Hey there, are you feeling stuck?

I mean like literally stuck financially.

Maybe even feel suffocated by that paycheck to paycheck cycle.

Well, what if I told you the key to breathing easier?

Involves giving?

Yeah, giving.

Let's unpack that on today's show.

Hey there, I'm Ralph.

I'm so glad we get to hang out again today.

Let's continue our goal of breaking that cycle of financial

shame and do it with confidence.

You know, that feeling we just mentioned, that feeling of being financially stuck.

Maybe it's more than just frustrating.

Maybe it feels draining to you, like you're running on fumes all the time.

You're always worried about that next bill.

Never feeling like you can catch a breath.

You're working hard, but you just feel like you're treading water.

That's the feeling, that feeling right there, that heavy weight of

that paycheck to paycheck grind.

That's the core pain point that we're gonna talk about on today's show.

And if that's you, I want to tell you first, you're not alone in this.

Now I wanna share something and it might sound completely backwards, especially

when money feels incredibly tight.

What if a crucial step towards finding that financial breathing room involves

intentionally giving a portion of it away?

Now, I gotta be honest, I remember a time a few years ago when when

I first felt God nudging me.

I felt like he was nudging me to be really consistent with giving.

Even when things felt incredibly tight, and I gotta be honest,

my first reaction was panic.

Seriously, you want me to give more?

I looked at the numbers and thought, there's absolutely no

way I can't afford to give this.

That little voice of fear was loud.

It felt so illogical to me, but I took a deep breath and I prayed for

courage, and I decided to trust him.

Now, look, I started really, really small, but with consistency.

I mean really small.

But here's what I learned, and that's what the Bible teaches.

It talks all about giving isn't primarily about making God happy

or following some set of rules.

It's about our hearts.

Just remember 2nd Corinthians nine where it talks about sowing sparingly

and you reap sparingly, sowing generously and you reap generously.

See, it's less about some magic formula, and it's more about breaking the power

of scarcity thinking in our own lives.

It's about acknowledging God as our true source, not our job, not our bank account.

And when you intentionally decide to give first even a little

bit, that is an act of worship.

It's like saying, God, I trust you more than I trust my own

ability to make ends meet.

Lord, I wanna partner with you.

I wanna put you first even here, and that shift in your heart, that's the solution.

See, that's where the freedom starts

It begins to replace that knot of worry in your stomach with a quiet confidence

and a sense of partnership with God.

So, okay.

You might be asking, well, how do we translate that heart

shift into action, Ralph?

Especially when it feels scary, you know, what's the, what's the

practical step that I can take today?

Well, here's the one simple powerful action item that I have for you today.

I want you to really grab onto this today.

I want you to start ridiculously small if needed, but start consistently, seriously,

forget percentages for a second.

If that feels overwhelming, maybe it's just $5 or, $10

from each and every paycheck.

Maybe it's really 1% of your income.

See the amount right now is less important than that rhythm, that

consistency, that habit of putting God first with your finances.

But you gotta be, you gotta put it before everything else gets spent.

Decide where it's gonna go.

If it's going to your church or, maybe a ministry that you believe in.

And I'm gonna encourage you to make it non-negotiable.

Automate it if you can.

See, because this isn't about earning God's favor.

It's about positioning your heart to trust him more.

That's what we need to do.

We need to trust him more.

And it builds that, that trust muscle.

It's, it's like planting those seeds, but you're believing as you plant

them that he will provide for you.

So let's just take a moment, put this all together.

I ask you again, are you feeling that financial squeeze, that

suffocating paycheck cycle?

That's the pain right there.

The solution starts deep inside it.

It starts by choosing trust over fear and make giving an act of worship and

partnership with God and your action step.

Listen, don't wait for the perfect time or, or wait till you have extra money

because here's the truth, that day might never come perfectly packaged for you.

You've gotta decide today on a small, consistent amount that

you can start giving regularly.

Take that first step of faith right now.

Give it a try this week and see how taking that small, consistent

action starts to shift things.

Maybe it's that shift first in your heart, but then sit back and watch what God does.

Well, let's take a moment and pray about this together.

Father God, thank you.

Thank you so much for knowing exactly where each of us is at financially.

Lord, you see our stress, you see our worry, and you see

our feeling of being stuck.

And Lord, we just thank you for your faithfulness, even

when we lose sight of it.

Lord, please give us courage today.

Give us real courage.

Give us courage to trust you more even with our wallets.

Lord, help us to take that step of faith in giving, releasing our tight

grip and choosing to honor you first.

Lord, we ask that you would break those chains of anxiety and that paycheck

to paycheck, fear that fills us.

And Lord, fill us with your wisdom.

Open our hearts to generosity, and Lord lead us into that liberating peace,

that only comes from you, and we ask this in the precious name of Jesus.

Amen.

Well, I just wanna thank you again for spending this time with me today.

It means so much that I can talk to you one-on-one every day.

And remember that action step today.

Start small, but stay consistent.

Now, tomorrow, listen, I'm starting a brand new series, something I'm

really excited to share with you.

It's called The Joy of Living Below Your Means.

And I know maybe that title sounds kind of strict, but trust

me, it's not about deprivation.

It's actually about finding incredible freedom and peace.

I'm talking about finding real joy.

So I really hope you can join me for the start of that journey tomorrow.

It's gonna be great, and I just wanna leave you with this.

You can do this, I believe in you, so stay financially savvy

out there and may God bless you.

I truly hope you have a great day.