Yahweh’s Money®️: The Crossroads of Religion & Money

From Debt to Destiny®️: Building Faith and Finances with Montoya Silver

• Crusaders for Change, LLC • Season 4 • Episode 82

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In this episode of Yahweh’s Money, we’re keeping it real, keeping it holy and keeping it honest. Shay Cook sits down with her sister, salon owner and entrepreneur Montoya Silver for a powerful conversation about debt, faith, and financial freedom.

In this episode, we're diving into the emotional and spiritual weight of financial responsibility, how being uncomfortable is often where God does His best work, and why debt isn’t always a bad thing—it’s a tool that, with the right mindset and stewardship, can lead to generational wealth.

From scaling a business with borrowed funds to paying yourself as a service-based entrepreneur, Montoya shares her unfiltered journey with debt, business ownership, and spiritual alignment.

If you’ve ever felt the anxiety of owing more than you’re earning—or wondered if faith has anything to do with your finances—this episode is your reminder that freedom starts with surrender.

Here’s what you’ll walk away with:

  • A reframed perspective: why debt isn’t always bad, but staying in it without a plan is.
  • How entrepreneurship tests your faith—and your budget.
  • Biblical strategies for finding peace in financial pressure.
  • The power of responsible stewardship and spiritual growth.
  • How fixed expenses and fluctuating income require both wisdom and faith.
  • Why paying yourself is paying your people.
  • What it means to be uncomfortable and still obedient.

Featured Scriptures:

  • Proverbs 22:7 – “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”
  • Philippians 4:6 – “Be anxious for nothing…”
  • Luke 14:28 – “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost…”

Action Step:

Choose one debt this month—just one—and make a plan. Whether that means paying it down, refinancing, or simply praying over it with intention, name it and claim your authority over it with God’s help.

Final Word:

Debt may be uncomfortable, but discomfort births growth. When you partner with God, even your financial mess can become a message of freedom.

Send us a text

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Our podcast is proudly sponsored by Crusaders for Change, LLC (C4C) and hosted by our CEO and Founder, Mrs. Shay Cook. At C4C, we provide customized corporate financial wellness programs for businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Our services are tailored to create happier, healthier, and more productive work environments. We also empower individuals and couples to overcome debt, improve their credit, boost savings, and more. Ready to learn more about how C4C can impact your life? Contact us today at https://www.crusaders4change.org/!

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Music by: Lamonte Silver - Owner of essentialmusicclub.com | Previously by ROA - roa-music.com

Montoya Silver:

I think it's like being one foot in and one foot out, like we grew into entrepreneurship. It wasn't something we were born into, so we didn't know all the tools.

Montoya Silver:

And I say that even with personal debt, we didn't have the tools to know how to do stuff Nobody. So I feel the same way, like I feel like you stepped out. If I just take our household, as growing up in kids and like you know, nobody was teaching us about good debt, bad debt, credit and I know you talked about this on this platform many times before so it took you being that person going out and learning the tools and bringing it back to me and our brother and stuff like that, and then now to the nation you know about how to do it properly. So I feel like we need that for business as well.

Shay Cook:

See if we can start something for that. Ever felt those awkward vibes when religion and money come up? You're not alone. Welcome to Yahweh's Money, the podcast where we tackle the crossroads of faith and finance. I'm Shay Cook, an Accredited Financial Counselor and the CEO and founder of Crusaders for Change LLC. Join us on our journey as we discuss topics like tithing, saving and conquering debt through religious perspectives. Let's get started. Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Yahweh's Money.

Shay Cook:

Today we're going to talk about our trademark program of From Debt to Destiny, talking about finding freedom through faith in your finances. As some of you may know, debt can feel like a prison and I hope many of you don't feel like this, but I know a lot of you do. But God calls us to financial freedom, which lets us talk about breaking free. So our main scripture for today is Proverbs 22, 7, which goes the rich rule over the poor and the borrower is a slave to a lender. So we've heard that a lot before and if you're in your Christian journey you know. But it highlights the power dynamics between wealth and debt and it emphasizes that those with financial resources are often willed control, while those in debt become subservient to their creditors. So we don't want to be subservient to our creditors, but sometimes you have to be when you have houses and cars and all of that.

