216 - Brackets, Breakthroughs & Better Money Choices

It's March Madness basketball time, but could there also be a 'madness' around our finances about repeating the same choices while hoping our financial stewardship will improve?

In this episode John shares a fun, basketball-watching story from his childhood to show how a new perspective—and new action—can transform a situation. 

Drawing from James 2:17 and the story of Moses lifting the bronze serpent, he reminds us that faithful stewardship requires both faith and action. If you feel stuck financially, this episode will challenge you to choose one area that needs a new game plan and take the next step.

In this episode, John discusses: 

• How the excitement and constant adjustments of March Madness champions mirror the changes we often need to make in our financial lives

• A fun personal story from his family’s cattle farm that illustrates how a new perspective and simple action can transform how we spend our time and energy

• Why repeating the same financial choices while hoping for different outcomes is not faith, but wishful thinking

• The biblical connection between faith and action—from James 2:17 and Moses lifting the snake in the wilderness—to what it means to honor Jesus with our money

• Practical ways to choose a new financial perspective and take a next step, such as budgeting, cutting debt, increasing generosity, having honest money conversations, or seeking wise counsel

Key Takeaways:

• A new perspective followed by a new action can change your financial reality, just as changing the “game plan” can change the outcome on the basketball court.

• Repeating the same financial choices while hoping for different results isn’t an act of faith—it’s wishful thinking that keeps you stuck.

• True stewardship is the union of faith and deeds: prayer paired with obedient financial action, as reflected in James 2:17 and the example of Moses lifting the serpent in the wilderness.

• Every financial decision becomes “holy in the shadow of the cross” when it is made to honor Jesus, helping you resist the destructive pull of a money-focused world.

• Breakthrough often begins by choosing one specific financial area—budgeting, debt, generosity, conversations, or wise counsel—and courageously embracing a new perspective and a new step of obedience.

“If you keep making the same financial choices, you’re going to keep getting the same results. And that is not faith. That is just wishful thinking.”

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Ready to dig deeper into what's really influencing you and your money?

Let's connect the beliefs that are behind your choices - the financial, spiritual, and personal ones - so that you can be the faithful steward of the resources God has entrusted to you.

At Money Made Faithful, we want to equip you with the truths, models, and practices so you can make better money choices so you can live more boldly, confidently, and faithfully.


God is too good and life is too special to let money hold you back.