The Financial Path to Busting Spies, Terrorists, and Traffickers in 5 Easy Steps

I often get questions from people who ask me how I landed in my career and how they can achieve the same. I have almost 20 years of service in the military and as a civilian in government and non-profit roles working to protect the most vulnerable populations.

First, I served as a Special Agent in the Air Force where I chased spies in Asia, ran human informants in Iraq to gather intelligence on where senior Al Qaeda leadership were hiding to pass on to special operations, and commanded a counterintelligence/terrorism unit responsible for protecting hundreds of thousands of service members among other things.

God then called me away from active duty to a job where I targeted child sex predators and traffickers on multiple continents. As of late, I am responsible for proactive operations involving upwards of 50-100 special agents, intel analysts, and other support staff with everyone from the FBI to local police departments to protect children and hold perpetrators accountable across not only Hawaii but all US territories in the Pacific ocean.

I remember the feelings of terrible longing at the beginning of my career, knowing I wanted to make a big impact in the world but not being satisfied where I was.

If I could have a conversation with that young go-getter 20 years ago, there’s a lot I would tell her. That God has the most insane plan for her life that is wilder than she could have imagined. That this path requires her to acquire the skills each posting would teach her. That she is in the middle of a miracle and to take a minute occasionally to stop, look around, and enjoy the ride. Underpinning the journey and facilitating my dream jobs was my trek to financial independence.

With almost 20 years of service in the military and as a civilian in government and non-profit roles working to protect the most vulnerable populations, Alani Bankhead shares 5 financial lessons she has learned from her experiences. — PIN FOR LATER

5 Lessons Learned

1. Be a good steward of what God has given you

Get or stay out of debt. The debtor is absolutely a slave to the lender (Prov 22:7). I have known the oppression of debt, and I have and continue to feel the freedom of being debt-free. Life tastes sweeter without debt. Invest in yourself and invest in your future. Not for selfish reasons but so when God brings opportunity to your door, you can leap knowing you have a solid financial safety net.

Are you reading this thinking, “But Alani, you don’t get the mountain of financial ruin I lay under!” Oh honey, I *get it.* I’ve had credit card debt, I’ve had to rely on friends to eat, I had my electric turned off, and I even got an eviction notice – my wake-up call. I was terrified to look at my credit score and wouldn’t open bills.

The first step to financial freedom is facing the facts. Pour a glass of wine, bring on a friend if you need some help opening statements, and look at the numbers. They are just paper and ink…they can’t hurt you. Once you know, you can start coming up with a plan to get out from under that mountain. The sooner you start, the sooner you will be finished.

2. Trust that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be

My career felt like a hodgepodge of jumping from job to job, and I used to joke that I was a jack-of-all-trades and master-of-none. It wasn’t until 13 years into my career that I saw for the first time how God had placed me in each of those jobs to prepare me for my real life’s work.

During that time, I made sacrifices: I deployed (earning me tax-free pay), I lived in a small and humble apartment, I drove a Ford Focus, I had a non-flat screen TV. When my boss told me they wanted me to be the senior bodyguard in charge of a team of all-male bodyguards for one of the top Pentagon officials, I snorted in disbelief and asked if he was sure he had the right file in front of him. This was a high-profile job, and you had to be by-name requested just to apply.

God and I had a lot of conversations about how I was too short (5’3”), too brown (Latina), too young looking (I still look like I’m 25), and too female for this male-dominated position. I would be lying if I said I was happy to go, because I had zero interest in Secret Service-type work. It was a daily struggle to stay positive and trust God’s plan for those two years. It wasn’t until I was working in the non-profit world supervising anti-child sex abuse and trafficking cases that I got a call from my new boss, and God’s plan came sharply into focus.

Some of our staff and a client in Kenya had been murdered by the cops during their investigation into police corruption, and the remaining staff members and lawyers needed protection going to and from the high profile trial that made international headlines. God had put me at the Pentagon for those two years to prepare me to protect justice-seekers – essentially missionaries – from being further silenced. Cue God sliding over a big ol’ slice of spiritual humble pie.

I know it may not feel like it, but I promise you that God made zero errors in your career path when He designed it. Your job is to bloom where you are planted.

The Money Taboo a weekly faith and finance devotional with Katie Jones

3. If you want to know what your life’s mission is and how to achieve it, you need to understand how God uniquely created you to connect with Him and how He uniquely created YOU.

Most conflict and confusion in our lives comes from not having a basic understanding of our values. We can all agree that values are important, but we can’t prioritize every value.

