You’ve probably been there. Staring at a stack of envelopes on the kitchen table, wondering which one is the "final" final notice. It’s a heavy, suffocating kind of stress. Gary Keesee knows that weight intimately. Back in the mid-80s, he and his wife Drenda were drowning. We aren’t talking about a little bit of credit card debt; they had ten maxed-out cards, three finance company loans, and liens hanging over their heads like a guillotine.
Honestly, the way Gary tells it, they were "church folks" who were broke. They were doing all the "right" things religiously but failing miserably financially. Then something shifted. He claims he stopped looking at money through the lens of a paycheck and started looking at it through what he calls "Kingdom Laws."
Now, you might be skeptical. I get it. The "faith and finance" world is crowded with people promising overnight miracles. But Fixing the Money Thing Gary Keesee isn't actually about a magic wand. It’s a mix of aggressive practical changes and a fundamental rewire of how you view the concept of provision.
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The Earth-Curse System vs. The Kingdom
Gary’s whole premise hinges on a distinction he makes between two systems. He calls the first one the "Earth-Curse System." This is basically the world most of us live in: you work for money, you borrow to get what you want now, and you spend your life paying back that time with interest.
It’s a cycle of toil.
The alternative he proposes is the "Kingdom System." He argues that according to the Bible—specifically Matthew 6:33—if you seek the Kingdom first, the "things" get added to you. But here is where he deviates from typical prosperity preaching. He doesn't say you just sit on your couch and wait for a check in the mail. He says the Kingdom provides ideas, concepts, and insights.
Think of it like this: the Kingdom doesn't always drop a bag of gold on your porch. Instead, it gives you the blueprint for a business or a "random" connection that leads to a massive opportunity.
Why your budget is probably lying to you
Most people think "Fixing the Money Thing" means just cutting out lattes. Gary argues it’s much deeper. He talks about "lost money" or "money fragments." These are the leaks in your ship that you've stopped noticing because they've become part of the background noise of your life.
- Insurance premiums: Are you paying monthly? He suggests moving to annual payments to save on fees and interest.
- Taxes: He’s big on auditing your own tax returns. Most people overpay because they don't understand the incentives available to them.
- The "Mailbox Mentality": This is a huge one. Gary says people wait for God to "fix" their bank account via a miracle. He argues that God works through the marketplace. If you want more money, you have to solve a problem in the market.
The Five Rules for Getting Out of Debt
If you’re actually going to try fixing the money thing, you can’t just "believe" your way out of a $20,000 credit card balance. You need a strategy. Keesee’s framework is pretty blunt, and honestly, it’s a bit of a gut punch if you’re used to living on plastic.
- Stop the bleeding immediately. You cannot get out of a hole if you are still digging. This means cutting up the cards. All of them. Not "keeping one for emergencies." If you have a safety net of debt, you’ll never trust the "Kingdom" system he talks about.
- Seek the Kingdom first. This isn't just a Sunday morning thing. It's about asking for strategy. He literally suggests carrying a notepad to write down "revelations" or ideas that come to you during the day.
- The Power of the Tithe. This is the controversial part for some. He views the tithe (the first 10%) as a "fence" that protects your finances. He distinguishes this from "offerings," which he calls "seeds." In his view, you tithe for protection and you give offerings for increase.
- Find the fragments. This goes back to the "hidden money" idea. He and Drenda supposedly found thousands of dollars just by auditing their own bills and looking for places they were being overcharged or were simply being wasteful.
- Write the plan. A goal without a date is just a dream. He advocates for a written, aggressive debt-elimination schedule. His goal for people? Debt-free in seven years, including the mortgage.
The "Hidden" Secret of the Money Changers
One of the more interesting parts of the Gary Keesee philosophy is his critique of the banking system. He often talks about "the money changers"—basically, the institutions that profit off your lack of knowledge.
He argues that the world is designed to keep you in "servitude" to debt. When you pay interest, you aren't just paying money; you are paying with your life. If you spend 30 years paying off a house, and you pay double the price of the house in interest, you’ve essentially given 15 years of your working life to the bank for free.
That realization is usually what sparks the "revolution" he talks about.
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Is this just "Prosperity Gospel" in a suit?
It’s a fair question. Critics often lump Gary Keesee in with teachers who promise that God wants everyone to be a billionaire. However, if you actually listen to the "Fixing the Money Thing" broadcasts, the focus is surprisingly practical.
He spends a lot of time talking about:
- Starting small businesses.
- Investing in the marketplace.
- Cutting expenses.
- Understanding how interest works.
The "faith" part is used as the motivation to do the "work" part. He acknowledges that the "earth system" is rigged against the poor and middle class, and he uses spiritual principles as a way to "exit" that rigged system.
But it’s not without its detractors. Some find the emphasis on tithing as a "legal" requirement for God's blessing to be a bit rigid. Others point out that his church, Faith Life Church in Ohio, has faced its share of local scrutiny and controversy over the years. Like any public figure in the ministry space, the person and the principles often get tangled up.
Turning the Ship Around: Practical Next Steps
If you’re looking to apply the Fixing the Money Thing Gary Keesee approach, you don’t need to buy a bunch of DVDs to start. You can begin with the mechanics.
First, do a "Fragment Audit." Sit down tonight with every single recurring bill. Look for the "vampire" subscriptions—the $9.99 apps you don't use, the insurance coverage you don't need, the high-interest debt you haven't refinanced.
Second, change your vocabulary. Keesee is big on "confessions." Stop saying "I'm broke." Even if you are, he argues that speaking lack into your life reinforces the "earth-curse" mindset. Start looking for "opportunities" instead of "problems."
Third, get a "Kingdom Idea." What is a problem you can solve for someone else? Money is simply a reward for solving a problem. If you solve a small problem, you get a small reward. Solve a big one? You get the idea.
Finally, commit to the 7-year window. Most people overestimate what they can do in one year but vastly underestimate what they can do in seven. If you stop using debt today and funnel every "fragment" you find toward your smallest debt, the momentum builds. It’s the snowball effect, but with a spiritual "why" behind it.
The goal isn't just to have a high net worth. According to Keesee, the goal of fixing the money thing is "freedom." Freedom to do what you were actually put on this earth to do, without a bank teller or a credit card company telling you no.