SeedTime with Bob and Linda Lotich

You can be totally at peace with God, doing everything right, and still not get the thing you've been praying for.

That one hit me hard.

Annie F. Downs sat down with me and Linda to talk about her new book, Don't Let That Hold You Back.

She's the host of the That Sounds Fun podcast, and she just got engaged after decades of being single.

We talked about the idea that if you just get content enough, God will finally hand you what you want.

She says that's not how it works, not even close.

We got into what the Bible actually means by abundant life, and why the enemy's real target isn't your bank account, it's your dreams.

We talked about her "board of directors," the people she lets speak into her biggest decisions instead of just asking ChatGPT.

And we talked about why our company shuts down for three whole months every summer, fully paid, and what that has to do with a verse about letting a field rest.

This one covers faith, waiting, money, and what it looks like to stop letting fear make your decisions for you.

If you enjoyed this, we'd love to send you a free copy of our book. You just cover shipping. It has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Grab it at: seedtime.com/free.

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• Why Annie says the church stole something from every single person sitting in the pews
• The oddly specific bedding advice she gives every single woman (and why it matters more than you'd think)
• Why she thinks ChatGPT is a bad replacement for your own "board of directors"
• The difference between something that's stolen, killed, and destroyed, and why it changes how you should pray about it
• Why our company takes a fully paid, three month break every single summer
• The three step process Annie uses to test whether a dream is actually from God
• Why "just get content" is terrible advice if you actually want something to change

• John 10:10
• Matthew 7:7
• Exodus 23 or Leviticus 25 (sabbath year)
• John 16:33
• Ecclesiastes 3:11
• Proverbs 14:4
• Proverbs 11 or 15 (multitude of counselors)
• 2 Corinthians 2:15

• Don't Let That Hold You Back by Annie F. Downs

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

Most of us pray about money. Very few of us ask God what to do with it and then sit still long enough to hear an answer.

This is Part 2 of our conversation with our friend Bryan, a business owner and honestly a spiritual mentor in a lot of ways. In Part 1 he showed us how a money idol hides in a phrase you say every day. This time he shows us the other side: what it actually looks like to hear God about a money decision, and what God tends to deal with before He builds anything.

In this conversation we get into the exact ten-minute practice Bryan's whole team uses to ask God what to do (a timer, a notebook, and four things to write down), what came out of it the first time twelve people tried it, why he believes everyone in the room hears something, why "you need $250,000 to do this" is usually money holding you hostage, the stuff in the basement God insists on dealing with first, why you should not rush to be a teacher, the million-dollar cabin God told them to buy with money they did not have, and the question Bryan can't shake: how many spots have I not been in because I didn't listen?

Nothing here is a formula. It's a practice, it happens in community, and Bryan argues against his own decisions the whole way through.

If you want a place to start, Linda and I wrote 30 Days of Prayer for Your Finances for exactly this: one short prayer a day to start asking God about your money instead of just worrying about it. Grab it at: https://seedtime.com/30DOP

Timestamps

• 0:00 Cold open and intro
• 0:48 Stop stealing God's problem (the easy yoke)
• 2:44 The ministry friend who thought he needed $250,000
• 5:41 The ten-minute practice: a timer, a notebook, four things to write down
• 8:00 Thirteen years of work, one ten-minute prayer
• 9:54 Ask, seek, knock (and what God deals with first)
• 12:35 Don't rush to be a teacher
• 14:57 "Show me the man of lawlessness in me"
• 16:28 The million-dollar cabin
• 18:05 How many spots have I not been in?
• 18:47 Closing prayer

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• The ten-minute practice Bryan's team uses to ask God what to do
• The four things to write down while you listen
• Why the number you think you need is usually the thing holding you hostage
• What God deals with in your basement before He builds anything
• Why Bryan tells new pastors to spend three years getting humbled
• The million-dollar cabin, and the guardrail Bryan puts around that story
• How many spots have I not been in because I didn't listen?

Bible Verses Mentioned:

• Matthew 5: 5
• Matthew 7: 7-8
• Matthew 11: 28-30
• Luke 11: 9-10
• Nehemiah 6: 15
• 1 Corinthians 3: 12-15
• 1 Thessalonians 4: 11
• 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-8
• James 3: 1
• Acts 8:2 6-39
• Acts 9: 1-19

Resources Mentioned:

• Growth Tools

Disclaimer:Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

You can do everything right with money and still not feel free.

