(The following is an abbreviated transcription from a video Linda and I recorded. Please excuse any typos or errors.)
Today we are looking at a Biblical 4-part framework you can use today to cast your cares on the Lord with your finances.
We need to remember that the Lord is our strength and He cares for us.
So if you need encouragement, especially in your financial situation, you’ve come to the right place!
Now before we get into all the details, we recorded our discussion that you can listen to on our Podcast below. But, if you would rather read the full transcription, you can do so here in this article!
THE ONE THING I WOULD NEVER SEE LINDA DO
Bob: All right, so the question of the day today. I had this thought, “what is one thing that I would never see you do?” And as I was thinking about this.
Linda: Oh boy, we, we are actually talking about this?
Bob: And I think what I said was I would never walk into the bedroom and see you watching a horror movie.
Linda: That’s true.
Bob: Munching on popcorn.
Linda: Yeah. I mean, you brought this up this morning and was like, can you imagine? We both started laughing because I hate horror movies. Like there is nothing I would rather not do.
Bob: Well, yeah. And to the extreme of like some PG movies, like, you’re like, Nope, too scary. I just love that about you.
Linda: I know, I got super sensitive and the more I kinda gave into that sensitivity, like the stronger it got. Where it was like, I mean, I, yeah, we’re turned off things that.
Bob: Yeah, and I have no interest in horror movies either.
Linda: I’m just like, I can’t handle it. It’s too much.
Bob: Yeah. So anyway, fun fact.
Linda: What’s something I would never see you do? I don’t know.
Bob: That’s a good one. You can think on it. If you don’t have it right now, I might. I might need to think about it. Maybe you can bring that back. This is in a few minutes.
MY HACK FOR THOSE WHO NEED A COWORKING SPACE
Linda: So anyway, what are we talking about today?
Bob: Okay, so I, we went and worked at Lifetime. Lifetime Fitness, for anybody who’s curious.
Linda: Yes. We, Bob’s, Bob’s second office. Men’s club on steroids.
Bob: Yeah. Fun fact. Okay so if you, It’s not just for men.
Linda: Yeah, I call it men’s club.
Bob: It’s not a men’s club.
Linda: I just say that it’s like a club meets a gym.
THE VALUE OF LIFETIME FITNESS
Bob: Sure. So here’s the, here’s the hack that I recommend for anybody. If you need a coworking space. Cuz there’s coworking offices in our town and they’re like three to $500 a month to, to not even have an office, but just be able to go in there and to drink coffee and sit at a desk or whatever.
And Lifetime is $140 a month, which is expensive for a gym, but, it’s a coworking space. Like it’s, it’s basically what it is. There’s all kinds of couches, all kinds of tables. So much room, so much less stinky than Starbucks.
Linda: So much less crowded than Starbucks. Well, of a gym.
Bob: We have awesome pools. We have sauna, can work out. All this stuff. Pickleball, our personal favorite. So that’s what I’ve been doing for a while and it’s been great. And I, I wrote the entire book, Simple Money Rich Life, in Lifetime. I went there every single morning (find my morning checklist here) and I would go and write and sit at the same desk every day and write it. And so it’s been my second office and it’s been great.
How to cast your cares on the Lord with your finances
Linda: Yeah, so we went to the second office today and, I was reading this book. And I was getting so much, I was really excited and I was like, I think this is a great podcast episode. So the book is called Secrets to Powerful Prayer. It’s by Lynne Hammond and Patsy Camenteti. Patsy Camenteti is one of my personal favorites from many years. Yeah, many for many years. They have a ministry there in Australia, I believe right now. But they’ve gone to many different countries and opened Bible schools and then they also have a ministry where they travel around and speak.
And this book is super old. Well, when I say super old, was it 20 years or something?
Bob: Probably.
Linda: Anyway, so I pulled it out and I was like, I want, I wanna start reading this book because. I just wanna get better at praying. Like I just wanna be more in tune with how I should be praying based on what the scripture says.
And I, I, I don’t wanna pray and have no answers to my prayers, and I, I don’t think we, we always know what the answers are going to be to our prayers. Like, I don’t. I don’t. It’s not that where it’s like you’re praying so that you can get something out of God. But He is there for us to like talk to and to gain wisdom from. And yeah, peace and all kinds of things.
And so I, that’s why I’m reading this book is cuz I’m like, I want, I want those things. I want the, the peace of God that goes with praying and how do I do it the right way?
Cuz I’ve definitely prayed and it hasn’t done any good for me. It’s like I pray and then I just feel the same and I, I’m like, there’s, there’s some, there’s some something that I’m missing here that I want to. Stop praying for my own self and start praying to God.
Bob: I want to add, I mean, cuz I don’t know for anybody who’s listening, like, I think you have an awesome prayer life. I think you just wanna get better (grab our free Prayers for Finances PDF here).