Shay Cook:

But let me get into my special guest and y'all's money today is none other than Montoya Dominique Silver. I have to do that because I did it to my daughter. I gave her full government name. I call her Toya. She is a woman of Christ. She is a mother, a wife, a sister, a cousin, a niece. She owns Textures LLC, based in Odenton, an amazing hair salon that I went to for years. But I've been getting my hair done by my youngest sister since I was a young girl. I don't remember how old she was. We might get into that, but she's been doing my hair forever. She did my daughter's hair and now I have the amazing Mimi who does my locks, but I still go to textures for my color. But you know, overall this is an amazing woman.

Shay Cook:

She is just. We've grown up together. Obviously, I'm seven years older. We've grown up together and we share parents and a brother, and nieces and nephews. But I'm most proud to see her be a mother. I'm most proud to see her be a wife. I'm most proud to see her be a wife. I'm most proud of her as a salon owner, as a business owner, entrepreneur. She is full entrepreneur, y'all. She is doing great things, she is successful, she is faithful and I finally, in season four, get her on here. So hello, toya.

Montoya Silver:

Hello my sister. How are you? How are you doing today? I'm good. How are you? It's a pleasure to be here.

Shay Cook:

I know this is an honor. I'm honored. I'm going to try to get everybody on here today, this week, this year whatever we're at Doing big things, I'm proud of you. Oh, I thank you. I appreciate you. You know this is God's idea and we're just executing as being obedient. Yes, so obedience is the word of the year, along with self-care, for me, as well, as I added in today with the team research and development.

Shay Cook:

So that is the concept of the year for me, because sometimes you just need to get into that research and development whether it's personally and professionally figure out some things and then develop from there. But I'm truly honored to have you here today, and today we're going to have a great episode, talking about finding freedom through faith and our finances, and starting off with our rapid fire questions. Say what's on your spirit. Take your seat, let the wisdom inherit. Hit the rapid fire questions. Say what's on your spirit. So I'm going to ask you three quick questions. Just come off the dome, share whatever comes to mind and then we'll get into the main discussion. Sounds good, yes.

Montoya Silver:

I'm ready.

Shay Cook:

All right. What's the biggest misconception about debt?

Montoya Silver:

My biggest misconception about debt has been that it's good. It's good, oh, I see, and although I know it's good, and I know there's a difference between good and bad it doesn't feel good to have so that's my misconception about that, that it feels good because it does not.

Shay Cook:

And see, I'm on the other side. I'm always been like I hated debt, I feared debt, even though when I was younger, in my 20s, I had a lot of debt, including student loan debt.

Shay Cook:

Even though when I was younger, in my twenties- I had a lot of debt included student loan debt, but there was a stigma for me around it so I was like on the end. So now I'm trying to find the goodness in debt. There is some goodness yeah, there is. Let me take that because I'll be like there ain't no goodness in debt. There are some good reasons, some good ways to utilize debt right. You can use it for your good, for other people's good, and of course, we want to pay it off as soon as we can. But sometimes you can't. You got hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. Unless you come into a couple of million dollars, a couple hundred thousand dollars, you're not going to be able to pay it off. So all right, that makes sense. All right. Next, do you believe all debt is bad or is some necessary? That's kind of what it goes into the first question.

Montoya Silver:

Yeah, I mean it sounds like I'm contradicting myself, but I do believe that you said is some debt good? Yes, bad. Do you believe all debt is bad? I don't believe that all debt is bad. Actually, I believe that debt is necessary. It just doesn't feel good sometimes, but I do believe that it's necessary. I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't have debt.

Shay Cook:

Okay, well, we're going to talk about that deeper into the main discussion, all right. Last rapid fire question what's the first step to becoming debt-free?

Montoya Silver:

Paying it all Well, obviously, but I mean having the resources to do so yeah, and managing it well. So yes, having the resources to pay it all.

Shay Cook:

That's how you get it free yeah, you got to find the way to resources, whether it's hustling, whether it's cutting back on some things and being like there's many different ways to get to that. But right, okay, yeah, got, yeah, gotcha, all right, cool, well, we're going to talk about that more. So that was our rapid fire questions. Thank you, sis. Let's talk about this because you're right, it can feel, make you feel a certain way right.

Shay Cook:

The spiritual and emotional weight of debt. Let's talk about that, because you and I, we have conversations, I would say weekly, sometimes daily, about that spiritual and emotional weight of debt. Talk to me about that.

