July 13, 2025 • 12 mins
If you’re tired of watching your money disappear on things you could do yourself, this episode of Financially Confident Christian is for you. Ralph explores how learning even one new skill — from a simple car repair to cooking a meal from scratch — can build confidence, honor God’s provision, and dramatically cut costs over time. Discover how learning new skills can save you thousands and lead to more peace and freedom.
Check out the full podcast episode here
You’ll hear practical inspiration on how to pick one skill, find resources to learn it, and break free from the habit of outsourcing every little task. Ralph reminds you that it’s not about perfection but progress, and that every step toward self-sufficiency is a powerful way to reflect faith, grow resilience, and bless others with the resources God has entrusted to you.
Chapters:
- 00:17 - Learning to Save: The Power of Small Skills
- 02:39 - The Cost of Outsourcing: Emotional and Financial Impacts
- 03:40 - Embracing Growth Through Learning
- 06:48 - Identifying and Learning New Skills
- 08:56 - The Importance of Learning New Skills
Takeaways:
- We often underestimate how much money we bleed by outsourcing tasks we can learn to do ourselves.
- Learning just one new skill can save you a ton of cash and boost your confidence.
- Outsourcing everything costs us more than just money; it can drain our emotional and spiritual energy too.
- God created us to grow and learn, so let’s challenge ourselves to pick up a new skill today.
Links referenced:
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Buy Ralph's Book - Mastering Your Finances!
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Do you ever feel likeyou're just bleeding money?
I'm talking about on things thatyou might be able to do yourself.
A car repair here, a plumber, call there,meal kits, because cooking feels too hard.
All those little secret fees that seemto creep into our lives every day.
Yes, they add up fast.
But what if I told you that learningone small skill, just one could
(00:21):
save you hundreds, maybe eventhousands, and not just money.
Confidence, peace, anda whole lot of freedom.
Well stick with me todaybecause we're gonna unlock some
powerful truths on today's show.
Hey there, friend.
Welcome back to your Daily,financially Confident Christian.
I'm Ralph, and I'm honored to bewith you on part of your journey
(00:43):
today as we continue seekingan answer to that question.
And that's how can I become afinancially confident Christian?
And we're continuing in our seriestoday Beyond the Budget, we're
working to find financial freedomthrough intentional living.
Now, if you missed yesterday'sshow, we talked all about the
joy of secondhand savings.
We talked about how to go to swapmeets and things like that, and really
(01:05):
find stuff that you could use andbest part of it, save a ton of money.
So if you missed it, I'm gonnaencourage you to check it out.
And today we're gonnago a little bit further.
We're gonna answer this question.
Can learning new skillsactually save me thousands.
Well, let's find outtogether on the show today.
So let me ask you, when somethingbreaks, let's say you're, you're, you're
(01:26):
sitting there and the sink breaks.
You know, you go to turn the wateron and no water's coming out.
Or worst case scenario, maybe thewater's shooting out everywhere.
Well, is your first instinct,well, I'm gonna go get my
toolbox, I'm gonna go fix that.
Or is it more like, Hey, I'm reachingfor the phone to call somebody.
Like I said, maybe you've got that leakyfaucet and you say, oh, you know what?
I could go look it up on YouTube.
(01:47):
Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna go to YouTube.
I'm gonna find a video about, so Itype in leaky faucet and I'm looking
at YouTube's, oh, this looks so simple.
Like, wait a minute.
It doesn't look so simple.
After all.
Actually, it looks kind of scary.
So what's the first thing you do?
Huh?
Pick up the phone.
You call a plumber.
Well, let's say you're driving to workand all of a sudden on your dashboard
you see that tire pressure light.
(02:09):
Now you could learn what that means.
You could learn how to fixit, but instead you just head
right to the automobile shop.
And then of course there's dinner tonight.
Hadn't planned on anything.
No meal prep ahead of time.
So what do you do?
You grab your phone, take out order again.
See, the truth is we've all beenconditioned to outsource everything.
(02:29):
Our whole economy, dare I say, theUnited States economy in general is
all about outsourcing everything.
Have you ever thoughtabout what it's costing us?
Yes, it's costing us financially.
Those things add up.
