Budget Tap Out | The Incredible Hulk (Part 2) | Pastor Corey Kope

Nov 09, 2025

Devotional

Day 1: Count the Cost—Wisdom in Planning and Budgeting

Jesus teaches us to count the cost before starting any endeavor, reminding us that wise planning and honest math are essential for a life that thrives rather than just survives. When we fail to budget and track our resources, we risk running out of what we need and facing unnecessary hardship or even embarrassment. God’s desire is not for His children to be anxious about money, but to learn stewardship and responsibility so that we can fulfill our purpose and help others. Taking the time to write down, add up, and honestly assess our finances is a spiritual act of maturity that honors God and sets us up for blessing. [03:00]

Luke 14:28-30 (ESV)
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”

Reflection: What is one area of your finances or life where you have avoided “counting the cost”? Can you take a practical step today to write it down and face it honestly before God?

Day 2: Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be

Jesus makes it clear that our spending is not just a practical issue, but a heart issue—wherever our money and time go, our hearts follow. If we want to love God, our families, or others more deeply, we must intentionally invest our resources in those relationships. Generosity and disciplined giving are not just about meeting needs, but about shaping our hearts to love what God loves. When we put God first in our finances, we open ourselves to His blessing and align our desires with His kingdom. [26:39]

Matthew 6:21 (ESV)
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Reflection: Look at your recent spending or schedule—what does it reveal about what you truly value? Is there one change you can make this week to invest more intentionally in what matters most to God?

Day 3: Discipline Precedes Blessing—Obedience Unlocks God’s Provision

God longs to bless His children, but He will not pour out blessing on an undisciplined life or budget, because it would ultimately harm us. Salvation is free, but everything else in life—including financial freedom—requires discipline, obedience, and sometimes painful choices. When we choose to live differently, to say “I won’t” instead of “I can’t,” and to steward what we have with care, we position ourselves for God’s supernatural provision and joy. [15:31]

Hebrews 12:11 (ESV)
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Reflection: What is one area where you have been resisting discipline, hoping for blessing without obedience? What step of obedience can you take today, trusting God for the fruit that will come?

Day 4: Trusting God for Daily Bread, Not Monthly Security

True security comes not from stockpiling resources, but from trusting God to provide what we need each day. Emotional spending and the desire for “full fridges” or other comforts can mask deeper fears, but God invites us to pray for daily bread and to find our security in His faithfulness, not in what we possess. When we surrender our anxieties and trust Him, we often discover unexpected provision and freedom in our finances and hearts. [31:38]

Matthew 6:11 (ESV)
“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Reflection: Is there an area where you are seeking security in possessions or savings rather than in God? How can you practice trusting Him for today’s needs instead of worrying about tomorrow?

Day 5: Generosity and Unity—Building a Legacy for the Next Generation

When we discipline our finances and practice generosity, we not only experience God’s blessing ourselves, but we also set up the next generation for success and generosity. Teaching our children to budget, give, and live with purpose creates a legacy of faith and provision that multiplies through families and communities. God delights in blessing those who see their lives as a means to help others, and He builds wealth and impact through generations who honor Him with their resources. [38:58]

Proverbs 13:22 (ESV)
“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

Reflection: What is one practical way you can model generosity and wise stewardship for those who look up to you—whether children, friends, or others in your community—this week?

Sermon Summary

Today, we gathered to remember that all our problems, no matter how personal or painful, are finite in the hands of an infinitely powerful and healing God. God desires not just to get us by, but to see us thrive, succeed, and help others—even as life gets harder, His strength in us grows greater. One of the practical ways we can partner with God’s wisdom is by stewarding our resources well, especially through budgeting.

Jesus taught us to “count the cost” before starting any endeavor, reminding us that wisdom and planning are not just practical, but spiritual. In our culture, it’s easy to live on credit and ignore the future, but Jesus warns us that failing to plan can lead to embarrassment and loss. Budgeting is not just about tracking numbers; it’s about discipline, honesty, and aligning our hearts with God’s purposes. It’s easy to say we have a budget, but unless we’re actually tracking and adjusting our spending, we’re just fooling ourselves.

Pain is a key part of budgeting—feeling the “sting” when we spend helps us stay aware and intentional. In the past, handing over cash made us feel that pain, but now with digital payments, it’s easy to “tap out” and let future versions of ourselves deal with the consequences. We must resist the temptation to tap out of our own futures, and instead, take responsibility today so we can live and give generously tomorrow.

