Yahweh’s Money®️: The Crossroads of Religion & Money

Empowering Finances Through Faith: Letting Go of Fear with Tanisha Allen

• Crusaders for Change, LLC • Season 3 • Episode 76

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Welcome to a transformative journey on Yahweh's Money, where faith meets finances! 

In this episode, my guest Tanisha Allen and I delve into conquering fear with faith to unlock financial freedom, career growth, and personal development. We share inspiring stories of taking bold financial risks, from selling homes to investing in personal growth. Embrace stewardship over ownership and trust God’s plan, even amidst life’s uncertainties. 

Whether it’s transforming your mindset or building a family legacy, it’s time to stop letting fear control your decisions and start living abundantly. 

🎙️ Here are 3 key takeaways from their insightful conversation:

  1. Acknowledge Fear, but Overcome It with Faith: Fear is a natural human emotion that can impact financial decisions. Shay and Tanisha encouraged listeners to acknowledge their fears but reminded them that God provides the strength to overcome these fears through faith.
  2. Stewardship Over Ownership: Everything we have is a gift from God. Shay and Tanisha emphasize the importance of viewing our resources as God's provisions, helping us to release the pressure of ownership and to focus on being good stewards of what's been entrusted to us.
  3. Planning and Trust Go Hand-in-Hand: Understanding your financial situation—your income, expenses, and goals—provides a foundation for informed decision-making. Combining this awareness with trust in God's plan leads to peace and confidence in financial journeys.

Did we leave anything out regarding college expenses? Let us know at yahweh@crusaders4change.org. 

Episode Sources

  1. 2 Timothy 1:7 - "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind." 
  2. Yahweh's Money: Managing Money in a Marriage
  3. Psalm 19
  4. Psalm 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God." 
  5. Isaiah 41:10 - "So do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, and I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Follow Tanisha in these spaces:

Instagram - instagram.com/financialtheologian

Facebook - Facebook.com/financialtheologian

Send us a text

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Our podcast is proudly sponsored by Crusaders for Change, LLC (C4C) and hosted by our CEO and Founder, Mrs. Shay Cook. At C4C, we provide customized corporate financial wellness programs for businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Our services are tailored to create happier, healthier, and more productive work environments. We also empower individuals and couples to overcome debt, improve their credit, boost savings, and more. Ready to learn more about how C4C can impact your life? Contact us today at https://www.crusaders4change.org/!

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Tanisha Allen:

Be able to enjoy the parts of pregnancy that as being an older, especially Black woman being pregnant for the first time there were so many different stressors and so many different things that put a lot of, honestly, fear in my heart, and being able to have that nest egg and do things. Like you know, get massages. Do acupuncture change how we received care from the military caring for us to a midwife a Black?

Tanisha Allen:

Midwife?! oh amen, amen, taking care of me and then, you know, helping me give birth, and the team that we were able to hire. I would not have been able to do any of that if we hadn't sold our house and sold it for the amount of money that God had allowed us to sell it for. That's crazy. Sold it for the amount of money that God had allowed us to sell it for. That's crazy.

Shay Cook:

Ever felt those awkward vibes when religion and money come up? You're not alone. Welcome to Yahweh's Money, the podcast where we tackle the crossroads of faith and finance. I'm Shay Cook, an accredited financial counselor and the CEO and founder of Crusaders for Change LLC. Join us on our journey as we discuss topics like tithing, saving, and conquering debt through religious perspectives. Let's get started.

Shay Cook:

Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Yahweh's Money.

Shay Cook:

Today, we're going to be talking about faith over fear. What will 2025 bring? This year has already been crazy, and I'm just excited to see what God has in store, because we really don't have any control over what's going on. So in this episode, we're going to talk about, like I said, faith over fear. Fear can hold us back from the life God has planned for us, but, as 2 Timothy 1-7 reminds us, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a power and of love and a sound mind. Today we're talking about how faith over fear can transform your finances, help build a wonderful career and guide your personal growth and beyond. So stop letting fear control your decisions and start trusting God's plan for your life. So now I'm going to introduce the amazing Tanisha. A friend, a mentee, FINRA Foundation military spouse, fellow child of God, most importantly, a new mama, a wife, an accredited financial counselor. She's just a wonderful, smart, amazing child of God, woman outspoken. I just love her and welcome Tanisha Allen. Oh, thank you.

Tanisha Allen:

I love you too. I'm excited to be here. It's been a long time, so I'm happy to be here with you.

Shay Cook:

It's been a long time. You were in our first season and your episode is still one of the most downloaded episodes, I have to say. I know you're like one of our celebrities, and so I'm really excited to have you back on the show. Tell us more about you.

Tanisha Allen:

Oh, okay. So, like you said, first and foremost I am a child of God, a follower of Christ. That is something that leads my whole life. Honestly, my next best accomplishment is I am a new mama. Had my son last year and it was one of the best things that I've ever done outside of following Christ. He is my whole heart on the outside, so just loving to death. And then you said an accredited financial counselor. So last time I was just a candidate. Yes, I'm an accredited financial counselor. And I'm, like you said, a wife, a military spouse. I think those are all of the things that I'm most proud of yeah, and she should be.

