How Counterfeit Verses Distort Stewardship with Taylor Standridge | FaithFi
February 10, 2026
How Counterfeit Verses Distort Stewardship with Taylor Standridge
Faith & Finance with Rob West
Counterfeits are dangerous precisely because they look convincing. The same is true of spiritual sayings that sound biblical but quietly distort how we think about God, stewardship, and money.
Many believers can quote phrases that feel deeply spiritual—comforting even—but when placed under the light of Scripture, they don’t actually appear there at all. Or worse, they twist what Scripture truly says. These “counterfeit verses” often shape how we view success, risk, provision, and dependence on God without us even realizing it.
To explore this issue, we sat down with Taylor Standridge, Production Manager of FaithFi and a regular contributor to Faithful Steward. Taylor is also the lead writer behind Look at the Sparrows and Our Ultimate Treasure.
Counterfeits are dangerous precisely because they look convincing. The same is true of spiritual sayings that sound biblical but quietly distort how we think about God, stewardship, and money.
Many believers can quote phrases that feel deeply spiritual—comforting even—but when placed under the light of Scripture, they don’t actually appear there at all. Or worse, they twist what Scripture truly says. These “counterfeit verses” often shape how we view success, risk, provision, and dependence on God without us even realizing it.
To explore this issue, we sat down with Taylor Standridge, Production Manager of FaithFi and a regular contributor to Faithful Steward. Taylor is also the lead writer behind Look at the Sparrows and Our Ultimate Treasure. In his recent article, , Taylor traces this problem all the way back to the beginning.
Counterfeit Verses: How to Spot The Sayings That Aren’t in the Bible
“Did God Really Say?”—The First Counterfeit
Taylor begins in Genesis 3, when the serpent approaches Eve with a deceptively subtle question: “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1).
This moment is critical because the enemy doesn’t begin with an outright lie. Instead, he distorts what God has said and, in doing so, undermines God’s character. The implication isn’t merely that the command is questionable—but that God Himself may be withholding something good.
Once Adam and Eve doubt God’s goodness, disobedience follows naturally.
That same pattern persists today. Many modern financial lies—whether cultural narratives or counterfeit verses—aren’t blatant falsehoods. They’re half-truths. They sound wise. They feel spiritual. And because they’re close enough to the truth, they feel safe.
Like a ship that veers off course by only one degree, the deviation seems harmless at first. But over time, it leads somewhere very different from what was intended.
At the heart of every counterfeit is the same ancient question: Can God really be trusted?
Counterfeit verses don’t come with warning labels. They borrow biblical language, appeal to our emotions, and speak to real desires—hope, comfort, identity, and security.
Sometimes they even quote Scripture, but rip it out of context.
The danger isn’t familiarity with Scripture—it’s fragmented familiarity. When we know verses as slogans rather than as part of God’s larger story, we become vulnerable to subtle distortions. The goal, however, isn’t suspicion or cynicism. It’s discernment—learning to recognize when a truth has been nudged just slightly off course.
Studying the Real Thing: A Lesson from Counterfeit Currency
Taylor uses a powerful illustration from the film Catch Me If You Can. Frank Abagnale Jr. succeeds as a forger not by inventing fake money from scratch, but by studying the real thing in obsessive detail—down to the ink, paper, and watermarks.
Ironically, that expertise later makes him invaluable to the FBI.
Banks don’t train tellers by showing them every possible fake. They train them by handing them genuine currency until authenticity becomes instinctive.
The same is true of Scripture. Discernment doesn’t come from memorizing every error—it comes from knowing God’s Word so deeply that when something sounds “almost right,” you can feel that it isn’t.
Common Counterfeit Verses That Shape Our View of Money
“Money is the Root of All Evil”
This misquote radically reshapes our theology of money. If money itself is evil, then wealth becomes suspicious, and stewardship feels compromising.
But Scripture says something far more searching: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy 6:10).
The issue isn’t possession—it’s devotion. Scripture doesn’t demonize money; it disciples our hearts.
“God Helps Those Who Help Themselves”
This phrase flips the gospel upside down. It places self-sufficiency at the center and turns God into a backup plan.
Biblically, grace always comes first. God meets us in our need, not our strength. Stewardship, then, isn’t self-rescue—it’s dependence. Jesus says it plainly: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
“God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle”
This saying sounds comforting, but it places the burden of endurance squarely on our shoulders.
Paul tells a different story: “We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength… so that we would not rely on ourselves but on God” (2 Corinthians 1:8–9).
God often allows what we cannot handle so that we learn to rely on Him.
“Let Go and Let God”
This phrase requires nuance. Scripture does call us to trust—but never to passive disengagement.
Faith and obedience always move together. Noah builds. Abraham goes. Ruth works. Grace empowers action; it doesn’t replace it. As J. I. Packer once said, the Christian motto isn’t “Let go and let God,” but “Trust God and get going.”
Growing in Discernment Without Fear
Discernment begins with familiarity. Counterfeits thrive when Scripture is reduced to slogans. But when we immerse ourselves in the full story of God’s Word, we learn to recognize the Shepherd’s voice (John 10:4).
Community matters too. God designed us to learn truth together—through teaching, correction, and shared wisdom.
The goal isn’t paranoia. It’s confidence. We don’t spend our lives studying counterfeits—we anchor ourselves in truth, trusting the Spirit of God to alert us when something isn’t from Him.
If we want to steward money wisely, we must first steward God’s truth faithfully. Because when we know what God has truly said, we’re finally free to live—and steward—with clarity, confidence, and trust.
On Today’s Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:
I’m considering a reverse mortgage for retirement. My home is worth about $370,000, and I owe $104,000 at 3.5%. How do reverse mortgages work? Would this help me in retirement, and what kind of interest rate should I expect compared to my current loan?
I’ve been offered an investment where $10,000 could return 250%. I know the person personally, and there’s paperwork and an attorney involved, but how can I properly vet this to be sure it’s legitimate—especially since it involves real estate?
Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God’s resources.
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