June 29, 2025 • 15 mins
You finally got that raise, the extra income you were praying for… so why does the financial stress still linger? In this episode, Ralph kicks off the Beyond the Budget series by exploring a powerful myth: that a higher income automatically leads to more peace. Through a personal story, biblical insight, and practical action steps, he helps unpack why chasing more money always solves your financial stress
Check out the full podcast episode here
You’ll discover how intentional living, contentment, and values-aligned decisions can bring lasting peace, regardless of your income level. Ralph invites listeners to reflect on their “why,” identify unintentional expenses, and begin living with purpose instead of pressure.
Chapters:
- 00:09 - Finding Financial Freedom
- 00:55 - Beyond the Budget: Finding Financial Freedom Through Intentional Living
- 04:51 - Embracing Intentional Living
- 05:39 - The Importance of Intentional Financial Decisions
- 08:17 - Finding Financial Peace
- 10:42 - Intentional Living: A New Approach
Takeaways:
- Don't fall into the trap thinking more money equals more peace; it's not that simple!
- Real freedom from financial stress comes from living intentionally, not just chasing cash.
- Contentment is key; it doesn't come from possessions but from aligning your values with your money.
- Ask yourself why you want more money; understanding this can lead to true financial peace.
Links referenced in this episode:
WATCH NOW ON YOUTUBE (OUR VIDEO VERSION)
WATCH NOW ON RUMBLE (OUR VIDEO VERSION)
Please share our Podcast with all your friends and family!
Submit your questions or ideas for future shows - email us at
ralph@askralph.com or leave a voicemail message on our podcast page
Buy Ralph's Book - Mastering Your Finances!
Buy Ralph's Book - Gospel of Entrepreneurship: Following Jesus in Your Business Journey
Buy Ralph's Book - How to Become a Financially Confident Christian
Want to be a guest on Financially Confident Christian? Send Ralph Estep, Jr. a message on PodMatch, here:
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ralph (00:00):
You've worked hard, you've managed your money, maybe even increased your
income, but then deep down, do you stillfeel this nagging financial stress?
What if the answer isn't just more money,but something even far more liberating?
Stick with me today becauseI'm gonna share exactly how
to find that real freedom.
(00:33):
Hey, and welcome back to your DailyFinancially Confident Christian.
I'm Ralph, and we continue our journeyanswering that big question, how can I
become a financially confident Christian?
Now, if you join me yesterday, youknow, we wrapped up a powerful series
on dealing with the stress of moneyworries, and if there was 30 episodes
in that series, I encourage if youmissed any of 'em, you can go back and
(00:53):
check them out right on our website.
But today I'm excited to launcha new series and this one we're
calling Beyond the Budget.
Finding financial freedomthrough intentional living.
We're gonna talk about a lot ofintentional living discussions.
And today's core question is,this is more money, really the
answer to my financial stress.
(01:14):
Now, maybe you've been there,you get that raise and there's
this, you know, moment of relief.
You're like, go, wow, this is fantastic.
I, I got that raise.
Now, things aren't gonna seem sotight and, and for a little while it
stays like that, but then over time,expenses start to creep up again.
And those bills start to feel stressfulagain, and you chase more income, but the
(01:35):
peace doesn't last because there's thisbelief that somehow income equals peace.
And that's a very common belief.
The problem is, it's so disappointingwhen it doesn't deliver.
'cause what it really does, it just leavesyou chasing endlessly and endlessly.
You're, you're just never content.
You're never free.
(01:56):
And that very pursuit.
That very pursuit becomesits own source of stress.
I remember, I, I fellinto this trap myself.
I'll never forget it.
I decided that I wanted tobuy a really expensive watch
'cause I had to have this watch.
My business had beendoing well, it had groan.
And, and I saw this watch as asign that I had arrived and my
(02:17):
wife and I and the two boys, wedecided we're gonna go to the mall.
And we went to this fancy jewelry store.
And I'm looking at the counter, man.
I'm telling you, I'm, I'm all puffed up.
I'm feeling great about myself.
And I picked out the one I wanted and Isaid, oh, this is, this is so beautiful.
It's a beautiful watch.
And the lady behind the counter, you know,she sized it up for me and checked out.
And I don't even wanna tell you whatI spent, 'cause it was ridiculous.
(02:39):
But I'm walking down the mall and I'mkind of putting on this little crazy
strut, and you look at me, look at me.