Shay Cook:

I mean, serving God is just wonderful and then having those kids, that God I always told my daughter since she was born she is the best thing ever and the best blessing and just my favorite girl in the whole wide world and I've been telling her that since she was a little girl.

Shay Cook:

And even at 24, when she'd get on my nerves, I'd be like I still love you. Okay, even though I miss a three-year-old Alana, because she was just so adorable, so adorable I still got pictures of the three-year-old Alana all around my bedroom. She was just so cute. She's so cute now, but she actually kept her room clean when she was three. Now that's a good start. So how did we meet each other? Let's talk about how we met each other.

Tanisha Allen:

Wow, I know right. I think it was my first year attending a FINRA symposium, if I'm not mistaken.

Shay Cook:

Yeah, what was it? AFCPE symposium, and then you had, yeah, a reception.

Tanisha Allen:

You sent me a message to reach out because there was some a little bit of drama, and you reached out in order to see what was going on and what I needed, and you were amazing with handling that. And then it was like okay, well, you're also a military spouse, you're also a woman of faith, you have your own business. You, you were who I wanted to be years ahead of me, and I was just like I need her, and so we started a mentor-mentee relationship. It was like just keeping contact every so often, and that was in 2020.

Shay Cook:

And I'd known that so long ago.

Tanisha Allen:

Yeah, that was five years ago. That's crazy, yeah.

Shay Cook:

And I remember them asking me to reach out to you and I was more than happy to because I just love the military spouse community. And then, of course, like you said, to find out you're a woman of God and the pure person of color, a black woman I mean, come on, black girl magic. And so, just talking to you, and we met like every month for those first few years, just getting to know each other and honestly, I learned so much from you. You know I love when you mentor somebody and they become your mentee. You eventually may become their mentee and then they mentor you.

Shay Cook:

So I learned a lot. You were just really knew the word of God and I was just so proud of you having your baby boy and staying the course of motherhood and even being a wife, which is not always easy. I know I've been married for a long time and so I looked forward to our calls, because I remember our calls being like six, seven at night and I felt like it was a time where I didn't have to like take notes and it was just be in this moment with you. It was just a blessing because your light is so bright and so I really just enjoyed you.

Tanisha Allen:

Yeah, I think I was just mirroring what I was receiving. Aw thank you. Yeah, our friendship has blessed me tremendously. Like every time we catch up, and even our most recent conversation of after a gap, because I am in the throes of motherhood right now, it was like there was no time at all. No time at all, god is good.

Shay Cook:

He love how he bring us together. It's all him. It's all him. He gets all the credit. So well, like I said in our last episode, we got a new section now of our show where we do these rapid fire questions and I love. So we're going to get into these questions and then we'll get into topic. So let's go. What's one financial risk you took that paid off?

Tanisha Allen:

It was for sure, selling our home.

Tanisha Allen:

So we built our first home in Florida and we built it in 2015. And when we PCS and had to leave Florida, the question was do we keep our house and rent it out or do we sell it? It was 2022. So it was like, right, when the market was just changing, the market had gotten to a point where it was like you can sell your house and almost make double. Then it was like we were starting to see a turn where it was like, okay, starting to get back normal, but interest rates were crazy, so a lot of people weren't really buying. So like, okay, what, what do we do? But we moved to Hawaii and we I really knew that managing a property this far away probably wasn't the best choice, so we decided to sell it.

Tanisha Allen:

And then the way that God worked in that was phenomenal and I was nervous and I was scared. I didn't think we were gonna make any money. I thought we were gonna lose money and I was scared. I didn't think we were going to make any money. I thought we were going to lose money and God was like no, I got you. You are going to be abundantly blessed and we are still being blessed by that money. It helped us transition to Hawaii, which is one of the which is the highest cost of living state in the United States, and we have been comfortable. Do not discount the fact that we have been extremely blessed since we've been here and that money has allowed me to just be able to get over here and not have any worries. Pcsing most of the time is expensive. Pcsing to Hawaii is crazy.

Tanisha Allen:

Your hotel stays are $300, $400 a night. We couldn't get into housing for over 60 days, so we were in a hotel for over two months, so you do the math on that, and so it was very expensive. And we had that nest egg that we could fall back on, because the military doesn't give you any money up front. Well, they give you like a little bit of money up front, but it's nowhere near enough, yeah, and you got to go through so many hoops to even get the money paid back.

Tanisha Allen:

And you don't get the full amount, it's just it's. It was a lot and I was nervous and I was running the numbers almost every day Like how do people survive this? Yeah, so that nest egg allowed us to do that comfortably. It allowed us to just be able to get here and enjoy Hawaii. It allowed me to be able to decide that I didn't want to work for another employer at the time which I was still doing.

