Transcript
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Ralph: Have you ever wondered how you can truly surrender your finances to God?
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How can we trust him with our money and resources?
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And how can we align our financial decisions with his will.
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Today, we're going to explore the answers to these questions and discover practical steps.
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To give it all to God.
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So let's dive right in.
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welcome back to this show on this spiritual Sunday.
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I am really excited to dive in today's topic with you.
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Today, we're diving into the topic that is fundamental in our Christian walk.
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And that's giving it all to God.
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It is an absolutely beautiful sunny day here on the farm.
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And I started the day with an early morning walk.
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Took our two German shepherds.
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My wife calls them German.
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Shedders that's the truth.
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They do shed, especially this time of year as the temperature starting to go up.
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And while I was walking, I was able to experience sunrise.
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And reminded me that each day brings a new opportunity for each of us to glorify God in our daily walk.
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So my prayer for today is.
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We all find ways to glorify God today.
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And we're going to discuss steps to give it all to him.
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Don't forget to subscribe to the show and join our email list.
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You can do at askralphpodcast.com.
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You don't want to miss tomorrow's show where we're going to be discussing five ways.
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To pay off your credit card debt.
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This is one you don't want to miss folks, I'm going to give you concrete ways to get that credit card debt in check.
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As Christians.
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We know that we are called to surrender every area of our lives to God.
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That includes our finances, but what does that mean, Ralph?
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What does it mean to surrender our finances?
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It means acknowledging that God is the ultimate provider.
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And owner of everything we have.
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It means recognizing that our money and possessions are not ours.
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But rather a trust.
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Given to us by God.
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So let's look at scripture.
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In Matthew chapter six, verses 19 to 21.
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Jesus teaches us about the importance of storing up treasures in heaven rather than on earth.
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He says this.
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Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.
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Where moth and vermin destroy.
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And where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
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Where moth and vermin do not destroy.
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And where thieves do not break in and steal.
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And this is the crucial part.
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For where your treasure is.
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There your heart will be also.
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Jesus is giving a sermon on the Mount.
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Teaching his disciples about various aspects of life, including money and possessions.
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He emphasizes the temporary nature of our earthly treasures.
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And encourages his followers to focus only eternal treasures in heaven.
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This verse reminds us that our true treasure lies in our relationship with God.
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And not in material possessions.
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Now that's not a popular thing to say.
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Because we're surrounded by all this materiality on a daily basis.
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We're all looking at those things.
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Every time we get onto social media, we look around and compare ourselves to what others have.
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But by surrendering our finances to God, we release the hold that money can have on our hearts.
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And it does.
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I've been there.
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I felt that hold.
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We can prioritize giving generously.
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Supporting ministries and using our resources to bless others.
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Now let's explore further steps, to surrounding our finances to God, I'm going to give you things that you can actually do.
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Surrendering, our finance also involves trusting God with our financial decisions.
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it mean seeking his guidance and wisdom and how we earn.
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How we save.
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How we spend and also how we give our money.
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Trusting God with our finances requires us to let go of our own understanding and rely on his faithfulness.
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And that is crucial.
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So let's look at scripture.
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Proverbs chapter three, verses five through six, provides us with a powerful reminder of the importance of trusting in the Lord.
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It says this.
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Trust in the Lord with all of your heart.
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And lean not on your own understanding.
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In all your ways, submit to him.
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And he will make your path straight.
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So you got to do it with all of your heart.
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And lean not on your own understanding.
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Submit to him and he will make your paths straight.
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The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings and teachings attributed to king Solomon.
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These verses specifically highlight the value of trusting God.
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But more importantly, seeking his guidance in all aspects of life, including our finances.
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That's the goal of this podcast.
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That's my mission.
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That's why I do.
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What I do.
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When we trust God with our finances, we acknowledge, he knows what's best for us.
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We can seek his wisdom through prayer and study of his word.
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And that's the key folks.
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And apply that wisdom to our financial decisions.
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This trust allows us to let go of anxiety and fear.
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And don't, we all have that with when it comes to money.
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We have that anxiety.
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We had that fear.
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But if we can let go of that.
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We can know that God will guide us on the right path.
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Now that we understand the importance of surrendering and trusting God with our finances, let's discuss some practical steps you can take to give it all to God.
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I want to give you action steps.
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I want to give you concrete things you can do.
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And if you've listened to me for any time I always go to this.
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Create a budget with God at the center.
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If you truly want God to be.
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A, partner with you and to be the center of your life, you got to make him the center of your budget.
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Start by creating a budget that aligns with your values and reflects your desire to honor God with your money.
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If you have a budget that doesn't have him at the center, it's not going to honor him.
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Set aside a portion for giving and prioritize generosity in your financial plan.
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That is a crucial thing, folks.
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You got to seek God's guidance in financial decision-making.
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Before making any major financial decisions seek God's guidance through prayer.
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Ask him ask for wisdom.
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Ask for discernment.
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And listen for his leading in your choices.
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Well, in order to do that, you've got to give generously and cheerfully.
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practice the biblical principle of tithing.
