about this idea was the question of is the money out, or do we just love material things more than we love God? To put it more clearly, is the money truly out, or is out love for material things too strong.
- Another interesting thought was the idea that generosity starts after your tithing, it is the part that goes above the ten percent. We are called to give the ten percent regardless, but it is the additional money that we give to the people around us that really shows the kindness of God through our actions. It gave really powerful testimonials that were generous and God continued to bless them so they could continue that ministry. This can be a reflection in Christ, he gave up his life sacrificially for us, and we get the chance to give up our possessions or monetary gifts sacrificially to those around us.
- Quote: “While you are waiting for God to provide, recount His faithfulness to you from the past… Often we only notice God’s provision when it stops.” (pg. 181)
- Quote: “Another blessing in times of need is to realize the difference between out true needs and our perceived needs. Like my friend complaining about no toothpaste who leaned he could use salt to brush his teeth. When we have little, we can learn to thank god that all our real needs are being met.” (pg. 183)
- Note: This chapter primarily talked about the different ways that God promises to provide for us. He is not an absent or withdrawn God, rather he is there every step of the way meeting and anticipating our every need. When we know that we can walk in faith, knowing that whether it be the way that we anticipated or not, he is still a good God that is capable of meeting our needs beyond expectation and financial means.
- Although God does not want us to be without finances, we can be reassured by his provision and be reminded of His faithfulness. Psalm 37 reminds us of all the promises that God makes to us in how he will take care of us. He is a good God, and will provide what we need when we need it.