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Ralph: Do you ever feel like your prayer life is running on empty?

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Like, you're just going through the motions without really connecting with God.

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That's a feeling many of us share.

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Today, we're going to explore some practical ways.

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To cultivate a vibrant.

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And impactful prayer life that will transform your relationship with God and bring more peace, purpose, and power to your daily life.

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It's time to take your prayer life to the next level.

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My friends.

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Intro: Welcome to the Ask Ralph Podcast, where listening to an experienced financial professional with over 30 years of experience can help you make sense of confusing questions, current headlines, and industry trends about taxes, small business, financial decision making, investment strategies, and even the art of proper budgeting.

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Ask Ralph makes the complex simple by sharing his real world knowledge from a Christian perspective with all things financial.

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Now here's your host, Ralph Estep, Jr.

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Ralph: Welcome to our spiritual Sunday show.

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Hey there friends.

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This is Ralph Estep your host of the show where we seek to honor God in every area of our life, including our finances.

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I'm so glad you chose to join me today.

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Before we dive in, I want to remind you to visit our podcast site.

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You do that at askralphpodcast.com  for more great content and resources to help you align your money with your faith.

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Be sure to share this episode with a friend or family member who could use some encouragement in their prayer life.

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We're all on this journey together, friends.

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As normal I'm coming to you from the Estep farm and the beautiful Saggio accounting studio.

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Let me put on my podcaster hat put down those overalls and push that adding machine to the side.

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And let's get to some financial wisdom from a Christian perspective.

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Don't forget to subscribe to the show and join our email list.

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You do that at askralphpodcast.com . So you don't miss tomorrow show.

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Tomorrow, we're gonna talk about some bad money habits for retirees and how you can make better choices in retirement.

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It's really going to be an eyeopening show that you don't want to miss folks.

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So mark your calendar and don't forget to sign up for the show.

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We also just launched an insider's group on Facebook, and I want to encourage each of our listeners to join the group.

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It's a great place to continue conversations from the show.

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Share ideas for this show, discuss your triumphs and also talk about your challenges.

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We've got some great communication already going on out there.

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I have a link to the Facebook group in the show notes today.

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Let's start by grounding ourselves in the word of God.

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This versus some first Thessalonians chapter five verses 16 to 18.

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And it says this.

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Rejoice.

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Always pray, continually give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ.

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Jesus.

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Let's answer a simple, but very important question.

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Do you ever struggle with prayer?

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I know I have.

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It's easy to let the busy-ness and distractions of life crowd out or time with God.

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But here's the beautiful truth.

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God longs for deep, genuine connection with us.

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He's not looking for fancy words or religious formulas.

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In fact, he talked against that.

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He just wants our hearts.

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And first Thessalonians.

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Paul gives us a powerful model for cultivating a lifestyle of prayer.

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He says to rejoice, always.

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Pray continually give thanks in all circumstances.

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Now Paul, wasn't saying we need to be on our knees 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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He was inviting us into an ongoing conversation with God.

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And that's really all prayer is where we infuse every moment.

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With his presence and perspective.

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So you ask Ralph.

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How do we put this into practice?

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Well, I'm going to give you four actionable steps to help you cultivate.

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A more prayerful life.

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The first is very simple.

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Start your day with God.

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Before you jump into your to-do list.

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Take a few minutes each morning to center your heart on God.

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Read a Psalm.

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Express your gratitude, lay your needs and concerns before him.

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Invite him into your day.

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It doesn't have to be long, even five to 10 minutes can make a huge difference in your life.

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As the saying goes, if you're too busy to pray, you're too busy.

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Make time with God, your top priority and just watch how it transforms your outlook.

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And your attitude.

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I've actually found reading a morning.

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Devotional helps me get centered in the morning.

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Or simply getting a daily scripture email that allows me to start my day in the word.

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Next you need to pray throughout your day.

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Look for opportunities to connect with God in the midst of your daily activities.

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Are you stuck in traffic?

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Pray for the people in the cars around you.

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Maybe you're washing dishes.