God created us for a specific mission that only we can do. Check out this values assessment if you’d like to better understand how you were built. Get the list down to your top 5 values, and you’ll see your soul jump out at you on paper. While justice and protecting the vulnerable are underlying missions that are important to me, HOW I do it is by helping others uncover their greatest gifts to the world and putting them into play.

Over the last two and a half years, I created two major law enforcement operations out of nothing. I presented an opportunity to collaborate to our law enforcement partners – everyone from the FBI to Homeland Security to each of the island police departments and the military – and offered to build in what a “win” looked like to them. Since that offering, we have arrested 60 child sex abusers, identified 19 live victims of child sex exploitation, and achieved an unheard of 95% conviction rate in court.

I did this all by taking a 60% pay cut, because years of financial planning meant I could pick projects that resonated with who I am. To be clear, this was not done by me; I only created the environment where people felt safe enough to let their best gifts shine…and boy, do they shine brightly. I did this, because I had clarity around what God wanted me to invest my life and finances in. Justice, Excellence, Integrity, Collaboration, and Love are my values.

When I’m presented in church with an opportunity to serve in the homeless outreach or in children’s church, I want to say “yes” because I want to be seen as someone who helps and serves. This is totally natural. But saying “yes” out of obligation instead of it being a natural overflow of your heart is not what God intends for any of us. Plus, saying “yes” to opportunities not meant for you could result in the right person not getting the opportunity.

A word on tithing: don’t do it unless your heart wants to. I did it out of obligation for years but stopped for about three years. I knew God loved a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7), and the truth was I was not excited about giving up my 10%. To me, this verse means that God only wants tithes that are given out of gratitude rather than just begrudging obedience. During that time of non-tithing, I asked Him to change my heart posture so that I would be a grateful giver. I honestly can’t tell you when exactly it happened, but it did. He is the first one I pay when that money comes in with insane gratitude both for the abundance He provides but also for changing my heart in ways I thought would be impossible. Does this perspective jive with everyone? No. This is why it’s so critical for you to connect with God in a way that is unique to you. Not how (well-intended) church, parents, friends, etc tell us we should connect with God, but in a way that works for you. How will you know you’ve achieved this connection? When you feel the fruits of the spirit. And achieving this connection may not be while doing traditional quiet time or praying on your knees. Some people I work with experience this in the intimacy of their morning routine or while out in nature walking which others may consider unconventional. When people I work with feel this deep connection and are walking in alignment with who God created THEM to be, they experience joy, love, peace, kindness, etc even when it doesn’t make sense. If you’re not feeling the fruits of the spirit, then pause and ask God to redirect you.

4. Seek the path to financial independence (FI) if you feel called to do so

Financial Independence provides freedom to create the career and life you want. If you’re able to keep your expenses down and invest in any one of several vehicles – the stock market, retirement accounts, real estate, etc – you can have enough of a nest egg to not have to work to keep the roof over your head and food on the table.

This does not mean you have a love of money which God’s word says is the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10). It means you are preparing financially to be able to take passion projects that God has laid on your heart that either underpay or don’t pay at all, if you choose. Or you could even start a business. Finances are a tool we can use to lift others up. Those deep desires to change the world aren’t there by accident. Our God is not a cruel God who would give you a desire and keep it just out of reach, but sometimes it takes months, years, or even decades for them to bear fruit. And this requires us to patiently prepare for the day when God tells us to move. Read about how God gave me the most random itch to be a police K9 handler back in 1999 which came to fruition in 2019 here.

5. Intentions matter

God sees your heart. You can’t hide from Him. God knows we are weak and make mistakes – financial, career, or otherwise. “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” Prov 16:9. If your heart’s intention is to truly seek God and live an obedient life despite your fleshly failings, God will always make a way. He already has. Bring your dreams, fears, and finances…your meager fish and loaves (Mark 6:41)…to Him with humility and watch Him surprise you.

There is no way I could have predicted 20 years ago that God would have done what He has with my life. It was way crazier than I ever could have imagined, as I’m sure His plan for your life is way bigger than you know. You want to live a big bold faith out and leave an impact on this world? Trust that He has you exactly where you are. Bloom where you are planted. Invest in yourself and your future in a way that aligns with who God created you to be. I promise you will reap a greater harvest – financially, professionally, romantically, etc – than you could’ve ever imagined.

Guest Author – Alani Bankhead

Alani Bankhead is a Certified Professional Coach and the owner of Mighty Sparrow Coaching. After 15 years of God stripping back the fear and imposter syndrome by putting her in increasingly crazy professional positions (anyone ever heard of a 5’3″ bodyguard?), her new mission is to empower women of faith to overcome their own fear blocks so they can achieve the lives of freedom, joy, and impact they know in their bones God created them for.