Linda: Thanks. Yeah, I do. I, I do.
Bob: And which I, I love that about you. I think that’s awesome because yeah, I’ve seen you move some pretty significant mountains in prayer.
And so, but I’m just glad that you wanna get better. Cause I, yeah, I’m absolutely convinced that there is no limit with God on how far we can go in any area of our walk with Him. And so why not keep pushing the envelope to see how far we can go?
THE RASH
Linda: Yeah. I mean, the story you tell in the beginning of the book, which is about when I had this awful rash after I gave birth to our son. And I remember I was praying that God would take the rash away. And it did eventually go away. Thank you Jesus . But, it didn’t go away as soon as I wanted it to.
But, but see, and this is, this is the part where it’s like, but what am I praying? I’m just praying that I, I’ll get what I want.
Bob: Right.
Linda: But what I did find in that even if I wouldn’t have been praying that whole time and if I wouldn’t have had God’s grace walking me through that situation.
Bob: Do you think, I mean, cuz I’ve heard you talk about that season, what would you call that season, two month season? Six weeks? It was about six weeks though.
Linda: Little window of it was, it was super intense for about a month.
Bob: Yeah. Just to give some context, like if you didn’t read the story at the beginning of the book, basically, yeah, you had a pregnancy rash that had all kinds of stuff going on, on top of each other to the point where you were only sleeping one to two hours per night. Total per day, per 24 hour period. Per 20 hour, hour period. It got so bad you were hallucinating. And this is all while we have a newborn, right? And two other kids. It was a very, very intense little window of time Yeah. Where we were trying to survive.
PRAYER IS NOT ABOUT GETTING WHAT YOU WANT WHEN YOU WANT IT
Linda: Yes. So when I’m talking about prayer, I’m not necessarily talking about, well, I just wanna get what I want, when I want it. Like, yeah, that was like a roundabout way to say all of that. Okay.
Bob: Well, yeah, but let, here’s a question I have for you. Oh, okay. Do you think? If you could choose to go through that or not, Like if you could rewrite your history and eliminate that or keep it, what would you do?
Linda: It’s one of those things that’s, it’s hard to say it, but honestly I would keep it. Because why? I just got to know God so much better in that time and I didn’t even know that, that I didn’t, I didn’t know that that was missing from my life. Yeah.
Bob: Yeah. And I’ve heard other people say this, this, you know. And I’m trying to think if I’ve experienced, but like where you go through something so challenging and so difficult where, you’re like, it was absolutely horrible. I would never like want to go through that. But what I got out of that, the, the closeness that I experienced with God in that really difficult season was so rich and so valuable. It’s like I wouldn’t erase it. I wouldn’t erase it. I would do it again in some cases, you know?
Linda: I would, I guess I would say I would do it again. And honestly, it’s, that’s something that I talk to the Lord a lot about is I’m like, I want to be back in that place, but I don’t want without the rest.
But I’m like, the rest, can we do that? Can we still have that same intimacy without walking through something so awful and difficult? And I don’t know, I don’t know that the answer is yes, but yeah. I’m just gonna do my best to, all right, to get there. So while I can.
THE 4-STEP PROCESS TO CASTING YOUR CARES ON THE LORD with your finances
Bob: So I, coming back to the book or all back to the book, kind of where we’re going with this.
Linda: So the one, let me, let me turn to it. It’s in chapter two. It’s chapter two. I mean, I’m not, I’m not even that far into the book, but she talk, they’re talking about the different types of prayer and the type of prayer they’re talking in. This one is casting your cares.
Bob: Okay, so they mentioned that there’s like four, to how many different types did they mention?
Linda: I, I don’t even remember, honestly. And this is all Biblically based, cuz I remember reading this book. And so she pulls out Biblical examples of different types of prayer that were used.
Bob: Right. Which I found fascinating. But anyway, So you’re talking specifically about this one type of prayer?
Linda: Yeah, and I, I think that this is, I specifically thought about it because now is a time when the economy or the inflation is so high and we’re post 2020, things are crazy.
All, we don’t know what’s gonna happen. Things are crazy over the world, you know, there’s just so much uncertainty and so I was thinking about it. You know, anyone who is walking through like, what the heck am I supposed to do?
Bob: Well, no, we’re getting, yeah, we’re getting emails from people who, it’s like hard to buy groceries now because they’re so much more expensive And like, and it is, there’s just real challenges that a lot of people are dealing with right now.
Linda: Yeah. And, and it’s not just that, I mean there, there are all types of different cares that we are carrying, right?
Bob: Yeah. I mean there, but I mean, in our context, in our world, in our generally is financial.
Linda: That’s where we’re, that’s where we’re going to be talking about. So, but yeah, that’s what we’re going after. So, I started reading this and, and it started talking about how to walk someone through this. And I thought, this is really good information for me because I definitely have made this mistake of like, well, just cash your cares on the Lord.
