Transcript
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Ralph: Have you ever felt like your world was built on shifting sand?
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a, sudden job loss.
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a, financial crisis or relationship breakdown can leave you feeling shaken to the core.
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It's that nagging instability.
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It's a sign that maybe we've prioritized the wrong things.
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Here's a few notes that we received over the last few weeks.
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My hand shook as I opened that letter.
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Job terminated.
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Four words, it turned my world upside down.
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The fancy car.
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The spacious house, suddenly, it all felt like a flimsy facade.
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Panic squeezed my chest.
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As I realized the foundation I'd built, wasn't nearly as strong as I thought.
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Have you ever felt that crushing sense of everything you worked for just disappeared?
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I was at the peak of my career, raking in the cash.
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Designer suits, exotic vacations, my bank account bulging.
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And I never felt more restless.
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One night gazing out at the glittering city skyline.
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A chilling question struck me.
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If all this was swept away tomorrow.
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What would truly remain.
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That's when I knew something was deeply wrong with the way I measured success.
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Seeing my daughter's tear streaked face.
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clutching that unpaid bill.
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That's the moment it hit me.
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I might've been fooling the world with my outward success, but behind closed doors.
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Debt was crushing my family.
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The weight of my choices became unbearable.
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I know I'd been chasing sand for a long time.
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I was the good church lady, always smiling, always contributing, but inside I battled a secret shame.
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My finances were a disaster.
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One Sunday during a sermon about building our lives on Christ.
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Something inside me, snapped.
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I realized my carefully crafted image was a flimsy house of cards.
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That day I decided enough was enough.
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Today on the Ask Ralph podcast, we're talking about how to build unshakeable lives based on a foundation that outlasts any storm.
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It's about finding the true source of security.
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And how that translates to wise financial choices.
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Let's get started by reading the gospel of Matthew chapter seven, verse 24.
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Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man.
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Who built his house on the rock.
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The rain came down.
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The streams rose and the winds blew and beat against the house.
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and it did not fall.
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Because it had its foundation on the rock.
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But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
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The rain came down, the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against the house.
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And it fell with a great crash.
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I love how the Bible uses such vivid imagery.
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The wise and foolish builders, those contrasting houses.
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Envision it.
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a, sprawling modern mansion on a Sandy shore.
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Versus a simple cabin built into the bedrock.
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When the storms came only one survives.
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Now that beach mansion could represent a life built on outward appearances.
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We're accumulating stuff.
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Hey, we're all guilty of that.
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The rock built cabin symbolizes something else entirely.
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a, life grounded in God's eternal truth.
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Let's be honest.
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building on sand.
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Doesn't always look so obvious.
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It could be maxing out our credit cards on the latest trends while ignoring, growing debt.
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It could be pouring out every ounce of energy into climbing the corporate ladder only to find yourself spiritually and emotionally bankrupt.
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Or maybe it's feeling an obsessive need to control your finances forgetting that true security only comes from God.
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These aren't sinful things.
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But they're shifting sands.
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When life storms hit.
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The wise builder.
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The one who hears Jesus's words and puts them in action.
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They recognize that fleeting success or material possessions offer a false sense of stability.
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Hey.
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I can speak for myself.
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I've chased after those things.
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And at the end you find you're just empty.
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Instead, they focus on building a life rooted in something far stronger.
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An unwavering relationship with God and it's all about their relationship.
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Guided by wisdom of scripture.
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Listen, that doesn't mean Christians can't be wealthy.
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Or that there's no joy in a comfortable life.
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I am sick and tired of hearing about people say, well, you goody two shoe Christians.
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You don't live life.
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You aren't having any fun.
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You don't have any happiness.
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That's nonsense.
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But, and this is the key.
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How do we build that rock solid foundation, especially when it comes to our finances.
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Well today, I'm going to get practical folks.
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I'm going to give you some biblical wisdom and give you some action steps of how to do it.
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Let's start with the book of Proverbs chapter 21 verse 20.
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It says in the house of the wise are stores of choice, food and oil.
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But a foolish man devours.
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All he has listen a budget.
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Isn't just about numbers.
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It's about aligning, our spending with God's priorities.
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Generosity.
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Smart saving and avoiding the trap of wasteful spending.
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That's what it comes down to.
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If you have a smart budget.
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It's biblical.
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like it says here in Proverbs, in the house of the wise are stores of choice, food and oil, but a foolish man devours, all he has.
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Are you devouring?
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All you have.
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Let's talk about conquering debt.
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Because it entangles us.
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It limits our ability to give back and build for the future.