I got home and oh look, aday or two later, guess what?
I just felt empty again, thereason I felt empty, was because
it was all about what others think.
See, here's the thing.
(02:59):
Income is important.
Yes, it is important.
The Bible teaches something far moreimportant and far more valuable.
It teaches contentment.
And the thing you've gottaunderstand is what I don't want you
to hear today, we start this newseries about intentional living.
You need to understand that contentmentdoesn't come from possessions.
(03:21):
Let's get into the word.
Let's look at the book ofLuke, chapter 12, verse 15.
It says this, watch out.
Hey, when a verse starts, watch out.
Guess what?
Watch out.
Watch out.
Be on your guard againstall kinds of greed.
Life does not consist in an abundance ofpossessions, and I wish I had read that
before I went and bought that watch.
(03:44):
And here's another truth, mom.
Peace isn't about yourincome size, it's just not.
I've met some very wealthy people whoare definitely not at peace, and I've
met some people who are just barelymaking it, who have a level of peace
that I could only hope to get to.
Peace isn't about your incomesize, it's about how you manage,
and more importantly, whatyou think about what you have.
(04:07):
See, here's the thing.
You gotta ask yourself if yourdesires are always growing.
When your income grows, you'realways gonna feel stretched.
You're just always gonna feel stretched.
It wouldn't matter how muchincome you have because the
desire keeps growing with it.
See, God calls us to somethingcompletely different.
God calls us to stewardwhat we have with purpose.
(04:31):
With purpose, and see true peace.
It's my personal viewtoday, what I wanna share.
True peace comes from intentionalliving, not just more money.
So now you're saying,Ralph, what can we do?
Is, is, if more money isn't the answer.
And Ralph, I'm confused.
What's the answer?
Kind of already alluded to it, butI truly believe the single solution
(04:55):
is to embrace intentional living.
Now you're gonna say,Ralph, what does that mean?
Well, let me tell you right now, Iwant you to embrace intentional living.
I want you to align your spending.
I want you to align your savings,and I want you to align your giving.
Align those with your values, alignthose with your purpose, and align
those with a level of contentment.
(05:17):
You gotta choose how money serve youand how it serves God instead of letting
culture dictate your financial life.
Hey, when I bought that watch,that's what I was doing.
I was letting culturedictate my financial life.
I made this ridiculously dumb decision.
I ended up selling the watcha few months later, but I had
to make a conscious decision.
I had to be intentional.
(05:39):
I had to choose how money serves me.
Instead of lettingculture just dictate it.
So I've got your oneaction item for today.
I want you to start by reflecting on that.
Why?
Because that's where it needs to start.
Ask yourself this very difficultsoul searching question,
why do I want more money?
And that's not an easy question to askor an easy answer to answer either.
(06:03):
Why do I want more money?
And be honest with yourself.
Is it for security?
I just don't wanna worryabout money anymore.
Is it so you can give more?
I wanna be more charitable.
Maybe it's not.
Maybe it's for comparison.
Hey, that's what I was doing is about,I wanna walk through the mall, look
at this guy, look at this watch.
I wanted everybody tosay, look at that watch.
That's fantastic.
(06:24):
Or maybe it's just consumption.
And I'm not telling you to judge.
I'm not judging you.
Listen, I'm not judging you right now.
Reflect on your why.
Ask, why do you want more money?
It's not about judgment.
It's about awareness.
The second step to this, I want youto identify one unintentional expense.
(06:44):
I want you to look at your weak spending.
Hopefully you're stilltracking that spending.
If you, if you're not tracking 'em,encourage you to do it, but look at
your weak spending and find one habitor item that doesn't match your values.
A friend of mine, mark once told me,he said, Ralph, I listened to your
show and it punched me in the gut.
I guess that was a good thing.
He sort of, he said, Rob, you know,when I listen to you sometimes
(07:05):
it, it's exactly what I need.
He said, punch in the gut.
' cause what Mark was saying isit's that habit or that item
that doesn't match his values.
These could be things like impulsebuys or maybe just convenience cost,
or as I was doing those status drivenpurchases at your spending, find
that who's one, maybe there's severalthat just don't match your values.
(07:28):
Then to be intentional, the next stepis to make a conscious choice for you.
Maybe that's decide to eithereliminate it for a week.
Maybe you say, listen, this is oneof those status driven purchases.