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Thank God for the food he's provided.

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How about paying bills?

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Nobody likes to do that, but ask for his wisdom and provision.

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The more, we train ourselves to turn our thoughts towards God.

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The more we'll experience, his peace and more importantly, his presence.

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I found myself sometimes struggling during the day with the stress of everyday life.

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And I simply ask God to whisper to me.

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And calm the storm.

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I spoke at length about calming the storm in last week, Sunday show.

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So I'll encourage you to go re-listen to it.

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If you haven't heard it.

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I love the old hymn that says prayer is the souls sincere desire.

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Uttered or unexpressed prayer.

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Isn't just about our words.

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It's the posture of our hearts.

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We can pray silently.

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We can pray verbally.

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We can pray through journaling through art or through music.

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So you've got to experiment different forms of prayer and find what helps you connect with God most easily in your life.

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It's not the same for everybody.

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Our next tip is essential.

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And you have to be real with God.

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One of the biggest obstacles to prayer is feeling that we have to have it all together before we come to him.

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But my friends, the opposite is true.

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God wants our raw.

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He wants our real, he wants our messy selves.

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He can handle our doubts.

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He can handle our fears.

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He can handle our anger.

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And he can handle our questions.

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In fact, he welcomes them.

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I find that when I'm at the most broken in my life is when I can truly feel the power of my connections to God and the power of my prayers.

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God wants us just as we are.

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He knows our truths.

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He knows our pain.

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And he knows what we need, even when we have no clue what we're supposed to do or how to deal with a particular issue.

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It's during those times that God is truly the great healer and the great physician.

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I guess the truth is this.

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The sick need a physician.

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So when we need him the most, we just need to be real with him.

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I remember when I was going through a tough time in my marriage.

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I mentioned that in this past Monday show.

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I was so broken.

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And I simply said to God, Hey, you know what I'm feeling, dude?

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You know, the hurt I'm feeling.

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Just fix it.

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That was the real me.

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I didn't need to talk about some great philosophical dialogue.

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I just need to be honest and Frank.

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I was hurt and I needed his healing.

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You can also think about David.

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The man after God's own heart.

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Read through the Psalms and you'll quickly see that David didn't hold back with God.

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He poured out his deepest pain and struggles as well as his greatest joys and triumphs.

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And because of David's authenticity.

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David experienced profound intimacy with God.

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And that is truly the goal of prayer.

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So don't be afraid to get real with God.

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He already knows what's in your heart.

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Prayer is about aligning our perspective with his not pretending to be something we're not.

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As the apostle Paul wrote.

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Cast all of your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

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That's from first Peter chapter five, verse seven.

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And the final step is to pray with others.

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While personal prayer is crucial.

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You got to do it.

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There's something uniquely powerful about praying with other believers.

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Jesus said it himself.

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Where two or three gather in my name there I am with them.

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That's right from the gospel of Matthew chapter 18 verse 20.

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When we come together to pray the holy spirit knits our hearts together.

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And multiplies our faith.

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If you're not currently involved in a prayer group of partnership, I want to encourage you to seek one out.

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It could be as simple as meeting with a friend for coffee once a week to pray for each other's needs.

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Or you could join a prayer meeting at your church or in your community.

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The key is to find a safe, supportive space where you can bear each other's burdens.

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And believe God for breakthroughs.

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I mentioned before that I played church league softball.

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And for an overweight aging man, this is a challenge in itself.

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But I will tell you that those group of guys are just what I need.

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Sometimes to really put things in perspective.

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And the camaraderie on the field is something I truly cherish.

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We all need to find those who will support us when we need it.

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But more importantly, we need to be there for others as well.

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Some of the greatest moments of my life have been when I've been able to simply listen to someone who needed an ear to hear.

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Cultivating a prayer life is not about religious duty or earning God's favor.

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You can't earn it.

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It's already yours.

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It's all about relationships.

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It's all about learning to abide in Christ to draw strength and wisdom from him.

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The more we soak in his presence.

