Jesus taught many things about money. In His teachings, He shared the heavenly Father’s plan for provision and prosperity; but He also had some very stern warnings.
The four warnings He gave are also important for us today. Listen, and avoid many problems. Ignore them, and face the consequences.
- Don’t Put All Your Hope In Money
Matthew 6:19 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”This doesn’t mean we don’t save money, but rather that we don’t put all our hope in money here. We should be wise and give generously to His kingdom. That way, we will have riches in heaven as well.
- You Can’t Serve God And Money At The Same Time
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matt. 6:24).You must choose whom or what your focus will be on—God, or money. You can’t be devoted to both.
- Don’t Worry About Money
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…” (Matt. 6:25). Worry robs us of joy, faith, and time. It never produces good fruit. Trust God to provide for you. - Don’t Be Deceived By Money
Matthew 13:22 tells us not to let the deceitfulness of wealth choke out our love for God and His Word: “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”
Take heed to these warnings, and you will do well.
by Blaine Bartel.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Blaine and Lori Bartel didn’t set out to build a place like this. They became it.
Blaine once lived at the top of the ministry world—national TV, a booming youth movement at Church on the Move, and a growing church in Dallas. But while the stage lights were bright, the darkness underneath was darker. A secret 23-year sexual addiction buried everything he valued—his marriage, ministry, finances, reputation, and identity.
Crushed and barely holding on to life, he spent over a year in deep therapy, wrestling with shame and fighting for healing. Then, somewhere on a windswept highway between Kansas City and Tulsa, he heard the voice that lifted him out of the soil:
“I am not going to give you a recovery. I am calling you into resurrection.”
Everything changed.
Blaine found complete freedom and began decoding a Jesus-centered path that leads men out of the grave and into new life. For more than a decade, he’s been guiding other men through that same resurrection.
Lori was walking her own road—rebuilding after 17 years married to a chronic alcoholic, carrying both the wounds and the courage of a woman who refused to stay broken. She was searching for purpose, for peace, for somewhere her heart could breathe again.
Then God crossed their paths.
They met over pasta at Ti Amo (“I love you”—God’s little wink).
A year later, in a simple wedding wrapped in hope, they said yes to each other and to a calling bigger than themselves.
Today—13 years in—they share one mission:
To pull men out of addiction and to rebuild the marriages addiction has shattered.
House of Resurrection is the fruit of the very ground that once tried to bury them—a sacred space for honesty, healing, and brand-new beginnings.
They are joyful parents of four grown kids, proud grandparents of two, and happiest anywhere with lakes, beaches, sunshine, and reminders that darkness never gets to write the final chapter.