And I, I’ve even heard it said to me that way where it just feels like, well, easy for you to say like this. This is awful. Like, I’m going, I’m walking through something so difficult. I don’t know how to cast my cares on the Lord. And so she talks about how to do it. She, the both of them, I don’t know which one is writing, They don’t really say, but they, they talk about how to walk through it.
And it made so much sense to me practically how to do it. But it’s, it’s, it’s all just spiritual. Does that make sense?
Bob: Yeah. It’s just practical steps to walk in the spiritual with God.
1.CASTING YOUR CARES ON THE LORD
Linda: So, okay, so I’m reading this book at Lifetime and I just got really excited. She has this framework in here about casting your cares on the Lord. The times are crazy. I think we could all use this. The times are crazy. Yeah. So, so I just wanted to share because I was so excited about it and I, it makes so much sense. But it was one of those things that I didn’t, I didn’t see it before.
Bob: Okay. And so just putting this in perspective, this is all I’m encountering a whole lot of fear. I’m freaking out about something. Yeah. I know I need to cast my cares on the Lord, but how do I do it? How the heck do I do it?
Linda: But that’s what this is, right? And, and she walks through. How like, it, it’s, it’s basically how to walk someone else through this, which is great. But I’m like, I need to walk myself through this.
Bob: Great. Walk us through it, hun
2. ASK AND PRAY SPECIFICALLY
Linda: So let’s walk it through. Okay. So her four part framework that works. So the first one is…
Bob: So these are four things that we need to do.
Linda: This is, these are four things we need to. Okay, first one is ask. So basically ask for what you want. And she says, Be specific. So, God, I need a thousand dollars type of thing. Which is funny because we had a friend actually say, God, I could just really use a thousand dollars. And God had put it on my heart to send this person a thousand dollars.
Linda: And so she prays this prayer and like the next day she gets this check, do you remember this? No. And it’s lost. I mean, it just was so funny because she said, I need this exact amount, and then here comes. It’s like delivered on a silver platter. I, there’s where there’s really something to this of just saying, I need this. You know? And I, I know it doesn’t always work cut and dry.
Bob: But yeah, we, we fully understand God’s no genie. And absolutely, you know, this isn’t like manipulating God to exactly send you checks in the mail. But the point is, there are times where we have needs and Philippians 4:19 is still and always will be true that He’s our provider. And so when we have that, like we should ask.
Linda: Yeah. Right, right.
Bob: When we have those needs, why not? Right?
3. THANK GOD
Linda: Why not? So, so ask, be specific in what you’re asking. Then thank God for it. Because if it says in the Bible that we know, He hears us when we pray. Okay. Yeah. So we’re thanking God that he’s hearing us. He listens to us, that He loves us and cares for us. So that’s why we’re thanking God.
4. MEDITATE ON THE SCRIPTURES
Linda: And then the last part is to start thinking on what the Bible says about the subject. Okay. So, It goes back to this scripture, Philippians 4:6-8, which talks about, be anxious for nothing but pray about everything through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
Let your request being made known to God and then the peace of God, which surpasses understand will guard your heart and mind. Then it says, finally, whatever things are true, noble, pure, just whatever is lovely. Good report. If there’s any virtue in anything. Praise where they think on these things.
So it’s like it’s telling you exactly in here. Like so that’s where she pulled the framework. Yeah, it’s right here. And I don’t know why I never saw it this way. Yeah. But it’s like we, we can, we can do these things of like, okay, God, I just cast my care. But then as soon as the thought comes back of like, But what about, we haven’t built ourselves up enough in the word to know. Okay.
GOD IS OUR PROVIDER AND HE CARES FOR US
Linda: Well, but this is actually what God says about that situation. It already says in there that He is our provider. It already says that He heard me when I prayed, it already says that. I can trust Him. It already says that he’s the same yesterday, today and forever. It already says that…
Bob: You’d be faithful to a thousand generations. Yeah, of course.
Linda: It’ll be faithful to us. I’ve been young and now I’m old and I’ve never seen God’s people begging for bread. Yeah. Like it already says those things. So if, if those, if that thought comes back up of, But how are we going to buy groceries next week? We can say, But this is what the Bible says, and we can.
Stand on that and we can just continue to meditate on that. Continue to think on that and that’s how we cast our cares. But then also, we, we remove the fear and replace it with faith in God.
Bob: Yeah. That’s so good. Yeah. Cuz fear and faith are just polar opposites (here’s an article on how to overcome fear of failure to checkout!). It’s like you can’t have them at the same time. Yeah. It’s like one or the other.
