Who Really Provides Your Income?

Speaker A00:00:00

Income matters. Bills are real and responsibilities are real. Yes, provision matters.But friend, there's a quiet danger when income becomes the source instead of the sign. Jobs change, hustles fluctuate and markets shift. And if your piece is tied only to a paycheck, it can disappear overnight.So today we're going to slow down long enough to remember something essential. And I'm not doing this show today to shame you, not to correct you. I just want to help steady you. Because you're not crazy for feeling pressure.You're human and you're going to be okay. So here's the question we're answering today. Who really provides your income? It's going to be a deep show today, but who really provides your income?And by the end of this episode, here's what I promise. You're going to feel more grounded instead of anxious. You're going to be more grateful instead of pressured. And guess what?You're going to be clear about where your trust belongs. No guilt today. No heavy handed should. Just perspective and peace. Hey, friend. Ralph Estep Jr. Here. Welcome to Financially Confident Christian.We learn how to walk through life and money with wisdom, with peace, and with a heart anchored in God's truth.My mission on this show is to help you break the cycle of financial shame and build steady habits rooted in faith and truly become financially confident Christians. And I'm really glad you're here today.Yesterday we talked about those multiple streams of income, the jobs, the side hustles, and learning to diversify wisely. These things were all important, all helpful. But today I want to zoom out because streams are tools.And listen, tools are good, but tools were never meant to carry your trust. So today is about the source. And we're not doing this to make you feel small, but I'm really doing it to make you feel safe.Here's a quiet question a lot of people carry. Maybe you're carrying it right now, too. Ralph, I know God provides. So why does it still feel like everything depends on me?Friend, I'm going to tell you right now, if that's you, you're not alone feeling like that. And guess what? You're not a bad Christian. You're a responsible person who's been under pressure.And if you felt like you can't breathe because you're the one holding it all. If rest feels irresponsible, slowing down makes you anxious, like the whole thing might collapse, that doesn't mean your faith is weak.It just means the load has been heavy on you. And friend, I just want to Say it. You were never meant to carry the entire weight of provision by yourself because you're diligent. Hey.But you're also tired. And God sees you. He sees you loud and clear. And here's the truth. We need to remember. Your job is not your provider. It's just not.Your hustle is not your provider. And guess what, business friends, your clients are not your provider either. They're instruments. They're channels.They're part of how provision arrives at you, but they are not the source. And when we confuse the channel for the provider, that's where anxiety grows fast. Because the truth is, channels can change overnight.But God's faithfulness doesn't change. It never changes. And I know I've lived through seasons where income felt predictable, like I had it all lined up, everything was great.But I've also lived through seasons where I didn't have it all together, where something shifted suddenly. And the plan I thought was stable. Guess what? It just wasn't stable. But I can tell you this. God has been steady.He's been the rock, even when the income wasn't that way. Now, it wasn't always predictable, but. But it was always present. And I remember a season when everything felt uncertain in my life.There was no guarantees. There were no clear answers. Just responsibilities and more questions and more responsibilities and more questions. And I was doing what I could do.I was doing like you are. I'm showing up, I'm working hard, trying to be responsible. But peace didn't come right away.Peace didn't come, actually, until something changed inside of me and I stopped asking, how do I control this? Because that's what I was asking. I was asking, how do I control this? How do I control all this uncertainty around me?And I started asking something different. I started saying, God, how are you providing here that I might be missing? Because, see, that's the difference. And that shift changed everything.Because I started noticing provision isn't always what I was counting before. So here's the real question today. Where is your confidence? And that's the key word. Where is your confidence really placed?Is it in the stream or is it in the source? Is it in the paycheck or on the provider? And let's walk through this today. Here's the balanced truth. Income streams matter. They pay your bills.They create margin. They're part of good wisdom. Yes, they are part of it. But guess what? They're not the ultimate.So I want to give you three common anchors to hold on to today. It starts with accepting that God Provides through systems, but he isn't limited by them. See, your paycheck is one way that God provides you.It just does. But it's not the only way. Sometimes God provides through a conversation.You weren't expecting a conversation, and somebody had a conversation with you. Maybe he provides through a connection. Someone that you met who connected some dots for you. Hey, in my life, I've seen this happen.A refund you didn't expect