Montoya Silver:

I mean it just doesn't feel good. I mean I know it's necessary and I still haven't got to the point where I feel good about having it, even though I know it's important to have. I know that I have my house because I was able to get a loan to purchase my home, my car, my business. I needed debt to scale my business but it just still doesn't feel good to know that I'm owing somebody. So sometimes I wish that I had the resources of my own to do these things. We don't come from. We're not trust fund babies, so we didn't have just money just sitting there for us to just elevate in certain levels of life.

Shay Cook:

So with that I know that I have to do it and some people could argue like Shay and Montoya, you don't need that house, you could have just been renting. Or you don't need that car you could have just been using the bus.

Shay Cook:

We don't live in that place, but you know and so there is way and. But there are people in cities that don't have the house, they don't have the car. They can say you know, you don't need that business. You could have been working a nine to five and then we wouldn't have any debt. Quote, unquote. Let's talk about why we're so. We're very just aspirational. We're like nah, we trying to do big things. We got big minds like big dreams.

Montoya Silver:

And that requires some kind of funding, which usually is debt. I mean I think it's just, it goes to your desires and what you want in life. I mean I don't judge or shame people that are okay with living minimal. I just desire, I like certain things, I want certain things in life. We come from a middle-class upbringing so our parents had homes, thank you God. You know we always had cars, thank you God, like we always had things. So, just naturally in life you just want to elevate a little more.

Montoya Silver:

I mean, and I feel the same for all of us I mean we're all blessed to be in a situation where we have a little better than our parents and we didn't have the money to sit to the side. I mean they didn't give us the money to get these things, so we had to get debt so that we could purchase certain things in life. So I think it's just you know, I don't shame anybody for living like that, but I do like nice things. I want to enjoy the life God said he's going to give me the desires of my heart, not yours. So if your heart desires to live a minimal lifestyle, fine, but I desire nice things. So unfortunately I gotta get that to get them stopped I mean it's a tool, so let's.

Shay Cook:

I guess sometimes we gotta change that self-talk and that talk around it. It's like, nah, it's not a bad thing. It's something we went in, we signed a paperwork, an agreement, like you do with a job or a house, or like you do with anything, even with schooling and even with a marriage.

Montoya Silver:

You have to sign a marriage letter and there's stuff that comes with that. You know that's a debt.

Shay Cook:

These husbands are debt man.

Montoya Silver:

They're just good and bad.

Shay Cook:

Big debt so we had to sign the paperwork and but we were responsible to say, all right, we're gonna pay this, you know, and you've given us this tool, this bank, financial institution, whatever, and we're just gonna utilize it to the best of our ability and be responsible with it. Then it's not a bad thing. And yeah, it might come with some interest, some extra fees. You know, like that damn EIDL looked at it yesterday, that daily compensation rate.

Montoya Silver:

Shame on you, sba government that's a whole other episode because I could really go off on them right now. Yeah, bring me back for that one.

Shay Cook:

But and that was also our fault, because I should have been looking at the paperwork and looking wait a minute, what is this? Hundreds of thousands of dollars times this 30 days? Oh yeah, that's daily. Anyways, going back to that, so we sign the paperwork and we pay our bills and we, you know, and some people like you said, no shame to those that live minimal and no shame to those that have even more debt. And that's what you know, crusaders for Change is here for. If you feel in a certain way, you come here. I always plug that. We're here to help you with that.

Montoya Silver:

But you know you got to change your mindset around.

Shay Cook:

She's like, yeah, all right, let's talk about some biblical strategies to pay off debt. So how have you turned to God, bible or anybody in like the religious world to help you with paying off debt, even if it's not actually paying at all, but just a strategy.

Montoya Silver:

Yeah, so what I've done is that, because debt still to this day, as you know in our other conversations, caused me major anxiety.

Montoya Silver:

So, I had to know in the word it says, be anxious for nothing. I had to know where my help came from. So, even though I'm in debt, I had to know that God is going to supply all my needs, as long as I'm being responsible with it now and being a good steward over my money. That he will supply and he has, even with the debt. That has caused me anxiety because I just don't. It's just that thing about owing people and then you know you get to that times where you're tight and you're like but I still got to pay this person. It's just like. Even those times he's just offering me peace. So to know that I got you, Like, if I did it before, I'll do it again. So that's the peace and the understanding and knowing where my hope comes from. That's those principles that I have in my spirituality, to know that I'm going to be okay same here.

Shay Cook:

I just feel like an obedience of God is teaching us a lesson through all of these times, and learning that lesson I think God would be talking to me.

