What are some ways I can develop spiritual grit?

Ralph
00:00:00

Are you feeling spiritually drained? I'm talking, struggling to maintain your faith in the face of life's daily challenges? Do you find yourself questioning your spiritual strength when times get tough? Well today, I'm going to get into a crucial topic that can transform your spiritual journey and your financial life.

And that's what I call developing a spiritual grit. So stay tuned as I explore how cultivating resilience in your faith can lead to breakthroughs in your finances and in your personal growth. I'm going to share some great listener stories about how they developed this true spiritual grit. So we're going to answer a main question. That is what are some ways I can develop spiritual grits. I hope you join me today.

Narrator
00:00:49

Welcome to the Ask Ralph podcast, where listening to an experienced financial professional with over 30 years of experience can help you make sense of control confusing questions, current headlines and industry trends about taxes, small business, financial decision making, investment strategies, and even the art of proper budgeting. Ask Ralph makes the complex simple by sharing his real world knowledge from a Christian perspective with all things financial.

Now here's your host, Ralph Estep Junior.

Ralph
00:01:18

Well, thank you for joining me on this spiritual Sunday as we take on this journey to find the spiritual grit. Now if you missed yesterday's show, we talked about what do you do if the bank closes your account? I shared some practical steps, and if you miss it, I'm going to encourage you to go check it out. All of our episodes are right there at askralph.com.

So today's question is a doozy. I got this one from Gordon and Gordon wrote this. He said, "Ralph, I've been struggling lately with my faith, especially when it comes to my finances. Every time I face a setback, I find myself doubting God's plan for my life. How can I develop the spiritual strength to weather these storms and stay committed to my faith and financial goals?"

Let me just say this Gordon, I appreciate your sincere question. And I can relate to your question my friend and many of us can. And the truth is I'm excited to address it today. It's a tough question, but I've got some great answers. And if you've got a question like Gordon, I'm going to encourage you to go to justaskralph.com and send in that question. I want to answer your questions on the show and here's another great thing you can do.

We just launched this this past week. Every Tuesday evening, Ask Ralph goes live. That's right. You can catch me live at 7:00 PM at Eastern standard time. You can bring your questions. We'll talk about topics. It's a great community event and it's every Tuesday night at 7:00 PM. You get there by going to askralphpodcast.com/live, and I'll put a link in the show notes.

Well you know Gordon, I was pondering a good Bible verse for today to talk about what we need to cover today. And I've found a great one in the word, and it comes from the book of James chapter 1 verses 2-4. It says this. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Wow. That's powerful. Because what this verse is telling us is it's not just about gritting our teeth and pushing through. It's really leading to finding joy in the challenges. If you listen to my show, you know I say this all the time. You got to find joy in the journey because that's what it's all about. And you've got to recognize that these challenges are shaping us. They're making us stronger. They're making us more mature believers. And that's the goal.

Well, let me start by sharing my story and I've shared it before. You might have heard it, but I really think it's good to revisit it because I looked back at it and I, and I still grow from it. I remember my business was struggling. The debts were piling up. I was drowning in worry and doubt.

My marriage was rocky. I wasn't living a healthy lifestyle. My health was suffering. And like I mentioned before, I'm sitting at my desk, it's 3:00 AM, just sitting there with the simple light on, on my desk. And I'm staring at this pile of unpaid bills. Looking back now, I was feeling utterly defeated. I felt a weight of that financial pressure.

It was crushing me. I looked over at the wall. There was a picture of my wife and two boys. I had a wife, two kids at the time. They were going, I still have a wife and two kids, but they were so much younger that time. And I was questioning everything.

I was questioning my own abilities. Can I do this? Ralph, are you lying to everybody? You know, do you have the ability to do this. I thought about my decisions. Had I made too many bad decisions. Had I made too many mistakes. Was it all piling up, literally like those bills are piling up in front of me.

And it got dark. It got even darker because then I started thinking about am I even living in God's plan for my life? Let me ask you friend, have you been there? Maybe you're there now. Maybe that's exactly what you're feeling today. Maybe that's what Gordon's feeling. And I know for me it was dark. It was challenging. I was questioning everything. And in that moment of despair and doubt, I made a choice. And to be very candid with you, it was the power of the holy spirit doing this. But I made a choice. I said, I'm not giving into fear and doubt anymore. I said to myself, Ralph it's time to lean in on your faith like you've never done before.

And I started to practice what I now call the five pillars of spiritual grit. So you're asking Ralph, what are those five pillars, man, I need to hear that myself. Let's talk about them. The first pillar of financial grit is consistent prayer. You might ask, what does that look like? Well, for me, I committed to starting and ending each day with prayer, regardless of how I felt or what challenges I faced. When my feet hit the floor, the first thing I was doing was thanking the good Lord for giving me another day and saying to him, Lord, where will your will take me today. That's the way I started every day with that consistent prayer. And guess what? When my pillow, or when my head hit the pillow at night, sometimes I think the pillow hit my head.

