Utah's Hope

This weekend, our nation celebrates freedom. In Scripture, however, we are reminded about freedom that’s even deeper than national liberty. During the Fourth of July weekend and the nation’s 250th anniversary, we ask: What does it mean to live as truly free people? On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West explores the freedom Christ gives—and how that freedom reshapes the way we handle money. Then, it’s your calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live—where biblical wisdom meets today’s financial decisions—weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio. To join our team of supporters, click here.

To support the ministry of FaithFi, click here.

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Perfectionism in marriage can make home feel more like a performance review than a relationship. On FamilyLife Today, Dave and Ann Wilson talk with Portia Collins about the pressure to get everything right—and the freedom that comes when undeserved kindness replaces relentless effort. Through humor, honesty, and the book of Galatians, Portia shares how walking by the Spirit reshapes marriage, parenting, and the exhausting habit of keeping score.

Show Notes and Resources

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Imagine if the richest man in the world slipped you a piece of paper and said, “Here’s my cell number. Call me if I can ever do something for you.” And then you hear a sound. Oh, it was your jaw hitting the floor. Imagine! What an invitation! Well today on A NEW BEGINNING, we see we have an invitation from God himself to come to Him anytime in prayer. No cell phone required. Pastor Greg Laurie is offering insights to help encourage us straight from the truths in God’s Word.

Experience the Harvest Crusade on July 11 when you watch online!

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Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

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As our nation celebrates Independence Day and marks the 250th anniversary of our founding, it’s worth pausing to thank God for the freedoms we enjoy. We have the freedom to worship, work, give, speak, serve, and live with opportunities many people around the world do not have.

Those are gifts worth receiving with gratitude.

But Scripture points us to a freedom even deeper than national liberty. For the Christian, freedom is not simply the ability to do whatever we want. It is not the removal of all restraint, and it is certainly not permission to live for ourselves.

Biblical freedom is the freedom Christ gives us from the power of sin so that we can love God and serve others.

Jesus says in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” That is the deepest freedom any person can know: freedom from condemnation, freedom from slavery to sin, and freedom from the false masters that promise life but cannot give it.

The apostle Paul writes in Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

But later in that same chapter, Paul helps us understand what Christian freedom is for. Galatians 5:13 says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

That is important. Freedom is not merely something we possess. It is something we steward.

Peter says it this way in 1 Peter 2:16: “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

Christian freedom is not the freedom to be ruled by worldly desires. It is the freedom to no longer be ruled by them. It is the freedom to say no to sin, no to selfishness, no to the world’s definition of the good life, and yes to God.

And that has everything to do with the way we handle money.

True financial freedom is not measured by what we have, but by what no longer has a hold on us.

We may say we are free, but fear can still control our decisions. Comparison can still shape our spending. Comfort can still become our highest goal. Accumulation can still feel like our source of security. The desire for control can still keep our hands closed, even as God invites us to trust Him.

That is why Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money.”

Money is a good tool, but a terrible master. It can be received with gratitude, managed with wisdom, and used for love of neighbor. But when it becomes our master, it distorts everything and leaves us empty.

As evangelist Billy Sunday once said, “The fellow that has no money is poor. The fellow who has nothing but money is poorer still.”

Hebrews 13:5 gives us a beautiful picture of financial freedom: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have.”

Why can we live that way? Because the verse continues, “for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

Contentment is possible because God is present. Generosity is possible because God provides. Wisdom is possible because God owns it all. And open-handed living is possible because Christ has set us free.

That does not mean financial stewardship is always easy. Many people are carrying real burdens—debt, rising expenses, medical bills, job uncertainty, or the pressure of providing for a family. But even in those places, Christ invites us into a deeper freedom: not freedom from every difficulty, but freedom from fear as our master.

We belong to the One who will never leave us or forsake us.

So this Fourth of July weekend, let’s thank God for the freedoms we enjoy. But let’s also ask Him for a deeper freedom: the freedom to n

Jim Daly and John Fuller introduce this Adventures in Odyssey audio drama celebrating America’s Independence Day! It’s an exciting journey back in time to the American Revolution, encountering heroes like Nathan Hale, George Washington, and Ben Franklin!

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In his book titled, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis wrote, “Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is ‘finding his place in it,’ while really it is finding its place in him.” Prosperity can be a blessing from God, but it becomes dangerous when it begins to shape our identity. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West examines the story of King Hezekiah and the subtle danger of using wealth to boast. Then, it’s on to calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live, biblical wisdom for your financial journey. That’s weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio. To join our team of supporters, click here.

To support the ministry of FaithFi, click here.

To learn more about Rob West, click here.

To learn more about Faith & Finance Live, click here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Topics: 

Gen X, Showing The Cracks, "Funflation", What God Wants, Too Much News, Masterclass, Reminders, History Segment, Sin


BONUS CONTENT: GEN X Follow-ups

Quotes:

"You can show your imperfections."

"We have the freedom NOT to do things."

"Your brain is designed for local clear and present threats."

"We love that we get to remind you of the big picture."