Pastors & Money Podcast

Has Your Financial Goal Become an Idol? (with Katie Jones)


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Katie Fiola Jones is a certified financial coach and real estate investor based in Colorado who is passionate about equipping believers with excellent money management skills rooted in the gospel. She helps Christians move from feeling disempowered by their lack of financial education to becoming confident, competent stewards of everything they've been entrusted with. As a wife, mom, and foster mom, Katie brings real-world experience to her work — and her heart is more about helping each person grow closer to Christ than about the numbers.


What You'll Learn
  • Why even good, God-given financial goals can quietly become idols — and how to recognize when that's happening in your own life
  • How the prosperity gospel shows up in subtle, everyday ways that most Christians never see in themselves
  • Why your biggest money problem probably isn't what you think it is — and what's actually going on beneath the surface
  • How to use a simple money-tracking exercise to expose hidden spending patterns and heart issues
  • Why inviting Jesus into your financial decisions is the only path to real, lasting freedom from debt and financial stress

Key Quotes
  • "He doesn't need us to do any of this for Him. He wants to do all of this with us."
  • "Money is the perfect idol because money really is a form of power."
  • "When we ask money to do for us what only God can do — give us security, comfort, status, purpose, identity — that's when we're really worshiping our money more than God."
  • "You want to see what your priorities are? Look at your bank statement and your calendar." — Joy Hunt
  • "True financial freedom is freedom from needing money to do for you what only God can do."

Practical Takeaways
  • Do a money tracking exercise before you build a budget. Pull up the last two to three months of bank and credit card statements and calculate your average spending in each category. You might be surprised — and that surprise is exactly the point.
  • Ask the harder question. When you look at where your money is going, ask yourself: Is this reflecting my priorities, or revealing them? Let that be the beginning of an honest conversation with God.
  • Bring it into the light. Whether it's debt, financial confusion, or just feeling out of control — find one trusted person (or a financial coach) to share it with. Shame loses its power when it's no longer a secret.
  • Invite Jesus into your money decisions. Not just at the beginning of your financial journey, but as an ongoing part of how you plan, spend, save, and give.

Resources Mentioned:
  • Book: "Getting Over Yourself" by Caroline Spencer
  • Book: "Redeeming Money" by Paul Tripp

Connect with Katie:
  • Facebook Group: Christian Money Management
  • YouTube: Katie Fiola Jones
  • Redeeming Your Finances Course


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Website: pastorsandmoney.com/podcast


The Pastors & Money Podcast helps pastors, ministry leaders, and churches start thriving financially using money as a tool to fuel God's mission in our churches and families.


Want to be a guest on Pastors & Money Podcast? Send Joy Hunt a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/pastorsandmoney

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Pastors & Money PodcastBy Joy Suzanne Hunt