Budget in place. Debt gone. Emergency fund full. And underneath it, the same low hum of anxiety and comparison that was there before.

Our friend Bryan built his entire financial life on three words he'd heard a thousand times: cash is king. He's a Dave Ramsey superfan. He did the debt-free scream. Then one day in the shower it hit him. Cash isn't king. Jesus is.

That one shift exposed a money idol he never knew he had, and it changed how he makes every financial decision since.

In this conversation we get into how to tell whether money has become your idol (it usually hides in a phrase you say every day), the two kingdoms your money can run on, a definition of financial freedom that has nothing to do with a dollar amount, and what happened when Bryan and his wife prayed about spending their last $12,000 and believed God said yes.

To be clear, there is real wisdom in "cash is king." This is not a takedown. It's a conversation about what sits on the throne.

We wrote down the 14 things we did to be able to give away $1 million by our 40th birthdays. It's free at: https://seedtime.com/GIVE1M

Timestamps

0:00 Cold open and intro

2:57 The three words Bryan built his financial life on

3:51 The shower moment that flipped "cash is king"

7:30 Where the idol got built (and why he never saw it)

10:50 Two kingdoms, two operating systems

20:45 Money wants to give you what only God can

21:50 The stronghold you can't see

23:45 A definition of financial freedom that isn't a dollar amount

26:33 Nearly $1 million in cash to negative $3,000

29:46 The truck, and their last $12,000

31:59 Jesus math

34:01 You gotta ask God

41:19 "I have enough"

What we cover:

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• The phrase you have heard a thousand times that might be a lie
• The two operating systems your money can run on
• Why financial freedom can't be a number in an account
• The last $12,000 decision that made no financial sense
• Why "you have not because you ask not" still challenges Bryan
• The first time Bryan ever thought "I have enough"

Bible Verses Mentioned:

• Genesis 3
• Genesis 41
• Deuteronomy 27-28
• Joshua 6
• 1 Kings 17
• Proverbs 9
• Proverbs 21: 20
• Matthew 6: 26
• Matthew 6: 33
• Matthew 17: 27
• Romans 1-3
• James 4: 2

Resources Mentioned:

• Growth Tools

Disclaimer:

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

What if you don't need more money to pay off your debt?

What if you just need to see what's already in your house?

That's the pattern hiding inside a story in 2 Kings 4.

A widow. A dead husband. A creditor at the door.

And one small flask of olive oil that God multiplied until her debt was gone.

This episode was recorded live from one of our workshops.

Linda and I walk through the whole story, verse by verse.

Then we pull five simple steps out of it for paying off debt fast:

• Name your need.
• Take inventory of your house.
• Gather your jars.
• Shut your door.
• And pour your flask.

We also tell our own debt payoff story, starting with a blog that made $100 a month.

And why students in our Mission Driven Millionaire coaching program have paid off $17,000, $25,000, even $65,000 of debt in a matter of months…

This isn't a budgeting lecture.

It isn't a "just have more faith" pep talk either.

It's a biblical formula for getting in step with how God works.

And it might change how you see your debt for good.

So grab a notebook. You're going to want to write this one down.

If you enjoyed this, we'd love to invite you to apply for our Mission Driven Millionaire cohort starting soon - can you learn more at: https://seedtime.com/apply

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• The 5-step biblical pattern we found hiding in a story most people skim past
• Why the widow almost missed her own miracle (and how we almost missed ours)
• The one line in this story that changes what "faith" actually means for your money
• A simple way to tell if an idea is from God or just your own anxiety talking
• The real story behind how we paid off all our debt, starting with a blog making $100 a month
• Why "getting out of debt" was never supposed to be the finish line
• What happened when one of our own financial mentors told us we were making a huge mistake

• 2 Kings 4:1-7
• Proverbs 3:9-10
• Proverbs 11:14
• 2 Chronicles 7:14
• Ephesians 3:20

• Simple Money, Rich Life
• Mission Driven Millionaire program
• True Financial Freedom course

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

When money is tight, a sneaky thought creeps in.