Tanisha Allen:

moving to Hawaii, I decided to you know what I'm going to go ahead and just quit and enjoy our time here in Hawaii. And then it allowed me to be able to enjoy my pregnancy, which happened the day after I resigned my job.

Shay Cook:

I remember that man. That was crazy. Look how God works.

Tanisha Allen:

But be able to enjoy the parts of pregnancy that as being an older, especially Black woman being pregnant for the first time there were so many different stressors and so many different things that put a lot of, honestly, fear in my heart and being able to have that nest egg and do things. Like you know, get massages. Do acupuncture change how we received care from the military caring for us to a midwife, a Black?

Shay Cook:

midwife.

Tanisha Allen:

Amen, amen, taking care of me and then, you know, helping me give birth, and the team that we were able to hire. I would not have been able to do any of that if we hadn't sold our house and sold it for the amount of money that God had allowed us to sell it for. That's crazy, so yeah, so that was my biggest risk. That is still paying off to this day.

Shay Cook:

So, thank God for it. I so that's my. That was my biggest risk. Yeah, still paying off to this day. So, yeah, thank God for it. I love that. Wow, that's so great. That's a lot too, because a lot of women you know they talk about how black maternal death is so high and people don't advocate for us the doctors and stuff. So you being able to have that, you know, have the money to take care of you, the self-care and all that lowered your risk.

Tanisha Allen:

It did because we should not have been able to have the birth that we had. I was actively told very early on in pregnancy that I was not going to be able to give birth the way that I wanted to give birth. You know I stayed with the military hospital and the doctors all the way up and so probably, like I think, my last appointment with them was maybe at 36 weeks and I got my midwife earlier on, like I think, before I even hit 20 weeks and I was just gonna do both.

Tanisha Allen:

It helps to have an advocate, have somebody in your corner, yeah. But the closer we got, god was like nope, you were not giving birth with these doctors. Yeah, this is the birth that I want you to have and you're gonna have it, and I had it and had to pay for it out of pocket but, but it was well worth it.

Shay Cook:

So yeah. So not only did you have the, the fine and the money to take care of, you also were obedient, because some of us have the money sitting in account and we're like, okay, lord, I don't want to do that. So, and it'd be like, man, I give you all the resources and tools you need and you're not taking heat. Wow, congratulations for being obedient, cause a lot of us don't be that way and that's where I.

Shay Cook:

My goal is for this year is obedience, cause my financial risk was taking out uh, you know, getting support and debt or a loan for the business. So it's still, I'm still waiting for it to pay off. So there's a financial risk that I took and I'm like, lord, I questioned that over and over and over, cause when everybody was getting the PPP loan, like and I over and over and over, because when everybody was getting the PPP loan, like I was qualified, I'm like, I'm not doing it, not doing it. And then somebody was like you need nope, I'm not doing that, not doing, I don't want no debt. And my guy's like if you want to take my business not my Shea, but my guy's business to the next level, you need financing, you need money and you're responsible and guess what? Every month and hopefully I'll pay it off way sooner than I have to.

Shay Cook:

And you know, but I'm still waiting for it to be paid off. But guys like it's paying off shit. You just not seeing it. So if fear wasn't a factor, what's one thing you would do with your money today?

Tanisha Allen:

I will build a family compound.

Shay Cook:

Oh, yes, I love that idea.

Tanisha Allen:

Yeah, I will build a family compound. Being in my first year of motherhood, my family has showed up in ways that I was not expecting, especially because we are all the way across the ocean. It made me realize how important community is and how important family is. While I've always been somebody that's like I don't want anybody in my space, like I can barely survive living with Chris, it has been such a blessing to have my family in and out for the past year. You know I've always had a dream of like if we could at least live like super close that would be great Like or like in a multi-generational home.

Tanisha Allen:

that would be great. But if I didn't have to worry about money, I would for sure build a family compound where we all have our own houses but that I can let my son just out the door and know like he's. I'm obviously gonna keep an eye on him still, but like being able to run down the street to my house and know that he's safe. My parents wanna come over for dinner or somebody needs to borrow some eggs, like I. Just I love that, and so if I didn't have to worry about money, that would be it. It's on my dream board for me to continue to pray over and allow God to hopefully make it happen if it's his will.

Shay Cook:

And we need more Black-owned and Brown-owned communities like that that are self-sustaining too, not only like a community compound where your family's together, but then we own the grocery stores and the doctors and dentist offices and all that. That would be great. I mean, people always go back to like Black Wall Street, but, yeah, similar to that in Oklahoma, which were in so many other places other than Oklahoma. That's one of the famous ones. But we need more of those kind of Black-owned. I know compounds or locations where my dad's from in Pocomoke City area. When I go down there, most of the people and his mom's side and his dad's side own the land. They own that, like most people know my family down there, because that's what they had to do after slavery is come together and tend to the land and take care of everything, and they still own that, and I think that's a beautiful thing. I was just gonna say I want to gift that to future generations. Yes, yes, pass that legacy on. I love that.

