Archive for Economy
Financial Reckoning Day Fallout by William Bonner
Posted by: | CommentsI wrote on this blog last Friday about the enlightening book by William Bonner and Addison Wiggin called “Financial Reckoning Day Fallout,” the revised and updated edition that was published this year.
Financial Reckoning Day Fallout: Surviving Today’s Global Depression
I thought I would take a couple of quotes from the book that really hit home with me because I was guilty of what the authors were speaking about regarding home equity lines of credit, and how many of us used our homes as our ATM machines. Hey, the truth hurts sometimes, but as long as we learn from them…
Read this carefully, regarding home equity lines…
Homeowners, thinking they were getting something for nothing, believed they were merely taking some of their gains off the table – like selling a few shares of appreciated stock. Little did they realize they were selling the table itself… along with the kid’s bathroom and the family room.
If, for example, the house went from a $100,000 price to a price of $200,000, the homeowner may feel he can “take out” $100,000 of equity and still be living in a $100,000 house. But what he is actually doing is selling half the house to the mortgage lender. Even if the higher prices stick, he still has to live somewhere… and now he has to “rent” half his house form the mortgagor. (p. 46)
As time went on, more and more homeowners became gamblers, betting that property values would rise fast enough so they could refinance again, all of them forgetting one important fact: A house is a house. It provides a service, but it doesn’t provide any more service if it is quoted at $500,000 than if it is quoted at $300,000. Same roof. Same air-conditioning. Same everything. Except, when it is said to be worth more, two noxious things result. First, the homeowner can “take out” some of the equity and feel like he is still ahead of the game. He doesn’t worry about it when prices are rising, when the loan comes due, he can always take out a little more. Gradually, he gets deeper and deeper into debt. And then, inevitably, his house goes down in price and he gets into trouble.
The other awful consequence is… (p. 48)
Okay, I could keep on and on, but I have to stop somewhere. I recommend that you pick up a copy of this book right away. When you do, a lot of things going on in the economy today will make a lot more sense and you’ll be better prepared for the future by learning from our past mistakes, both as a country and individually.
Once again, here is the direct link to the Amazon page:
Financial Reckoning Day Fallout: Surviving Today’s Global Depression
PLEASE let me know your thoughts by posting a comment below, whether you agree with the quotes above or not…
Blessings!
Mark
The truth about how our economy got to this state…
Posted by: | CommentsNot often do I recommend secular books (even though I read a lot of them), but if you want to know how our economy got to its current state, you have to read “Financial Reckoning Day Fallout” by William Bonner and Addison Wiggin.
I do understand as believers we operate on God’s economy, but speaking in the natural, this book explains our current economy better than anything I’ve ever read.
Here is the direct link to the Amazon page:
Financial Reckoning Day Fallout: Surviving Today’s Global Depression
If you don’t get it from this link, just make sure you get the revised and updated version that came out just this year, not the first edition that was published in 2003.
This book contains a lot of helpful information about the housing and mortgage crisis, unemployment, bank failures, the credit crunch (private and public), and much more.
The reason I wanted you to know about it is because this book really caused me to reflect on my past mistakes and take precautions to avoid making the same mistakes again.
I trust this book will be as helpful and enlightening to you as it was to me.
Financial Reckoning Day Fallout: Surviving Today’s Global Depression
Blessings!
Mark
The Influence of Mammon
Posted by: | CommentsLast week, I talked about the book The Seven Mountain Prophecy by Johnny Enlow. Again, it speaks of the seven mountains of influence that we have been called to take for the Kingdom.
It also speaks of the spiritual battle that we may face in tackling each mountain. Godly influence can only be gained by operating in the opposite spirit from that which rules the world. For instance, (quoting from Enlow’s Introduction on page 11):
“A spirit of Mammon will work to keep Christians from progressing on the Mountain of Economy (Business and Wealth). Therefore, a Christian who is called to great influence on this mountain must be stripped of Mammon’s influence in his own life before he can exercise any spiritual authority there.”
Could this explain what many of us as believers have gone through over the past year? Selah…
As much as I didn’t think I had that kind of negative influence, I can now honestly say that the house, the cars, the finest vacations, and all that “stuff” just don’t have the same meaning to me any more.
But, hey, now that I’ve got that out of the way (hopefully), let’s tackle this mountain of business/wealth with more fervor and enthusiasm than ever before! It’s not time to back down because maybe things haven’t worked out for you financially the way you thought it would. Let’s learn from this and move on with even a bigger vision! God wants it for us as long as our hearts are right and the wealth is used for His glory!
Here is the direct link on Amazon to “The Seven Mountain Prophecy” in case you missed it last week:
Blessings!
Mark
P.S. Please leave your comments below so we can share our thoughts and ideas within the EPIC community!
The Seven Mountain Prophecy, Johnny Enlow
Posted by: | CommentsI just finished reading a book that has greatly impacted my life called “The Seven Mountain Prophecy” by Johnny Enlow. I consider myself a pretty big dreamer - until I read this and realized how small my thinking as a believer has been.