Shay Cook:

This is how I think God talked to me Like okay, daughter, I mean really, why are we doing this again? How many times I got to teach you this? And that's in many things in life outside of just finances, but even finances, like when I was in my twenties and spending and spending on credit and credit. And then like finally, he's like, he sat me down, it's like all right, you need to read these disclosures and really understand how this interest accumulates and how you're going to be in debt forever if you keep on paying just a small amount, right? So then, once I read that, oh man, I was like I ain't doing this again. And then I just didn't want to be a slave to the master of financial institutions. And I ain't saying I don't have no debt, y'all, but I mean, when it comes to credit cards, I struggle with that, especially with the race going up and up, up 25%. We were just talking with the team today that some of the store cards are back to 36%, which is crazy.

Shay Cook:

It's crazy.

Montoya Silver:

You know how many things I could buy.

Shay Cook:

I mean, we actually were developing calculators for our new landing page for the business and we were putting it in, and I put it in like a $660,000 home or even $900,000 home. I was doing that. The interest that you pay on that was almost a million dollars over the life of 30 years. I could have bought one or two or three more homes if we were down south.

Montoya Silver:

That's crazy.

Shay Cook:

So when I see that's what it gets into my spirit of like, oh my God, like I don't want to be paying all that interest. But how else am I going to be able to afford this house, like you said, because we're not trust fund babies. I didn't get hit the lotto. I mean, I mean a lottery like I didn't, you know. No, I mean I have to work for this and I'm paying for it monthly. But man, man.

Montoya Silver:

It's hard, it's crazy, it is hard.

Shay Cook:

Yeah, god got us, he does. It is uncomfortable. And how do you deal with the uncomfort outside of, just like you know, biblical strategies?

Montoya Silver:

I mean honestly, how do I deal with it now, like actively, because I still am uncomfortable.

Montoya Silver:

Or even in the past I mean in the past there's different systems. You know Crusaders for Change, my sister has given me great tools throughout my journey of adulthood and dealing with different times in my life where I was irresponsible, I mean. But now today I'm definitely more aware of what I'm doing, more responsible because of the tools that I've been taught. But it still gets hard though it still is very uncomfortable to know that because I feel like life changes, like especially being an entrepreneur, like income changes in your business and income changes in your household, your business and income changes in your household. But if you have these responsibilities, as like a mortgage, that's something that's fixed, that's not going to change. So how do I just make sure that I'm paying this? Or if you have a slow month in business but you still have those bills or those loans that's due, how do I adjust? Like I'm still learning how to be uncomfortable, because you have to just learn to function in being uncomfortable.

Shay Cook:

Yeah, because that's where God does his best work.

Montoya Silver:

Yeah, that's where faith happens.

Shay Cook:

I just read about that reason. God does his best work when his children are weak and need him. Because when we don't need him quote, unquote we don't need him. Then we think we know everything. Our egos get big. We're like, okay, let me keep it moving. God, I got this. You told me to do what, but I'm already doing it. So whatever, whatever. And then when you finally get to that point back, you need him again. You'd be like man, you needed me in the highs and the lows and you need to remember that. But then, when we're weak and when we're uncomfortable, I think I mean, I know that's what the Lord says he keeps us there.

Montoya Silver:

He doesn't keep us there but when we are there he does his best work Right, and we got to learn to operate in that, like you know, sometimes you'll be so good. I mean, I feel like I feel like in COVID, you know, we all got this boost of money and you know we was like, oh, you know, especially this small business owner that had a $30,000 loan. And then I'm getting this major cash and I'm like, oh, I'm good, I'm going to be able to sustain. And then you realize that you weren't ready for all that money. You got all this money in a sense before time, in a sense, if I could say, where you probably wasn't ready for it. It's like giving a rapper a big old loan and all he buys is change. You'd be like you know, like why did you do that? So, because they didn't have the tools yet to get that money.

Shay Cook:

Y'all just gave them this money, the knowledge, the resource, all the tools. Yeah, they didn't know. They was like I'm just trying to be like you know this person and like, nah, you got to learn.

Montoya Silver:

So then you learn, but you got. So in that time it's easy to trust God when you have all this money in the bank and you know, because you say, oh, God gave me this, God gave me this, but he's still giving you stuff when you don't have it, when you only have the little bit of money or when sales are low when the sales are high, like you, just got to continue to trust them throughout the whole time, and that's when that faith comes in.

