How can I use faith to rebuild my daily motivation?

Ralph
00:00:00

Do you ever feel like you're just going through the motions, lacking the drive to pursue your financial and all your other goals? Are you wondering how your faith can reignite that spark and propel you towards success?

Well, today I'm going to share my personal story of how I use faith to rebuild my daily motivation. And I'm going to share some listener message I've received over the past few weeks and how this show has positively impacted their lives.

Listen, it's not about me. These stories are why I do what I do, and I want to share them with you.

Narrator
00:00:33

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 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 complex simple by sharing his real world knowledge from a Christian perspective with all things financial.

Now here's your host, Ralph Estep Jr.

Ralph
00:01:03

Hello and welcome to today's Spiritual Sunday show. I am so glad you've chosen to share some time with me.

Well, let's take a quick look back at yesterday's show where we discussed how much money you need to have saved to cover those healthcare costs in retirement. If you missed it, be sure to check it out. It's packed with valuable insights to help you plan for a financially secure future. And we all want that.

Well now let's hear from one of our devoted listeners. This lady's name is Alison and she wrote me this.

She said, "Ralph, I've been a faithful listener of your show for months now, and I'm struggling with a complex issue. As a small business owner and devoted Christian, I find myself constantly torn between focusing on growing my business and nurturing my faith. Lately, I've been feeling spiritually drained and lacking motivation in both my personal and professional life. The financial pressures of running a business have left me stressed and questioning whether I'm truly following God's plan for me. How can I use my faith to rebuild my daily motivation, balance my entrepreneurial ambitions with my spiritual growth, and ensure that my business practices align with biblical principles? I want to achieve financial success without compromising my values, but I'm not sure where to start. Can you provide me some guidance on how to integrate faith into my daily routine and business decisions to reignite my motivation and find purpose in both my spiritual and financial journey?"

Wow, Alison, I hear you. Truth is, many of us face this, and I'm here to help you with that motivation through faith.

Because remember this, the ask Ralph show is all about answering your questions.

So if you've got that burning financial question about faith or finance or how they intersect, head over to justaskralph.com and send it in and your question could be featured on a future episode. Alison, your question reminds me of a powerful verse from the Bible that speaks directly to finding motivation through faith.

So let's turn to Philippians for some inspiration. It comes to us from Philippians, chapter 4, verse 13. It says this "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." You know what?

This verse is a perfect starting point for rebuilding your daily motivation through faith. I'm going to share my personal story that illustrates how faith can transform your approach to finances and to your life in general.

Now this isn't easy to talk about, but a few years ago I hit a low point in my financial journey. I was overwhelmed with debt. I was struggling to make ends meet and feeling utterly defeated.

Truth is, it seemed like no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get ahead. And that's when I realized I had been relying solely on my own strength. I'd been relying only on me.

I was forgetting the power of faith in my financial life. I can still vividly remember sitting at my kitchen table, bills spread out before me, feeling the weight of financial stress on my shoulders.

The room felt dark, and the numbers on those bills seemed to grow larger by the second. I could almost hear the tick of the clock reminding me that time was running out to make payments. It was in that moment of despair.

I closed my eyes and prayed. In that prayer, I asked God for strength. I asked him for wisdom. And I asked him for motivation.

As I opened my eyes, I noticed a small ray of sunlight peeking through the window, almost as if it was a sign of hope. Well, that's when the transformation began. I started each day with prayer and scripture. That's what worked for me.

I focused on verses about perseverance, verses about strength, and verses about God's provision. And I began to see my financial journey not as a burden, but as an opportunity to grow in faith and stewardship.

You may be asking, Ralph, what was your powerful conclusion? That's a great question.

And what I came to is, by integrating my faith into my financial life, I found a wellspring of motivation that I really didn't even know ever existed. I approached my budget with renewed vigor, seeing it as a way to honor God with my resources.

I tackled debt with determination, knowing that financial freedom would allow me to be more generous and impactful in my community. Something I say all the time, if you can't fix your own house, you're never going to be a help to anybody else.

So I want to share some action steps with you later in the show. But now I want to share some really great messages I've received from other listeners and viewers of the show.

I'm also going to share some Bible verses, which I found that tie right into their comments. And the first one came from Mark. Now, Mark from Texas shares. That's what he said.

He said, "Ralph, your show inspired me to start a daily gratitude journal. Each morning I write down three financial blessings, no matter how small. It's amazing how this simple act has renewed my motivation to be a good steward of God's resources."

Mark, that is awesome. That motivational journal, that gratitude journal is huge.

And it points me to a bible verse it says, gives thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. That's in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. I got another message. This is from Jennifer from California, and she wrote this.

"I was always anxious about my finances, and still I started applying the principles of God's economy. You often mention. Now I tithe first, I saved second, and live on the rest. It's transformed my perspective and motivation. I finally had to accept that all I have is a gift from God, and I've got to steward it wisely."

Listen, Jennifer, I commend you for focusing on tithing, something that gets lost in the shuffle so many times. And it's cool how it's impacted you.

And it brought to mind this Bible verse. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." That comes from Matthew, chapter 6:33.

Because what you're doing, Jennifer, is you're putting God first. You're making that the first fruit. I got a letter from David from New York, and David says this.