Hey, eating out, orderingout dinner is definitely more
expensive than making it yourself.
Hiring that plumber, goingto the automobile shop.
(02:50):
All those things cost money.
So it's definitely costing us financially.
Well, guess what?
It's also costing usemotionally and spiritually.
Anybody saying, Ralph, I don't get it.
I, I get the financial part, man, but youlost me on the emotional and spiritual.
Here's the bottom line.
When you have to constantly outsourcefor everything, you don't feel capable.
(03:11):
What does that lead to?
It leads to this feeling of beingdependent, and even in the bottom of
that, which I think is the most sinisterpart, it leaves you a little frustrated
because deep down, you know, in your heartyou say, I could probably learn this.
And here's the thing I wantyou to understand today.
This is a Christian show.
God wired you for growth.
(03:33):
He just did.
He didn't wire us to all,every, outsource, everything
we were made to learn.
We were made to develop we were madeto steward what he's been given to us.
Let's get into the word a little bit.
Look at the book of Proverbs,chapter 12, verse 24.
It says this, this one is kind of harsh.
The hand of the diligent will rule, butthe slothful will be forced to labor.
(03:57):
Now, listen, I'm not saying that you'regonna be forced to labor, but we can,
we can learn a lot from the scripture,the hand of the diligent, those
people who learn new things, refinenew skills they're gonna rule, but
those who are slothful, those who areoutsourcing everything and not learning.
Now listen, I'm not sayingto never outsource stuff.
There is stuff that should be outsourced.
(04:19):
I'm, I'm an accountant for, for a living.
People outsource that work to me.
But if it's things that you canlearn, if it's a skill that you can
pick up, it's a great thing to do.
See, that means when you'rewilling to learn, when you're
willing to try something, whenyou're willing to work hard at it.
The scripture very clearly saysthat God just honors that diligence.
Look at Matthew 25 verses 14 to 30.
(04:41):
Now this is the well-knownparable, the talents.
I'm not gonna read that whole thingto you today, but the whole point of
that was that Jesus had said to atthe end, this is the last part of that
well done good and faithful servant.
You've been faithful over a little.
I will set you over much.
Enter into the joy of the master.
(05:03):
Now listen, God's notasking for perfection.
He's asking for faithfulness.
Well, what does thatfaithfulness look like, Ralph?
Well, it it looks like action.
It looks like stewardship.
And see, when you learn a new skill, whenyou go and do some study, go and try to
figure stuff out when you're multiplyingwhat he gave you and that, my friends,
(05:25):
that right there is faith in motion.
So you might be asking, what can we do?
How do we solve this problem, Ralph?
What I'm gonna tell you, it'spretty simple, but if you agree
to do this, it is hugely powerful.
Just choose one money savingskill and start learning it today.
That's it.
Not, not 10 things.
I don't want you to go get adegree from a trade school so
(05:46):
that you can fix your faucet.
It's not what I'm saying at all.
Just one skill.
So here's your one action step for today.
I want you to this weekidentify one paid task.
What's one thing you regularly pay someoneto do that you could handle on yourself?
Lemme give you a few ideas.
Maybe changing your car's air filter.
Could you get a YouTube video?
Could you go to the local parts shopand pick up the air filter, maybe
(06:10):
that loose cabinet door that yourwife or your husband would say,
I, I wish we could get this fixed.
Maybe it's mending a shirt.
You know, learn how todo a couple stitches.
How about this?
Making some homemade bread or hooking upa new printer instead of calling a Geek
Squad or somebody to come out and do it.
Hey, maybe you're in the showerand that shower head just
doesn't work like it used to.
Maybe you can replace that shower head.
(06:31):
And here's one that I thinkall of us can learn from.
How about cooking a meal from scratch?
Okay, so once you've decided onwhat that looks like for you, just
one, not 12, not 10, just one.
Go and find a free learning resource.
Hey, that's one of the bestthings about technology.
There are places to learn.
You can go right on YouTube.
You might be watchingthis on YouTube right now.
(06:53):
You might be listening to this.
You can go to YouTube andfind all kinds of information.
You can go to your local library,check out a book, or Google
has great step-by-step guides.
Or maybe next time you're in one of yourchurch groups or a small group bible, say,
Hey, does anybody here know how to do X?
