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Hey there, are you feeling stuck?

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I mean like literally stuck financially.

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Maybe even feel suffocated by
that paycheck to paycheck cycle.

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

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Involves giving?

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Yeah, giving.

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Let's unpack that on today's show.

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Hey there, I'm Ralph.

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

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

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shame and do it with confidence.

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

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Maybe it's more than just frustrating.

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

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You're always worried
about that next bill.

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Never feeling like you can catch a breath.

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

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

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that paycheck to paycheck grind.

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

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

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

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when money feels incredibly tight.

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

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intentionally giving a portion of it away?

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

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I first felt God nudging me.

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

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

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my first reaction was panic.

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Seriously, you want me to give more?

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

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way I can't afford to give this.

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That little voice of fear was loud.

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

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courage, and I decided to trust him.

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

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I mean really small.

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

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

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or following some set of rules.

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It's about our hearts.

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

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

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

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of scarcity thinking in our own lives.

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

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And when you intentionally decide
to give first even a little

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bit, that is an act of worship.

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

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ability to make ends meet.

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Lord, I wanna partner with you.

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

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See, that's where the freedom starts

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

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and a sense of partnership with God.

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So, okay.

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

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shift into action, Ralph?

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

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practical step that I can take today?

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

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I want you to really grab onto this today.

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

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forget percentages for a second.

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

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from each and every paycheck.

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Maybe it's really 1% of your income.

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

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

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

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Decide where it's gonna go.

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

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

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Automate it if you can.

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

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

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That's what we need to do.

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We need to trust him more.

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And it builds that, that trust muscle.

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

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them that he will provide for you.

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

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

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suffocating paycheck cycle?

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That's the pain right there.

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The solution starts deep inside it.

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

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partnership with God and your action step.

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

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

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

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you can start giving regularly.

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Take that first step of faith right now.

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

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action starts to shift things.

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

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

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Father God, thank you.

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

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

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our feeling of being stuck.

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

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when we lose sight of it.

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Lord, please give us courage today.

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Give us real courage.

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

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

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grip and choosing to honor you first.

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

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to paycheck, fear that fills us.

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And Lord, fill us with your wisdom.

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

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

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Amen.

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

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

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And remember that action step today.

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Start small, but stay consistent.

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

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really excited to share with you.

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

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

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me, it's not about deprivation.

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It's actually about finding
incredible freedom and peace.

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I'm talking about finding real joy.

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

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

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

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out there and may God bless you.

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I truly hope you have a great day.