How Can You Trust God With What You Save—and What You Can’t?

Speaker A00:00:00

Guess what? Savings is wise.But let me tell you something right now, savings can't save you because you can have money sitting in the bank and your heart can still feel afraid. You can have a plan and still feel uncertain. And you can be doing everything right and still realize something you can't control tomorrow.And that's where this gets real today. Because sometimes the problem isn't your budget. Sometimes the problem is what you're asking your budget to do.And, friend, if you've been asking savings to carry your fear, I want you to know something right now. You're not crazy. You're not weak. You're just human. So here's the question that you and I are answering today.How can you trust God with what you save and what you can't? And I want to help you to hold savings in its proper place as a tool, not a source of security.Because, friend, you can save wisely and still live with peace. Hey, friend. Ralph Estep Jr. Here.Welcome to Financially Confident Christian, where we learn how to walk through life and money with wisdom, with peace, and with a heart anchored in God's truth. My mission every day is simple.To help you break that cycle of financial shame that so many of us find ourselves in and build those steady habits which are rooted in faith and truly become a financially confident Christian. That's why we're here. And I'm really glad that you're here today. And yes, this is still part of your savings rhythm.That's what we've been talking about the last few days. Yesterday, you and I talked about savings for those big goals without burning out.We talked about breaking into milestones, celebrating progress, but most of all about adjusting pace when life shifts. Because like we said yesterday, life is going to shift. But today we're going to zoom out quite a bit.Because even when you save wisely, there's this deeper question underneath. Where is your trust anchored? Because savings can give you stability. It can, but it can never give you ultimate security. Only God can do that.And, friend, if you've been saving but you're still feeling anxious, that doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. It means your heart is asking a deeper question. So here's today's listener question. Ralph, I'm trying to save, and I know it's the right thing to do.But I also notice something in me. I feel calmer when my savings is up, but, man, I panic when it's down. It's like my faith rises and falls with my bank balance.So, Ralph, how do I save Wisely, without trusting money too much. Matt, right now, when I got that question, I thought, wow, that is brutally honest.And if you're feeling that today, I am grateful you can say that out loud because naming it is the first step towards freedom. So if you've ever felt that, I want to tell you right now, I want to reassure you about something. You're not a bad Christian.You're not a bad Christian. You're just human who wants to feel safe. We all want to feel safe.And we were taught at a young age that money feels like safety because it solves so many of our problems. Sure, money pays our bills. It does, right? It handles those surprises. It gives us options. So it makes sense that your heart drifts towards that.But here's the danger. When money becomes your comfort, it starts acting like a God. And that's where it becomes a problem.Not because you say it out loud, but because you lean on it for what God can only give you. And friend, if you've ever felt that pull, you're not alone in feeling it. Savings is not wrong. Saving is wisdom. Saving is preparation.And yes, saving is stewardship. But savings is also limited. You need to hear this. It can't guarantee your health. I don't care how much you save. It will not guarantee your health.It can't guarantee your peace. Yes, savings will help you find some peace, but it doesn't guarantee it, and it will never guarantee tomorrow.And when you treat savings like the thing that will finally calm you, you end up anxious either way, because then you're always thinking, do I have enough? What if it runs out? What if something happens? So the goal today isn't to stop saving. I will never say that to you.The goal is to put savings in its rightful place so that you can breathe again. I'm Ralph Eastep Jr. I'm an accountant, and I've watched both sides of this. I've seen people with very little money who still have deep peace.Yes, they do exist out there. And I've seen people with a lot of money, I'm talking about a ton of money, who still can't sleep at night. There's no peace in their lives.Because the truth is, peace isn't a number. Peace. Peace is an anchor. And friend. That anchor has a name.And I thought about, as I was preparing for today, so many moments in my own life when I thought this. If I can just get this account higher, man, if I could just get to this point, then I can finally realize I can sit back a little bit.But what I learned is this. The finish line just keeps moving forward. Because here's the truth. Fear doesn't get healed by money. Fear gets healed by trust.Now, savings helps you prepare, but trusting God actually helps you breathe. And, friend, you deserve to breathe today. So here's the central question today. How do you practice why savings without making savings your savior?See, that's the problem. So many of us make savings our savior. How do you keep the tool without worshiping the tool? Well, here's what you got to do to get started.You have to name what you're asking savings to do. Friend, savings is meant to help you.But if you're secretly asking it to do this, if you're asking it to make me feel