Are you lying awake at night?

Staring at that ceiling wondering how you're gonna make ends meet.

Does the weight of financial worry feel heavier than your faith?

What if I told you there's a path to true peace?

A way to release that burden and find purpose in your finances,

all by trusting in God's plan.

Stay tuned to SR today 'cause we're tackling this vital question and it

might just change everything for you.

Hey everybody, and welcome back to Ask Ralph.

I'm your host, Ralph Estep Jr. The financial evangelist, and this is the

show where we tackle your questions and help you break free from that cycle

of financial shame with confidence.

Today we're discussing a topic that touches so many of us,

even those who walk in faith.

The question today is, are you struggling to trust God with your

finances and more importantly.

How can I find peace and purpose in his plan?

Think about it.

In today's world, with all the economic ups and downs, it's, it's

so easy to feel anxious about money.

But what if I told you that finding true peace in your finances

starts with a deeper trust in God?

See, it's not just about having more money, it's about

having a different perspective.

That sounds intriguing, doesn't it?

maybe you've been looking at your financial shame

from the wrong perspective.

Got a listener question from Glenda.

She reached out with the question that really hits the heart of this.

She asked this, she said, Ralph, I believe God owns everything.

But when the bills are piling up and I don't know how I'll make ends meet, how

do I truly trust that he'll provide?

Glenda, we're gonna dig into that and more on today's show.

So let's lay the groundwork.

The absolute foundation of trusting God with your finance is

understanding this one powerful truth.

God owns it all.

Lemme say that again because it's foundational.

God owns it all.

The Bible is crystal clear on this.

Psalm 24, 1 says, the Earth is the Lord's.

And everything in it.

Just think about that for a moment.

You are not the ultimate owner of your money or your house or anything

else that you have for that matter.

You're a manager.

You're a steward of what God has entrusted to you.

So now you're likely asking, Ralph, why is this so important?

Why do I need to start here?

' cause when you realize it's all his, it shifts your perspective.

You move from a place of scarcity and worry to a place of responsibility

and trust in his provision.

See, it's sort of like managing someone else's valuable assets.

You wanna be careful and wise with them, don't you?

When you're taking care of someone else's stuff, aren't you more careful?

Don't you wanna protect it more?

Your finances work the same way you're protecting God's stuff,

so don't you wanna protect it.

So as we get started here, an action will take away for you.

I want you to start this.

I want you to take some time today to really meditate on the idea

that God owns everything you have.

Write it down, say it out loud.

Let that truth sink into your heart.

It's the first step towards releasing financial anxiety.

You've got to accept that foundation first before we can even move to

finding peace in your finances.

It's that critical first step.

Now, trusting God with your finances isn't just a passive thing.

It involves taking practical steps deeply rooted in faith.

Here are a couple of actions you've gotta take.

First, you've got to make prayer a priority in your financial life.

Just like you pray about your family and your health, bring your

financial concerns before God.

Ask for his guidance in your spending.

Ask for his guidance in your savings, and ask for his guidance in your giving.

The Book of Psalms, chapter 25 verses four and five, encourage us to seek his ways.

And ask for his guidance.

So that's the first step.

You gotta make prayer a priority.

I'm talking about specific prayer over your finances, and once you do that

second thing, embrace the principle of tithing and generous giving.

The Bible teaches us to give a portion of our income back to

God as an act of worship and acknowledgement of his ownership.

This is the action step that trip up so many of us.

This is where we have to put our money, where our mouth is,

or maybe more accurately put our money where our faith is.

The book of Malachi chapter three verse 10, talks about bringing the whole

tithe, then testing God's blessing.

And then move beyond the tithe.

Look for opportunities to give generously and cheerfully to others.

Remember second Corinthians nine, seven says, God loves a cheerful giver.

You've gotta embrace this giving and be cheerful in it.

And I'll talk about that, how to do that in another show coming soon.

But understand, these aren't just rules.

They're acts of faith that demonstrate your trust in God's provision.

Let me say that again.