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By giving a portion of your income to your local church.
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And if you don't have a local church, Or a worthwhile charitable organization.
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But the key to this folks is you got to give with a cheerful heart.
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Knowing that your giving is an act of worship.
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And obedience, it's not simply writing a check or doing a cash app or something like that.
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That act of giving is an act of worship.
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But more importantly, it's an act of obedience.
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What goes along with this as practicing contentment gratitude.
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On Sundays.
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I talk about this a lot.
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Cultivate an attitude of contentment.
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And gratitude for what God has provided.
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Think about all that you have look around you.
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If you're going through tough times, think about what you do have.
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You've got to avoid the temptation of comparing yourself to others.
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Or pursuing excessive material possessions.
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I've done that.
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I thought I needed to have so many things.
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And when I got to the end, I had them and I felt.
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More hollow than I did before I had them.
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That's a temptation folks.
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We look around and we gotta have what that person has.
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We see that.
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Contentment in their heart, but it's not their folks.
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Material possessions are never going to lead you to that joy and contentment.
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The only way to do it is to focus on being grateful for God's blessings in your life.
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Giving it all to God is not a one-time event also.
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But it's a continuous journey of growing in faith in stewardship.
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you can't do it one time.
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This is a continuous journey.
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It's a walk in faith.
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So let's explore some additional steps to help us on this journey.
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I bring the receipts.
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So how do we do this Ralph?
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One of the things you've got to do is regularly assess and align your financial goals.
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Take time to assess your financial goals and ensure that they align with God's purpose.
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It's easy to stray off the path.
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Are your goals focused on building his kingdom?
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Are they focused on helping others?
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And providing for your family's needs.
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You've got to regularly review and adjust your goals.
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As you seek God's guidance.
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Listen to him, pray to him.
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Ask him to show you what that alignment looks like.
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As part of that, you got to practice wise money management.
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Be diligent in managing your finances wisely.
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This includes living within your means.
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And I can't stress this enough.
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The biggest problem I see with people in their finances is not living within your means.
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God hasrdainedne, you for a position in life.
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You have a purpose.
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If you're not living within your means, you will never attain that purpose.
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Well, how do you do that, Ralph?
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Avoid unnecessary debt.
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And instead of getting into debt, save for the future.
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Live within your means.
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You seek God's wisdom in your financial decisions and practice good stewardship of the resources he's entrusted to you.
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And folks he's entrusted them to you.
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They're not yours.
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They're not mine.
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It's a trust.
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He's given them to you.
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You need to be a good steward of them.
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And what goes along with this is cultivating a generous heart.
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Generosity is at the heart of giving it all to God.
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Search for opportunities to bless others with your resources.
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Whether it's through financial gifts.
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It could be through acts of service or simply sharing your time and talents.
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This doesn't have to cost you real dollars.
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You can be there for someone else.
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You can perform acts of service.
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You can share your time and talents.
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God's given you talents.
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Are you using them for his kingdom?
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I hope that this podcast is a way for me to use my talents, to reach people.
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But ultimately you've got to trust God's provision as you practice generosity and experience the joy of giving and it will bring you joy folks.
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It will.
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Now, before we wrap up, I want to remind all of our listeners to visit our podcast page.
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That's at askralphpodcast.com.
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There you can leave a review, share your thoughts, or even send us a message with questions for future episodes.
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While you're there.
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Make sure you join our email list so that we can let you know about things going on on the show.
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And also if this program is a blessing to you, do me a favor, pray for it.
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Pray for me, pray for me to be able to reach people.
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And share this with others.
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Let's close this episode in prayer.
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Heavenly father, we thank you for being our provider.
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And for entrusting us with the resources we have.
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Help us to surrender our finances to you completely.
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Don't let us hold back.
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Anything, knowing that you are the ultimate owner.
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grant us the wisdom to make wise financial decisions and to trust in your guidance.
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May we give generously.
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And more importantly, cheerfully.
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Reflecting your love and generosity to others.
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Lord, we pray for your continued guidance and grace, as we navigate the journey of giving it all to you.
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We ask this in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Well, thank you for joining me on this extended episode of the Ask Ralph Podcast, where we try to master your finances with a Christian perspective.
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That's my mission field.
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We've explored a topic of giving it all to God.
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Understanding the importance of surrendering.
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Trusting.
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And practically applying these principles in our financial lives.
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Remember.
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It's not about the amount of money we have.
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But about our heart posture towards God and his principles.
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Like I said, if you've enjoyed today's episode, be sure to visit our podcast page.
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That's at askralphpodcast.com for more valuable insights and resources on mastering your finances.
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With a Christian perspective, there's over 300 episodes out there.
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If you need help in an area, just go onto the search button.
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And search for the topic.
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And if you find that there isn't an episode there, do me a favor.
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Go down to that bottom, right.
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Microphone icon, and just click record and tell me what I can do to help you.
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And as always.
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Stay financially savvy.
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Continue seeking God's guidance in your financial journey.
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And may God bless you abundantly.
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As you give it all to him.