Maybe you've got a, a friend at the churchwho's a plumber, and then just spend 15,
(07:13):
20, maybe 30 minutes learning the basics.
Again, I don't want you to go totrade school to become a plumber.
And then the big takeawayfrom this, try it yourself.
So the next time that needcomes up, give it a shot.
Hey, if it's cooking at dinner, Ithink we all can figure that out.
You're, and remember, you'renot aiming to be perfect.
You're just aiming for progress becausethis works in the long term because
(07:37):
it really cuts down your expenses.
And like I talked about,it's not just financial.
It builds your confidence.
It helps you become less financiallydependent and emotionally dependent.
And the best part of all, ithonors the time and talents
that God has already gave you.
And remember this, you don'tneed to master everything
just one thing at a time.
(07:59):
Well, how about we pray together today?
Heavenly Father, we just thank you forthe gifts and the talents, Lord, and the
opportunities you've placed in our lives.
And Lord, we just ask that youwould forgive us for shrinking
back, for doubting when we'recapable of, and for defaulting to
convenience when growth was an option,
Lord.
Help us identify this week just onenew skill, one act of faith-driven
(08:21):
stewardship that we can learn from andthat we can apply to our lives, Lord,
and just give us the courage to try iteven if we fail the first time, Lord.
Let us honor you by using ourhands, Lord, and our minds, and our
time to build a life that reflectsyour wisdom and your provision.
And we ask this with confidence.
In Jesus' name, Amen Friend.
(08:42):
Learning a new skill isn'tjust a do it yourself win.
It's so much bigger than that.
It's a spiritual discipline.
It's a step towards freedom,and in the end, it's a bold
act of faithful stewardship.
So today, like I said, one skill,one step, and if this show helped
you today, or if this episode helpedyou today, I'm gonna encourage you
to share it with somebody else thatcould use that same encouragement.
(09:05):
You can point 'em right to our website.
That's financiallyconfident christian.com.
And hey, while you're there.
Why don't you get a copy of my free book?
It's called Mastering Your Finances.
It's free to you.
It's a short book, but man, it issuper impactful to help you finally
gaining control of your finances.
And again, you getthat@financiallyconfidentchristian.com
(09:26):
slash master.
And listen, don't miss tomorrow's episode.
We're gonna talk about how to givegifts with meaning without overspending.
Hey, if you got that birthday comingup or that anniversary and Christmas,
hey it's, I heard yesterday.
It's just about six months away.
I want to show you tomorrow how to givegifts with meaning without overspending.
So don't miss tomorrow's show.
And I just want you to hear this.
(09:48):
You are doing things, you'regrowing, you are becoming a
financially confident Christian.
I believe in you now.
Go believe in yourself.
Stay faithful, stay wise,learn that new skill.
God bless you and youhave a great day today.
Do you ever feel likeyou're just bleeding money?
I'm talking about on things thatyou might be able to do yourself.
A car repair here, a plumber, call there,meal kits, because cooking feels too hard.
All those little secret fees that seemto creep into our lives every day.
Yes, they add up fast.
But what if I told you that learningone small skill, just one could
(00:21):
save you hundreds, maybe eventhousands, and not just money.
Confidence, peace, anda whole lot of freedom.
Well stick with me todaybecause we're gonna unlock some
powerful truths on today's show.
Hey there, friend.
Welcome back to your Daily,financially Confident Christian.
I'm Ralph, and I'm honored to bewith you on part of your journey
(00:43):
today as we continue seekingan answer to that question.
And that's how can I become afinancially confident Christian?
And we're continuing in our seriestoday Beyond the Budget, we're
working to find financial freedomthrough intentional living.
Now, if you missed yesterday'sshow, we talked all about the
joy of secondhand savings.
We talked about how to go to swapmeets and things like that, and really
(01:05):
find stuff that you could use andbest part of it, save a ton of money.
So if you missed it, I'm gonnaencourage you to check it out.
And today we're gonnago a little bit further.
We're gonna answer this question.
Can learning new skillsactually save me thousands.
Well, let's find outtogether on the show today.
So let me ask you, when somethingbreaks, let's say you're, you're, you're
(01:26):
sitting there and the sink breaks.
