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Can Being Generous Actually Help Reduce My Money Stress? · Becoming Financially Confident

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  Ralph: Your budget is tight.
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  You're working to pay off debt and savings.
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  Well, that just feels like a stretch right now.
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  And you're asking yourself in the midst of all of this, does the
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  idea of giving money away feel like it would just add more stress?
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  But what if opening your hand in generosity, rooted in faith.
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  Could actually be a surprise and key to find a more financial piece.
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  Stick with me because I'm gonna explore an interesting contradiction on today's show.
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  Hey there.
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  Welcome back to Financially Confident Christian.
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  I'm Ralph, and today we're gonna answer that same question that we look to
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  answer every day, and that's how can I become a financially confident Christian?
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  And we're continuing our deep dive into the series dealing
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  with the stress of money worries.
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  And if you've been listening along, and I'm so grateful that you have, I really
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  appreciate it, and, and I honor the fact that you come and listen to me every day.
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  We've covered so many practical aspects of managing money.
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  We talked about budgeting, and we've talked about saving and tackling debt,
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  and we talked about using credit wisely.
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  Yesterday, we talked about intentional spending and setting boundaries.
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  Well, today we're gonna talk, about a topic that might seem counterintuitive
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  when you're feeling stressed about money.
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  And that's generosity.
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  You are like, Ralph, wait a second.
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  Are you saying to me, I'm stressed about money and now
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  you want me to give some away?
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  Well, just listen to me for a second because I want to answer.
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  I want to answer this question and hear me on this.
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  How can giving away money possibly reduce stress, especially and hear me, especially
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  when you feel like you don't have enough?
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  Let's explore this powerful connection on today's show and ask the question.
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  Can we be generous from a place of faith and will that actually
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  help reduce my money stress?
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  honestly, I feel a lot of us have a genuine desire to give.
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  I think that's just something to build into us.
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  It starts as a young child.
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  You know, we come from this place where our parents, our mothers especially,
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  are given to us and given to us, and I remember as a young boy, I couldn't
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  wait till Christmas time or birthdays.
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  I didn't have much money.
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  I was just a little kid.
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  But I used to love to give and I think that's just innate
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  feeling that all of us have.
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  Maybe for you it's you like to give to your church, you see the value in
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  that, you see how it impacts lives.
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  Or maybe for you, there's a particular charity that you like.
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  You see what they're doing.
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  I remember when we were younger, my wife and I, we would always donate to Smile
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  Train because I saw the impact of that.
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  Or maybe for you, it's just I wanna give to someone in need.
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  ' cause here's the truth, there is a deep biblical conviction about tithing.
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  So now you're saying Ralph.
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  Okay, great.
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  Yes, I do have these feelings, right?
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  But look at my budget, dude.
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  You see the debt?
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  You feel a pressure of, of not having enough saved so what
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  you're telling me is Ralph.
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  Okay.
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  All these things, the stress that I'm under, the budget that I'm struggling
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  to meet with the debt that I have.
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  You, you, you told me to start snowballing this debt and reducing these debts,
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  and I'm feeling pressure, Ralph.
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  And now you're saying you want me to give money and somehow that's gonna
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  reduce my anxiety and my stress because the self-talk is already saying this.
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  I be saying things like I can't afford to give right now.
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  I need every dollar for myself.
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  And if we're honest with ourselves, we've all felt that at times.
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  See, there's this tension, there's this tension between your desire to give.
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  'cause I think, like I said at the beginning, all of us have this desire to
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  give, and then there's this stress of your financial reality, because guess what?
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  That's real.
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  Those numbers are real.
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  And when you're not given, that can lead to guilt because you
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  feel like you should be doing it.
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  Maybe you are given and you have this, this terrible fear that
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  you're not going to have enough.
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  And here's the big takeaway from today.
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  See, it's that guilt.
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  It's that fear that keeps you stuck in a mindset of scarcity.
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  Here's the thing I want you to understand today and hear me on this.
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  You hear me loud and clear.
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  This is not what you're gonna hear on everyday financial shows.
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  That's what's different here.
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  Biblical generosity isn't just another expense.
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  It's not just an item on your budget.
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  Well, you know, I've got my car payment, I've got my mortgage payment,
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  I've got the electric bill, and here comes, tithing, and here comes charity.
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  It's just another expense.
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  You're off.
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  No, it's not.
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  Here's what you need to understand.
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  Biblical generosity is an act of worship.
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  It's an act of worship because here's what it is.
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  It's a declaration of where your trust lies.
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  Weren't expecting me to say that were you, but it is.
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  It's a declaration of what you trust in because you have to make a very
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  bold statement and understand that everything we have comes from God.
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  I say it on the show all the time, nothing that you have is yours.
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  And that aggravates people.
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  I get mean messages.
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  I get Facebook posts of, listen to this guy, he's lost his mind.
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  He's saying that what I'm working for, I don't deserve.
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  That's not what I said.
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  All I said is, everything we have comes from God.
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  'cause in the end, he is our ultimate provider.
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  He's the ultimate owner of what we have.
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  This is why it's so impactful because When we give, we acknowledge his ownership.
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  It's not ours.
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  We're not giving from something of ours.
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  We're giving his.
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  When we give, we're expressing a trust, a deep trust in his provision.
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  And think about the trust.
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  Even when our resources feel scarce.
