Send us a text

RELINQUISH SLAVERY
Less $tress | Part 3
Dr. Jessica Fernandez
February 16, 2025

#realspringcreekchurch #financialfreedom #stressfree #godandmoney

Debt is more than just a financial burden - it’s a form of modern day slavery that can control decisions, emotions, and even our faith. In this sermon, we explore what the Bible says about debt, financial bondage, and true freedom in Christ. Many of us unknowingly live under the weight of financial oppression. How does debt keep us enslaved? How can we break free and step into God’s provision and peace?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What does it mean to be enslaved to debt, and how can financial burdens affect your ability to fully trust and serve God? Read Proverbs 22:7 and Matthew 6:24. How do these verses relate to financial bondage and our relationship with God?

2. Jesus said we cannot serve both God and Mammon (Matthew 6:24). How does the spirit of Mammon influence people’s financial decisions, and how can we resist its pull? What are some lies that Mammon tells us about money? How do they compare to God’s promises in Scripture?

3. The Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:10) was a time when debts were canceled and slaves were freed. What does this tell us about God’s heart for financial freedom? How does this principle apply to our lives today, and how can we walk in financial freedom as believers?

4. In what ways does debt impact relationships, marriages, and families? Have you ever experienced or seen financial stress create tension in your relationships? How can biblical financial wisdom bring peace and unity?

5. What practical steps can you take today to begin the journey toward financial freedom? Read Philippians 4:19 and Proverbs 4:7. How does trusting in God’s provision and seeking financial wisdom help us break free from financial bondage?

Send us a text

ESTABLISHING PRIORITIES
Less $tress | Part 2
Pastor Keith Stewart
February 9, 2025

This second installment in our series, Less $tress, is all about the steps you can take in your life to immediately begin relieving financial stress. In a message both personal and practical, Pastor Keith will share with you the three proven principles for getting out and staying out of financial distress It’s a message you don’t want to miss.

#lessstress #establishingpriorities #realspringcreekchurch #livingstressfree #putgodfirstfinancially


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just let go of our financial worries and stress over running our business and managing our mortgage and struggling with our student loan? What if I told you the key to a more peaceful and productive life is a 2000-year-old recipe in God’s Word that teaches us that we’re not owners, we’re merely managers of the things that belong to God. That one reality has the power to release burdens we carry that belong to God and not us. I hope you can join us in this first installment in Less $tress living.

1. Describe a time in your life that was financially distressing, past, or present? What happened? How did you deal with it? Were there ways you might have contributed to the problem? What did you find most helpful? Where are you now in regard to this issue?

2. Regarding the practice of frugality, Pastor Keith offered two guiding principles. One was to practice doing a regular inventory of your life. This keeps hoarding in check, makes sure that the things we have make an actual contribution to our life and allows us to see if there are things we have that might be better used by others or sold to produce a benefit for others. Have you ever engaged in such an inventory? Has God ever moved your heart to give something away or sell something to be a blessing? Describe what happened and whatever outcome you may be aware of.

3. Pastor Keith also suggested in regard to frugality, that we reconsider purchases. Sometimes, we are too quick to go buy the things we want without ever considering if God might want to bless us in another way; to receive something for free, or at a reduced cost or even have it loaned to us. Has this ever happened to you? If so, what was it? How did you respond? Have you ever delayed purchasing an item so you could consult with God whether that was the proper course? Have you ever blessed someone with something they needed? If so, what was that like?

4. When it comes to establishing priorities that will lead to greater freedom and less stress, we need to stop the bleeding. In other words, we must step off the endless debt cycle. The misuse of credit has gotten many individuals and families into trouble. Too often, we think only in terms of the affordability of the payment without considering the cumulative effect of long-term debt or how that payment might erode our margin. What has been your personal experience with using credit for homes, cars, major purchases or credit cards? If you have managed to get credit usage under control, what were the things that helped you most? If you could have a talk with the younger you, what advice would you give as it relates to the use of credit?

5. One of the most practical principles in getting money managed and moving toward a less stressful experience is involving God in your finances. Throughout the Bible, there are numerous promises from God about taking care of our needs IF we prioritize Him in our finances. For those of you who make a regular habit of giving, how have you seen God’s faithfulness in providing for your needs? If someone was a new believer and struggling to trust God with their finances, what would you say to encourage them?

Send us a text

Less $tress
Settle Ownership | Part 1
Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
February 2, 2025

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just let go of our financial worries and stress over running our business and managing our mortgage and struggling with our student loan? What if I told you the key to a more peaceful and productive life is a 2000-year-old recipe in God’s Word that teaches us that we’re not owners, we’re merely managers of the things that belong to God. That one reality has the power to release burdens we carry that belong to God and not us. I hope you can join us in this first installment in Less $tress living.

_____

1. Pastor Keith made some comparisons between renters and homeowners. Ultimately, it’s the homeowner who bears the responsibility for major repairs that are a part of the normal upkeep of a home. What has been your experience in this area as an owner or a renter?

2. What, if anything, did you learn from the parable of the unjust steward that you didn’t know before? What are some of your key learnings from this parable?

3. In drawing lessons from this story, Jesus reminded us, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16.10). The implication is money is a really SMALL issue loaded with HUGE implications. There are riches that are far greater than money. But whether or not God will ever entrust them to us is dependent on whether we can first pass the money test. How are you personally doing in this area of your life? What have been your greatest learnings? Where have you struggled the most? What comes naturally to you today and why?

4. Jesus made money into a very intensely personal and spiritual matter by giving money the name Mammon. Why is money a spiritual matter? In what ways does money take on God-like qualities in our life? Why did Jesus reduce our choice to God and Money versus God and Satan?

5. Pastor Keith’s final illustration about playing the game of monopoly speaks to our obsession with money and acquisition. What do you know about the game of monopoly and especially its parallels with economic realities? What does it say to you that in the end, it all goes back in the box?

6. What decision or decisions will you make as a result of today’s message?