Shay Cook:

Yeah, fear wasn't a factor for me. I don't know. The first thing that came to mind is I would travel more and just take a break. I would put enough money into the business for it to continue to grow, to continue to support the communities that we do, but then be able to slow my behind down, because that's what my mom I was gonna say my mama, but it's really my husband, my daughter, like you, work too much, but the thing is I like to work, but I also like to have fun, and I haven't been having as much fun and self-care as I should. So I would definitely spend more time with God and doing that kind of thing. All right, last rapid fire question what's your favorite Bible verse about trusting God?

Tanisha Allen:

It's not a verse, but it's Psalm 19. So it's not super, super long and I'm probably not going to read it all because.

Shay Cook:

You can't go ahead, girl. We need that. Yeah, go ahead.

Tanisha Allen:

Sure, okay. The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day, they pour forth speech. Night after night, they reveal knowledge. They have no speech. They use no words. No sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens, god has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and make it circuits to the other. Nothing is deprived of its warmth.

Tanisha Allen:

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statues of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The degrees of the Lord are firm and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold. They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned Amen. Transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight.

Tanisha Allen:

Lord, my rock and my redeemer, amen. And the reason that verse is the one that sticks out for me as far as about trusting God and like fear right, is because and this is something that I've really grasped since coming to Hawaii the beginning of that chapter talks a lot about how nature shows us God and what nature talks about to us about God. It's also one of the verses that they use when people talk about like if somebody has never been evangelized or talked to about God, how do they know that God is real? It's because I can look out my window right now and see mountains and trees and the sky and this tells me about God. I see this every single day and all that's happening in the world and I sit there and I'm like I don't have to worry about breathing, I don't have to worry about food, because of all that God provides us.

Tanisha Allen:

The way that this world works is all because of God and how God has given us this planet and it allows us to just do things that we don't have to think about anymore. So that helps me trust God. And then also the fact that what it talks about when it talks about his word and I can go to the Bible and I can go to his word and I can constantly be reminded of what God has done for his people, what God plans to do for his people, and I know that I don't have to have any fear at all, as we're, especially here in this country, going through so many different things.

Tanisha Allen:

And we're kind of I feel like I hear every other day like are we dealing with the Antichrist?

Shay Cook:

Yes, Like what are we dealing with?

Tanisha Allen:

And I have to remind myself constantly I don't have to worry because God had all of this planned out. He knew all of this was going to happen and, as crazy as it is now, it is going to get worse. My job is to stay into God's word, to stay plugged into Jesus, to stay plugged into the Holy Spirit and knowing that God has all of this taken care of, and and making sure that my son grows up knowing who he can count on and where he should go, and not really counting on what the country or the world has told us we need to focus on, because the goal is to be distracted right now, and that's not what God has given us as our goal, not at all, Not at all.

Shay Cook:

The focus on him, ourselves and our families and our community. That's it, yeah, and it seems like the word every time I see a devotion. Now it comes back. God has overcome the world. Y'all Like he is. You just stay close to him, stay in a line with him. You know, and I love that with the beauty of nature. I remember when I went to Hawaii the best trip ever, 2018, I turned, it was for my 40th birthday. That place is beyond gorgeous, termed it for my 40th birthday. That place is beyond gorgeous. It's like heaven on earth to me, and I know there's other places around the world are just as beautiful or if not more. But man, Hawaii just spoke to me and I know a lot of people say it, but it's so true. When you get into the ocean man, something about connecting with God and his body of water it's just like man. It's so massive and it's just so beautiful and even just the sound of it it shows power and God, yeah, but Hawaii, man, lush, beautiful, just so gorgeous so gorgeous.

Shay Cook:

But you're right. Just looking outside and seeing a bird or seeing flowers, or like I got all these flowers growing around in my house and I'm like, oh my God, this is all God. You know, this is all God. Yes, and for me, my favorite Bible verses, one of the famous ones, another Psalm of poems from the Psalms is Psalm 4610. So be still and know I am God. And it's really a call to trust in God and find peace in his present, even when life is chaotic.

Shay Cook:

And because, I'm just chaotic by nature, a little crazy, a little touch. You know I have to remind myself to be still. So, literally in my office, here, in my meditation room, in my foyer, I like have that verse all around my house because I need to be reminded, just because I'm a little just all over the place, that I have to be still and rooted in God. Staying rooted in him is very important.

Tanisha Allen:

It is.

Shay Cook:

So we could talk about this all day. That was supposed to be rapid fire, but that was not no rapid fire, but that's fine, because God is in the room. Y'all. Let's talk about faith and finances from either the careers perspective, personal growth perspective or finances. Honestly, I want to focus on the financial piece because I know that people and I'm sure, as you worked with clients as an AFC and accredited financial counselor and I do as well that people are scared to invest, especially in this time. I'm like people are pulling their money out because they're just scared. What am I having with the banks? They're scared to tithe because they're like I got to save for my family, or they're just overall scared. There's shame, there's stigma all around money. I mean, how do we deal with this from the faith and the finances piece when people out here are just scared? Denisha.