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The more we'll reflect his heart to the world around us and boy, the world around us needs it now more than ever.

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Think about it this way.

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When you're in love.

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Been there done that.

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You want to spend as much time as possible with your beloved?

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You delight in their presence.

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You hang on to every word and can't wait to share your life with them.

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Guess what folks.

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That's how God feels about us.

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He loves us with an everlasting love.

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And invites us into intimate communion with him.

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Imagine that the creator of the universe.

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Loves us with an everlasting love and invites us into an intimate communion with him.

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How lucky are we.

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So as we close our time for today, I want to leave you with this challenge.

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Commit to growing your prayer life this week.

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Start each day with God pray throughout your daily activities.

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Be real with him about your struggles and joys.

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You don't have to use a filter.

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And seek out opportunities to pray with others.

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The truth is folks, little by little prayer will become like breathing.

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And we all have to do that to stay alive.

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Prayer will be natural.

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Continual.

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It will be a conversation with the one who loves you the most.

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I don't care how much you love your spouse or love your children.

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The one who loves you the most is God.

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The creator.

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That's the truth.

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So let's pray together.

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Heavenly father, thank you for the incredible privilege of prayer.

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Thank you that because of Jesus, we can approach your throne of grace with boldness.

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And confidence.

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Forgive us for the times, we've neglected this gift, renew our desire to seek your face.

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Above all else.

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Give us the discipline to prioritize our time with you.

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Help us to carve out space in our busy lives to listen for your voice.

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And align our hearts with yours.

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In the midst of life's demands and distractions.

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be our anchor Jesus.

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Teach us to pray with authenticity and faith.

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Remind us that you are a safe place for our doubts.

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You're a safe place for our fears and you're a safe place for our questions.

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Nothing is too big or too small to bring before you.

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Deepen our trust in your goodness and faithfulness.

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Surround us with a community of prayer warriors and meld our hearts together as we bear one another's burdens.

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And believe you for the impossible.

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Because you can make the impossible happen.

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Ignite our hearts with your compassion, for the lost and the broken.

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Use our prayers to release your kingdom on earth.

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Make us catalysts.

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Of your redemptive work in our families and our workplaces and our churches.

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And in our cities and our great country.

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May your will be done in your name.

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Be glorified in and through our lives.

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We love you.

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Lord.

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Be magnified in us today.

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In Jesus's mighty name.

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Amen.

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Let's take a moment to briefly recap what we covered today.

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Today we explored what it means to cultivate a lifestyle of prayer.

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We looked at four basic practical steps starting our day with God.

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Praying throughout our daily activities.

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Being real with God about our struggles and joys and praying in community with other believers.

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As we commit to growing our prayer lives, we will experience deeper intimacy with God.

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And partner with him to release his kingdom on earth.

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Well folks, that's it for today's episode.

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Remember this?

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God loves you like crazy.

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And he longs to commune with you.

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You don't have to over-complicate it.

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Just show up.

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Be real.

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And watch how he moves on your behalf.

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As always for more tips and resources on aligning your finances with your faith.

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Head over to askralphpodcast.com . Again, if this episode blessed you.

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Please share it with a friend and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

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The truth is folks.

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Your support means the world to me, and it will help this show grow and we'll reach more people with a message of peace.

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Well, thanks for tuning in.

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And as I always say, stay financially savvy and may God bless you on this Sunday.

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And may he communion with you and just reach out to him.

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And just talk to God directly.

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Don't overcomplicate a folks.

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Be well.

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outro: Thank you for joining us on the AskRalph podcast.

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And with a simple click to subscribe, we'll invite you back to our next episode.

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And remember, financial issues don't have to be complicated.

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Just AskRalph.

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The information contained in this episode of AskRalph is based on data available as of the date of its release.

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Sagio Accounting Plus and AskRalph Media Inc.

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is under no obligation to update this content if changes occur.

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Applying this information to your specific situation requires careful consideration of all facts and circumstances, and any information provided is not to be considered as financial, tax, or legal advice.

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Please consult your tax advisor or attorney before acting on any material covered.