You know, you go to turn the wateron and no water's coming out.
Or worst case scenario, maybe thewater's shooting out everywhere.
Well, is your first instinct,well, I'm gonna go get my
toolbox, I'm gonna go fix that.
Or is it more like, Hey, I'm reachingfor the phone to call somebody.
Like I said, maybe you've got that leakyfaucet and you say, oh, you know what?
I could go look it up on YouTube.
(01:47):
Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna go to YouTube.
I'm gonna find a video about, so Itype in leaky faucet and I'm looking
at YouTube's, oh, this looks so simple.
Like, wait a minute.
It doesn't look so simple.
After all.
Actually, it looks kind of scary.
So what's the first thing you do?
Huh?
Pick up the phone.
You call a plumber.
Well, let's say you're driving to workand all of a sudden on your dashboard
you see that tire pressure light.
(02:09):
Now you could learn what that means.
You could learn how to fixit, but instead you just head
right to the automobile shop.
And then of course there's dinner tonight.
Hadn't planned on anything.
No meal prep ahead of time.
So what do you do?
You grab your phone, take out order again.
See, the truth is we've all beenconditioned to outsource everything.
(02:29):
Our whole economy, dare I say, theUnited States economy in general is
all about outsourcing everything.
Have you ever thoughtabout what it's costing us?
Yes, it's costing us financially.
Those things add up.
Hey, eating out, orderingout dinner is definitely more
expensive than making it yourself.
Hiring that plumber, goingto the automobile shop.
(02:50):
All those things cost money.
So it's definitely costing us financially.
Well, guess what?
It's also costing usemotionally and spiritually.
Anybody saying, Ralph, I don't get it.
I, I get the financial part, man, but youlost me on the emotional and spiritual.
Here's the bottom line.
When you have to constantly outsourcefor everything, you don't feel capable.
(03:11):
What does that lead to?
It leads to this feeling of beingdependent, and even in the bottom of
that, which I think is the most sinisterpart, it leaves you a little frustrated
because deep down, you know, in your heartyou say, I could probably learn this.
And here's the thing I wantyou to understand today.
This is a Christian show.
God wired you for growth.
(03:33):
He just did.
He didn't wire us to all,every, outsource, everything
we were made to learn.
We were made to develop we were madeto steward what he's been given to us.
Let's get into the word a little bit.
Look at the book of Proverbs,chapter 12, verse 24.
It says this, this one is kind of harsh.
The hand of the diligent will rule, butthe slothful will be forced to labor.
(03:57):
Now, listen, I'm not saying that you'regonna be forced to labor, but we can,
we can learn a lot from the scripture,the hand of the diligent, those
people who learn new things, refinenew skills they're gonna rule, but
those who are slothful, those who areoutsourcing everything and not learning.
Now listen, I'm not sayingto never outsource stuff.
There is stuff that should be outsourced.
(04:19):
I'm, I'm an accountant for, for a living.
People outsource that work to me.
But if it's things that you canlearn, if it's a skill that you can
pick up, it's a great thing to do.
See, that means when you'rewilling to learn, when you're
willing to try something, whenyou're willing to work hard at it.
The scripture very clearly saysthat God just honors that diligence.
Look at Matthew 25 verses 14 to 30.
(04:41):
Now this is the well-knownparable, the talents.
I'm not gonna read that whole thingto you today, but the whole point of
that was that Jesus had said to atthe end, this is the last part of that
well done good and faithful servant.
You've been faithful over a little.
I will set you over much.
Enter into the joy of the master.
(05:03):
Now listen, God's notasking for perfection.
He's asking for faithfulness.
Well, what does thatfaithfulness look like, Ralph?
Well, it it looks like action.
It looks like stewardship.
And see, when you learn a new skill, whenyou go and do some study, go and try to
figure stuff out when you're multiplyingwhat he gave you and that, my friends,
(05:25):
that right there is faith in motion.
So you might be asking, what can we do?
How do we solve this problem, Ralph?
What I'm gonna tell you, it'spretty simple, but if you agree
to do this, it is hugely powerful.
Just choose one money savingskill and start learning it today.
That's it.
Not, not 10 things.
I don't want you to go get adegree from a trade school so
(05:46):
that you can fix your faucet.