I don't need to go to Starbucks.
I don't need to go wherever you're going.
I'm not picking on Starbucks, but maybeyou eliminate it for a week, or maybe for
you it's that impulse buying, so maybeyou need to just reduce it significantly.
(07:50):
Maybe you put in that pausethat I talk about on the show.
Before I buy something, I'm gonnaput it in the cart and let it sort of
stew out there, like in the crockpot.
Or maybe the decision is, listen,I'm gonna redirect it all altogether.
I'm gonna redirect it to a better goal.
So think about your why, look atyour spending, and be intentional.
Make that conscious choice anddecide what you're gonna do with it.
(08:13):
Eliminate it, reduce it, orjust redirect it all together.
And I wanna tell you why this helps,because here's how it helps, it stops
that passive drift towards stress.
Because here's what I've, here'swhat I've observed in my own life.
This is Ralph talking.
Now, as my income increases, the stressstarts to increase too, because there's
more of an expectation that I need more.
(08:34):
But this redirect, it redirects yourenergy to that intentional piece.
You're, you're saying to yourself,here are my values, here are my wise.
Here's why I choose.
Here's what I choose to do with my money.
And in the end, a big hairytakeaway from this is you prove that
peace doesn't require more money.
It just doesn't.
(08:55):
That's the beautiful answer to this.
Your peace doesn't require more money.
It just requires a better alignmentwith your God given purpose.
Well, let's pray together now.
Father, we just thank youfor being our provider.
And Lord, we often believe thatmore money is the answer to stress,
It's gonna solve all our problems.
(09:15):
Lord, help us see through that myth.
Help us to live intentionally.
Lord, help us to align our money with yourpurposes and, and really our 'core why's'.
Help us to seek contentment, Lord,and help us to find clarity in these
intentional financial decisions.
And we ask this with confidence.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
(09:36):
Listen.
Financial peace isn't just aboutyour paycheck size, it's just not.
I hope you trust me on that.
It's about how intentionally you live.
See, that's what this wholenext 30 days is gonna be about,
how to intentionally live.
So I just wanna encourage you,take one small step, because
you're moving towards freedom.
(09:58):
I just wanna encourage you, if thisepisode has been impactful to you,
or if the show in general has beenimpactful to you, do me a favor and
share this episode with somebody else.
There are other people out there thatneed to hear this message of hope and
this message of there is a better way.
They don't have to live in that financialshame, in that stress all the time.
So I'm just gonna encourageyou to share the show.
(10:19):
You can also find all of our resourcesat our website that's financially.
Confident christian.com.
And while you're there, I'vegot a special gift for you.
I wanna give you a copy of my book.
It's called Mastering Your Finances.
It's absolutely free.
It's just a small re, but let me tellyou right now, it can be truly impactful
and you get that by going to financiallyconfident christian.com/master.
(10:42):
Now, tomorrow we're gonna reallydig in deep to really discuss what
Intentional Living really means.
I'm gonna get into thedetail, so don't miss it.
Now let's all go out there and be.
Financially confidentChristians, you can do this.
I believe in you.
Believe in yourself.
Stay financially savvy.
God bless you, and youhave a great day today.
You've worked hard, you've managed your money, maybe even increased your
income, but then deep down, do you stillfeel this nagging financial stress?
What if the answer isn't just more money,but something even far more liberating?
Stick with me today becauseI'm gonna share exactly how
to find that real freedom.
(00:33):
Hey, and welcome back to your DailyFinancially Confident Christian.
I'm Ralph, and we continue our journeyanswering that big question, how can I
become a financially confident Christian?
Now, if you join me yesterday, youknow, we wrapped up a powerful series
on dealing with the stress of moneyworries, and if there was 30 episodes
in that series, I encourage if youmissed any of 'em, you can go back and
(00:53):
check them out right on our website.
But today I'm excited to launcha new series and this one we're
calling Beyond the Budget.
Finding financial freedomthrough intentional living.
We're gonna talk about a lot ofintentional living discussions.
And today's core question is,this is more money, really the
answer to my financial stress.
(01:14):
Now, maybe you've been there,you get that raise and there's
this, you know, moment of relief.
You're like, go, wow, this is fantastic.
I, I got that raise.
Now, things aren't gonna seem sotight and, and for a little while it
stays like that, but then over time,expenses start to creep up again.
