Why Is It So Hard to Start Saving Anything At All?

Truth is, you know, you should be saving. Even tell yourself, next paycheck, Ralph, I'm going to start.But then like most of it, the bills hit groceries, gas, and that one thing that popped up out of completely nowhere and suddenly there's nothing left. Again. Friend, I get it. Starting to save can feel impossible, like something other people do, but you just can't seem to pull off yourself.Well, stick with me today because we're going to break down why it feels so hard to do it and and how to finally get moving no matter how small you need to start. That's what I'm going to talk about on today's show.This is Financially Confident Christian, your daily dose of gospel, grounded insight and faith driven tips to help you break the cycle of financial shame with confidence. Hey there, friend. Welcome back to your Daily Financially Confident Christian.I'm Ralph and I'm here to help you build financial confidence and help you to do it rooted in God's wisdom and peace. And we are continuing in our series Breaking Financial Chains.We're talking about 30 days of how to get past those chains that are holding you back with your finances. Yesterday we talked about finding extra money even when there's zero room in your budget. We talked about those jeans after Thanksgiving dinner.What a great analogy. But if you miss it, I'm going to encourage you to go check it out.You can do that right@financiallyconfidentchristian.com well, today we're going to handle the next step. We talked a few days about debt. We're going to. Well, now we're going to talk about why it's so hard to actually start saving money at all.Remember, I worked with a man once. He told me this. He said, Ralph, I'll start saving when I finally make more money.Let me just tell you, I've heard that a hundred times and that was just last week. I'm just kidding. But it's a very common refrain. I hear this day in and day out. You might even have thought that yourself from time to time.But getting back to this story. So picture this. Six years later, he's making twice as much because guess what? He's still not saving any money. Why?Because here's the truth and this is the truth that you need to hear today. If you wait until it feels easy, hey, I'm going to have extra money. It's going to be, I'm going to get that new job.I'm going to make so much more money. If you wait that long, the truth is you're Going to be waiting forever.And I just want to repeat that today, because that is the thing I want you to hang on today. If you wait until it feels easy to start saving money, guess what? You're going to be waiting forever. And maybe you've been there, too.Hey, maybe you're there right now. You start to think, Ralph, when I get that raise, I'm going to be able to start saving money.Or, Ralph, when I pay off this bill, I'm going to be able to start saving money. Or maybe it's this, Ralph, when the kids get older, you get the idea. But somehow something always comes along to eat up that extra.It's so easy when we're. And that's like that pizza sitting on the table. Got one more piece there, you just kind of gobble it up, don't you?Well, if you've ever been stuck in that cycle, I want you to hear me and I want you to hear me loud and clear. Today isn't about shame. I'm not shaming you. I'm not here, you know, judging you for not being able to save. Listen, I've been there.I did that for a very long time. But today's about understanding that savings isn't about a huge surplus. So many people think it's got to be this huge surplus.I got to make more money, Ralph. I got to figure out where to find big dollars. All about making saving a priority. And here's the best part.Even if it's small, I'm talking about super small. We're going to talk about that in a few minutes, but let's get right into the Bible today.You know, on the show, I always want to give you some biblical basis for what we talk about. That's the whole point of the show. Well, let's look at the book of Ecclesiastes. We're going to go right to chapter 11, verse 6, and it says this.And this is brilliant. Sow your seed in the morning and at evening let your hands not be idle. What is that saying to us?Even if you don't know exactly how it's going to grow, you have to start planning and think about that as a vision. My grandfather loved a garden, and he would have this vision in his mind.He would lay out the rows and it would start with just a little seed that he would plant in the ground and cover up. And I did that for many, many years, helping him with his garden. Well, think about savings the same way.Even a small savings, even a small amount set aside week after week it can grow into something far greater than you ever expected. So that's the first biblical verse I want to talk about. And again, that was Ecclesiastes, chapter 11, verse 6. Well, let's look at another one.This is from First Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 2. It says this. Now, it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. Think about that for a second.If you've been given a trust, what has God done for you? Every dollar God gives you is a trust. And when you choose to save it, even just a little bit. I'm talking about a little bit. What are you showing him?You're showing him that you can be faithful in small things. And that's when he can trust you with big things. See, the truth is, God honors the habit, not just the amount.Think about the lady in The Bible with two coins. It wasn't the amount. It was what those two coins meant. Your faithfulness with $5 matters to God.So here's today's mindset shift that you really need to make if you want to break out of this cycle of not being able to sa. You got to start thinking about savings as not what's left over. So many people think, oh, Ralph, I'm going to do it when I.When I can figure out what's left over. Stop thinking like that. Change your mindset. Start thinking of it as what I set aside first. You've heard me say on the show many times, save first.Pay God your your tithes and offerings first, even if it's just a few dollars. But when you do it over time, it builds momentum. And bigger than that, it builds confidence. So here's your one action step for today.I want you to just do this today. And trust me, if you've never been able to save, this will work for you. I want you to pick a tiny amount. I'm talking about five bucks, ten bucks.Hey, maybe you can even make it $20. Make it small so you can't say no. Something so obvious. Ralph, I'm going to set aside $5 a week and save that money.Hey, how many people can say, I can't find five dollars? I bet you can find five bucks, maybe find ten bucks. But start small. I don't want you to be able to say, no, I can't do this. Start small.And then I want you to open up a dedicated savings account. Maybe you call it your emergency fund starter or your future goals fund. Just you want to make sure it's separate.You want to make sure it's set aside with the intention of saving. See, a lot of people say, well, I'm just going to kind of carve that out of my checking account. I'm not going to spend that route.But no, I want you to move that money. If you can move it immediately once you get your paycheck, that's even better. Before you even spend a dime, move it.And then keep your hands off of it. Don't touch it unless it's a true emergency. That's what we're building here. We're building a true emergency savings fund.Because what are we doing here? We're making a habit of it. Even if it's a small amount, it's a habit. It's not just a hope. And habits grow in size, in strength, and in impact.When you continue to do them week after week or day after day, whatever that looks like for you, grow that habit. Well, how about we pray together?Father God, thank you for providing everything that you give us, Lord, and help us to be faithful with even the smallest amounts.We ask that you would give us discipline to start saving now, Lord, and give us trust in you to multiply those efforts so that we can see results and we can build that momentum, Lord. Even if we're starting with just the smallest things, we need to trust in you, Lord, and we need to see that you're working in our lives.And I just ask this in confidence and in Jesus name, Amen. Friends, starting to save isn't about some magic number. It's not some big pie in the sky. I got to have this much to get started.Like that story I told you about. The guy's making twice as much as he made before, but still not saving. It's not about that magic number. It's about making the first move.So I want to encourage you right now, make that move today. Even if it's just five bucks. Do it and let it be the start of something bigger.As we're talking about things bigger, I want to give you something absolutely free today. I just finished pending my last book. It's called how to become a Financially Confident Christian. I'm going to give you that book for free.You can get to it by going to financiallyconfidentchristian.com becoming. It's absolutely free to you just go to that website that's financially confidentchristian.com becoming and get your copy download for free. Now.Tomorrow we're going to talk about how to protect your budget from being wrecked by unexpected expenses. See, there's a method to my madness. We talked about debt. Then we talked about savings.Tomorrow we're going to talk about how to protect our budget that we've worked so hard at from being wrecked by those unexpected expenses. So here's what I encourage you for today. Let's go out there and be financially confident Christians. I believe in you. I have confidence in you.Have confidence in yourself. God bless you. And you have a great day today.