It's not what I'm saying at all.
Just one skill.
So here's your one action step for today.
I want you to this weekidentify one paid task.
What's one thing you regularly pay someoneto do that you could handle on yourself?
Lemme give you a few ideas.
Maybe changing your car's air filter.
Could you get a YouTube video?
Could you go to the local parts shopand pick up the air filter, maybe
(06:10):
that loose cabinet door that yourwife or your husband would say,
I, I wish we could get this fixed.
Maybe it's mending a shirt.
You know, learn how todo a couple stitches.
How about this?
Making some homemade bread or hooking upa new printer instead of calling a Geek
Squad or somebody to come out and do it.
Hey, maybe you're in the showerand that shower head just
doesn't work like it used to.
Maybe you can replace that shower head.
(06:31):
And here's one that I thinkall of us can learn from.
How about cooking a meal from scratch?
Okay, so once you've decided onwhat that looks like for you, just
one, not 12, not 10, just one.
Go and find a free learning resource.
Hey, that's one of the bestthings about technology.
There are places to learn.
You can go right on YouTube.
You might be watchingthis on YouTube right now.
(06:53):
You might be listening to this.
You can go to YouTube andfind all kinds of information.
You can go to your local library,check out a book, or Google
has great step-by-step guides.
Or maybe next time you're in one of yourchurch groups or a small group bible, say,
Hey, does anybody here know how to do X?
Maybe you've got a, a friend at the churchwho's a plumber, and then just spend 15,
(07:13):
20, maybe 30 minutes learning the basics.
Again, I don't want you to go totrade school to become a plumber.
And then the big takeawayfrom this, try it yourself.
So the next time that needcomes up, give it a shot.
Hey, if it's cooking at dinner, Ithink we all can figure that out.
You're, and remember, you'renot aiming to be perfect.
You're just aiming for progress becausethis works in the long term because
(07:37):
it really cuts down your expenses.
And like I talked about,it's not just financial.
It builds your confidence.
It helps you become less financiallydependent and emotionally dependent.
And the best part of all, ithonors the time and talents
that God has already gave you.
And remember this, you don'tneed to master everything
just one thing at a time.
(07:59):
Well, how about we pray together today?
Heavenly Father, we just thank you forthe gifts and the talents, Lord, and the
opportunities you've placed in our lives.
And Lord, we just ask that youwould forgive us for shrinking
back, for doubting when we'recapable of, and for defaulting to
convenience when growth was an option,
Lord.
Help us identify this week just onenew skill, one act of faith-driven
(08:21):
stewardship that we can learn from andthat we can apply to our lives, Lord,
and just give us the courage to try iteven if we fail the first time, Lord.
Let us honor you by using ourhands, Lord, and our minds, and our
time to build a life that reflectsyour wisdom and your provision.
And we ask this with confidence.
In Jesus' name, Amen Friend.
(08:42):
Learning a new skill isn'tjust a do it yourself win.
It's so much bigger than that.
It's a spiritual discipline.
It's a step towards freedom,and in the end, it's a bold
act of faithful stewardship.
So today, like I said, one skill,one step, and if this show helped
you today, or if this episode helpedyou today, I'm gonna encourage you
to share it with somebody else thatcould use that same encouragement.
(09:05):
You can point 'em right to our website.
That's financiallyconfident christian.com.
And hey, while you're there.
Why don't you get a copy of my free book?
It's called Mastering Your Finances.
It's free to you.
It's a short book, but man, it issuper impactful to help you finally
gaining control of your finances.
And again, you getthat@financiallyconfidentchristian.com
(09:26):
slash master.
And listen, don't miss tomorrow's episode.
We're gonna talk about how to givegifts with meaning without overspending.
Hey, if you got that birthday comingup or that anniversary and Christmas,
hey it's, I heard yesterday.
It's just about six months away.
I want to show you tomorrow how to givegifts with meaning without overspending.
So don't miss tomorrow's show.
And I just want you to hear this.
(09:48):
You are doing things, you'regrowing, you are becoming a
financially confident Christian.
I believe in you now.
Go believe in yourself.
Stay faithful, stay wise,learn that new skill.
God bless you and youhave a great day today.
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