Tanisha Allen:

I think first and foremost is to acknowledge their fear and let them know like fear is going to happen. Right, I realize that the reason God tells us over and over again in his word not to fear or do not be afraid is because it's expected it is expected.

Tanisha Allen:

It's going to happen. We need to now figure out, okay, why is it happening? And then, what can we do to overcome it? Like, what is it that we can do to kind of remind us that we don't need to be afraid? It's the reminders of be still and know around the house. That way, you know, the second you look up, you see that and it's like, okay, I know that this is God talking to me, this is God reminding me of this, and this is why, you know, God tells us to put his word on the doorframes and everywhere.

Tanisha Allen:

Right, Because we need those constant reminders. You know, from a financial standpoint, it's also like being aware of your money, knowing what you have coming in and what you have going out. If you have a budget that you're comfortable with and if you, you know, consistently review your goals and your plan financially, then you will provide yourself with a little bit more comfort. Right, You're not shocked by what's happening. I know a lot of times what I would see from clients as we're walking through their bank statements or what they actually spend. The fear or the anxiousness is because they have no clue what's happening.

Tanisha Allen:

And I'm sitting there like you swiped your card, you put in your debit card information, your credit card information. Like you started all of these transactions somehow some way. You may not remember what happened, but you initiated this and because of that we really shouldn't be surprised. But I've noticed that a lot of people are surprised by what they're spending, and the way to fix that is reviewing it, looking it over, like making sure you're comfortable. You know exactly how much money you have coming in. You know exactly how much money you go out and then, even if something happens right, like you were talking about, as far as, like, the stock market and people want to pull their money out, you can make an informed decision because you know where you stand. You know not knowing where you stand and then making a decision out of fear could mess you up and put you in a worse situation than you could have ever been in if you just kind of like took a step back.

Tanisha Allen:

I mean review what's happening and what's going on, but knowing what you, what you're doing with your money right now and where you are reviewing your goals and then making informed decisions, are my top three.

Shay Cook:

Yeah, I agree with that. And just going back where you're saying, acknowledging that we're human, this is flesh.

Shay Cook:

This flesh is all jacked up on many different levels, right, and that's okay. Like you said, it says in the word, over and over and over do not be afraid. Because, god knows, that's an emotion that we will feel as humans from the time you're born. When you come out of the womb, you you're like, oh my god, what is this? I want to go back in right, go back in that and build that, the sack of my mother together, and then you know, the cold hits you and all that, and then calm down. But then, as you go through life, there's going to be fear, there's gonna. You're gonna be afraid and that's okay. You know, let's not, let's just be real, it's okay. You're gonna be afraid. How you deal with it?

Shay Cook:

yeah what do you do with that fear? Yeah, you just cower it up or you just be like or I'm just going to spend all my money because tomorrow's not promised which it's not but you still need to prepare for tomorrow. So you got to find that balance because it can be hard and I know, like you said, so many clients. They do not know what's coming in, what's going out. They out here buying a lot of food, a lot of drinking, a lot of marijuana, a lot of stuff. Because fear take over, you start doing some crazy stuff.

Shay Cook:

Yeah, and I try not to shame my clients when they are like well, I want to build in, you know, certain things in my budget because you know it's how I get through the day. I ain't mad at you If you have to have your wine or your drink or your marijuana or whatever, as long as it's not no ecstasy or cocaine I mean, they ain't telling me that but and if they are, hey, to each his own. As long as you ain't going to work drunk and you ain't putting nobody else at risk, I don't. I'm not condoning that, right, but try not to have that shame. You know no judgment zone, right, and that's what we're taught as AFCs Like there's no judgment. You know, let's try to make it work for you.

Shay Cook:

Everybody's different, but there is some real fear going on before the election, after election, just just in life. It's just, I mean, and I always blame it on social media, because everybody's on there and trying to keep up with the Joneses, the Kardashians, the Carters, and they're just struggling because, you know, and then they're like I'm not having fear of looking like somebody else, I don't look good enough, because, no, stop the comparison Like that's all leads to more fear and anxiety and all the other crap that we don't need to be feeling. But I'm there, I know how that feels.

Tanisha Allen:

Yeah, yeah, and that's the thing I mean. I feel like I've seen more success when we build into our clients the things that they are worried about us cutting right. Like obviously we know, like there's usually like one like you have to cut out everything extra. Anything that brings you pleasure has to go right, and it's like you got to suffer for a couple of years in order to pay off your debt or save and all this stuff. And we see the fail rate with that right. Like a lot of people don't succeed with that plan, whereas what I've seen people succeed with is okay, you say that you like to have a glass of wine every night before you go to bed. Okay, let's figure out how much a bottle is that you like to buy. Let's put that in your budget so you know exactly how much you're spending, and then go from there and then if you spend over that, then we have to have a conversation.