safe, like, if I save, I'm going to feel safe. Or if you said, hey, it's going to make me feel secure, or it's going to make me feel like nothing bad can happen that's too heavy for money.Savings is a tool. It's kind of like a hammer in a toolbox. If you need a hammer, it's helpful, it's useful, it's wise. But it's a terrible king.You don't want to worship a hammer, do you? And, friend, you don't need a king made of numbers. And I want you to hear this. You can be a good steward and still trust God more.Yes, you can do all the things. See, sometimes people think faith means, oh, Ralph, I don't need to save. God's got this. I'm faithful. I'm determined that God's going to handle this.But, see, biblical wisdom says something contradictory to that. It says, prepare when you can. It says, be diligent. It says, be thoughtful. But at the very same time, it says this. Trust God.More than that, preparation. More than that, diligence, more than those plans. And more than that, thoughtfulness. See, savings is not a lack of faith. Savings is stewardship.But your hope still belongs to God. See, friend, you can save responsibly and still live surrendered. That's called maturity. But you've got to remember something.Your bank balance is information, not identity. I meet so many people, especially in the financial realm. I got this much in my savings. I got this much in my retirement. And that's their identity.But the problem is, when that's your identity, what happens? When savings is low, you feel like you're failing, but that's not the case. And when your savings are high, it doesn't mean you're invincible.I've met people with a ton of Savings, a of ton, a ton of retirement and something happened in their life. It was worthless to them. That's just information. That's not your identity.See, money makes a great servant, but it makes a cruel narrator to our lives. Don't let it tell you who you are. Because your worth was settled long before your balance was settled. And you've got to know this.Your security is found in God's character, not what's in your bank account. See, peace actually comes from this. God is faithful, God is present. God is the provider.Even in lean seasons, even in uncertainty, even when the numbers don't look like you hope. Listen, my life, there have been times when the numbers didn't look good. Those are my lean seasons. But guess what? God was still there.Because the truth is, savings can run out. But God will never run out on you. And if, friend, if that sentence feels hard to believe, that doesn't mean you have faith.It just means you need to practice placing it one day at a time. Because, see, you need to prepare with open hands. A lot of people say, what do you mean by open hands? Let me explain.You save, you plan, you do what you can do. But you also say, lord, you are the one I'm trusting. Because that control is heavy. But surrender, my friends, is so much later.See, friend, you can prepare responsibly and still live with peace when your hands are open. Because open hands say, this I'll be wise, but I won't worship that saving.Let's get right to our scriptures from the Book of Matthew, chapter 6, verses 19 and 20. And I love this scripture.Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. See, that passage isn't about not saving. People say, well, that's anti saving. No, it's not. It's anti idolatry.Because it's reminding you of something very bold. Your ultimate security is not stored in a bank account. It's stored in heaven. So, yes, save.But don't ask savings to carry what only God can carry today. So here's your action step for today. I want you to pray this today out loud if you can. Lord, I trust with with what I save and what I cannot.And if you want to go one step deeper, look at your saving as goal and say to God, thank you for what's here, Lord. And I release to you what I can't control. Because, friend, that's where peace begins.Not when the number is perfect, but when Your trust is anchored in Christ. Lord, we thank you for provision. Help us save with wisdom, but trust you completely in all the things that we do.Keep our hearts fixed on heaven, Lord, and when fear rises and we know it will grow us back to you and friend, for the person listening right now, the one who keeps rising and falling with their bank balance, Lord, I ask that you would meet them right there. Remind them they're not failing, they're learning trust. And you are patient with them, Lord, as you're patient with us. And we ask this in Jesus name.Amen. Friend, if money has felt heavy and you want a place that feels safe, I want to invite you to join our community. It's super simple.Go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join again. That's financiallyconfidentchristian.com/Join.That's where you'll find encouragement to walk in wisdom without shame and with your heart truly anchored in God. Because friend, you don't have to carry this alone. Remember this. Savings is a gift, but God is your source.So keep building wise habits and keep your trust even deeper than the habit. Because friend, you can save and you can surrender. You can plan and you can still rest. And that's what we're going to talk about tomorrow.We're going to shift a little bit. We're going to talk about when mindset shifts. Unlock financial freedom.So friend, I want to encourage you today, share the show with someone who's relying too much on money right now and show them who their anchor should be. Because this show isn't about financial shame.It's about walking in wisdom, staying financially savvy, and truly working to become a financially confident Christian. So God bless you and you have a great day today.