Faith Matters Podcast

Wisdom from Proverbs The Old Testament book of Proverbs has many writers, but the principal author was most likely King Solomon. While there are dozens of verses that mention wisdom in this book, we’ll focus on some and glean as much truth as we can about wisdom. Proverbs 12:15 NLT Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. Listening to others brings wisdom. Sometimes we ar...

The Wisest Man One of the kings of Israel was a man named Solomon. He was the son of David, who is well known in the Bible. When King David died, 1 Kings 2:12 tells us, “Solomon became king and sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.” King Solomon has quite a reputation—some of it good, and some of it not so good. The good is that he really did love God and w...

What is wisdom? If you look up the definition for wisdom, you’ll find this: knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action. We can have all the knowledge in the world stored in our brains, but if we don’t know how to apply it and move that information to action, we don’t have wisdom. Basically, we can know more than the average person, but if we don’t apply what we know...

One of the biggest signs of the ongoing presence of sin in our lives is prayerlessness. Prayerlessness says, “I don’t need to ask God to help me with my daily life.” Another way of talking about this sin of prayerlessness is in terms of pride. Pride doesn’t think it needs God’s help. Pride thinks that more will be accomplished today by skipping a time of prayer and starting to do the tasks for the...

If normal dads want to do what’s best for their kids, how much more should we expect the perfect, heavenly Father to always do what’s best for his kids? Jesus made this point to another audience filled with good folks like you and me. He said, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask...

Relationships Relationships are a part of all of our lives. Some of them may be healthy, while others aren’t. At times, we may feel closer to people that we’re not related to, and feel distant from those in our own families. Within these relationships, we get to witness the good in the lives of people we love, but we also have to navigate the difficult—like hurt, betrayal, and frustration (to name...

Work Work is a good thing that God has given all of us. Children work at school and do chores at home. Teenagers train in sports, while others get their first job. Adults work at raising kids, serving others, and running companies. Some of us go to work away from our homes, and some of us don’t. Some of us get paid to work, and some of us don’t. And some of us love our work, and some of us don’t....

Money The world is full of things competing for our attention. Everywhere we look, we see things that seem to call out to us saying, “Buy me!” or, “You need me!” Material possessions can lure us in so strongly that we start purchasing things that may not have been on our financial radar. And before we know it, we’re in a toxic relationship with money and possessions, and we don’t know how to get o...

What is normal? Normal means conforming to a standard, type, or regular pattern. The term normal usually refers to something that’s typical or natural and something that most people do, and abnormal appears to be the opposite. With that in mind, we’ll define normal in the following way: behavior that is typical, expected, and adjusts to a standard that society has put in place. But with the amount...

What's Your Ambition? Selfish ambition is a sneaky little beast; one that is easy to fall prey to, even for a sincere-hearted Kingdom driven entrepreneur. After all, the world of business looks favorably upon ambition and drive to be the best and achieve more. Shouldn't you want more for your business? Won't greater influence, profits, and prominence mean a greater impact for the Kingdom of God? A...

Faith and Corresponding Action in Business I rarely meet a Kingdom driven entrepreneur who is not an action taker. It's the nature of a business owner to work hard to see a vision come to fruition and grow in both profitability and impact. Here is the problem. Taking action and taking faith-filled, God-inspired action are two different things. I am all too familiar with this from my own journey. Y...

Lack Wisdom? Ask God. One of the most significant assets you have as a Kingdom driven entrepreneur is divine wisdom. Not only does God give you wisdom, but He does so without finding fault in you for asking Him! That is not a small thing, and too many entrepreneurs fail to tap in to His wisdom when faced with a problem that requires a solution. How many times have you failed to ask God for wisdom...

The Power of Perseverance The journey of Kingdom driven entrepreneurship is filled with hills and valleys; deep challenges and fulfilling triumphs. There are times you will experience a true test of your faith. In my own journey, I’ve faced significant financial loss in business, not once but twice. I’ve experienced the unexpected loss of a business partner along with the feelings of confusion and...

The Call to City Impact Jesus Christ came to establish His Kingdom and sent the Holy Spirit so that His ministry could be continued through us in union with Him today. Through demonstration of the power, presence, and love of God, you are called as a Kingdom entrepreneur to make a difference wherever you are planted. Your city is blessed not by simply having church buildings erected throughout it,...

A Kingdom-driven View on Wealth I remember the day I met Ken Eldred, a Kingdom entrepreneur who built and later sold a $400 million revenue business and has since provided funding for a number of Kingdom advancing businesses. He made a powerful statement to me about entrepreneurship: “Profit is like oxygen. You absolutely need it to win the race. But that’s not the objective. The primary objective...

Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are three of Heaven’s greatest assets available to you as you grow a Kingdom-driven business. Although many people use these terms interchangeably, they are different. Knowledge is information and facts; understanding is the ability to give meaning to that knowledge; wisdom is knowing what to do with (how to properly apply) the knowledge. In my own entrepreneur...

Faith Matters with Brian and Andi Hale The Book of Signs by Dr. David Jeremiah. This week we read Chapter 17 on worship. Revelation 4 and 5 provide a glimpse into heaven and the great worship service that will occur around the throne of God as the time comes for the unleashing of the final events in world history leading to the return of Christ. These chapters literally take us up to heaven and le...

Why Am I Irritable? A short time into my new marriage, I found myself irritated by something my husband had done “incorrectly.” At least in my opinion. I may have even rolled my eyes. I was irritated. My husband responded “Wow! After 28 years, I am so glad that you finally told me that I was doing it wrong.” I was humiliated at my behavior. There is more than one way to cut the apple. I was easily...