Shay Cook:

so, but it's not easy it's not easy, because then you get that big amount and you're thinking it's gonna last and it don't last as long as you think it is, because first of all, you have all these grand ideas, oh, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this and do this, and you start seeing the number come down like and then for me, so I didn use it, like I didn't use it for like six months.

Montoya Silver:

I got my.

Shay Cook:

EIDL. I didn't use it. I got it in December of 21 to whatever it was. I didn't use it until that June. I remember talking to Mr Hunt he's our tax guy. Shout out to the Hunt company and man, he's our CPA, to be more specific. But he, he was like so I called him like in April, it's like all right, I got this influx of money. Like well, he's like all right, I'm glad you called me, let's talk about this. So we came up with some ideas. You know, marketing people, marketing people, that's how you boost your business, right? So I was like yeah, but then I had some other things I want to do working with Mahogany Hut. Shout out to her with some things, and then I let it sit for another year before I use it, Cause I was scared to use it.

Montoya Silver:

It's a lot of money.

Shay Cook:

He tried to just blow this money. And then I started hiring people and made mistakes with that and then I was like, oh man, I regret it, but God was like I got you, I got you, he did. Man, I was getting refunds back that came back to dad and doing all of this and he's like I got you, like you need you. You putting EIDL SBA on an idol as an idol. You need to just look to me. What are you looking to? This money in a bank I'm trying to fill you a certain way and then, as it's going down, I'm like no, seriously, seriously, and then doing it on your own too.

Montoya Silver:

It's like of course we have God, but which is no, but you know we have God, but then it's like having those Mr Hutts around you or just other people around you that been there. So that's always a thing that's hard to when you have, like debts. It's like you want to hear from different business owners that maybe that you aspire to be or they're making the profits or have the businesses. It's just hard finding that network sometime of people that's true To be able to help you.

Shay Cook:

When I did find them, they were in the same boat that was drowning.

Shay Cook:

So it's like did you feel good about it? I mean, these are multimillion dollar businesses that I've talked to owners that have taken out that money or had the PPP. Thank God that was forgiven for you guys. I didn't take advantage of that. I was literally the day I went to get my PPP loan. They shut it down, I missed the cutoff, but whatever.

Shay Cook:

And so then EIDL all these people and you hear about all these I mean NFL, all these major corporations that got that money and some of that illegally. But then you talk to them and they're like yeah, you know, I'm trying to pay it off too, because a lot of those people run low margins. I mean, they don't their profits. You think they're making millions and millions of dollars. They man, they either run low or high and they're paying so much they only making like five percent profit, which is crazy. So they're not able to pay off all that debt because they put it into something and then they go bankrupt, which I'm finding now people use that as a tool, a positive tool, to reset basically, when I thought bankruptcy was a bad thing too.

Montoya Silver:

Yeah, because you know, we know somebody Millionaires out here filing bankrupt, bankrupt, bankrupt. Like we know big people in big places that did it all the time and we used to judge them for not knowing that that's what they do.

Shay Cook:

You just don't want to be a part of it. And now they're the president of the United States.

Montoya Silver:

That's the big person, anyways, but that's just a part of the game. I think it's like being one foot in and one foot out, like we grew into entrepreneurship. It wasn't something we were born into, so we didn't know all the tools and I say that even with personal debt, we didn't have the tools to know how to do stuff Nobody.

Montoya Silver:

So I feel like you stepped out If I just take our household as growing up in kids and like you know, nobody was teaching us about good debt, bad debt, credit and I know you talked about this on this platform many times before so it took you being that person going out and learning the tools and bringing it back to me and our brother and stuff like that, and then now to the nation. You know about how to do it properly. So I feel like we need that for business as well. C4c can start something for that.

Shay Cook:

You know, for business as well. We got some proposals out there. Yeah, nice, we're listening, yeah.

Montoya Silver:

Because, you know, because we need the shade in business as well, like we need C4C in businesses as well, because it's not so accessible. I've been to banks to talk to about debt. I had CPAs plural, yeah, and it's still. It's just like you're doing it right, you're running lean, you're doing this right.