That's a good way of saying it. I gave praise to God almighty before I closed my eyes at night and say, thank you for this day. Thank you for this journey. Thank you for this opportunity to live. And Lord tomorrow as I recommit myself to you, show me your will. And then I just shut up and just listened. But it all started with consistent prayer. So that's the first pillar of spiritual grit. You've got to be prayerful. Pray about everything.

The second thing I learned. Scripture immersion. You might be saying, Ralph, that's a fancy way of saying it, but it's true. I dove deep into God's word because I realized that was the life force that I was missing.

I had to immerse myself in the word that God has given us to use to live our lives. How can we ignore that? I started by particularly focusing on verses about perseverance. Man, that's what I needed to hear. How can I persevere when it seemed like everything was working against me? I look at verses about faith and God's provision. And I realized that I had so much. How dare I sit there and question, when God's sitting there and saying Ralph, listen, look at all I've given you my friend.

And it took me getting immersed in the word to realize that it starts with a level of gratitude, but you got to immerse yourself in scripture. So that's the second pillar of those five pillars. The third one for me was community engagement. And I think this is absolutely critical. As I talked about before I reached out to my church community, I joined a small group where I could be vulnerable.

And that's the key to this. You've got to be vulnerable about your struggles. And ask and receive support. Because here's the secret. Other people in that small group are going through the same things you're going through. And maybe you can be that light for them. Maybe they can be that light for you, but you've got to get involved in that community. So that's my third pillar of spiritual grit. Get involved in community.

You can't do this alone. You won't do this alone. Yeah. God will help you, but you need to involve yourself. With your church, with a small group, even if just a couple of mentors or even a really good friend that you can talk to. Another thing I learned. The fourth pillar and I mentioned this a little bit a second ago. You got to learn to practice gratitude. And see, I said thing I think I had missed.

So even in the midst of financial hardship, I saw those bills in front of me. I felt that pressure. But guess what? I made a daily list of things I was thankful for. I mean, I literally wrote it down every single day. Here are the things today that I'm thankful for. And am I seem silly at first, but guess what it did, it shifted my focus from lack to true abundance.

And that's what I needed. I needed to realize, Hey knucklehead, Ralph. at all the things I've already given you, my friend. And you're worried about this, this and this. Worry about today. Focus on what you got for today. And that's why I talk about it on the show. If you've heard, you've heard of before this, this gratitude journal. I encourage every single person to do that.

Gordon, I encourage you to do it. Write that gratitude journal, but don't just write it, go back and read it. When you're feeling down, when you're feeling like you don't have the answers, when you're feeling like just throwing up your hands and giving up on that pressure seemed so strong, open up and read that gratitude journal and it will change your paradigm. I promise you that. So that's number four of the pillars, practice gratitude.

And number five. I called this faith-filled action. What does that look like? Well, I combine my spiritual practice with practical steps to improve my financial situation. Yeah, you can't just say God, do it, fix it, work it. Yes, he can. But guess what? You need to be a part to that. I learned to trust God while also doing my part. I can't just sit back in the passenger seat, let God do all the driving. I needed to have action.

So I put these five pillars to work and guess what? It didn't change anything overnight. Guess what? It didn't change anything in a week or even a month. Yeah, you'd be thinking Ralph, what in the world are you saying? Yeah, it's not going to happen overnight. It's not going to happen next week and it's not going to happen next month. But what I did realize was that over time, something remarkable started to happen.

It took time. It took day after day of doing those five things and those five pillars I mentioned. But guess what? I found a deep well of strength that I really didn't even know I had. I had no idea what this was, and guess what I had found, I had found spiritual grit. And that's what I'm talking about today. Finding that spiritual grit. It gave me clarity.

When I look back now, it gave me creativity and it gave me unwavering faith. And it was all part of that puzzle, all those things that came together, those puzzle pieces, they magically clicked together, but like I said, it didn't happen overnight. But as time passed, doors opened, those stresses I had were quickly put aside when new business opportunities arose.

Having this newfound creativity, I learned innovation in my business. I learned how to do things better. I learned how to be better at what I do, have better customer service, and learn to exceed expectations of my clients and customers. Guess what else I learned? I learned how to better manage and pay off debt. Because I had that clarity, I had that purpose. And listen, I experienced a profound spiritual transformation. It was profound and it was just that simple, those five pillars I talked about a few minutes ago.

And here's the beautiful part. My connection to God deepened when I was questioning the very thing of a God, what is your purpose for me? When the simple answer was to ask him, what is your purpose for me? That's what I did. I started to ask him, God, what will you have for me to do today? So I do this podcast. I talked about this several times on the show about what drove me to this. This is my mission field.