just when you needed it. Or a door opening at the right time. Those things aren't coincidence. That's God providing. And sometimes God provides through prevention.Think about this. A breakdown in that car that didn't happen. You thought for sure this car was going to break down, but it didn't.Or maybe a medical bill you didn't have. Or that mistake that so many of us have made, but you just avoided it that time. See, provision isn't just what you gain.Sometimes it's what you're spared. Because we got to remember that your ability is part of God's provision, not ability.See, a lot of people think provision is money, but Scripture shows something deeper. God provides us with strength. He provides us with skill. He provides us with ideas. He gives us endurance. And yes, he gives us wisdom.So when you say, I don't know how I'm going to make it, friend, don't forget, God's going to provide you solutions before he provides dollars sometimes. And when you remember the source, that gratitude returns and anxiety loosens.See, because when the stream becomes your God, you always feel under pressure because you're worshiping something fragile. You're worshiping something that can break. But when you remember the source, even imperfect provision can feel steady.And it's not because you have endless money, but because you have a faithful father friend. You're not abandoned. You're not forgotten. You're not. You may be in a tight season. You might be listening to this right now.You're like, ralph, you don't get it, dude. What I'm going through, you have no concept. But tight seasons don't cancel God's care. And here's something I want to remind you of.Trusting God doesn't mean you do nothing. A lot of people say, well, okay, I'm just going to trust God. I'm not going to do anything. You still got to do your part.Just don't carry God's part anymore. Yes, you work. You steward, you plan. You plan like crazy. But you don't have to panic anymore that everything depends on you, because it doesn't.It depends on the source. And let's get to our Bible verse. Today we're going to go to Deuteronomy 8:18.But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. And I just want you to notice what that says. God doesn't just hand out money to you. A lot of people think, oh, God is going to give it to me.No, he gives you ability. He gives you strength to work, a mind to learn skill, to build, an opportunity to grow.So when you look at your income, you can say this with confidence. Thank you Lord for the ability behind it. See, that's worship, that's grounding. And that right there is peace. So here's your simple step for today.Just 10 minutes. I want you to start by whispering a short prayer. Lord, thank you for providing. Just start there. Lord, thank you for providing.And I want you to write down three ways God has provided for you in the past or the present. And friend, listen, don't limit it to money. A lot of people go there. Well, I'm just going to list things he's given me money wise.No, no, no, write things down like an open door or a helpful person. That problem that God saw, that bill that didn't happen in a strength you didn't think you had.And then let gratitude anchor you because the truth is anxiety hates gratitude. And you need an anchor today. Let's pray together. Lord, thank you for being our provider.Thank you for every open door, every ability, every opportunity and every way you've carried us that we didn't even notice at the time. And Lord, I just ask that you would help my friend today.Help them replace anxiety with peace and teach them the steward wisely without worship in the stream, Lord. And we trust you at everything, Lord. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Friend, let me say this. If money has been keeping you up at night, there is hope.I wrote a book. It's called how to become a Financially Confident Christian. For people just like you who are tired of feeling stuck, it's not about pressure.Listen, this is not some quick fix book. It's not pretending everything is fine. It's just faith, practical help and a path forward.It's my 30 years of working with people just like you, showing them a way out of this. And I would love for you to get a copy of that book.Go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/becoming that's financiallyconfidentchristian.com/Becoming go grab that book today. Friend, you are responsible, but you're not alone in that responsibility. You can be diligent and still be held by a loving God.You can plan and still rest. See, this whole series has been about income, but today was about something deeper.Yes, the streams matter, but God is the source of that, and you're going to be okay. Now, tomorrow we're going to shift a little bit. We're going to talk about why do couples fight about money, and bigger than that, how you can fix it.So if you know somebody that's married or in a partnership or in some kind of relationship and they're fighting about money, tomorrow's show is going to be great. And if today helped you, I want to encourage you to share with somebody who needs to remember the source. Just send them a text, send them a message.Say, you got to listen to this show. You got to listen to this guy. He knows what he's talking about. Because this show isn't about financial shame.It's about learning to walk in wisdom, staying anchored, and truly becoming a financially confident Christian. God bless you, friend. And don't forget to join us tomorrow.