Shay Cook:

I'm like, no, that's crazy, because at one time I was running, so running solely my CPA was like you run it too, like because that's why you keep on. Oh, I had to spend. So I went oh, but then then I'm learning, I'm in this Goldman Sachs program and I'm like, yeah, that's great. On one end you spend so you don't owe at the end of the beginning of the year. But then if you, if you are lean, then you owe and you don't owe, you get a refund. Yeah, you owe. And then you have this issue when you need funding because the banks, credit unions, financial institutions want to see you have a profit. But if you're running, so it's like this whole, like you said, you're in and out because you're like all right, I need to make sure I spend all that money, especially on people in marketing, where I'm going to get the most deductions. But then so I don't get, I don't owe too much, or I get a refund or I break even, but then if I don't spend a lot now I'm going to owe. So I got to make sure I have that money in savings or I'm paying my estimated taxes.

Shay Cook:

There's a lot of stuff out there that you write Ain't? Nobody taught us none of this. We had family members that was business owners and nobody taught us about the real deal of being a business owner. And I mean it started with me in college, like you and you actually UMBC and UMUC at the time, now UMGC University of Maryland Global Campus. But either way, I minored in business because I wanted to know like and they one of my classes I was in it was entrepreneur class they made me do a business plan and so I got to see from A to Z, like all of the stuff that goes into it.

Shay Cook:

So I was like, wow, like you need that.

Montoya Silver:

Yeah, you do, you do, we need that. So I just it just can be very discouraging. So what I've been trying to do recently is try to apply the same principles that I've learned on the personal side to business side, and a lot of times it does translate, but then sometimes. But the difference is it's like, you know, in the household I mean, I know the government so it's not as stable, but you you have like a certain amount of income coming in which you know you know you talk, yeah, you have a certain amount of income coming in, you know you put out. But with business, you know you talk, yeah, you have a certain amount of income coming in.

Shay Cook:

you know what you put out, but with business.

Montoya Silver:

You know that fluctuates so much, so much it's yeah, that is where the gray line is for me, or that's like kind of like still trying to understand. It is that, especially when it comes to my debt, like my fixed expenses are pretty solid, but when it comes to, okay, I have my debt and I'm paying the minimum, but I'm not trying to pay it for 30 years, like I'm trying to pay this off so that I can scale my business, so that I can acquire even more debt, so that I can scale my business, so it's just, it doesn't translate like that personal.

Shay Cook:

I think I finally figured out the secret formula today. I know Right, I'm like I'll give a little bit on here Y'all going to have to change?

Shay Cook:

Yeah, exactly, but you know, I had this debt, just really simple, high level. I had this debt as well Credit card debt. I've been building up from the event this year, took my money, bow and all this other stuff. But what I did is, you know, there's a period in a time in your business where you might have more income than debt or expenses. Putting that aside and just for 30 to 60 days to see if you can go 30 to 60 days without using that, and then putting it on your credit or your debt, and I did that. So I just set aside. I didn't put in a savings, I just set aside in my checking account, business checking as I put this inside and see if I can pay all I still do, all of my fixed expenses, still pay my people and all of that, and that money was still there. I'm getting chills because I know that was Jesus, because that to me was another thing of faith too.

Shay Cook:

It was like all right, Laura, I'm going to try something here. I'm going to put this money aside, and if I have to use this for regular expenses I will. But if it's still sitting there in 30, 60 days, I'm putting that joker on a credit card. I paid her on a credit card this weekend, and. But it doesn't always happen that way, because sometimes I have to use that money for expenses and so you just like, sometimes you just got to be able to play and see, because you're going to have ebb and flows, but some months are going to be way higher and instead of putting it on yourself, I mean you can, you can give yourself a nice little bonus. You know, give your people something, but then some of the rest of it can go to debt or savings.

Shay Cook:

So, to me. That was just kind of playing that out. Because I'm trying to figure this out, I'm trying to break this quote for people out there that are like us because yeah, it's real, you're right. A lot of that translates personal to professional, which I want to teach people that as well, because people out here got low credit scores, got a lot of debt and they trying to be business owners or they are business owners Like I can't get no funding. I won't give you no funding either with a 500 credit score. I'm sorry, so like we're here at Crusaders for Change to help people that, but when it comes to you know when your money is all over the place, then we kind of figure that out and say, all right, you got to do some forecasting and some projecting. You got to be like all right. Every year the last five years I noticed an influx in July and August.

Montoya Silver:

Yeah.

Shay Cook:

That money needs to be planned for, and that's another key. You got to plan for it. You can't just let it sit there and just not name it. I always tell everybody every dollar and it ain't got to be down to the cent, but for me it's down to the zero. Like I, every dollar has a category, has a plan, has a purpose, and that's what God wants, and that's including tithing.

