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Can Learning New Skills Actually Save Me Thousands? · Becoming Financially Confident

• 0:00
  Do you ever feel like you're just bleeding money?
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  I'm talking about on things that you might be able to do yourself.
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  A car repair here, a plumber, call there, meal kits, because cooking feels too hard.
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  All those little secret fees that seem to creep into our lives every day.
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  Yes, they add up fast.
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  But what if I told you that learning one small skill, just one could
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  save you hundreds, maybe even thousands, and not just money.
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  Confidence, peace, and a whole lot of freedom.
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  Well stick with me today because we're gonna unlock some
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  powerful truths on today's show.
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  Hey there, friend.
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  Welcome back to your Daily, financially Confident Christian.
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  I'm Ralph, and I'm honored to be with you on part of your journey
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  today as we continue seeking an answer to that question.
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  And that's how can I become a financially confident Christian?
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  And we're continuing in our series today Beyond the Budget, we're
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  working to find financial freedom through intentional living.
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  Now, if you missed yesterday's show, we talked all about the
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  joy of secondhand savings.
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  We talked about how to go to swap meets and things like that, and really
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  find stuff that you could use and best part of it, save a ton of money.
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  So if you missed it, I'm gonna encourage you to check it out.
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  And today we're gonna go a little bit further.
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  We're gonna answer this question.
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  Can learning new skills actually save me thousands.
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  Well, let's find out together on the show today.
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  So let me ask you, when something breaks, let's say you're, you're, you're
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  sitting there and the sink breaks.
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  You know, you go to turn the water on and no water's coming out.
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  Or worst case scenario, maybe the water's shooting out everywhere.
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  Well, is your first instinct, well, I'm gonna go get my
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  toolbox, I'm gonna go fix that.
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  Or is it more like, Hey, I'm reaching for the phone to call somebody.
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  Like I said, maybe you've got that leaky faucet and you say, oh, you know what?
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  I could go look it up on YouTube.
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  Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do.
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  I'm gonna go to YouTube.
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  I'm gonna find a video about, so I type in leaky faucet and I'm looking
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  at YouTube's, oh, this looks so simple.
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  Like, wait a minute.
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  It doesn't look so simple.
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  After all.
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  Actually, it looks kind of scary.
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  So what's the first thing you do?
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  Huh?
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  Pick up the phone.
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  You call a plumber.
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  Well, let's say you're driving to work and all of a sudden on your dashboard
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  you see that tire pressure light.
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  Now you could learn what that means.
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  You could learn how to fix it, but instead you just head
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  right to the automobile shop.
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  And then of course there's dinner tonight.
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  Hadn't planned on anything.
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  No meal prep ahead of time.
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  So what do you do?
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  You grab your phone, take out order again.
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  See, the truth is we've all been conditioned to outsource everything.
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  Our whole economy, dare I say, the United States economy in general is
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  all about outsourcing everything.
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  Have you ever thought about what it's costing us?
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  Yes, it's costing us financially.
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  Those things add up.
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  Hey, eating out, ordering out dinner is definitely more
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  expensive than making it yourself.
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  Hiring that plumber, going to the automobile shop.
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  All those things cost money.
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  So it's definitely costing us financially.
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  Well, guess what?
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  It's also costing us emotionally and spiritually.
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  Anybody saying, Ralph, I don't get it.
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  I, I get the financial part, man, but you lost me on the emotional and spiritual.
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  Here's the bottom line.
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  When you have to constantly outsource for everything, you don't feel capable.
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  What does that lead to?
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  It leads to this feeling of being dependent, and even in the bottom of
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  that, which I think is the most sinister part, it leaves you a little frustrated
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  because deep down, you know, in your heart you say, I could probably learn this.
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  And here's the thing I want you to understand today.
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  This is a Christian show.
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  God wired you for growth.
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  He just did.
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  He didn't wire us to all, every, outsource, everything
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  we were made to learn.
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  We were made to develop we were made to steward what he's been given to us.
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  Let's get into the word a little bit.
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  Look at the book of Proverbs, chapter 12, verse 24.
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  It says this, this one is kind of harsh.
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  The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be forced to labor.
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  Now, listen, I'm not saying that you're gonna be forced to labor, but we can,
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  we can learn a lot from the scripture, the hand of the diligent, those
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  people who learn new things, refine new skills they're gonna rule, but
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  those who are slothful, those who are outsourcing everything and not learning.
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  Now listen, I'm not saying to never outsource stuff.
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  There is stuff that should be outsourced.
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  I'm, I'm an accountant for, for a living.
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  People outsource that work to me.
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  But if it's things that you can learn, if it's a skill that you can
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  pick up, it's a great thing to do.
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  See, that means when you're willing to learn, when you're
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  willing to try something, when you're willing to work hard at it.
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  The scripture very clearly says that God just honors that diligence.
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  Look at Matthew 25 verses 14 to 30.
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  Now this is the well-known parable, the talents.
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  I'm not gonna read that whole thing to you today, but the whole point of
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  that was that Jesus had said to at the end, this is the last part of that
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  well done good and faithful servant.
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  You've been faithful over a little.