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Let's look at Romans chapter 13, verse eight reminds us this.
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Let no debt remain outstanding.
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Except to continue in debt to love one another.
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Well, what does that mean, Ralph?
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It means focusing on.
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Paying it off aggressively.
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Strategizing, whether that's a snowball or avalanche method, I've talked about that in another podcast.
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Combined with a fierce resolve to change your spending habits.
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This is the key folks you got to conquer that debt.
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don't have your financial life built on sand, build it on bedrock, conquer that debt.
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It goes along with that as a healthy emergency fund.
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It offers peace.
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More valuable than any luxury purchase.
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Listen.
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If you have financial stability and financial security.
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That is going to be more peace than any luxury item you'll ever buy.
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I imagine the confidence in knowing you can weather unexpected expenses.
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Aim for at least three to six months, living costs tucked away to shield you from sinking into debt.
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When life throws a curve ball and listen than folks, we all have curve balls.
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I remember when my wife and I were just married, not too long.
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And we had two young kids.
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And all of a sudden we had a washing machine that needed to be repaired.
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And we didn't have that emergency savings.
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So we had to put that money on a credit card.
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And it took us a while to get that paid off.
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If we had built that emergency fund, we wouldn't have had to suffer like that.
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Another part of this is investing wisely.
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Proverbs chapter 13, verse 11 says dishonest money dwindles away.
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But whoever gathers money, little by little makes it grow.
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Well, how do you do that?
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Ralph?
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Whether it's retirement savings or other investments research carefully.
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Seek godly counsel.
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And favor a long-term perspective is not going to happen overnight.
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But as it says, But whoever gains money, little by little makes it grow do it little by little and watch it grow.
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And another part of this is embracing contentment.
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We're all guilty of this.
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Have you look on social media?
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Everybody's chasing after everybody else I got to have with this one, has I got.
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I'm guilty of that too.
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This endless pursuit, of more is a trap that leads to spiritual emptiness.
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Listen, when you get it all and I've been there, I've had it all.
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And I'm not saying that to be arrogant or brag.
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But I've been there.
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and you are more empty then.
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And I finally realized I know money doesn't fill my tank anymore.
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Is that connection with God it's that relationship with Jesus that does it.
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So, how do you do that?
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We have focused on gratitude for what you do have.
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And invest in experience and mostly invest in relationships with others.
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That's what brings real and lasting joy.
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Junk.
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Doesn't bring joy.
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Maybe I should catchphrase that, that sounded really good, but it doesn't.
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Stuff.
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Isn't going to make you happy.
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Yes, it can make you comfortable, but it doesn't make you happy.
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It doesn't bring you great joy.
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The book of Philippians chapter four, verses 12 through 13, teaches us.
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I know what it is to be in need.
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And I know what it is to have plenty.
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I learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.
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Whether well fed or hungry.
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Where the living in plenty or in one, I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
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That's the answer to the question.
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Isn't it.
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Having gratitude and knowing that I can do all this.
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Through him who gives me strength.
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the truth is folks true.
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Financial resilience isn't achieved by technical skills alone.
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I could give you all kinds of great things to do, do a budget, measure your spending, invest in this, invest in that.
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But that's not the total answer.
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That's part of it.
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But it's when we daily choose to surrender everything.
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Our worries.
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Our dreams.
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Our financial situation, we surrender it to God.
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That's where we find unshakeable stability.
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It's only in that rock solid faith that will truly find stability.
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Please allow me to offer a prayer.
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Heavenly father, thank you for your eternal wisdom.
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Forgive us for building our lives on shifting sands, chasing possession, status and control.
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Help us to become people who prioritize your word.
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Who manage money with a heart bent on generosity and kingdom impact.
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Strengthen us to resist temptation to overcome debt, to save wisely.
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And to cultivate true contentment.
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Give us the grace to build our lives on the firm foundation of your unchanging love in Jesus name.
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Amen.
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Remember.
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Even the wisest builder, couldn't withstand a hurricane without the right foundation.
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The same is true for our lives.
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Before we wrap up, I want to remind all of our listeners to visit our podcast page at, askralphpodcast.com.
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There you can leave us a review, share your thoughts, or even send us a message with questions for future episodes, share something.
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that has helped you build that strong foundation.
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While you're there.
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Join our email list so we can let you know about things going on with the program.
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And for right now, We're offering a $25 Amazon gift card giveaway every week.
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We're going to pick somebody.
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And they're going to win that card.
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Remember this.
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Start building your finances on the only foundation that lasts.
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Jesus Christ.
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Friends stay financially savvy, and God bless you.
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Abundantly.
