Does Gratitude Actually Change My Financial Situation?

I just wanna thank you for trusting me with your time as we continue on our journey, answering that big question, how can I become a financially confident Christian? And we're continuing our new series today beyond the budget. Finding financial freedom through intentional living, and that is really what we're focused on for the next 30 days. And yesterday we talked about cultivating contentment in a world of more and more.

More. If you miss it, I'm gonna encourage you to check it out because I really gave you some great ideas of how to break the world's hold in that feeling that you just gotta go get more and more and more. Well, today we're gonna focus on something a little bit different. We're gonna answer this question. Does gratitude actually change my financial situation? Yeah. Might seem a little contrary to what you might think, but I'm gonna answer that question on today's show. We're gonna answer.

Does gratitude actually change my financial situation? And because maybe like most people, a lot of people, I'll take myself as an example, maybe you're focused on what you don't have. See, it's so easy to look at our lives and account for what we, we, what we see, what's missing.

We, we don't have that. I. We don't have that same fancy car like our neighbor has, or we don't have the vacation home, or we don't take those, those vacations like our neighbors have. And you compare yourself, you compare your life, and you feel like you're

just constantly falling behind. Well, really what that is, is just this scarcity mindset. A lot of people get stuck in it. I've been stuck in that from times in my life. It's a scarcity mindset, and what it does is it really drives over spending, but bigger than that. It just keeps you chasing more and more. And we talked about that a lot yesterday because that that goalpost just keeps moving farther and farther. And as you're chasing more, it's just creating more anxiety.

And if you have a lot of anxiety, you're not getting to a place of financial peace. But here's the thing, the Bible makes a very strong connection between gratitude and peace. Let's look at the book of Philippians, chapter four, verses six and seven says this. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition. With Thanksgiving, present your request to God and the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds. I love this verse. See, gratitude reduces anxiety.

Don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation with prayer and petition. With Thanksgiving, see that Thanksgiving, it shifts the focus from that feeling of scarcity. And it's so easy to feel like that because we're always comparing ourselves to others. We always feel like we don't have what they have, but it really shifts our focus from scarcity to abundance. And the other side of this, present your request to God. See, this strengthens trust in God's provision.

'cause God is producing for you. He is providing for you. Big picture thing. It fights that lie. That lie that more money equals more peace. Hey, our culture screams that from the rooftop. Social media, you name it, it's just a lie. It's that lie that, hey, if I have more money, I'm gonna have more peace. I don't know about you, but I've met people with a lot of money and they don't seem like they have a lot of peace. So now you're asking Ralph, what can we do?

How, how do we use gratitude to really do the shift you're talking about? Well, I've got the solution, and the way that you need to do it is to cultivate a consistent habit of financial gratitude. I'm gonna get to how you do that in just a minute, but it starts with two really basic things.

Acknowledge and appreciate what you already have. Acknowledge it. Hey, I've got it. I'm gonna talk a little bit about the specifics here in a moment. I've got it. And then appreciate it and express that to God and express that to others. So here's your one action step for today to really get you in that ability to con, you know, consistently cultivate that habit of financial gratitude. I want you to start by creating what I'm gonna call the thank you inventory.

I want you to start today, just list five, six, or seven specific financial blessings that I'm gonna give you some examples, but I just want you to list those out. Maybe something like, I was able to pay my electric bill this month without stress. Hey, that's something to be grateful for. Or maybe I have a reliable used car that gets me to work every day. Hey, it's not.

It's not the fancy new sports car we talked about the other day, but I have a reliable used car that gets me to work every single day. Here's a great one that you can really consider during times of inflation. There's groceries in the fridge and food on the table. Thank God for that. Or maybe this one. Hey, my paycheck came in on time this week. It's a good thing to get paid on time, but be grateful. Appreciate that. Acknowledge it.