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  I will set you over much.
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  Enter into the joy of the master.
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  Now listen, God's not asking for perfection.
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  He's asking for faithfulness.
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  Well, what does that faithfulness look like, Ralph?
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  Well, it it looks like action.
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  It looks like stewardship.
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  And see, when you learn a new skill, when you go and do some study, go and try to
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  figure stuff out when you're multiplying what he gave you and that, my friends,
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  that right there is faith in motion.
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  So you might be asking, what can we do?
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  How do we solve this problem, Ralph?
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  What I'm gonna tell you, it's pretty simple, but if you agree
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  to do this, it is hugely powerful.
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  Just choose one money saving skill and start learning it today.
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  That's it.
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  Not, not 10 things.
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  I don't want you to go get a degree from a trade school so
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  that you can fix your faucet.
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  It's not what I'm saying at all.
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  Just one skill.
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  So here's your one action step for today.
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  I want you to this week identify one paid task.
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  What's one thing you regularly pay someone to do that you could handle on yourself?
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  Lemme give you a few ideas.
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  Maybe changing your car's air filter.
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  Could you get a YouTube video?
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  Could you go to the local parts shop and pick up the air filter, maybe
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  that loose cabinet door that your wife or your husband would say,
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  I, I wish we could get this fixed.
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  Maybe it's mending a shirt.
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  You know, learn how to do a couple stitches.
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  How about this?
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  Making some homemade bread or hooking up a new printer instead of calling a Geek
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  Squad or somebody to come out and do it.
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  Hey, maybe you're in the shower and that shower head just
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  doesn't work like it used to.
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  Maybe you can replace that shower head.
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  And here's one that I think all of us can learn from.
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  How about cooking a meal from scratch?
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  Okay, so once you've decided on what that looks like for you, just
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  one, not 12, not 10, just one.
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  Go and find a free learning resource.
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  Hey, that's one of the best things about technology.
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  There are places to learn.
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  You can go right on YouTube.
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  You might be watching this on YouTube right now.
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  You might be listening to this.
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  You can go to YouTube and find all kinds of information.
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  You can go to your local library, check out a book, or Google
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  has great step-by-step guides.
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  Or maybe next time you're in one of your church groups or a small group bible, say,
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  Hey, does anybody here know how to do X?
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  Maybe you've got a, a friend at the church who's a plumber, and then just spend 15,
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  20, maybe 30 minutes learning the basics.
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  Again, I don't want you to go to trade school to become a plumber.
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  And then the big takeaway from this, try it yourself.
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  So the next time that need comes up, give it a shot.
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  Hey, if it's cooking at dinner, I think we all can figure that out.
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  You're, and remember, you're not aiming to be perfect.
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  You're just aiming for progress because this works in the long term because
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  it really cuts down your expenses.
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  And like I talked about, it's not just financial.
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  It builds your confidence.
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  It helps you become less financially dependent and emotionally dependent.
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  And the best part of all, it honors the time and talents
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  that God has already gave you.
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  And remember this, you don't need to master everything
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  just one thing at a time.
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  Well, how about we pray together today?
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  Heavenly Father, we just thank you for the gifts and the talents, Lord, and the
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  opportunities you've placed in our lives.
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  And Lord, we just ask that you would forgive us for shrinking
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  back, for doubting when we're capable of, and for defaulting to
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  convenience when growth was an option,
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  Lord.
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  Help us identify this week just one new skill, one act of faith-driven
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  stewardship that we can learn from and that we can apply to our lives, Lord,
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  and just give us the courage to try it even if we fail the first time, Lord.
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  Let us honor you by using our hands, Lord, and our minds, and our
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  time to build a life that reflects your wisdom and your provision.
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  And we ask this with confidence.
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  In Jesus' name, Amen Friend.
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  Learning a new skill isn't just a do it yourself win.
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  It's so much bigger than that.
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  It's a spiritual discipline.
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  It's a step towards freedom, and in the end, it's a bold
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  act of faithful stewardship.
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  So today, like I said, one skill, one step, and if this show helped
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  you today, or if this episode helped you today, I'm gonna encourage you
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  to share it with somebody else that could use that same encouragement.
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  You can point 'em right to our website.
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  That's financially confident christian.com.
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  And hey, while you're there.
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  Why don't you get a copy of my free book?
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  It's called Mastering Your Finances.
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  It's free to you.
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  It's a short book, but man, it is super impactful to help you finally
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  gaining control of your finances.
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  And again, you get that@financiallyconfidentchristian.com
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  slash master.
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  And listen, don't miss tomorrow's episode.
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  We're gonna talk about how to give gifts with meaning without overspending.
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  Hey, if you got that birthday coming up or that anniversary and Christmas,
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  hey it's, I heard yesterday.
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  It's just about six months away.
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  I want to show you tomorrow how to give gifts with meaning without overspending.
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  So don't miss tomorrow's show.
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  And I just want you to hear this.
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  You are doing things, you're growing, you are becoming a
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  financially confident Christian.
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  I believe in you now.
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  Go believe in yourself.
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  Stay faithful, stay wise, learn that new skill.
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  God bless you and you have a great day today.