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  That's that scarcity mentality.
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  it's what prevents so many people from the financial breakthroughs.
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  And here's the counterintuitive part.
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  See that act of faith, that act of deciding, yes, I'm going to give in spite
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  of my fear, in spite of that scarcity, that very act counters that money stress.
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  Where's that money stress coming from?
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  It stems from fear.
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  And here's the best part, you're gonna like this part.
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  It stems from self dependence.
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  Lemme share with you this verse from the book of Proverbs,
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  chapter three verses nine and 10.
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  It says this, honor the Lord with your wealth with the first fruits of
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  all your crops doesn't stop there.
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  Here's the best part.
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  Then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats
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  will brim over with new wine.
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  Honor the Lord with your wealth.
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  With your first fruits, not your second thirds or foots first fruits, your
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  barns will be overflowing and your vats will be brim over with new wine.
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  Let's continue on looking at scripture.
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  Second Corinthians, chapter nine, verses eight adds this beautiful statement.
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  Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give.
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  Here's the tricky part, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a what.
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  He loves a cheerful giver,
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  and God is able to and ready for this one.
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  God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things at all times,
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  having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
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  See, here's what I want you to hear right now.
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  Giving breaks, money's grip on your heart.
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  It just rips it open.
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  It shifts your mindset from scarcity to abundance because it
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  reminds you that your security is in God, not in your bank balance.
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  Hear me on this.
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  Your security is in God, not in your bank balance.
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  So now you're asking Ralph, what can we do?
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  How do we give an a way that actually brings peace from a place of cheerfulness?
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  Here's my simple solution for today, intentionally.
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  Again, I'm Ralph's gonna use the word intentional, intentionally
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  prioritize giving in your budget.
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  As I said, make it an act of worship and trust, not just an obligation.
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  And you've gotta decide what generosity looks like for you.
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  Everybody's different.
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  Maybe for you it's that tithe or that tithe plus maybe you, you say, look,
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  I've always given 10%, but now Rob, I'm really gonna make that stretch.
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  I'm gonna give 15.
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  So maybe for you it's a different percentage.
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  It doesn't matter.
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  The amount doesn't matter.
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  The percentage doesn't matter.
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  Here's the key to it.
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  The key is that it's intentional.
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  Intentional and that it's aligned with your faith.
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  Make it a non-negotiable part of your financial life.
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  Just say this is non-negotiable.
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  So here's my one action step for today, and that's determine
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  your giving commitment.
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  Pray over it, ask God about it.
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  You know, maybe 10%.
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  Tie this, what you feel led to.
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  Or maybe you're like, Ralph, I don't give anything at all,
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  man, I can't do that much.
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  Start smaller then.
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  But then symbolically, you build it up and then I'm gonna encourage you.
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  Step two, to include giving in your budget.
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  Create a line called giving or, or tithe.
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  Then put it first.
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  What did the Bible say to us?
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  Put it first.
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  Make it your first root.
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  Make it first to show it's a priority.
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  Then the third thing I'm gonna encourage you to do is make a plan for how you
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  give, maybe for you set up auto pay.
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  Because like, hey, the check comes in, bang, it goes off to the charity.
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  Or write that check as soon as you get paid or set aside cash, but make
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  it consistent and make it simple.
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  And finally, this is my big encouragement.
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  Give cheerfully and prayerfully.
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  If you're a minister listening right now, you're probably not gonna like
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  what I say, but if you can't be cheerful and prayerful, then don't do it.
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  That's when you start praying for God to give you a heart of cheerfulness.
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  But give cheerfully and prayerfully as you give.
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  Thank God for the ability to give.
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  Ask him to provide you and to use your gift in a way that's impactful.
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  Give it with joy, not out of fear.
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  This helps align your money with your values and it
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  breaks that power of scarcity.
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  And the reason why it works is it strengthens your trust in God.
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  It brings peace even when your resources feel completely limited.
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  Well, how about we pray together?
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  Father God, we just thank you for being the source of all we have.
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  And we just ask that you would help us trust you, Lord.
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  Give us generous hearts, Lord, help us seek giving as an act
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  of worship, not some burden.
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  Oh, that's just another thing we gotta do.
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  And Lord, we just ask that you would guide us in faith as we honor you with
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  our money, which is, we all know it's not really ours, it's your money, Lord.
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  But guide us in faith as we honor you with your money.
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  And we just ask this in confidence in Jesus' name, Amen.
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  As you're listening right now, I just wanna encourage you today embrace
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  generosity, not as some financial burden, but truly as a spiritual path to peace.
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  'cause that's what it is, and make it a part of your plan today because
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  you are moving towards freedom.
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  And I just wanna encourage you, if today's message helps you share it with
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  someone else who needs to be encouraged, we need to encourage each other.
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  Visit financially confident christian.com/master.
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  That's the website.
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  Go there and get a free copy in my book.
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  The book is called Mastering Your Finances.
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  It's a short rebut, let me tell you right now.
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  It is hugely impactful.
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  Now, tomorrow on the show, we're gonna talk about how to
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  build lasting financial habits.
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  I That's one you don't want to miss.
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  So go out there and be a financially confident Christian.
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  You can do this.
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  I have confidence in you.
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  Have confidence in yourself.
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  Stay financially savvy.
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  God bless you, and you have a great day today.