A number of Christian leaders have spoken on these seven mountains, such as Chuck Pierce, Lance Wallnau, Os Hillman, and others. In this book, Pastor Enlow speaks of these seven mountains of influence within today’s society and how we can take these mountains for Christ.
These seven mountains are Media, Government, Education, Economy (Business/Wealth), Religion, Entertainment, and Family. We have been at the base of these mountains trying to influence society on a small scale, but imagine if we can sit at the tops of these mountains and influence millions at one time!
Not everyone is called for every mountain, but as you read the book, one (or some) will resonate in your spirit. EPIC Wealth Strategies is called to influence the mountain of Business/Economy, even though there are a couple of other mountains I have a vision for in ways that I’ve shared with only a very few people.
He doesn’t mention this in the book, but I personally feel that the Business/Economy mountain is perhaps the most important, because if you conquer this mountain, you have the finances available to fund what’s necessary to claim the others!
I’ll be talking about this book for the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime, here is a link directly to Amazon where you can check out the book:
I hope this book ministers to you as much as it has me, and confirms the calling in your life that perhaps you feel has been lost or stolen.
Blessings!
Mark
Does Your Financial Vision Seem Dead?
Posted by: | CommentsA few years ago, back when the economy was rolling right along, most Christians seemed to be excited about bringing in wealth and finances to advance the Kingdom. Believers were excited about the prospect of the transfer of wealth.
But, fast forward to the present, and I’ve seen that excitement wane in most Christians. Is the vision dead?
Personally, as with many of you, the Lord has used these times to help us get our priorities in line, as you’ve seen me write about on this blog in the recent past.
But for kingdom-minded believers, is Deuteronomy 8:18 now declared “null and void” just because of this bump in the road of the world economy?
Maybe we’ve seen all the greed on Wall Street and in corporations and we want to be removed from that as far as possible, so we shy away from the very idea of obtaining wealth.
But actually the opposite is true. Because now, more than ever, we need righteous believers sitting in the seats of power on Wall Street and Main Street! Imagine all the major financial decision-makers having the mind of Christ and using that wea.lth for His Glory! We can’t back down now - we need to advance in the area of business and investment, and not retreat.
Forgive me if this sounds a little preachy, but this has been on my heart for a few weeks now, and I have to get this message out. Consider this the beginning of a new series over the next few weeks, where I will share what the Lord has been showing me lately in this area of business and investment.
Stay tuned!
Mark
New breakthrough health insurance
Posted by: | CommentsIf you are a business owner or you either can’t afford the soaring health costs or have been turned down for major medical, you don’t want to miss this. I have personally met the creators of this health insurance and thought you might be interested.
There is a short video that you can see if you click this link:
https://accesshealth.infusionsoft.com/go/coverage/health95/
The link takes you to a site that has a brief explanation and gives you the option to request more information if you are interested from there.
The product is guaranteed which means you don’t have to qualify for it and it is also extremely affordable starting at just $99/month.
The website to see the video is
https://accesshealth.infusionsoft.com/go/coverage/health95/
I hope and pray it meets a need in your life. There are 48 million Americans who are going without health insurance. If you are one of them - please do yourself a favor and consider this option.
Blessings!
Mark
PS - the video shows you how you can get coverage for Doctor Hospital, PPO Network, Accident Injury, Prescription Plan, and more…
PPS - This is the only health insurance I have seen that lets you enroll completely online. Don’t forget to forward this to folks you know that might be uninsured.
Biblical Answer to our Economic Challenges
Posted by: | CommentsMost of us have heard the phrase “multiple streams of income” as a means of achieving financial freedom. The advantage of multiple streams is if one stream dries up or slows down, you have others flowing in to pick up the slack.
Is this a new idea? Not at all. The Scriptures are in agreement. Ecclesiastes 11 speaks of taking risks and making multiple investments rather than operating out of fear and exercising too much caution. But look at verses 1 & 2…
“Cast your bread upon the waters [plural], for you will find it after many days. Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, for you do not know what evil will be on the earth.”
This “evil” can simply be, as one example, the current economic challenges we are facing as individuals and as a nation. We can pray, we can fast, we can declare, we can tithe (and we need to do all of these), but the Lord also gives us wisdom in taking some practical (and biblical) steps to ensure our financial well-being.
Multiple income streams is one way to minimize or even eliminate the “evil,” because if you have enough streams, one can completely disappear and you won’t even notice it too much.
This passage goes on to say in verse 6, “In the morning, sow your seed, and in the evening, do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good.”
I’ve just finished a new 7-CD audio series with bonus material called “Multiple Streams of Income for the Christian Entrepreneur.” This teaching has literally been birthed through the challenges of the past year that many of us in the body of Christ have experienced.
Find out more about this powerful new audio program now by following the link below…
http://www.epicwealthstrategies.com/multiplestreams
This is a timely message for the body of Christ. Pick up your set today and let other believers know about it who want to be blessed so they can be a blessing to others!
Mark
P.S. I encourage you to take advantage of the breakthrough ideas, concepts, and insights that are made available in this valuable new series. Let’s build the Kingdom together!
