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Back to Debt Principles God's Warning - Debt is Dangerous! By: Tom Copland June 15, 2020 In this world, we are bombarded with all kinds of advertisements and advice that entice us to borrow money. As a result, many people believe the lie that it’s okay to “buy now and pay later” or that “smart people use other people’s money”. What many people don’t realize is that this advice is contrary to God’s Word, the Bible, as God warns in Proverbs 22:7 that if you borrow money, you will likely become a servant to the lender. “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a servant to the lender.” [NIV] “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave. [NASB] The biblical truth is that we are here on this earth to serve God, not a lender. When you borrow money, you are limiting your future options and legally committing yourself to service the debt. In the process of servicing the debt, you may become a servant to the lender and encounter one or more of the following detrimental consequences: Detrimental Consequences: 1. A spouse must work additional hours in order to repay debts, and as a result, family relationships suffer (I Timothy 5:8). 2. A wife does not have the option to stay at home with her children, as she must work in order to help her husband “service” their debt load. 3. A Bible college or seminary graduate is unable to accept a full-time job in ministry, as the salary is insufficient to enable him or her to repay student loans. 4. An older individual or couple cannot retire but must continue to work (regardless of health issues) in order to meet their financial obligations. 5. Many people experience anxiety and stress from their debt load because they have used credit cards and/or personal lines of credit to “live beyond their means”. 6. When debts accumulate, generally giving to God’s work decreases or disappears. 7. With a lot of debt, you could be forced into bankruptcy and lose everything. 8. Nasty calls from creditors and threats from lenders to repossess your home, car etc. will generate tension between a husband and wife, destroying their relationship and often resulting in divorce. 9. Many family businesses have been forced into receivership, because of their debt load. 10. Debt causes stress, which frequently results in health problems. 11. A Christian’s time and energy are consumed by money related problems, reducing your time with the Lord and His word, thus hindering their relationship with God (Mathew 6:24). In light of the above, it’s no wonder that every reference in the Bible to borrowing is negative! You won’t find one positive reference in Scripture with respect to borrowing. God loves us and he does not want us to become a servant to a lender and suffer the consequences outlined above. In summary, God warns of the dangers of debt and strongly discourages borrowing. In upcoming financial moments, I will expand on what the Bible says on debt and provide some practical steps to get out of debt. More Topics Stewardship Principle Read More The Joseph Principle Read More Financial Deceptions Read More

Back to Testimonials God used you to save a life It is amazing to hear from you and would be thrilled to speak with you. You were the first human voice I heard as God’s grace filled my life. Please know that at least once God uses your recorded voice to save a human life and to add my name to the Book of Life. Thank you. C.L. Halifax, NS, Canada Previous Next

Counsel & Wisdom Back to Articles From God When dealing with an important financial decision, it is critical to obtain counsel from God. Why? “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.” (Job 12:13) Read More From God's Word Howard Dayton, CEO of Crown Financial Ministries completed an in-depth study of the Bible and found that God’s Word contains 2,350 references to money and material things. In addition, 16 of the 24 parables that Jesus Christ gave us deal with money and material things. Read More From Godly Financial Advisers God admonishes us to obtain counsel. Proverbs 12:15 states, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel” (NASB), and Proverbs 15:22 states, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.” Read More

Back to Testimonials Praying for you and your ministry Thanks again for your time and effort, prayers, and encouragement. Since starting the Copland Budgeting System both my wife and I feel as if a great weight has been lifted, we feel closer to God and closer to each other. My wife says it feels as if the waters have parted and the way has been made clear. Thank you so much for pointing us to God’s wisdom for finances. We are looking forward to working through “Financial Management – God’s Way” Praying for you and your ministry, in Jesus’ precious name. Anonymous Previous Next