SETTING ASIDE A TIME AND A PLACE FOR GOD
Linda: So, Yeah, exactly. So that makes perfect sense. And she even says that as a practice, what she does is she will go, she will set a place and time and she’ll go, she’ll lay it all out on the table with God and say, God, I’m worried about this and this and this and this, and talk really like she would to a friend, which is what I’ve done to you multiple times where I’m like, I don’t know what we’re gonna do about this.
And I don’t know how, I mean it, it doesn’t have to be a nice prayer, it can be the panic mode that you’re in, you know? But she sets a place in time so that she can, when when those thoughts come back up, she’ll go, no, I was sitting in this place and it was on this day and I already gave this to the Lord.
Yeah, I got rid of this. I took my cares. I gave them to Him so that He can take care of them cuz He says He cares for us and. I’m going to take on His peace instead I’m gonna trade Him. Yeah. So I’ve, since I’ve traded Him, what does the Bible say? What has He already told me? And what are the the things that I should be thinking on to maintain that peace? And I, I mean, this just seems like, it seems so simple, but so powerful.
Bob: Yeah. So many of the most powerful Biblical things are simple.
Linda: So simple.
HANDLING YOUR AGGRESSIONS
Bob: I know. I remember somebody talking about physically more or less acting out the process of casting your cares and like holding them out, dumping them, throwing them at Jesus or whatever the thing might be, which feels a little bit hokey. I don’t know. Like I, I remember doing that in some moments where I was feeling pretty challenged and I don’t know, it felt like a good exercise.
Linda: Yeah. I mean, if nothing else, it just kind of like, I mean, I, I feel like I’ve done like this, like just take it, just like shoving it away from me. Yeah. And there’s something about even just the act of like getting your, what is it? Like your aggression out? Yeah. Do you know what I mean?
Bob: : Yeah.
Linda: Just so just to be like physical out. Like I just, I have to just let go of this. So yeah, it’s, it’s like some, some things have to come out physically.
Bob: Yeah. Well, what’s the thing, I mean, this is maybe a leap, but what’s the thing they say about little boys and they have certain energy that they can only get out by like, hitting things or something.
Linda: Yeah. So like kicking a ball and if they, they don’t get that energy out by kicking a ball or whatever, then they’re gonna sister Yeah. They’re gonna take it out on their sister or, you know, just any number of things like self, self-harm, like kicking the wall or something that would harm them. But it’s like they just, they don’t know what to do with it. It’s just, it’s just sitting there and they gotta get rid of it. Yeah. I tell our son, our oldest, I said, let’s get your energy out in a positive way. So that you don’t get in trouble.
DO YOU HAVE CARES THAT YOU NEED TO CAST UPON THE LORD?
Bob: All right. So tying all this up in a bow. If you are listening and you’re in this situation, or where you have something, do you need to cast the Lord? Yeah. Or cast some cares you need to cast on the Lord? Just review this. What’s the passage of scripture people can read?
Linda: It is Philippians 4:6-8.
Bob: So read that. Grab a copy of this book if you want, this is in chapter two and go over that four part thing again.
RECAP
Linda: So it is to ask, well, I, I should, let me back up super quick and just say like, the, the, the way she says to cast your cares on the Lord is by building, like, start talking about scripture and start talking about things that He has already done in your life. Where, you know, He has been faithful in. He has not let me down.
So you start building up your faith in that way. Then you cast your care on the Lord. You tell Him what it is, unload your burden, and then you ask and then be specific about what you’re asking. you thank Him. Thank Him that He hears your prayer and that you know He cares for you and all that good stuff. And then, You start meditating on what the scripture says.
Bob: What the Bible says about that situation. Yeah. Which is so good. I love that. Yeah. Yeah. It is such a great, simple framework and I really, really like it. Mm-hmm. . All right. Super powerful. Thanks for sharing on. Thanks for bringing that. That’s so good.
Linda: So is that it? I mean, that’s all I, I’m only on chapter two. I’m only, well, it’s more to come.
THE ONE THING LINDA WOULD NEVER SEE ME DO
Bob: Yeah. So anyway, that is us for this evening. Oh, have you figured it out? Oh, something you do.
Linda: Oh, something I’d never see you do.
Bob: Something you would never see Bob do.
Linda: What is something you would never see Bob do? I don’t know. Paint your nails. I don’t know. I know, I got it.
Bob: Okay, go for it.
Linda: You would never buy a fake plant. That is a hundred percent true. That is a hundred percent true ever, like you’ve seen them sometimes and been like, that is offensive to me.
Bob: If you have fake plants. I apologize. But there’s something about, you just really, there’s something about the real in the authentic that when I see a fake imitation of it. It just kind of offends me a little bit.
Linda: Yeah. So yes, you would never buy a fake plant.
Bob: I got it. That was a good one. Never buy a fake plant . Well done, hon. All right. That’s it for us, hope you’re enjoying your day. Go be a blessing to someone.
Linda: Mm-hmm. And we’ll see you soon. Bye. Bye.