If God was really pleased with me, wouldn't this be easier?

I have wrestled with that question myself more times than I can count.

So in this episode, Linda and I get honest about whether financial struggle means God is displeased with you.

We talk about what blessed actually means, and why comparing your finances to everyone's highlight reel is a trap.

We share seasons where we did everything right and money was still hard.

And we look at why adversity might actually mean you're on the right path.

This is for anyone quietly asking, am I doing something wrong?

If you enjoyed this, we'd love to send you a free copy of our book. You just cover shipping. It has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Grab it at: seedtime.com/free.

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• The question almost every Christian asks about money but never says out loud
• Why your definition of blessed might be working against you
• The surprising salary that puts you in the top 1% of the world
• What seed time and harvest reveals about seasons that feel stuck
• Why adversity is not a sign that God is withholding blessing
• The advice I come back to every time I don't know what to do next

• Galatians 6:9
• Romans 8:28

• Simple Money, Rich Life (the book)

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

I used to hate everything about our finances.

Then one thing changed and paying bills actually became fun.

That thing is margin.

Margin is the gap between what you earn and what you spend.

It might look small, but that gap is where the freedom lives.

In this session from our Mission Driven Millionaire cohort, Linda and I dig into why building margin might be one of the most spiritual things you ever do with your money.

We look at Joseph in Genesis 41 and how he made a plan before the famine came.

We look at the ant in Proverbs 6 and what it teaches us about saving.

And we talk about the two ditches: living paycheck to paycheck with no margin, and building bigger barns out of fear.

Plus how the Real Money Method helps you create margin so you can say yes when God says go.

If you enjoyed this, we'd love to send you a free copy of our book. You just cover shipping. It has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Grab it at: seedtime.com/free.

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• The money habit I now believe is one of the most spiritual things you can build
• Why the gap between what you earn and what you spend is where freedom lives
• What Joseph knew about abundance that most of us completely miss
• The two ditches almost everyone falls into with saving money
• The heartbreaking reason one man had to turn down his calling
• What the ant can teach you about your bank account
• The prayer Linda and I prayed the night before this session

• Genesis 41
• Proverbs 6:6-8

• Mission Driven Millionaire program
• Real Money Method course
• Simple Money, Rich Life (the book)

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

Three different doctors told her she should be dead.

She is still here, and still hosting live radio.

For over three decades, Susie Larson fought Lyme disease and mold toxicity.

It left seven areas of brain damage.

She lost words on the air and forgot how to spell.

At her lowest, IV bags filled the fridge where the groceries should have been.

Her family had no money for food while their friends bought second homes.

But something grew in the middle of all that pain.

She learned how to trust God when the breakthrough was nowhere in sight.

In this episode, Susie joins Linda and me to talk about her new book, More Than You Can Imagine.

We dig into the real difference between faith and "name it and claim it."

We talk about speaking God's Word over your money, your health, and your family.

I also share the story of declaring life over our newborn son when he would not breathe.

This one is about money, faith, healing, and what God actually does when you keep trusting Him.

If you enjoyed this, we'd love to send you a free copy of our book. You just cover shipping. It has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Grab it at seedtime.com/free.

0:51 Why this conversation felt like a divine appointment

3:14 Three decades of Lyme disease, mold, and losing words on live radio

4:23 The wandering lamb and the two ways we drift from God

12:50 The bold stranger who told Susie not to quit, then vanished

16:04 Broke and sick, learning to say "let the weak say I am strong"

21:38 The longest 90 seconds: declaring life over a baby who would not breathe

24:15 Why telling a hurting person to "just say it" can backfire

32:41 Who Susie wrote More Than You Can Imagine for

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• What three decades of chronic illness taught Susie about trusting God
• The real difference between faith and the "name it and claim it" trap
• Why some Christians end up making an idol out of their pain
• The strange encounter that stopped Susie from walking away from her calling
• What being broke and sick at the same time taught her about God as provider
• The prayer I prayed over our son when the room went silent
• What God does when you keep trusting Him with no results in sight

• Ephesians 3:20-21
• Joel 3:10
• John 7:38
• John 13:3-5
• Romans 4:17
• 2 Corinthians 4:13
• Hebrews 11:38
• Mark 11:23

• Free book offer
• More Than You Can Imagine by Susie Larson
• Susie Larson Live (her radio show and podcast)
• SusieLarson.com

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

Almost nobody actually feels like they have enough.