Maybe you recently paid off a credit card and you've been working so hard and so diligently to do that. Maybe a friend gave you some free tickets to event that you couldn't afford to go to. Maybe you're gonna tag along as a friend with them. That's something to be grateful for. Or as we get closer to getting ready for school, whereas in Juba, we're getting closer, maybe my children's school supplies are

all taken care of for the fall. You've already put the money aside, you've handled that. So start that, that simple thank you inventory, and just say those things out loud. Write those down. Gonna start to change your mindset. Then the second component to this, I really need you to express that gratitude to God. Choose just one item from your list, the one that really is impactful to you, and then just reach out to God in prayer and just say, Lord, I just thank you for your provision.

For example, Lord, thank you for providing me with steady income. Even when things feel tight, you continue to meet my daily needs. Help me trust you in faithfulness. And use what I have wisely. Amen on that one. Or maybe this one. Father, thank you for that unexpected gift from my friend. It reminded me that you see me and you care for even the little joys, and I give you praise for your goodness.

So just reach out to God and thank him for it, and then I'm gonna encourage you to do one more thing, and that's truly express gratitude to someone else. It's easy to make those lists for yourself. It's kind of easy to say to as the God, but how about expressing those to someone else? Identify someone who's helped you specifically financially. Maybe send them a text or give them a call and just say, Hey, you know what, Sally, I really appreciate it.

You helped me last week, or You helped me get through a tough time. Or, Hey, here's one. People don't do a lot of write a note. I love notes. People don't do it anymore, but write a note to just say thank you. For example, maybe text a friend who covered your lunch. Say, Hey, just wanted to thank you again for lunch last week. Could really help me out more than you know, you're a blessing. Or maybe call your parents, Hey, we all need to do that. I wish I could call my mom.

She passed away a couple years ago. So cherish the ability to do that. But call your parents who helped you maybe for a down payment on your house and say, mom and dad. I've been thinking today about how grateful I am for your help in this house as I sit here this morning in the kitchen. And I don't say it enough, but thank you for believing in me and supporting me. Or maybe Ray a thank you note to your pastor or to a church member who once helped with a bill.

Maybe your generosity during a tough season of my life made a lasting impact. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Christ when I need it the most. And see this kind of stuff really helps, and I'm gonna tell you why it helps. Gratitude truly rewires your mind. It rewires it towards abundance. You start to move away from that, that scarcity, anxiety, riddled place that you are in right now. It reduces stress because you don't have that fear of, of lack, that fear of scarcity.

And if you do the things I mentioned, it's gonna improve relationships. 'cause people are going to appreciate the fact that you're thankful for what you have.

Because I don't know about you, but I can't stand to be around people that are always complaining, always talking about what they don't have, all the lack that they have. And when you, when you express the thankfulness for what you have, hey man, that, that just spreads like a wildfire. And when you acknowledge it to God, what you're doing is you're really anchoring your peace in God and not what you lack. Well, let's pray together. Father God, we just thank you for all you've given us.

The provision is abounding to us. It's so abundant, Lord. And we have to confess that we often focus on what's missing, Lord, it's so easy for us to pick apart what we don't have. And we just ask you to help us to see your hand in our finances, Lord, and give us hearts full of gratitude and help us to express that thanks consistently to you and to others Lord. And we ask this with confidence, In Jesus' name. Amen. Listen, gratitude isn't just a feeling.

It's not a simple feeling, oh, I'm gonna do this gratitude, I'm gonna feel great. No, it's a transformational force in your life. So I just wanna encourage you one more time, acknowledge and express your blessings today because that is helping you move towards freedom. And one of the things that you can do is share this episode with someone who needs it. There's a lot of people out there right now who are hurting.

Maybe that person who doesn't understand what they have and what they can be grateful for, maybe to send them a text and just say, Hey, I listened to this podcast and I really got a lot from it. You might want to consider doing it, or you can point them to our website that's financially confident christian.com. I've got a free gift for you as well. I'm gonna give you a copy of my book. It's called Mastering Your Finances. You can get that@financiallyconfidentchristian.com slash master.

It's absolutely free to you. Just go there and you can download it. Now tomorrow we're gonna talk about clarifying your values and how that helps you spend with a purpose. We're really gonna get into clarifying values and how to spend with a purpose. So I'm gonna encourage you not to miss it. Now, let's go. Go out there and be financially confident. Christians, you can do this. I believe in you. Believe in yourself. Stay financially savvy. God bless you, and you have a great day today.