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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.