Not really.

We chase more money, more space, more results, and the finish line keeps moving.

So why does that happen?

And how do you actually fix it?

In this episode Linda and I dig into contentment and the real reasons so many of us feel like we never have enough.

We talk about the secret Paul learned while sitting in prison.

We break down three quiet causes: comparison, focusing on what you don't have, and never defining what "enough" even means.

Then we get practical with steps like starting a gratitude practice, giving when you feel like you can't, building a survival budget, and letting go of money's grip on your heart.

This one is about finding peace with what God has already put in your hands.

If you enjoyed this, we'd love to send you a free copy of our book. You just cover shipping. It has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Grab it at: seedtime.com/free.

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• Why "eternity in our hearts" leaves us always wanting more
• The one habit that lets comparison in the door
• How focusing on what's missing only makes it grow
• The moving goalpost that keeps you from ever feeling set
• The season Bob now calls one of the best things that ever happened to him
• A simple gratitude exercise you can start today
• Why giving breaks a scarcity mindset
• What "you cannot serve God and money" looks like in real life

• Philippians 4:11-13
• Ecclesiastes 3:11
• 2 Corinthians 10:12
• 1 Corinthians 12
• 2 Corinthians 3:18
• Ephesians 1:18
• James 1:4
• Genesis 32
• Philippians 4:8
• Romans 8:5
• 2 Corinthians 10:5
• Mark 9:35
• Matthew 6:24
• Matthew 6:25-34
• Colossians 3:3
• 1 John 1:9

• Simple Money, Rich Life
• True Financial Freedom

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

If your budget keeps falling apart after two weeks, it's probably not your fault.

I used to think I was just bad with money.

Then I realized the budget itself was the problem, not me.

In this episode, Linda and I walk through 10 reasons budgets break and what to do instead.

We cover zero-based budgeting, unrealistic numbers, tracking expenses, and the credit card mistake almost everyone makes.

We also share why building fun into your budget is one of the biggest secrets to actually sticking with it.

And you'll hear how one person cut their spending in half by doing one simple thing.

If you enjoyed this, we'd love to send you a free copy of our book. You just cover shipping. It has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Grab it at: seedtime.com/free.

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• The real reason 80% of budgets fail (it's not discipline)
• Why most people who say they budget actually don't
• The one habit that helped someone cut spending by 50% without changing anything else
• The credit card rule Linda and I follow that keeps us out of trouble
• The "gotta have it now" tax you're probably paying every month
• Why a miserable budget is a broken budget
• The Amazon cart trick I use to stop impulse buys

• Real Money Method course
• True Financial Freedom course

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

We just sold the 100,000th copy of a book I almost didn't write.

Back in school, English was my worst subject.

Teachers basically told me writing wasn't for me.

So when I felt God nudging me to write Simple Money, Rich Life, I pushed back hard.

I even hired someone else to write it for me.

But God kept saying, "You need to write this."

What came next was four years of prayer, a COVID curveball, a publisher who scrapped our whole concept, and an editing process that nearly wrecked us.

Sales started slow.

Then the ad budget got pulled.

I walked around a lake 100 times asking God if it was over.

Then things slowly started to turn.

This is the behind the scenes story of how a book about biblical money, giving, and stewardship reached 100,000 copies sold.

It is really the story of 100,000 answered prayers.

If you enjoyed this, we'd love to send you a free copy of our book. You just cover shipping. It has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Grab it at: seedtime.com/free.

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• The reader message that brought us to tears
• Why I almost let someone else write the whole book
• The prayer habit we started before any of this made sense
• The publisher demand that felt like losing an arm
• What Mark Batterson told me that changed how I measure success
• The lowest moment, and the lake I walked around 100 times
• The simple thing we started doing with every book we shipped
• What 100,000 copies really represents

• Hebrews 11:1
• Exodus 4:10
• 1 Corinthians 1:27
• Acts 19:11-12
• Matthew 25:21

• Simple Money, Rich Life
• True Financial Freedom

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.