Tanisha Allen:

But at least you know. Okay, this is something that I want my money to go towards, and you're also choosing to do that, Right? So you're you're also saying like I don't know how much wine costs, because I haven't had any in like over a year.

Shay Cook:

It could be anywhere from like ten dollar bottle to hundreds of dollars.

Tanisha Allen:

If you say, ok, I want to buy, let's say, $200 of wine every month, you are acknowledging that you're deciding to take that $200 and then get on this for this month instead of putting that $200 in savings instead. Can't tell you, as your financial counselor, that that's the wrong decision to make.

Tanisha Allen:

I don't know if that one bottle of wine or that glass of wine every night is what's saving you or kind of pushing you into the next hour or pushing next day to allow you to be able to get through the day or get through the night or whatever, and I can't take that away from you. But as long as you are okay and you've decided like I'm making this choice and you know, I've seen clients where they've made that choice for a couple of weeks or a couple months and then they realize that they're not getting where they want to be with their goal and guess what? They cut out Whatever that self-care item was or that vice was for a little bit. It's like oh, I can hold off on it. For a couple of months I've done that myself where it's like I had gotten in the habit of getting my nails done every so often and my hair done every so often and really built this self-care bubble for myself to where I was truly taking care of myself and I was enjoying these things.

Tanisha Allen:

Then, when it came time to just really like, go over some goals, especially towards the end of my pregnancy of, like, okay, we need to start shifting some money around because once the baby is born, I'm going to want to have investments for him. I'm going to want to have a savings account for him. You know what's the easiest way to get this money? And for me it was didn't even have a second thought, like I don't need to get my nails done, I invested into sister locks as soon as I could and I was just like these, I can cut these expenses that before used to bring me so much joy.

Tanisha Allen:

But because I've entered in a different season, I can now put that money somewhere else. That still brings me joy as a money nerd. So it's like I can do something different with this. It's okay to do that. It's okay to make those changes. It's okay to make those adjustments. It's okay to admit that you're wrong and be like okay, you know what. I actually don't need to keep this money going towards this, because I can see how much I can pay off on debt. I can see how much I'm giving them an interest and I don't like it. But if I put $200, you know towards this each month, now I'm paying less interest and this is what I want to do Exactly.

Shay Cook:

Exactly, it comes back to self-control, discipline and then sacrifice. I'm one I go if they say zero to 100, I am on one side of the spectrum Like either I'll if I'm going to go in and I'll go I go all the way in, like I can sacrifice everything, Like I'm just like that. Not a lot of people can do that and I have learned through almost 20 years of counseling that people can't not. Like you said, a lot of people can't do that. A lot of people need that be phased into it. Or just like you said, building the fund, building the vice, so they can still have that. But then eventually, when they get really motivated to accomplish that goal, now they're like, ok, maybe I can't take one hundred dollars from this wine or from this traveling or from these shoes or whatever it may be, and put over here and to pay off this debt or to save more and meet whatever financial goals. So I see that happen a lot.

Shay Cook:

But me personally, man, when I was in Germany, I was in my 20s and I had so much credit card debt it was from college, like going to the club, a lot and stuff and I just got into the mindset like it's time to pay this stuff off. I stopped shopping Like I ain't buying no clothes. I did my own hair. I didn't get my nails done, I didn't get my eyebrow, all that. I stopped all that and I did that for like two or three years, like just paying, and I paid all my credit card out Because I was just like I don't want to keep living like that. And so I go through the seasons, like you say, in the stages where I have not. I'm not letting up on ever again, because these locs are.

Shay Cook:

I try to do it during the pandemic and girl, trying to wash these things and they were even shorter then and then trying to lock. I was like I'll call my loctician during the pandemic. I need to meet you. It's a lot. We just got to put some masks on. I paid her an extra hundred dollars, girl, because I was like you need to come back for me, even though I think she was still doing people's hair.

Shay Cook:

But so, but that's like my sacrifice. It's like I build my budget around my lock budget. And it ain't cheap to be a black girl rocking locks, as you know, because these things cost a lot of money, but she's amazing. But outside of that, yeah, I ain't buy clothes in a while, in a while and my husband's like but you choose that Exactly. I choose that because I have other goals. My car is almost 10 years old. It's been paid off for five, six years. I'm trying to keep that for another five, 10 years. I ain't trying to buy another car. So these are the kind of things that I have sacrificed to make sure that I can meet other goals and so teaching that to clients to overcome that fear of whatever they may be going through and shift their mindset from scarcity to moving into abundance, which I really believe. God really wants us to have abundance and be prosperous, but, you know, not at the detriment of your spirit.