These aren't just rules.

They're acts of faith that demonstrate your trust in God's provision.

So first was prayer, then generous giving.

Now we move to the mindset change and my encouragement for today,

listen, I know it's not always easy.

We all face financial anxieties that that fear of not having enough to worry about

the future and that pressure to keep up with others, those things are real.

Lemme just tell you your income level really doesn't matter.

We all face this, but here's the encouragement.

God has a plan for your life, including your finances.

Hear me on that.

God has a plan.

For your life.

The Book of Jeremiah, chapter 29 verse 11 reminds us of his plans

to prosperous and give us hope.

Take a take a moment now to just think about the countless stories of people

who have faced financial hardship seen God's faithfulness in amazing ways.

See, 'cause it's not about the size of your bank account, it's about

the size of your trust in him.

That's worth repeating.

So let me say that again.

It's not about the size of your bank account, it's about

the size of your trust in him.

So when you're feeling that financial anxiety creeping in, take

a moment to shift your mindset.

I'm telling you, this is crucial.

Instead of focusing on the what ifs, try focusing on the even ifs.

Even if things get tough, even if you face unexpected challenges, I will

trust that God will be there for me.

You gotta make that your daily mantra, even if the car breaks

down, even if I lose my job, even if I'm running on financial fumes.

I will trust God because I know he is always there for me.

Isn't that powerful?

Doesn't that change your entire mindset and give you hope?

I know it does for me.

Well, let's get back to Glenda's question.

Remember what she said?

She said, Ralph, I believe God owns everything, but when bills are piling up

and I don't know how I'll make ends meet, how do I truly trust that he'll provide?

Glenda, that's a very real feeling, and you're not alone in this.

Guess what?

We all feel that way at times.

I've felt that more times than I can even count.

It's that central question of the deepness of our faith.

See, the key is to actively surrender those worries to God through prayer.

Cast your cares on him because he cares for you.

Remember, trusting God doesn't mean you sit back and do nothing.

Hey, this is a popular misconception.

It's a mentality.

Well, the Lord will provide and hear me on this, but you've

gotta be part of the solution.

You've gotta be part of the work.

It means you continue to be good stewards of what you have.

Maybe you seek wise counsel if you need it, and you act in faith.

Believing that God will provide for your needs.

Maybe not always in the way you expect, but he will provide.

See, I think that's part of the problem for many of us.

We expect God to provide for us based on our expectations, but

God laughs at our expectations.

He provides what we need, not always what we want, and that can

be a real tough pill to swallow.

But if you wanna find peace, I'm talking about true peace, real

peace, lasting peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding.

You've got to start seeing what God has provided for you already.

It's called contentment.

Again, that's not an easy thing to embrace, but it's vital to find lasting

peace, especially with your finances.

And we're gonna talk about contentment and another episode coming up soon.

So let's recap what we talked about today.

Today we talked about the importance of trusting God with your finances

by understanding his ownership.

We talked about taking practical steps of faith, like prayer and

giving, and shifting your mindset from fear to trust in his plan.

And I want to encourage you, take one step further, entrusting

God with your finances.

Maybe it's committing to tithing.

Maybe it's setting aside time each day to pray about your financial situation,

or maybe it's simply acknowledging God's ownership in a tangible way.

Now looking ahead to tomorrow's episode, we're gonna tackle

another common financial struggle, and this one is a challenge.

We're gonna answer the question why living paycheck to paycheck

feels so hard to escape.

We're gonna explore the root causes and the emotional toll it takes,

so you don't wanna miss that.

So make sure you tune in tomorrow.

And I just wanna thank you so much for tuning in To ask Ralph today,

if you wanna stay connected and get more encouraging content, be sure

to subscribe to our newsletter.

You do that by going to ask ralph podcast.com/newsletter.

And remember this, you are not alone in this journey.

With God's guidance and practical steps, you can escape the cycle of financial

shame and you can do it with confidence.

So until next time, stay financially savvy and may God bless you richly.