chokomoney.com

Recently I had the chance to chat with Chuck Bentley, the CEO of Crown Financial Ministries, and host of the MoneyLife radio program.

Chuck is a great guy, with a passion for seeing others master their income under the Master’s guidance as you’ll see from my interview below:

Jason: How did you get your start off at Crown Monetary Ministries? What had been some of the circumstances that led you to get involved in Christian individual finance?

Chuck: First, thanks for the interview Jason!  I got involved in a Crown Bible Study via my church. At that time I was an “Internet millionaire” on paper, prior to the public offering of stock for the firm I founded. I was really busy and preoccupied with acquiring rich. My wife would call that an understatement!  The Bible study caused me to begin reading God’s Word, which radically impacted my life. From there I became a local volunteer for Crown and joined the staff in August 2000.  I was especially drawn to Crown simply because of the connection between everyday, individual financial decisions and my spiritual growth. The more I applied God’s principles, the more I grew to adore Him. I wanted to share this encounter with every person I met!

Jason: Your new book is referred to as The Root of Riches can you give us an concept of what readers can appear forward to when the book comes out? 

Chuck:  My goal in writing the book is to take the readers to a deeper level than transformation of their finances. Anybody can aid you get your finances in order, but only God can transform your life.  I think we are drifting towards “Christian humanism” when it comes to monetary teaching and have neglected the importance of guarding our minds. By making the connection among our beliefs and our behaviors, I share how the reader can find out and apply God’s truth to their monetary decisions and grow to be rich on God’s terms.

Jason: What inspired you to write about this topic at this time?  Why do you think this message is so important in today’s culture?

Chuck: I have made just about each and every monetary mistake and sought solutions in all the wrong places. As painful as that was, I came to recognize that my greatest mistake was my private conviction that a lot more money was always the answer to my financial troubles. This desire to usually have far more basically controlled my life. Breaking free of that was so challenging, yet life transforming. This life lesson inspired me to be transparent about my errors but also share the non-negotiable lessons of doing it proper.

My hope is that this message is beneficial to any person who wants to become truly wealthy. In a world that continues to position funds as the ultimate metric of success, I believe numerous will discover great joy in shifting their focus away from pursuing the world’s riches and locating hope in God’s riches. 

Jason: What do you feel could take place if Christians in America began to learn and apply solid biblical truth about money to their lives?

Chuck: Revival on the spiritual, emotional and economic levels! Church attendance would skyrocket due to the fact individuals will have their treasures invested there. Missions would flourish here and abroad. Evangelism would increase by means of the infectious joy that believers would be sharing in their houses, neighborhoods and communities. Prescription drugs for stress and emotional challenges would decrease. Relationships would improve across the board, such as company partnerships, marriages and between parents and youngsters. The economy would enhance significantly because folks would have far greater monetary stability and capacity. I do not believe that’s an exaggeration. I would adore to see us give it a try in America or anyplace else! 

Jason: I enjoy the infographic at rootofriches.org.  I noticed one of the pictures says, “Right beliefs will create the behaviors that make you really rich.” I don’t know about you Chuck, but unfortunately even although I know what’s correct, I don’t often do what’s appropriate. Can you explain what you mean?  How do we genuinely overcome our negative income habits?

Chuck: In the book I make the case that we are controlled by our beliefs. The distinction is that while we may know what to do, unless we genuinely think it, we will not put that belief into action. Example – If I told you that tomorrow you could minimize your gasoline expenses by $three.50/gallon by adding a quart of water and a tablespoon of sugar to your gas tank every day, would you do it?  Of course not! But suppose I tell you that you can reduce your vehicle operating  expenses by keeping your tires appropriately inflated. That 1 is accurate, but most people do not take it seriously. Skilled truck drivers take it seriously, although. They think it and act upon it due to the fact they know it makes a distinction. Negative money habits can be traced to the root concern of our false beliefs. When those are corrected with biblical truth that we genuinely believe, we will put that truth into action.  A practical example is debt. The Bible warns us that it leads to slavery. Many people may know that, but only those who genuinely think it will avoid going into debt.

Jason: We know that Jesus spoke usually about funds in His teachings. Why do you feel that is?

Chuck: Jesus spoke typically about funds simply because it is so hazardous. It is an issue related to our hearts and 1 we hide or keep silent about. I like to say, “Get the heart of the man and you have the whole man….If you don’t get the heart, you have little else.” It’s crucial to realize that becoming rich is related far more to what we enjoy than what we own otherwise, we invest our lives trading our affection to gain nothing but cash and by the way, income does not enjoy you. God wants us to love Him and prevent becoming deceived by His chief competitor….gold, silver and paper with numbers printed on it in colored ink.

Jason: Do you think church leaders nowadays need to speak up