Tanisha Allen:

Yeah for sure, and giving people a glimpse into that abundance is something that kind of helps them as well. Like you know, explaining like, okay, how do you feel right now? Like you're, you're not comfortable most of the time because you're coming to see a financial counselor. You know, something is bothering you when it comes to your finances and your money and it's like we can slip you into abundance with these different plans and these different ways. And what would you do with an extra $100 a month, or an extra $1,000 a month? Showing them like, okay, here is how we can make this happen and this is what your life will look like at this point in time. Talking to them about the sacrifices that they have to make, in the timeframe that they'll have to make those sacrifices, and making sure that they're aware and knowing, like, okay, this time might be a little bit uncomfortable for you if you are making more sacrifices in order to hit this goal, but how will you feel when you accomplish this goal? You are you know, let's use it taking a trip to Hawaii and you're saving for that. How will it feel to get off that plane knowing that you are 100% debt-free and you got a buku amount of money in your savings account to spend in Hawaii. Those are the things that you are 100% debt free and you got a buku amount of money in your savings account to spend in Hawaii. Those are the things that you can then call on when you're going through the sacrifices and you're ready to quit and you're ready to struggle.

Tanisha Allen:

What has God put in your heart that you desire to make happen? And you know what has God said to you about kind of getting through the journey. So you know kind of going through maybe some of the Psalms and kind of reading those where it talks about you know how. You know you may be frustrated and upset and feeling all of these emotions because you're not able to do these things that you've set up for yourself. But then you know, seeing how some of the Psalms will then flip and we'll talk about the goodness of God and what he's blessed you with and all of these things. It's like, okay, that's going to happen, you're going to get to that point.

Tanisha Allen:

It just takes a little, while it takes time.

Shay Cook:

Yeah.

Tanisha Allen:

Yeah. So it's like there's plenty of examples, especially of the different people in the Bible that speak of abundance, and you know, it's just kind of calling on those and reminding yourself like, okay, this is what God's plan is for me, this is what he's put in my heart, this is what he's told me. You know he wants us to do and I know I have to make it happen. I know I have to go through a trial or I have to go through a struggle and, truthfully, it's usually the things that you struggle with the most, and the trials that you've gone through that have been really hard, that make the reward so much sweeter.

Shay Cook:

So much better. Yeah, and God uses it all for your good. And I have to mention, it took you a while to get to that. So you say I got to take three years to pay off debt. It took you five, three, six years to accumulate that debt. So it takes time. That same when you're losing weight or whatever you're going through, it takes time. That same when you lose weight or whatever you're going through, it takes time. Once you built up to that point and now you got to rectify it or whatever, fix it. Now it takes time to fix that and people need to understand that and I love that analogy.

Shay Cook:

Or for me, as a fact, you know it took me 10 years to save for my 40th birthday trip to Hawaii and when I went, I went all the way in girl, and it was so beautiful not having any debt, no credit cards, none of that. It was all cash. You know I use my credit card to get my points, but I was able to pay it off. So, yeah, it was just a beautiful thing. And you're right, it's just, it's so, so beautiful when you're saving and you just like you said, it's something that's really challenging and then the beautifulness that comes from it all, you're like it was worth it. It was worth it. It was worth it. Yeah, oh, my God, you know.

Shay Cook:

And saving isn't about fear, it's about stewardship. That's the word that I've been using a lot in the last few months because I just realized God is very clear that I don't own any of this, and so why even have fear about something I don't own and that is something that's given to me from him? So it's like he's like really, you don't own none of this. And to me it's like, yeah, you're right. So then there's the whole ego versus spirit thing. You got going on there.

Tanisha Allen:

Yeah, it takes a lot of pressure off of you too when you realize that you don't own anything. You're just a steward. I think the way that we could kind of make this real for a lot of folks is, when we talk about home ownership, we talk about renting. There is some relief that comes from renting when it comes to the fact that you're not responsible for anything. So we decided to rent here in Hawaii. The fact that if something goes wrong, I can just call a maintenance person and they come take care of it.

Tanisha Allen:

Oh my God, I miss those days it's such a relief compared to a couple years ago, a few years ago, when we were owning and it was like not only am I having to, you know, call possibly insurance or a warranty people, I'm now having to call like a plumber or an electrician or somebody.

Tanisha Allen:

I have to make sure you know what you're doing. I have to make sure you actually fix it, that I have to make sure there's nothing else that goes wrong, and then I got to pay for all of that. Home ownership is beautiful, but there's also, like this relief that comes from when you don't have to do that and when you don't have to be responsible for something. When we flip that to think of all of our material things, or even not material things.

Tanisha Allen:

I absolutely love and adore my son, but he's not mine, he's mine because he came from my body but, he belongs to God. So I am stewarding him in his life while God has given me him for however long that is. It's my responsibility to steward him in the way that God wants him to be stewarded.

Tanisha Allen:

It takes a lot of pressure off because I don't have to be perfect because I know whatever God's will for my son is is his will and it's going to happen and I just ask that God help me live in that. Will you know? When it comes to owning a home, or you know you were talking about like cars I bought my car in 2009.

