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Is It Wrong for a Christian to Want to Be Wealthy? · Becoming Financially Confident

• 0:37
  You want to do well financially, but somewhere in the back of your mind, this quiet voice asks, is it wrong for me to want to do this?
• 0:46
  A lot of believers carry guilt about wanting wealth.
• 0:50
  Today, let's bring that question into the light and answer it honestly.
• 0:53
  From Scripture, this is a thing that tangles up good hearts, and it hinges on one word.
• 1:00
  So stay with me today, and let's settle this together.
• 1:12
  Hello and welcome to Financially Confident Christian.
• 1:15
  I'm Ralph Estep Jr.
• 1:16
  Thank you so much for joining me today.
• 1:18
  And today we're going to go a little deeper than we normally go.
• 1:21
  We're going to talk about guilt over gaining wealth.
• 1:24
  We got a great question from a listener who is sincere and wants to build wealth, but they feel this guilt over that desire and they felt these mixed church messages.
• 1:35
  So today we're going to talk about a sincere faith question.
• 1:38
  Now, maybe you've got a question.
• 1:39
  Maybe it's not quite as deep as this one, but it's a question.
• 1:42
  You're like, ralph, I really wish somebody would help me with this one.
• 1:45
  I want you to send it to me.
• 1:47
  You can go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/question We'll put a link right in the show notes.
• 1:52
  We'll make it super simple.
• 1:54
  Just click the link and type it in there.
• 1:55
  Again, that's Financially Confident Christian.
• 2:01
  Well, let's get right to today's listener question.
• 2:03
  And I want to start with the subject line, because I was scrolling through and I saw this like, wait a minute, this is one we got to cover.
• 2:08
  Is it sinful that I actually want to be wealthy?
• 2:12
  So that's where we frame this.
• 2:13
  That was the subject line.
• 2:15
  But then he writes this.
• 2:16
  Hi, Ralph.
• 2:17
  I've wrestled with this for a long time.
• 2:19
  I work hard, I'm ambitious.
• 2:22
  And honestly, I would love to build real wealth, enough to be generous, to take care of my family and not stress about money.
• 2:31
  But I grew up hearing money is the root of all evil and that wanting to be rich is greedy and worldly.
• 2:39
  So every time I set a big financial goal, there's this guilt that creeps in, like I'm being a big Christian for even wanting more.
• 2:46
  I don't want to love money more than God, Ralph, but I also don't think that being broke makes me holy.
• 2:53
  I'm genuinely confused about where the line is, Ralph.
• 2:57
  Is it wrong to want to be wealthy, or is it okay as long as my heart's in the right place?
• 3:03
  I'd really value your perspective on this.
• 3:06
  Well, thank you so much for saying in that question.
• 3:09
  This is one of those questions that consistently ties people up in knots.
• 3:15
  And I'm going to get into the scripture, but we're going to unwind this today because it's really not a question about wealth.
• 3:22
  It's a question about the heart.
• 3:23
  We talked about heart the other day.
• 3:25
  When it comes to generosity, it's the same thing here.
• 3:29
  It's all about, what are you putting on the throne.
• 3:33
  It's not your desires, but let's untangle it Biblically.
• 3:37
  So let's start with this.
• 3:39
  We got to fix the most misquoted verse about money.
• 3:43
  You've heard it.
• 3:44
  Many of us have heard it.
• 3:45
  It's this famous misquote, the love of money.
• 3:50
  Now, notice what it says there.
• 3:52
  Not money, just one word, love.
• 3:54
  It doesn't say that money is evil.
• 3:58
  It says the love of money.
• 4:01
  It's all about worshiping.
• 4:03
  That's the problem when money becomes an idol and not a paycheck.
• 4:08
  I talk about it on the show all the time.
• 4:09
  If money is a tool, it's being used wisely.
• 4:12
  If it's become your throne, we've got a problem.
• 4:16
  It's not money that's the root of evil.
• 4:18
  It's the love of money.
• 4:22
  And I want to show you something here.
• 4:24
  Scripture is full of wealthy, faithful people.
• 4:28
  Scripture is not anti wealth.
• 4:31
  Abraham had wealth.