I'm embracing cause God is speaking to me, not in some loud voice of Ralph, you will do this. I don't believe that. But in the times of quiet, and the opportunities and the doors that are opened in the little messages I get from listeners. God is showing me what he'll have me to do. And you need to find that yourself.

You've got to find that joy. And you got to find that peace. Because when you do, you will find that will surpass your expectations. It will surpass your circumstances. It's a great song that has a lyric and it says that's what faith can do. And it can.

And see this journey was not just a financial recovery journey. It was a complete overhaul of my faith and my purpose. I finally realized that spiritual grit was not just about surviving tough times. That's great. And I'm stronger to be able to do that. But it was about embracing the journey. I talk about this on the show all the time.

It was learning how to thrive in the face of adversity. And emerging stronger on the other side. And you can do that today, yourself as you're listening to this. If you follow those five pillars, you can reach that same level of transformation that I've seen. I want to share with you some comments I've received over the last couple of weeks from other listeners that have gone through stuff like this. Here's the first one. I got this message that says, "Dear Ralph, I lost my job during the pandemic, and I've struggled to make ends meet. Through daily prayer and scripture reading, I found the strength to persevere.

I started a small online business, which has now become my full-time income. Trusting in God's plan helped me to see this setback as an opportunity for growth." Isn't that beautiful? That shows how developing consistency and going past those struggles can provide strength and clarity. You combined faith with action, because as I've said, intentions are useless. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. It's all about action. And that's exactly what this listener is saying. Through daily prayer and scripture reading, I've found the strength to persevere. Develop that consistency. Here's another listener message I got. "Ralph, my small business face bankruptcy last year. Instead of giving up, I turned to my faith community for support. We prayed together, and they offered practical help and advice. And through this experience, I learned the importance of community in building spiritual grit. Today, my business is thriving, and my faith is stronger than ever." Yeah, exactly.

You've tapped into the power of community engagement. You've reached out to others. You've allowed yourself to be vulnerable and you found spiritual and practical help. That is beautiful. That is wonderful. That is God's purpose. That's what I talk about in one of my five pillars. Find that community, find that engagement, reach out to others, allow yourself to be vulnerable and you will find spiritual and practical help. Let's look at another quote, another message I got and this one says rough.

I struggled with debt for years, feeling ashamed and hopeless. I started practicing gratitude daily, thanking God for even the smallest blessings. This shift in perspective helped me approach my finances with a more positive attitude. I created a debt repayment plan, and with God's grace, I'm now debt-free. Amen. Amen.

See the power of gratitude. How can you miss it? What they said was I started practicing gratitude daily, thanking God for even the smallest blessings. What they're talking about there is gratitude and see how that can transform your approach to life. Focus on what you have. I did the same thing. Be positive. Look at those small things, because God has given you so much.

Even the people I know that have the least are grateful for what they have. They grow and be strong in those things. And I'd like this, like this listener said, then take the steps to financial freedom. Let's look at another, another client. A listener message. This one, this one's rough. Like I read this one in. I feel it because I've been there. And this person said, "Dear Ralph, my marriage was strained due to financial stress. We decided to seek guidance from our pastor and attend financial counseling together.

By aligning our financial goals with our faith and working as a team, we've not only improved our finances, but also strengthened our relationship." I've been there. If you listen to my show, you know, I've shared my story about destroying my marriage. Thank God, my wife and I are still together. We just celebrated 24 years together. That's God's grace, my friends.

But think about what this listener is saying, they were combining spiritual guidance. Would financial advice. That's what this show's all about. This is my mission goal. This is why I do what I do. And it's this holistic improvement, not just focusing on finances, not just focusing a cent on faith. Because here's the thing.

Financial challenges are both emotional and relational. I have seen it destroy relationships. I have seen it destroy marriages, and completely impact families for generations. So if you listen to anything I say today, get help before it's too late. Don't let it become too late. Get help before it's too late.

So you might be asking Ralph, what's the takeaway from these stories? And I'm going to say this, these inspiring stories for our listeners demonstrate that developing spiritual grit is not about individual strength. I learned that the hard way, but it's about leveraging the power of community. That power of gratitude and that faith-based action. And they remind us that with unwavering faith and perseverance, we too can overcome even the most daunting financial challenges.

So you might be saying Ralph. That's great. But what can I do today? I mean right now to develop this spiritual grit. Let's talk about it. Number one, start a daily prayer and scripture reading routine, even if it's just 10 minutes, take 10 minutes every morning. And pray and read the scripture, go buy one of those. Daily books, devotional books. They're a great place to start. You only need 10 minutes. The second thing, I'm going to strongly encourage you to join a faith based community or small group where you can share your struggles and grow together. Be that rock for another person as they're a rock for you. The third thing I'm going to tell you to do.