Back to Testimonials It has helped convict my heart Thank-you for leading our finance course! It has helped convict my heart to make some practical changes. The difference between this course and the other course Jamie and I did 8-9 years ago is the infusion of God's word into the curriculum. It's neat having my Bible beside me while I'm working through the case studies. So, thank you both (and Tom Copland) for providing such a strong Biblical foundation to what we are learning. I'm finding not only is my mind (and pocket-book) being challenged, but my heart is as well. I feel God is challenging my thinking on faith and trust in Him as well. T.N. Calgary, AB Previous Next

Diversification (1 of 2) Back to Investing By: Tom Copland October 19, 2021 In my experience, I’ve seen too many cases where an individual has invested the majority of retirement funds in one company or in one sector. For “a season” these investments may do well, but inevitably every company and sector falls on bad times. This results in significant losses because the portfolio was not diversified in a manner that was consistent with God’s Word. Because no human can consistently predict the direction of any market (see James 4:13–15), it is important to diversify your assets into different categories of investments that will likely react differently to any given market condition. The Bible recommends this type of diversification. “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1, 2) At the time this was written, “Cast your bread upon the waters” was a metaphorical expression used in the grain trade that illustrated the potential successful prospects of a business investment (per Dr. Charles Ryrie’s study bible). In short, it is biblical to take some risk within one’s portfolio, however, verse 2 recommends diversifying your investments into 7 or 8 categories, because you do not know what disaster may come upon any particular company or sector. In 1999, I met with a client who had invested most of his money in 25 technology stocks. I recommended biblical diversification of his portfolio. He believed he was diversified because he owned 25 different stocks. I explained to him that generally, all stocks in any particular sector will react the same under the same market conditions. He made no changes and as a result, during the bear market (2000-2004), his portfolio decreased 70% in value! Biblical diversification is obtained by allocating one’s assets into different types of investments that will probably react differently to any particular market condition. Here are some examples: 1. During inflationary times (e.g. the 1970s), natural resource equities, commodities and real return bonds increase in value, while medium and long-term bonds do very poorly. 2. In a period of deflation (e.g. 1991-1995), medium and long-term bonds generally increase in value, while natural resource equities, commodities and real return bonds usually do poorly. Further, diversify your assets among several sectors of the economy and to appropriate countries, as generally, this will reduce the risk and volatility of your total portfolio. Many investors try to “time the market”—that is, they buy when they believe that the market is headed higher and sell when they believe the market is going lower. God says (and history shows) that no human can consistently predict the future value of any investment (Prov 27:1). Therefore, unless God specifically directs you otherwise [John 10:3, 4, 27], there is a need for biblical diversification in one’s portfolio because, under normal market conditions, if one category of investment decreases in value, generally another category will likely be increasing, thus reducing the volatility of your total portfolio. Over the long run, a well-thought-out biblically based portfolio should provide reasonable returns. In summary, it is biblical to take on a reasonable amount of risk within one’s investment portfolio. However, God recommends diversification. This will reduce the risk and volatility of your portfolio. See my next Financial Moment for suggested asset allocations. Previous Article Next Article More Topics Freedom from Financial Anxiety Read More Priorities Read More Counsel & Wisdom Read More

Back to Testimonials I've benefited greatly from your teaching I've benefited greatly from your teaching as it has helped me change my thought process on handling my finances, planning for the future, and estate planning. I record your messages on my PVR so I can watch them from time to time. So again thank you again. L.C. Montréal, QC, Canada Previous Next

Back to Testimonials Your radio programs have been a daily source of inspiration I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to reach out and express my gratitude for the impact your work has had on my life over the past two years. Your radio programs have been a daily source of inspiration and have guided me towards discovering my purpose. ME Waterloo, Ontario Previous Next