• 4:32
  Job had wealth.
• 4:34
  What do we see in both of those people?
• 4:36
  But they were faithful and they were wealthy.
• 4:40
  Wealth became a tool for them.
• 4:42
  It wasn't about how much they had.
• 4:44
  It was about who they trusted.
• 4:46
  At the core, they were wealthy and devoted.
• 4:51
  Friend, God has never been impressed by your bank balance, whether it's high or low.
• 4:57
  So to answer today's question, you gotta check the throne, not the number.
• 5:03
  Ask yourself sincerely, what's on the throne?
• 5:07
  Because I think scripture does say you can't serve both.
• 5:11
  So if you're serving the money and that's become your throne, then you got a problem.
• 5:17
  But now you're saying, ralph, how do I unwind this?
• 5:20
  Answer this question for me.
• 5:22
  Would you follow God without the wealth?
• 5:26
  Would you follow him?
• 5:28
  Are you chasing money or you chasing a mission?
• 5:34
  If God is first in all of these things.
• 5:36
  And listen, your question today is exactly what I'm thinking about.
• 5:40
  If God is first, then wealth is serving God.
• 5:46
  But you gotta guard that throne.
• 5:49
  As I've said on this show many times, money makes a wonderful servant, but a terrible master.
• 5:56
  But now I want to get real practical.
• 5:58
  You got to let your why purify your want.
• 6:03
  Your why in your question tells me Almost everything I need to know.
• 6:08
  Not once did I hear you.
• 6:09
  Well, I'm building this up to impress people.
• 6:12
  If you're hoarding money, if you're doing it to impress people, it goes wrong.
• 6:18
  But what I heard you say is, Ralph, I want to provide.
• 6:21
  I want to provide for my family.
• 6:23
  I want to give.
• 6:24
  I want to fund missions.
• 6:27
  Those things are all holy things.
• 6:29
  They are good things.
• 6:31
  You named a good.
• 6:31
  Why?
• 6:33
  What you're actually doing is you want to be a good steward of the blessings that God has given you.
• 6:38
  That's not about greed.
• 6:39
  It's not about how much you want.
• 6:41
  It's about why you want it.
• 6:46
  So you got to hold it with open hands.
• 6:47
  Now, I've used that on my other show, Truth Unveiled with Ralph, and we'll put a link in the show notes.
• 6:51
  We actually wrote a song called Open Hands, but that's what this is all about.
• 6:57
  Build it, build the wealth, but hold it loosely.
• 7:00
  Realizing it's not yours, it keeps it off your heart.
• 7:05
  Make sure your goals are all centered on God first.
• 7:08
  You can align ambition and faith at the same time.
• 7:12
  So hold your money with open hands, and it will never close around your heart.
• 7:18
  Now, you said something.
• 7:19
  You don't think being broke makes you holy.
• 7:22
  And you're absolutely right.
• 7:24
  I'm so tired of people saying, well, I'm super poor, so I'm the holiest around.
• 7:29
  It doesn't.
• 7:31
  But here's the other thing.
• 7:33
  Being wealthy doesn't make you worldly either.
• 7:35
  I have so many people that say, well, this person's very wealthy.
• 7:38
  They're worldly.
• 7:39
  Not necessarily.
• 7:41
  God looks past the number straight to your heart.
• 7:44
  God pierces that.
• 7:46
  Now, here's what faith doesn't promise us.
• 7:49
  It doesn't promise wealth.
• 7:51
  If you follow God, there are people who are following God who will never be wealthy.
• 7:55
  I.
• 7:56
  I don't know why that is.
• 7:57
  But God gives us all certain abilities, certain strengths and all those sort of things.
• 8:03
  Now, it also doesn't promise.
• 8:05
  The desire will never tempt you.
• 8:06
  You can be serving God today and chasing after wealth, and you always have to guard your heart.
• 8:14
  It doesn't promise you some easy line between ambition and idolatry.
• 8:18
  And that's what trips up so many people.
• 8:20
  And I don't hear you asking that, but guard your heart.
• 8:24
  But here's what faith does promise us.
• 8:27
  When God truly holds first place in your heart, you're already free.
• 8:33
  You're free to build, you're free to give.
