Monday, January 14, 2019

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About the Book

Title: 5 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom

Author: Dan Willis

Genre: Finances/Christian living

Release date: January 8, 2019

Publisher: Whitaker House

As a young and naïve pastor, Dan Willis maxed out twenty-three credit cards and ruined his credit to support his ministry. It wasn’t until massive debt caused the cards to stop working that he realized that God never asked him to do this. Through his candor and honesty, Dan reveals the five steps God showed him to get out of debt: stop spending, create a budget, develop a debt payoff plan, begin saving, and repair bad credit. This led him to becoming a thriving and financially-free ministry. Now, Dan is on a mission to teach this to the world. Using biblical principles, but not relying on miracles or “name-it-and-claim-it” theology, Dan provides easy-to-follow, practical steps that can be used by anyone to escape financial bondage. Finally, he encourages readers to use their financial freedom to help others and advance God’s kingdom, and to use their newfound fiscal wisdom to store up wealth. Without shaming those who struggle financially, 5 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom is the perfect combination of spiritual wisdom and practical advice for those who desperately need it.

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author

As a young boy, Dan Willis’s dreams involved entering the medical field until that fateful day when, at age sixteen, he was called to “temporarily” take over the pastor position of a local church. More than thirty years later, Dan is still there, serving as the senior pastor of The Lighthouse Church of All Nations in Alsip, Illinois. He took the small ministry of sixteen people and nurtured it into a thriving multicultural body of more than 1,500 people. Dan’s previous books with Whitaker House were Freedom to Forget: Releasing the Pain from the Past, Embracing Hope for the Future and Praise Is My Weapon.

Guest Post from Dan

Not 23 Ways to Money Greatness or 67 Options to Financial Well Being. Just Five Simple Steps to Financial Freedom. Why complicate this? Wipe out debt and create wealth.

I'm sure most of us can relate to the author's story of watching our credit cards bounce from store to store. Before we have realized it, it stops bouncing and you hear the horrible beep of denial across the loud speaker in the store. Well, maybe not the loud speaker, but it might as well be. I can remember how I was excited to get my first credit card. My husband and I said we will use it for emergencies only. How long did that great plan last? Not very long as more "we are pleased to inform you that you have been pre- approved for a new credit card from ...."

I loved the visual of shredding your credit cards. The author is right. If they are maxed out, you can't use them anyway. Better to get rid of them and pay them off, then keeping them and paying on them just enough to use again. It must have been so hard for his congregation to take that first step toward the shredder that morning. But what freedom they must have experienced as they knew they would never be using the card again. The enemy's hold was lessening as their freedom from credit became closer for them.

The scripture, " The love of money is the root of all evil," has been misquoted so often. I have heard people say "money is the root of all evil, " but the scripture specifically says "the love of money." It sure makes a big difference when you know the correct way to follow the word of God. I get the premise of the book, that we should be debt free, but I don't like to feel guilty because the only way I could afford a medical procedure was to charge it. We all have choices and sometimes those choices are not agreeable by others. I do pray about our finances and I know what we need to do.

There are times that emergencies come up and a credit card or borrowing money is your only choice. Does it mean I lack faith because I used a credit card? I don't think I should beat myself up when I have to act quickly during an emergency. There are so many teachings on tithing and I always want to make sure that the words I'm hearing are lining up with the Bible.

I liked when the author said the prayer to lead people to Christ until he put in about tithing during the prayer of salvation. I can't recommend this book because I found it to be more about tithing and how to have lots of money which seemed important to the author. The author does have a few good points, but I found it difficult to follow his train of thought and the use of some of his examples. The best thing I can say is use your judgement when reading a book such as this and seek God for wisdom in what you should do about finances.

I received a copy of this book from celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.