"Your emphasis on combining faith with financial planning led me to start a Bible study group focused on money management. We keep each other accountable and motivated. It's been life changing."

Dave. Yes, sir. It really is all about accountability.

I talk about that on the show all the time. We gotta have people around us to help us, and we gotta reach out and help them.

And it brought to mind this Bible verse as "Iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

That's right. From Proverbs, chapter 27, verse 17. And that's the key to the whole thing. Find those accountability partners.

And I got this next letter from Lisa. She's from Florida. And she shared this. She said,
"I used to see budgeting as restrictive, but you helped me reframe it as an act of worship. Now every time I stick to my budget, I feel closer to God and more motivated to continue."

Lisa, that is great work. You've taken away the restrictions of the budget.

Those restrictions make it seem like it's closing in on you and you're seeing it as an intentional spending plan. And that's the key to the whole thing. And that brings about Bible verse.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters." That's from Colossians 3:23. I got another letter from Michael. Michael's from Michigan.

He wrote this, "Your show encouraged me to pray about my finances daily. This practice has not only increased my faith, but also my financial discipline. I'm more motivated than ever to make wise choices with my money."

Michael, all I can say is, wow. What you've shown is that with prayer, all things really are possible.

It reminds me of the book of Proverbs 16:3, which says, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans"

Now listen, I am truly humbled by these comments, and I want you to know that I truly appreciate the kind words and I honor the trust each of you have shown in me and taken your precious time to join me on this journey. Because as the Bible says, some plant seeds, some water seeds, and some fertilize seeds.

I just pray that God will continue to use me as a vessel and find more people to reach with this message of hope and assurance. I promise you I'd share some action items that may help you overcome this situation.

So here are some actionable steps you can take today to use your faith to rebuild your daily motivation. First things first. Number one, start a faith and finances journal.

Write down your goals, write down your prayers, and more importantly, write down your progress. It's going to help you stay engaged and stay on the right path.

Number two, create a vision board that includes both financial goals and spiritual aspirations. That's how you marry those two worlds together. You can see those in living color. Number three, we alluded to this a moment ago.

Find an accountability partner from your church or from some faith community to share your journey with. Bring them on board. You will get benefit from them. They will get benefit from you. And that accountability is huge.

The fourth thing, volunteer or donate to a cause you care about. Because here's the truth, connecting your financial habits to a higher purpose will help you stay motivated. It works. Trust me.

I've had many clients and many listeners who have talked about this. And last but not least, and this one is crucial, dedicate time each day to read both financial literature and spiritual text.

You got to bridge that gap between faith and finances. Listening to my show is a great start. Continue to do that. Continue to get connected to how these two worlds collide and how they work together.

And if you work together with them, you will see amazing results, just like the listeners are talking about now. I'm going to close in prayer in a moment, but let me ask you this. Are you feeling stuck in your own financial journey?

Do you feel like you're lacking motivation, or maybe you're unsure how to align your faith with your finances? Well, that's my calling. That's why I'm here to help. I've been doing this for over 30 years, and I want an extended invitation to you.

If you're feeling that feeling of overwhelm, you know, by your financial situation, or you simply want to ensure you're on the right track, I would love to help you. And here's what I'll do. I'll work with you. I'll help you move from living paycheck to paycheck. I'll be a break free of that bondage.

And maybe you feel like you're taking three steps forward and you're like, Ralph, I'm getting pushed back four steps every time. I can help you achieve that financial freedom and finally break free of that financial bondage. I can help you improve your personal finances.

Maybe you're sitting there, you're saying, Ralph, I need help with my business. My business just feels like it's not going well. It's not doing what it needs to do. I can help you with that, too.

Maybe you need help getting your business finances in order. Maybe you need help growing your business. Here's my overall goal. My overall goal is to help you achieve all of your financial goals.

So let's create a personalized plan just for you, not something that this one said, and that one said, and take these ten steps and watch this YouTube and watch this TikTok. It needs to be personalized. And that's why I work with you. I'll come alongside of you and help you get to where you want to go.

And how do you do that?

Well, you schedule an appointment with me, and together we'll develop a personalized plan to help you break free from that financial bondage and achieve that long term success.

Now, we're going to manage that with faith at the same time, and you do that by going to askralph.com, click on the book a call with Ralph Banner listen, don't wait. Let's create your personalized financial roadmap today and let's break free of what you're feeling.

Let's close in prayer, Heavenly Father, we thank you for the questions and concerns shared by our listeners. We're grateful for the opportunity to explore how faith can fuel your motivation, especially in our financial lives.

Lord, we ask for your guidance and wisdom as we navigate our financial journeys. Help us to see our resources as blessings from you and give us the strength to be good stewards.

Renew our motivation daily, reminding us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. I ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen. Now remember, my passion is to help you achieve financial success. That's why I do what I do.

This is my mission field. I click record. I look into this camera. If you're watching this, I plan these episodes out that help you live out your dreams.

But I also want to help you grow in your faith.

That's what I see as my purpose and I know, working together, if you'll book that call, if you'll continue listening, we can master your finances from a Christian perspective. So on this Sunday, I say this at the end, as I always say, stay financially savvy and may God bless you abundantly.

Narrator
00:14:35

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