• 8:36
  And you're free to hold money loosely and to hold onto him tightly.
• 8:41
  What does the scripture say?
• 8:42
  Seek first the kingdom, so get the order right.
• 8:45
  Ambition and his tool.
• 8:48
  Dream big, go after that, but keep him first.
• 8:54
  So pursue excellence with a clear conscience.
• 8:56
  Keep God first.
• 8:57
  Hold the rest with open hands and let go of that guilt that you were never meant to carry.
• 9:04
  Like you said, I want to provide, I want to give.
• 9:09
  Those are all good things.
• 9:10
  That's not from a place of greed, so stop thinking about that misquote.
• 9:16
  Ambition and faithful can live together.
• 9:19
  Here's your win for today for everyone.
• 9:22
  Write your real why, what you do if you've gotten more.
• 9:27
  You know, we talk about all this time, people say, well, if I hit the lottery, I do this and I do this and I do this.
• 9:32
  Well, think about it the same way right now.
• 9:35
  If God gave you wealth, what would you do with it?
• 9:41
  Who'd you help?
• 9:42
  What would you fund?
• 9:45
  Write that down.
• 9:45
  Keep it where you can see it.
• 9:47
  Because as you think about that and you clarify that motive, that helps you build a clear why and helps you stay in that stewardship and guard your heart.
• 9:57
  So that's my encouragement for you today.
• 9:59
  Write your why down.
• 10:00
  Why you want to be wealthy.
• 10:02
  Well, here's our Bible verse for today, comes from First Timothy, Chapter 6, Verse 10.
• 10:06
  And I'm going to read it right straight up.
• 10:07
  This is what it says.
• 10:09
  For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
• 10:13
  And some people, some people craving money have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
• 10:23
  Now, I just read the full verse in context.
• 10:26
  What is it telling us?
• 10:27
  Love and craving, not money.
• 10:32
  What does it say?
• 10:32
  They're wandering.
• 10:33
  They're not building.
• 10:35
  But when you see that, what it really is, it frees the guilt.
• 10:38
  And remember, you gotta guard the throne.
• 10:41
  Well, let's pray together right now.
• 10:42
  Heavenly Father, I bring before you someone who is ambitious and they're hardworking.
• 10:47
  And, Lord, they want to honor you.
• 10:49
  And you know this.
• 10:50
  They want to honor your with their life and their resources.
• 10:53
  And, Lord, they've carried guilt about a desire that may be sinful.
• 10:58
  What they've heard in the church, what they've seen around them, Lord.
• 11:03
  So today I just ask that you would bring all of us clarity and peace, Lord, because we know you are the throne that should be in our lives.
• 11:10
  Purify our motives, Lord.
• 11:12
  Free us from the false guilt of the world that lies to us.
• 11:15
  Help us to have open hands, Lord, and undivided hearts, and help us to have success that blesses many people.
• 11:22
  Because that's what true wealth does, Lord, it helps us to bless others and we ask this in Jesus name.
• 11:29
  Amen.
• 11:31
  Friend.
• 11:32
  Maybe you came in today, you felt that same guilt that the listener felt today, but I just hope in a little way you've got some freedom coming out of this.
• 11:39
  Remember, a divided heart is the enemy.
• 11:43
  Have a true heart.
• 11:45
  So today fix that misquote.
• 11:46
  Remember, it's the love of money, not money itself.
• 11:50
  You can be faithful and wealthy.
• 11:52
  It fills scripture all over scripture.
• 11:55
  But check your throne is God first and let your why purify the one and always have open hands build free grip loose.
• 12:06
  Now maybe you're struggling with some financial question or you want to share a burden that's on your heart.
• 12:10
  I would love to hear from you.
• 12:12
  The easiest thing you can do is send me a voicemail and we made it super simple.
• 12:16
  You just have to go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/voicemail we'll put a link in the show notes.
• 12:22
  Just click on the link and go right there and record your message again.
• 12:26
  That's financiallyconfidentchristian.com/voicemail thank you so much for joining me today.
• 12:32
  I want you to stay financially savvy.
• 12:35
  May God bless you and you have a great day.
• 12:53
  You.