Shaken by This Year? How Do You Build Financial Resilience?

Speaker A00:00:28

Hey, did this year shake you a little? Maybe you got that surprise Bill, maybe for you was a medical moment or a family need you didn't see coming.Or maybe it's just that sinking feeling like life shifted under your feet. You're not alone feeling like that. And here's the thing I want you to hear right now. You're not weak for feeling blindsided. But here's the truth.Most people never hear this. Resilience isn't luck. It's faith and, and preparation working together.You're never going to stop the storms, but you can build a life that doesn't collapse when they hit. And today I'm going to show you exactly how to do that. Hello and welcome to the show. I'm Ralph. Thank you so much for joining me.This is our daily excursion to help you break that cycle of financial shame and do it with confidence. And a friend asked me recently, said, ralph, this year just blindsided me. I got unexpected bills, unexpected responsibilities.Ralph, I felt like everything underneath me was just shaken. How do I actually become stronger next year? I said, listen, we can get through this.And if that's you, if you felt tossed around, you're in the right place. Because guess what? We're like a washing machine. We're all tossed around here.And every year the headlines hit us with things like job losses, emergencies, those unexpected repairs, economic shifts. It drives you crazy. Your head just spins. But look at what Proverbs 24:27 reminds us. Prepare your work outside, then build your house.God isn't asking you to worry. He's inviting you to prepare.And I've walked with families through these difficult times, like layoffs, people losing their jobs, broken water heaters that talk about stuff that really happens, right? Medical scares. I've seen some medical scares which have rocked people. And I've also helped people through complete life pivots.And here's what I learned. You're going to panic at first, I get that. But panic fades when a plan already exists.And that resilience, man, that'll bloom when we combine God's promises, practical preparation and faith. Because faith studies the heart. And a friend of mine had his hours cut this year at work. Now, that could have been devastating.It was devastating for most people, and it could have been for him, too. But it wasn't for him. You know why? He was prepared. He listened to me. He listened to other people. He had a three month cushion of income.So when his job got cut, when his hours got cut back a bit, he was able to rely on that cushion. He had a basic budget. He understood his needs versus wants. But bigger than all of those things, he had a flexible mindset.So instead of spiraling, hey, when you get the news, your hours are being cut. Or maybe you got the news you're losing your job. It's easy to get upset. It's able to get into fear and anxiety.But he stayed calm and he didn't go into debt. He didn't panic. He just had patience and trust. Now, I'd love to tell you that preparation removed the storm. Well, guess what?It didn't remove the storm, but it gave him shelter when it had passed. So the real question is this.How do you build that same kind of financial resilience I'm talking about spiritually, emotionally, and yes, financially before next year even gets here. Let's break it down. I'm going to give you today four Resilience builders. Number one thing, you've got to name your unexpecteds before they happen.Because this is where resilience truly begins. Trouble doesn't surprise God. He's not surprised by trouble. He says it all through his word. Trouble will come, but it surprises us.So if something's going to surprise us, what's the easiest way to battle it? List your vulnerability zones. What am I talking about here? Is it your job? Is that a vulnerability for you? Do you see the writing on the wall?Things are not great at your company. Understand those things.Hey, maybe it's your health, maybe your houseman knocking at the door and saying, hey, Ralph, it's about time you did something about this. Understand that maybe it's your home, maybe it's that car. That car is on its last leg, Ralph.I know this car isn't going to make it through next year. Well, guess what? Now's the time to plan for that. Hey, maybe you're like my wife. You're caring for family members.Or maybe for you it's just those sudden expenses, you know, they leave you in a vulnerable state. You worry about those things. So once you understand those vulnerability zones, then you pre decide your first response.See, this is where you set the tone. Like my friend who got his job hours caught, he understood what his response would. He paused. First, he took it all in. He understood the situation.Second thing he did, he prayed. Because you got to go to the Lord with these things. And the third thing he did was he assessed where he was. He understood the vulnerabilities.He understood what he had set into place. See, when you name the storm, when you truly name the storm, guess what happens? You steal its power.Second thing, this is a great time to build or rebuild your emergency fund. I know you're