Shay Cook:

That's including saving. That's kind of taking care of your family because God wants our first fruits, because we're just, we're just on, it's just on loan to us. But yeah, so you know, just trying to figure out how do we avoid that financial bondage in the future.

Shay Cook:

Right, because you know you're saying you can serve good debt. I always felt like student loans at one time was good debt because you were getting education. Yeah, even though they messed that all up with the interest rates and everything giving us too much money. I believe too. But housing, you got to get a mortgage most time, not all the time. You can choose the rent, but rent's going up and it's not fixed and it's all over the place. It's better to own. That sometimes is our best asset is our house. So you know, just trying to figure out that. I mean, the average American carries $90,000 in debt. So how?

Shay Cook:

can faith change that and that's 90,000. I know a lot of clients out there or we have a lot of clients that are that's their, just their credit card just unsecured.

Montoya Silver:

So how does your?

Shay Cook:

faith change that.

Montoya Silver:

I mean, look, I've been there, so no judgment on the other side. Yeah, amen, but you got to just be responsible. Like it's crazy, I woke up with Kanye West's quote. I think it was Kanye West's quote, it was so random. I have a problem spending money before I get it. I'm the first to admit it. I have a problem spending money before I get it. I'm the first to admit it. I don't know why I woke up with that, but it helped me this morning. It helped me this morning because that's the problem right there. It's like you go to swipe that credit card and you spend the money you don't have it.

Shay Cook:

You don't even have a plan to pay it off.

Montoya Silver:

Spending money before I get it. So you got to be the first to admit it, so that you can get help.

Shay Cook:

The first thing to anything is admitting you got a problem. So yeah, that's right there.

Montoya Silver:

So I mean, yeah, people have this. You know, big thing. I'm finally to the point in my life where my faith is pretty strong, like I face. But you know you can't do stuff where it goes against your faith, like you go and spend money before you get it and you want God to pay it off. It's just like that's not having faith, that's being foolish, like that's the difference between you. Know. Faith is like okay, lord, I really want this thing and I'm just going to save up to get it, and I know that you're going to help me supply this thing. I know that you're going to help me supply this. I know that that's really faith, that you spending it before and then praying that God pay it off.

Shay Cook:

Now, most of the time he'll still help you.

Shay Cook:

But the obedience to me comes because if God says to do something, he going to provide, so, like, even with the podcast, he's going to provide, you know, or just even helping, like I had this, you know, paying for my daughter's college. My daughter, my husband and I, like I was like Lord, I'm going to have to cut into it, and I talked about this last episode. I have to cut into my tithing because, like, where am I going to get that money from? It's going to end. So he still provided, but I still tithe, you know.

Shay Cook:

So it's just finding those ways and so, like, I'm going to do that right now with the business. In order for a business to grow, you have to be able to dream and forecast right, and so then you have to trust God If he's showing you you got to do this, but you ain't got the money cash, and now I got to take it from a loan or credit card or line of credit or whatever. That's faith right there, because I don't know if this is going to pan out and it might not, and it's just something you have to learn, right, I'm sure you've been there as a business owner.

Montoya Silver:

I'm there and I was going to say that's the other side of it, because for what I say, it sounds insensitive, like yeah, I'm spending before I get it, yeah, but some stuff you don't need, you know, like some stuff we could wait on. But then sometimes you need to scale, like I had to scale my business and I had to get a loan to scale my business and I am still not on the other side of my scale yet. But I have to have faith to believe that if he supplied it to me and he allowed me to have it and I prayed over every application and I prayed that God, you know, help me with this. I know he's going to supply and he has God. Thank you, jesus. I'm not in the fault of anything. I'm still able to pay all my bills and pay my people. I've never missed a pay for my people. That's a blessing right there. That is a huge blessing.

Montoya Silver:

I really don't take that lightly that I'm able to pay my people and pay my debt and yourself.

Shay Cook:

This is something I wanted to talk about. This will be the last big topic of this podcast episode is because I want to talk about. This will be the last big topic of this podcast episode is because I want to talk about that Like for real. There's so many people out there that do not pay themselves or will forego paying themselves, and we've been blessed not to have that happen and we talked about this. If it gets to the point that I can't pay myself, then I don't need people on my team.

Montoya Silver:

No Because, especially like we're both in service businesses Like people on my team. No because, especially like we're both in service businesses Like I'm still behind the chair in my business. I'm still bringing money good money into my business, and this is all I do, like we don't play entrepreneurship, like I'm not on social media playing that I'm opening this business and this business Like this is how I contribute to feeding my family. So, I can't go without paying myself or you know.