And those bills start to feel stressfulagain, and you chase more income, but the
(01:35):
peace doesn't last because there's thisbelief that somehow income equals peace.
And that's a very common belief.
The problem is, it's so disappointingwhen it doesn't deliver.
'cause what it really does, it just leavesyou chasing endlessly and endlessly.
You're, you're just never content.
You're never free.
(01:56):
And that very pursuit.
That very pursuit becomesits own source of stress.
I remember, I, I fellinto this trap myself.
I'll never forget it.
I decided that I wanted tobuy a really expensive watch
'cause I had to have this watch.
My business had beendoing well, it had groan.
And, and I saw this watch as asign that I had arrived and my
(02:17):
wife and I and the two boys, wedecided we're gonna go to the mall.
And we went to this fancy jewelry store.
And I'm looking at the counter, man.
I'm telling you, I'm, I'm all puffed up.
I'm feeling great about myself.
And I picked out the one I wanted and Isaid, oh, this is, this is so beautiful.
It's a beautiful watch.
And the lady behind the counter, you know,she sized it up for me and checked out.
And I don't even wanna tell you whatI spent, 'cause it was ridiculous.
(02:39):
But I'm walking down the mall and I'mkind of putting on this little crazy
strut, and you look at me, look at me.
I got home and oh look, aday or two later, guess what?
I just felt empty again, thereason I felt empty, was because
it was all about what others think.
See, here's the thing.
(02:59):
Income is important.
Yes, it is important.
The Bible teaches something far moreimportant and far more valuable.
It teaches contentment.
And the thing you've gottaunderstand is what I don't want you
to hear today, we start this newseries about intentional living.
You need to understand that contentmentdoesn't come from possessions.
(03:21):
Let's get into the word.
Let's look at the book ofLuke, chapter 12, verse 15.
It says this, watch out.
Hey, when a verse starts, watch out.
Guess what?
Watch out.
Watch out.
Be on your guard againstall kinds of greed.
Life does not consist in an abundance ofpossessions, and I wish I had read that
before I went and bought that watch.
(03:44):
And here's another truth, mom.
Peace isn't about yourincome size, it's just not.
I've met some very wealthy people whoare definitely not at peace, and I've
met some people who are just barelymaking it, who have a level of peace
that I could only hope to get to.
Peace isn't about your incomesize, it's about how you manage,
and more importantly, whatyou think about what you have.
(04:07):
See, here's the thing.
You gotta ask yourself if yourdesires are always growing.
When your income grows, you'realways gonna feel stretched.
You're just always gonna feel stretched.
It wouldn't matter how muchincome you have because the
desire keeps growing with it.
See, God calls us to somethingcompletely different.
God calls us to stewardwhat we have with purpose.
(04:31):
With purpose, and see true peace.
It's my personal viewtoday, what I wanna share.
True peace comes from intentionalliving, not just more money.
So now you're saying,Ralph, what can we do?
Is, is, if more money isn't the answer.
And Ralph, I'm confused.
What's the answer?
Kind of already alluded to it, butI truly believe the single solution
(04:55):
is to embrace intentional living.
Now you're gonna say,Ralph, what does that mean?
Well, let me tell you right now, Iwant you to embrace intentional living.
I want you to align your spending.
I want you to align your savings,and I want you to align your giving.
Align those with your values, alignthose with your purpose, and align
those with a level of contentment.
(05:17):
You gotta choose how money serve youand how it serves God instead of letting
culture dictate your financial life.
Hey, when I bought that watch,that's what I was doing.
I was letting culturedictate my financial life.
I made this ridiculously dumb decision.
I ended up selling the watcha few months later, but I had
to make a conscious decision.
I had to be intentional.
(05:39):
I had to choose how money serves me.
Instead of lettingculture just dictate it.
So I've got your oneaction item for today.
I want you to start by reflecting on that.
Why?
Because that's where it needs to start.
Ask yourself this very difficultsoul searching question,
why do I want more money?
And that's not an easy question to askor an easy answer to answer either.
(06:03):
Why do I want more money?
And be honest with yourself.
Is it for security?
I just don't wanna worryabout money anymore.
Is it so you can give more?
I wanna be more charitable.
Maybe it's not.
Maybe it's for comparison.
Hey, that's what I was doing is about,I wanna walk through the mall, look
at this guy, look at this watch.
I wanted everybody tosay, look at that watch.
That's fantastic.
