know that feeling, don't you?

That tight sinking knot right in your stomach.

Just thinking about logging into your bank account or ripping open that

latest credit card statement, you think to yourself, Hey, if I don't

see it, maybe it'll just go away.

Well, if you find yourself constantly avoiding those numbers because

you're honestly terrified of what you might see, friend, I need

you to know something right now.

You are absolutely not alone in that struggle.

But guess what?

There's a real way for you to face it and I'm sharing that on today's show.

Hey there.

Welcome back to your Daily, financially Confident Christian.

I'm Ralph and it's always great to spend just a few minutes with you each day.

This is the show designed to help you answer the biggest

question we all wrestle with.

How can I become a financially confident Christian?

And we're in the thick of our series dealing with the stress of a money

worries, and we're walking down this road together towards finding

deep peace and genuine confidence in your finances all through faith.

Our ultimate goal here to empower you to finally break free from that cycle of

financial shame and do it with confidence.

Now, yesterday you took a huge, courageous step by opening up about

your money worries to someone you trust.

And that was a seriously powerful move against isolation and against shame.

And today we're building on that braver, because now we're confronting

something that for many feels even more daunting than talking about it.

It's actually looking at those numbers.

So let's just ask it directly today.

How can you possibly look at your bank account or your bills or maybe your debts

without just totally panicking and maybe you know exactly what I'm describing here.

That unopened envelope sitting there on the kitchen counter, just, just waiting.

the ignored email notification from your bank attempting

you to scroll right past it.

Or maybe for you, it's the way you zip past your actual balance when you're

just trying to make a quick transfer.

You just don't want to deal with it, do you?

There's this deep nagging dread inside you that if you truly look,

You're gonna confirm your very worst fears.

That things are far worse than you could have even imagined.

And that you'll feel utterly, totally overwhelmed, or that you simply

won't have a clue what to do next.

This overwhelming fear, that deep seated anxiety, it just

pushes you into avoidance.

And that avoidance, my friend, that becomes a relentless source of stress.

Because when you avoid looking at your finances, you completely lose control.

The unknown, the monster in the closet becomes even scarier

than the actual reality.

And that stress of simply not knowing, it just piles on another layer to your

already heavy money worries, and it leaves you feeling completely powerless.

But here's the thing.

Actually avoiding your financial reality.

It just keeps you trapped in this thick fog, this heavy darkness.

Think about it.

You literally can't navigate a path forward if you don't even

know where you're at, right?

And like we talked about yesterday, isolation absolutely thrives in the dark.

But here's the good news.

Ephesians chapter five verse eight gives us this incredible truth, and I

just wanna share this with you today.

It says this.

It says, for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

And I love this part, live as children of light.

Now, while what that verse carries a really deep spiritual

meaning, the powerful principle totally applies here too.

See, bringing things into the light always allows you to see clearly.

It allows you to understand and it allows you to gain crucial clarity.

And here's another vital truth for your heart, especially when

you're feeling that fear God has not given you a spirit of fear.

Look at second Timothy chapter one, verse seven.

It's such a powerful, liberating reminder for you.

It says this.

It says, for God to not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, a

spirit of love and of self-discipline.

That timidity, that shrinking back, that feeling of being too scared,

that deeply linked to fear, but God has already given you access to his

divine power, the strength to act even when you're absolutely terrified.

So honestly, facing your financial reality is not just a financial

action, It's a bold act that requires this very godly courage.

It's not about being fearless, it's about acting with courage.

You have access to God's strength right now to look at what feels scary.

So now you're asking, what can we do, Ralph?

How do you actually move from actively avoiding your finances in this

paralyzing fear to facing them with courage and a growing sense of peace?

Well, here's my answer for today.

The single most crucial solution for you is to take one small, intentional step.

So just look at one piece of your financial picture and do

it empowered by God's constant presence right there with you.

You absolutely don't have to look at everything at once.

That's just way too much to handle.

You simply need to take one brave, deliberate peak.

This one small act of facing a number instead of actively avoiding

it is a powerful act of faith and a direct defiance against a fear

that's been holding you captive.

So, okay, here's your one vital action step for today, specifically

designed to help you face your financial reality with courage.

First, I just want you to pick one number or one statement, just one.

Choose only one specific financial item to look at today.

This could be your checking your, your main checking account balance online,

or opening the most recent statement for just one credit card, or maybe looking

at that balance due on one specific bill.

Seriously, I just want you to pick one single thing, just one, and then

immediately I want you to do this.

I want you to pray for courage.

Before you click, before you open, before you even glance, I just want you to pause.

I want you to take a deep cleansing breath and offer a simple, heartfelt prayer.

Say something like this, God, I truly, I feel truly afraid to look at this number.

Please gimme your courage.

Please gimme your peace as I face this.

And help me to remember, you are right here with me.

So pick one, pause and pray.

And then I want you to just look, just look at that one thing, open that app,

open that email, or open that envelope and look only the specific number you chose.

Avoid the urge to click around or look at other accounts.

Right now.

Just absorb that one piece of information because that's your victory for today.

And then finally.

This is a critical part of the action today.

I want you to just thank God once you've seen it, you can close it if you need

to, and then immediately thank God for giving you the strength to take that step.

And now I want you to resist that urge to get lost in negative self-talk.

It's easy to go there, but you just did an incredibly brave thing.

Let's talk about why this helps you so much.

See this single action, it directly fights that nagging struggle of

avoidance and that paralyzing fear that it creates within you.

It brings a crucial piece of your financial picture into the light,

allowing liberating truth and hear me on this, allowing liberating

truth to replace that scary unknown.

It's a tangible, practical way for you to exercise the spirit

of power and self-discipline that God has already given you.

Well, let's pray together.

Father God, thank you for the powerful reminder that you have

not given us a spirit of fear.

Lord, we confess that face in our financial numbers

often feels overwhelming.

It feels scary, and that leads us to avoid them.

Lord, please fill us with your courage and your peace right at this very moment.

As my friend takes this brave step to look at one financial number

today, be intimately with them.

Lord, calm their anxiety.

Grant them crystal clear clarity, Lord, and help them to trust you, because

you are definitely bigger than any number that they will possibly see.

And Lord, we just thank you for empowering us to walk boldly in light and truth.

And we ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Taking that step to look at your finances, even just one

number, you've done something.

This is an incredibly brave and empowering move for you.

You're actively shifting from avoidance to decisive action,

empowered by God's strength.

And I'm just gonna encourage you to keep taking these steps.

And if this episode encourage you to face your numbers, please consider sharing it.

I'm sure you have a friend or someone you know who may be

dealing with this issue as well.

And as we continue this journey together, I have something

that can help you even further.

And I wanna give you this for the first a hundred listeners that go to financially

confident christian.com/master.

I'm gonna give you a free copy of my book.

It's called Mastering Your Finances.

Now listen, it's just 47 pages.

It's designed to be a powerful starting point for you on this journey to becoming

a financially confident Christian.

And this is my gift to you just for going to financially

confident christian.com/master.

I truly believe it.

I truly believe this impactful resource may be the very tool you need right

now to definitively break that cycle of financial shame and bravely move

into your next season of confidence.

And you can find even more resources and connect with the show at our new website.

And again, that's financially confident christian.com.

Now tomorrow we'll be talking about gathering all the pieces to

create a simple snapshot of your finances, a comprehensive map that

shows you exactly where you are.

You won't wanna miss it.

So make sure you join me tomorrow.

Now, let's all go out there and be financially confident.

Christians, you can do this.

I have confidence in you.

Have confidence in yourself.

Stay financially savvy.

God bless you, and you have a great day today.