Montoya Silver:

So I have to make sure that now have I had to move stuff? Yeah, of course yeah absolutely so that I can make sure because one thing my people are going to know if they work for a textures they're going to get paid Rightfully so, like rightfully so.

Shay Cook:

But I work for textures too. And I'm people, my people that's including me as well. Like I have to pay myself, I got a lifestyle to maintain, including the necessity, and, yeah, I got my husband. That helps. I'd always want to put that out there, but you know in order to have this house. You do too right, and that's another podcast episode we're talking about, because you know those single people out there will be like you got a husband.

Montoya Silver:

My husband. I'm just talking about about that. This weekend we got two sets of bills. We got two sets, yeah exactly.

Shay Cook:

But don't shame me because I got a husband to help me out, like go find your man or whatever you want. But back on topic here. Yeah, you know God is just going to provide and I always believe that, especially if he's giving it to you in your heart and your mind and your spirit, he's not going to put an idea in his child and not provide the resources for it. And that's not always money, sometimes it's dr candace pruitt. I have to give a shout out to spdc.

Shay Cook:

She has been a huge resource. The mr hutt, lou hutt, the second right, because the third is his son. He's been amazing, like we have so many. The mentors out there, all of the programs we've been through, all the whatever it may be, you know those people have, people have been and even our team just you know the people that we surround us with ourselves with have been super.

Shay Cook:

Those are the resources God has given us, and so that's including the money and the people, and it all comes together. So I just want to, in this moment, honor that, because Crusaders for Change textures would not be where they would be without God, us, and then all the people and resources and funding and money that we needed Absolutely.

Montoya Silver:

Yeah, absolutely.

Shay Cook:

All right Now. That was great episode there and talking with you, you know God wants us to live in freedom, not stress, and I would say one action step for today is make a plan to tackle at least one debt this month. So we like to give our guests final thoughts. Any final thoughts, sis?

Montoya Silver:

So I know I'm contradicting myself.

Shay Cook:

So I guess debt ain't bad y'all, so just make sure but you said how it makes you feel. I know that's different.

Montoya Silver:

Debt is uncomfortable Anytime you owe somebody. Anything is uncomfortable, but that doesn't mean that it's bad. So in a sense, it's good to be uncomfortable. Growth comes in being uncomfortable.

Shay Cook:

It does. And, like I told my daughter you know she's like she used to be afraid to spend and debt and all of that To me that's a healthy fear, because if you weren't fearful of that or uncomfortable, then you will be creating a lot more debt and then you will be struggling like more than you are now. So to me it's like you need to have a little pinch of fear, a little pinch of you know, and some of us has a little bit more than others, but that's okay because that's going to remind you always I got to pay this off. I got to be responsible because you just out here spending and spending and spending. Then you're got to be responsible because you just out here spending and spending and spending. Then you're going to be looking up one day and be like dang it, I got millions of dollars a day.

Shay Cook:

What am I going to do? And these people out here will give you all of that debt too, if you allow it, and you got that good credit score, so don't let them take advantage of you. Make a plan to tackle at least one debt this month, y'all. Thank you for joining us.

Shay Cook:

Thank Montoya Silver, beautiful woman, oh, and I have to say, by the time you listen to this episode, she will be in her 40s.

Montoya Silver:

Pray for me.

Shay Cook:

What I'm headed to my 50s and you know what it's a blessing. I know these are crazy.

Montoya Silver:

You got some years.

Shay Cook:

I got three years, three and a half, three and a half years, but still, you know, I'm just to me, whatever age you are, big age or little age, it's just like. God is good because there's many people out there that have not seen the forties.

Montoya Silver:

So I'm going to walk into it with my head up.

Shay Cook:

Happy birthday. July is about to be her celebration month, so happy birthday, thank you for joining us.

Shay Cook:

Yes, love you. A big thank you for listening to this episode. We hope you found today's chat about the intersection of religion and money insightful. We would love to hear your feedback. Hit that subscribe button or follow the podcast and please feel free to leave us a review. For the latest Yahweh's Money content, visit us at crusaders4changeorg or find us anywhere you listen to podcasts. Until next time, stay financially fit and spiritually inspired, and remember it's always better Yahweh's way.

People on this episode

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Shay Cook

Host
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Montoya Silver

Guest