(06:24):
Or maybe it's just consumption.
And I'm not telling you to judge.
I'm not judging you.
Listen, I'm not judging you right now.
Reflect on your why.
Ask, why do you want more money?
It's not about judgment.
It's about awareness.
The second step to this, I want youto identify one unintentional expense.
(06:44):
I want you to look at your weak spending.
Hopefully you're stilltracking that spending.
If you, if you're not tracking 'em,encourage you to do it, but look at
your weak spending and find one habitor item that doesn't match your values.
A friend of mine, mark once told me,he said, Ralph, I listened to your
show and it punched me in the gut.
I guess that was a good thing.
He sort of, he said, Rob, you know,when I listen to you sometimes
(07:05):
it, it's exactly what I need.
He said, punch in the gut.
' cause what Mark was saying isit's that habit or that item
that doesn't match his values.
These could be things like impulsebuys or maybe just convenience cost,
or as I was doing those status drivenpurchases at your spending, find
that who's one, maybe there's severalthat just don't match your values.
(07:28):
Then to be intentional, the next stepis to make a conscious choice for you.
Maybe that's decide to eithereliminate it for a week.
Maybe you say, listen, this is oneof those status driven purchases.
I don't need to go to Starbucks.
I don't need to go wherever you're going.
I'm not picking on Starbucks, but maybeyou eliminate it for a week, or maybe for
you it's that impulse buying, so maybeyou need to just reduce it significantly.
(07:50):
Maybe you put in that pausethat I talk about on the show.
Before I buy something, I'm gonnaput it in the cart and let it sort of
stew out there, like in the crockpot.
Or maybe the decision is, listen,I'm gonna redirect it all altogether.
I'm gonna redirect it to a better goal.
So think about your why, look atyour spending, and be intentional.
Make that conscious choice anddecide what you're gonna do with it.
(08:13):
Eliminate it, reduce it, orjust redirect it all together.
And I wanna tell you why this helps,because here's how it helps, it stops
that passive drift towards stress.
Because here's what I've, here'swhat I've observed in my own life.
This is Ralph talking.
Now, as my income increases, the stressstarts to increase too, because there's
more of an expectation that I need more.
(08:34):
But this redirect, it redirects yourenergy to that intentional piece.
You're, you're saying to yourself,here are my values, here are my wise.
Here's why I choose.
Here's what I choose to do with my money.
And in the end, a big hairytakeaway from this is you prove that
peace doesn't require more money.
It just doesn't.
(08:55):
That's the beautiful answer to this.
Your peace doesn't require more money.
It just requires a better alignmentwith your God given purpose.
Well, let's pray together now.
Father, we just thank youfor being our provider.
And Lord, we often believe thatmore money is the answer to stress,
It's gonna solve all our problems.
(09:15):
Lord, help us see through that myth.
Help us to live intentionally.
Lord, help us to align our money with yourpurposes and, and really our 'core why's'.
Help us to seek contentment, Lord,and help us to find clarity in these
intentional financial decisions.
And we ask this with confidence.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
(09:36):
Listen.
Financial peace isn't just aboutyour paycheck size, it's just not.
I hope you trust me on that.
It's about how intentionally you live.
See, that's what this wholenext 30 days is gonna be about,
how to intentionally live.
So I just wanna encourage you,take one small step, because
you're moving towards freedom.
(09:58):
I just wanna encourage you, if thisepisode has been impactful to you,
or if the show in general has beenimpactful to you, do me a favor and
share this episode with somebody else.
There are other people out there thatneed to hear this message of hope and
this message of there is a better way.
They don't have to live in that financialshame, in that stress all the time.
So I'm just gonna encourageyou to share the show.
(10:19):
You can also find all of our resourcesat our website that's financially.
Confident christian.com.
And while you're there, I'vegot a special gift for you.
I wanna give you a copy of my book.
It's called Mastering Your Finances.
It's absolutely free.
It's just a small re, but let me tellyou right now, it can be truly impactful
and you get that by going to financiallyconfident christian.com/master.
(10:42):
Now, tomorrow we're gonna reallydig in deep to really discuss what
Intentional Living really means.
I'm gonna get into thedetail, so don't miss it.
Now let's all go out there and be.
Financially confidentChristians, you can do this.
I believe in you.
Believe in yourself.
Stay financially savvy.
God bless you, and youhave a great day today.
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