And you've heard me many times talk about this begin each day by listing just three things you're grateful for. When I go out from my walk in the morning with the dog, I listen to podcasts usually, but then I, then I have a few minutes of quiet. I just say, God, here's what I'm grateful for today. And sometimes it's small stuff. It's like, I'm grateful that it's not 20 degrees outside. Or I'm grateful that you know, I had a good night's sleep. I'm grateful that you have given me another day.

But if you'll do that and you'll list those three things, you will start to have a change in your whole attitude. You will see all the things that God has already given you. The fourth thing I'm going to encourage you to do. Take one practical step towards improving your financial situation. Just one practical step. Create a budget, create that intentional spending plan, start looking at where your money's going. Think about where you're going to save money.

Think about planning for retirement. There's a ton of things you can do. Just take one practical step. Each day towards improving your financial situation.

And number five. And this one is very important. We talked about reading that gratitude journal. You got to learn to reflect on past challenges you've overcome and look at how they strengthen your fade, because you can learn from that. Just reflect on those challenges. But don't focus on the challenge so much. Think about the steps you took to overcome that. And then look at how much stronger that major faith is.

I know it worked for me. Wow. That was a show today, wasn't it? I hope you found it fruitful for yourself. I poured a lot into the show today and I hope you've, I hope you feel that, and I hope it's impactful for you. Well tomorrow, we're going to talk about the top 5 things people do to stay wealthy. And I got a spoiler alert for you. So not just about financial wealth and what's in your bank account. Well, let's pray together.

Then I'm going to share how I can help you on your journey. "Heavenly Father, we come before You with grateful hearts, today, thanking You for Your unwavering love and guidance. We ask for Your strength as we seek to develop spiritual grit in our lives. Help us to see our challenges as opportunities for growth and to trust in Your perfect plan, even when the path seems uncertain.

Lord, we pray for wisdom in managing our finances and for the courage to align our financial decisions with our faith. Lord, grant us perseverance in the faith of setbacks and the discernment to recognize your blessings in all circumstances.

We lift up each listener of this show, asking you that you meet them, where they are today in their financial and spiritual journey. Please provide them with the resources, with the support and the inspiration they need to move forward in faith. Our lives be a Testament to your grace and provision. And may we use our financial blessings to further Your kingdom. And I asked this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen."

Well, thank you. I really do appreciate you joining me today. Maybe you're feeling overwhelmed by your current situation. Whether it's buying a home, having financial challenges, trying to find that spiritual grit. Here's the truth. You don't have to face it alone. I'm here to help you. I can help you find financial freedom. I can help you break the bondage of debt. And guess what? I'm going to do it by aligning it with your Christian feelings and Christian goals. Maybe you're feeling stuck.

Maybe you feel like your dreams are slipping away. You're struggling with financial instability. You live in paycheck to paycheck. You're feeling frustrated, you're feeling hopeless. Maybe you're a small business owner listening. You're trying to balance personal finance with business needs and you're just struggling. You're like I'm having a hard time making ends meet Ralph. Maybe like a lot of us you're feeling like you're taking one step forward only to get shoved 10 steps back.

I usually say two steps back, but some days if you're like me, you feel like you're getting shoved back way back, farther than you thought. But here's the truth. There is hope for this. You can break free. You can achieve long-term success. And it all starts with booking a call with me. You go to askralph.com, click on book a call with Ralph.

I'm going to help you create a personalized plan. We're going to sit down; we're going to assess where you are now. We're going to look at your goals. We're going to do what I call looking at your big, hairy, audacious goals. What are your dreams? And I've recognized it everyone's situation is different. Your situation is unique, and you need somebody to walk alongside you and help you find and define your goals in your situation.

Not some cookie cutter approach, not some one size fits all plan. I'm talking about a true financial roadmap. I can help you do that. I can make it easier for you. Like I talked about one of the things about spiritual grit is find a community. Let me start that community work with you. Don't let another day go by feeling Stucker overwhelmed.

Let's create a plan. And let's set a path to financial freedom and spiritual growth and renewal. Remember this, my passion is to help you achieve financial success. I get up every day with the goal of helping you live out your dreams and grow in your faith. This is my mission field. This is why I get up in the morning.

This is why I turn on this microphone. I turn on this camera. I plan these episodes because I know somebody just like you is out there listening. And I can help you. Cause I know working together, we can master your finances from that Christian perspective. It all takes you taking the first step, ask a prayer, ask God to show you the way. And as I always end the show, I want to encourage you to stay financially savvy and, on this Sunday, may God bless you abundantly.

Narrator
00:27:04

Thank you for joining us on the Ask Ralph podcast. And with a simple click to subscribe, we'll invite you back to our next episode. And remember, financial issues don't have to be complicated, just ask Ralph. The information contained in this episode of Ask Ralph is based on data available as of the date of its release.

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