Upcoming Radio Interview-provide your financial questions _______________ God has opened another door! On Friday, February 16, 2024 from 11 AM to 12 PM and again 6 PM to 7 PM, I will be the guest speaker on Life 100.3 Radio [Barrie 100.3, Owen Sound 90.1, Huntsville 98.9, and Peterborough 89.3, all stations are located in Ontario, Canada. ​ However, this time the program will be pre-recorded. So we encourage you to email us your questions in advance (no later than Tuesday, February 6, 2024) to info@biblefinance.org or just reply to this email. Also, we encourage people to ask their question by leaving a voicemail (30-60 seconds), call 1-866-737-5433 ext. 300 for Steve Jones, including providing your first name and what city you live in. Generally speaking the topic to be discussed will be "God's financial wisdom for churches and church leaders". ​ If you have a financial question on another topic, feel free to send that in, I will answer your question for sure by email, and if time permits, I will deal with that question during the radio interview. Please pray that God will give Tom and Steve Jones his wisdom [James 1:5] and his specific direction [Psalms 32:8] with respect to this radio show interview. ​ Thanks for your prayer support and your questions are appreciated! Tom Copland President Copland Financial Ministries www.coplandfinancialministries.org

Back to Testimonials Plentiful Bible-based financial information Thank you for your plentiful Bible-based financial information that you so freely make available and for your assistance to your brothers and sisters in Christ. May He richly bless you and your loved ones. A.H. Toronto, ON Previous Next

Back to Financial Deceptions You Should Try to Obtain Financial Freedom (ASAP) By: Tom Copland June 15, 2020 Many people believe it is good to try to get rich quickly. Some of the common methods utilized to obtain “Financial Freedom” are as follows: 1. lottery tickets—sometimes promoted as “Imagine the freedom” 2. aggressive investing—usually with a lot of debt 3. excessive hard work, which is out of balance God’s directive is different. The emphasis in Scripture is to plan and save for future needs slowly over a period of time. “Steady plotting brings prosperity, hasty speculation brings poverty” (Proverbs 21:20 TLB) “He who gathers money little by little makes it grow” (Proverbs 13:11 NIV). “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5) Over the past 30 years, I’ve seen many cases in which people who wanted to get rich quickly ended up losing everything. God warns that hasty decisions frequently lead to poverty. In my experience, individuals who have accumulated significant wealth—and retained it—have done so over many years (20 years or longer). At the time the Book of Proverbs was written, most people made their living off the land as farmers. God provides the following admonition: He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. (Proverbs 28:19, 20 ) In short, God is saying that you should focus on earning your income from your occupation or business. When people invest or get involved in areas that they don’t understand, generally they lose money. (See Proverbs 19:2.) God warns of the dangers of trying to get rich: Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. (Proverbs 23:4, 5) The Apostle Paul also outlined significant “spiritual risks” of trying to get rich: People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:9, 10) In summary, the emphasis in scripture is to plan and save for needs over a period of time, without the attitude of trying to get rich quickly. God has promised that if we put him first, then he will meet our needs (Matthew 6:31–33). Previous Article Next Article More Topics The Joseph Principle Read More Co-Signing/Surety Read More Freedom from Financial Anxiety Read More

Freedom from Financial Anxiety Back to Articles Are You Overwhelmed by Financial Problems? Do you feel burdened and worried about your finances? Do you feel overwhelmed by financial problems? Read More Our Responsibilities and God's Promises One key to obtaining God’s peace in respect of finances is to understand and fulfill your responsibilities as a steward. Stewardship requires that we acknowledge that God owns everything and that we act accordingly. Read More God Gives Peace in Regard to Finances Financial problems frequently cause significant stress and anxiety, but God can provide his peace, no matter how difficult your financial problems. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Read More Yes, There is Hope for your Financial Mess! “By his very nature, God is the God of hope: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with joy by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). Do you have God’s peace and joy in regard to your finances? If not, then you’re probably not in God’s will. Read More Why Does God Allow Financial Problems? It is clear from Scripture that God is indeed in control. If God is in control, then why does he allow Christians to have significant financial problems? Over the past 23 years, I’ve had the privilege of counselling hundreds of Christian couples and individuals. Read More God is in Control Regardless of how difficult your financial problems are, it’s important to remember that God is in control. He is the all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere present God. Read More