Tanisha Allen:

I still have my car. It's going to be with me until the wheels fall off. And we've had, like, some recent car issues and we have really had to face the fact that, like, because both of our cars have been paid off for a very long time, since 15, when we built our house, and we really had to face the fact that, like because both of our cars have been paid off for a very long time, since 15, when we built our house and we were faced with the fact that, like, not only would we potentially have to buy a new car, we might have to buy a new car over here in Hawaii.

Shay Cook:

Yes, oh, my God.

Tanisha Allen:

I was just like I don't want to do it. God, whatever you got planned, I'm gonna need you to fix this, because this is not happening. And then, you know, I kind of walked through what I had to walk through, right, like okay, god, sorry, whatever you have planned, I'm here for it. Like it's not, like we can't afford a car if you need to get one, even here in Hawaii. Like you've blessed us to be able to do that. Whatever your plan is with this, let it happen Right Then miraculously, because that's what it was. You know, whatever happened with the car, not only were they able to fix it, but it was covered by the car manufacturer. Oh, wow.

Tanisha Allen:

For whatever reason, like it. Just I was like okay, god, thank you.

Shay Cook:

Yes, amen.

Tanisha Allen:

Our responsibility was stewarding the car to make sure we were taking care of the car and doing the oil changes and all of that.

Tanisha Allen:

And then this thing happened and I just knew it was. The engine had seized up. So I knew. I was just like. I knew we were going to have to get a new car and God was like no, I'm going to take care of it. Like you've surrendered it to me, because it makes them surrendering. You go through the stress, the planning, and then I'm like why am I doing any of this? God, whatever you need to happen, allow it to happen. And then he took care of it.

Tanisha Allen:

It's the reminder of even something as simple as a car is not mine. God gifted this to me. I'm supposed to be a good steward and therefore he will allow whatever to happen to that car. If we need a new car, he's going to gift me with another one. And I don't want to negate the fact that we also have to work hard for it, right? So, like I know that we've worked hard for the money that we had to put into the house, we worked hard for the money that we continue to put in the savings, we work hard for all of that, but we're doing it for God's glory and as long as we are stewarding our work and stewarding our money and all of that God is going to allow us to be able to steward other things and so much more, and it's the Bible where it talks about. You know, as long as we take care of the little, he'll bless us with more. So yeah, exactly exactly.

Shay Cook:

As long as we take care of the little, he'll bless us with more Exactly, Exactly. I love that. Thank you for sharing that. You know, in Isaiah 41.10, it says so do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, and I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. So God got us y'all. You just got to believe and be obedient and surrender and be a good steward, like Tanisha and I are talking about here. This was great, Tanisha. Any last thoughts?

Tanisha Allen:

Just continue to rely on God for everything. I mean financially, family-wise, relationally, all of those things. God is not surprised by anything that we deal with or that we go through, and so acknowledge your fear, take your fear to him and talk to him about it, and you know be real.

Tanisha Allen:

Like you know, I'm experiencing this, I'm going through this, I'm scared, I'm terrified or whatever, and God will bring you comfort. And not only will he bring you comfort. I'm a firm believer that he'll turn your fear into a fear of God and switch the meaning of that word into reverence.

Tanisha Allen:

Reverence yes, I love that so if we're able to, you know, take the energy that we're putting into fear of whatever and switch it to a reverence and a fear for God, we will truly feel his comfort and I'm a believer that we'll feel it tangibly as well. So, like you'll start to feel that peace and you know all of those things that are opposite of the anxiety and the panic for being afraid of things here on earth.

Shay Cook:

Yeah, ditto that part. That's exactly right, I know, and I need to practice that more. But I know, when I get up and I spend time with God first and then read the word and devotionals and praise him throughout the day, it's just a different vibe in my day versus if I try to do this on my own. I mean, I'm worried, I'm like tight, I'm just like ready to fight, you know, and it's like I'm like.

Tanisha Allen:

Why, like I got you? Why are you afraid you know you serve? He waits for us, like I got you. Why are you afraid you know you serve an eye for us? He does Like we do go through those moments and we're like trying to do it on our own. He's just waiting. He's like I'm still here. When you're ready, I will still be here.

Shay Cook:

He's like for me it was Shay though. He's like child, I don't told you. What is wrong with you? No, but he still loves me and comes through. Thank you, Tanisha, for joining us. I look forward to recording more episodes with you in the future and I hope everyone has a great day. See you soon. Bye y'all. Bye. A big thank you for listening to this episode. We hope you found today's chat about the intersection of religion and money insightful. We would love to hear your feedback. Hit that subscribe button or follow the podcast, and please feel free to leave us a review. For the latest Yahweh's Money content, visit us at Crusaders 4Change. org or find us anywhere you listen to podcasts. Until next time, stay financially fit and spiritually inspired and remember it's always better Yahweh's way.

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