saying, Ralph, you're always talking about this emergency fund. Yes, because it will bail you out in situations.And listen, it doesn't have to be huge. Start small, start slow, but start today. This is your ladder to get you out of a problem. Hey, maybe for you it's a hundred dollars.Maybe for you it's a thousand dollars. Maybe it's just one month of expenses. As I've said on this show, the goal is three to six months over time.I was just having a talk with my youngest son yesterday. I said, how's your emergency fund going? He goes, dad, I've got $1,800 saved. I'm like, that's fantastic, son. And he says, but I want to get more.I'm like, that's even better. And like I explained to him, it's not about getting rich. It's about building breathing room. That breathing room protects your peace.And every single dollar of that margin is a shield. It's a shield against those things that are going to come in your life. We already said it. The storms are coming. Number three, my friend learned this.You got to keep a flexible mindset. You got to understand faith and adaptability. A lot of people get stuck on this. Flexibility is not failure. Hear that?Being flexible means that you pause your wants. See, sometimes in life, you got to pause those once. It's a season of needs only. But that doesn't make you pause your purpose.See, we talked about that yesterday. What is your purpose? Yeah, you might have to shift the plans, but you don't have to shift the calling. You can adjust without quitting.See, my friend could have easily said, you know what, Ralph? Why did I even bother? I'm gonna go through all the savings. No, he understood he needed to adjust. He needed to live in a season of leanness.And he understood letting his budget move with that season of his life. Because that adaptability, that flexibility, that honors God, too. And he leads us step by step, not all at once.I said that on yesterday's show, and I want to just reaffirm that for a second. He gives you what you can handle and finally, combine faith and preparation.You can't do them without each other, because faith will steady your heart. Faith will tell you, no matter what happens, I'm going to be okay. But you can't just live in faith. You also have to live in preparation.See, a lot of people want to argue with me on that they said, Ralph, wait a minute. But if you prepare, you're not being faithful. I don't agree with that. The two things go hand in hand. When you have faith, you're steady.And that preparation steadies your finances. See, God never asked you to choose between trusting him and preparing wisely. He never did that. Preparation is worship. Preparation is obedience.Preparation is resilience. Look at John 16:33. It says it plainly. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world, man.If you can't understand, the guarantee in that trouble is guaranteed. But defeat is not guaranteed. Because the Lord said himself, I have overcome the world. You're going to have trouble in life.You're going to have storms in life. But just remember, Jesus overcame the world and so can you that way. We pray together right now, Lord.We just ask you right now to give me strength in this uncertainty. We see the storms, Lord. We see them on the horizon. We see them all around us, Lord. Give us wisdom to prepare with without fear, Lord.To prepare with diligence and guard our hearts and guide our decisions in those day to day things, Lord, as we take it one step at a time with you at our side, Lord. And we just ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Okay, you ready for today's action step?I want you to write down one lesson you learned from this year's biggest surprise. What was that biggest surprise you had this year? Was it that unexpected car bill? Was it that repair to the house? Maybe it was a medical emergency.Maybe it was helping to step in for a family or a friend. And then think about, once you write that down, what's one change that you'll make next year to avoid that? So you prepare for that.Maybe for you, you're going to put $200 a month to that emergency fund, but put it somewhere where you're going to see it weekly. Because that consistency builds resilience. And if you want to build resilience with people, you're not alone in that.Come join us inside the financially confident Christian community. You can join that by going to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join. We would love to have you over there. We're still growing.You don't have to weather life alone. And we'd love you to join our financially confident Christian community at financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join.If this year shook you, it doesn't mean that God left you. He's still right there with you. In fact, he's probably carrying you now. You're not defeated. You're being strengthened. Do you feel strengthened?And that resilience, you can build it step by step with God right beside you. So today I want to encourage you. Go be a financially confident Christian. You can do this. I have confidence in you. And the Lord is with you as well.Stay financially savvy. God bless you. And you have a great day today.