Budgeting is not just about money; it’s a heart issue. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Our spending reveals what we truly value. If we want to love God, our families, and others more, we must invest our time and resources accordingly. Discipline in budgeting creates freedom, joy, and the ability to be generous. It’s not about deprivation, but about aligning our lives with God’s wisdom and blessing.

We all have emotional “Hulks” in our budgets—those areas we protect or overspend on for comfort or security. Recognizing and surrendering these to God is part of our spiritual growth. God doesn’t force us to budget, but He invites us into a life of wisdom, discipline, and supernatural provision. When we do our part, God does His, often in ways that surprise and bless us beyond what we could imagine.

Key Takeaways

1. Discipline unlocks God’s blessing Discipline in budgeting is not about restriction, but about creating space for God’s blessing to flow. When we steward what we have with care and intentionality, we invite God to multiply and protect our resources. Undisciplined living, even with increased income, leads to stress and loss, but discipline brings peace and freedom. [15:31]
2. Budgeting reveals and heals heart issues Our spending habits are deeply connected to our hearts. Jesus teaches that our treasure and our hearts are inseparable. By examining where our money goes, we discover what we truly value and where we may need healing or realignment. Budgeting becomes a spiritual practice that brings our desires into alignment with God’s purposes. [26:39]
3. Emotional spending must be surrendered We all have areas in our budgets that are driven by emotion—comfort, security, or even pride. These “Hulks” can sabotage our financial health and spiritual growth if left unchecked. Surrendering these areas to God allows us to find true security in Him, rather than in things or habits that ultimately don’t satisfy. [17:19]
4. Generosity flows from intentional stewardship True generosity is only possible when we manage our resources wisely. When we budget, we discover hidden capacity to give and bless others. God honors and multiplies what we offer Him, but He cannot bless chaos or waste. Intentional stewardship is the soil in which generosity grows and flourishes. [30:28]
5. God’s provision follows our obedience God’s supernatural provision often comes after we take practical steps of obedience. When we trust Him enough to budget, save, and give, He meets our needs in ways we can’t always explain. Obedience in the small, daily decisions opens the door for God to do the miraculous in our lives. [33:31]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - God’s Infinite Power Over Our Problems
[01:49] - Upcoming Events and Baptism
[02:24] - Jesus on Counting the Cost
[04:16] - Faith Requires Action, Not Just Hearing
[05:29] - The Pain Principle in Budgeting
[06:48] - The Tap Out Culture and Credit
[08:40] - Tapping Out of Our Futures
[09:54] - Practical Budgeting: The Zero-Based App
[11:07] - Choosing Your Pain: Now or Later
[13:38] - Big Boys Budget: Discipline and Destiny
[14:17] - From “I Can’t” to “I Won’t”
[15:31] - Blessing Requires Obedience and Discipline
[17:19] - The Hulk in Your Budget
[19:47] - Facing Reality: Broccoli Over Big Macs
[22:24] - Living Like Poor People: Our Story
[24:13] - Plugging Budget Leaks and Finding Freedom
[26:39] - Where Your Treasure Is, Your Heart Is
[30:28] - God’s Grace Covers Our Mistakes
[31:38] - Trusting God for Daily Bread
[33:31] - Real Numbers: Our Family’s Budget
[34:44] - The Zero-Based Budget App Walkthrough
[37:41] - The Magic of Stockpiling and Peace
[38:58] - Building Generational Wealth and Wisdom
[39:36] - Meeting Jesus: The Foundation of Trust
[40:16] - Closing and Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Budgeting, the Heart, and God’s Blessing

Bible Reading

Luke 14:28-30 (ESV)
> “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”

Matthew 6:21 (ESV)
> “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Observation Questions

According to Jesus in Luke 14, what is the danger of starting something important without first “counting the cost”? What example does He use to make His point?
In the sermon, what are some practical ways the pastor described the “pain principle” in budgeting? ([05:29])
What does Jesus say about the connection between our treasure and our hearts in Matthew 6:21? How did the pastor relate this to our spending habits? ([26:39])
The pastor mentioned “emotional Hulks” in our budgets. What are these, and how do they show up in our financial decisions? ([17:19])

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus warn about failing to plan or “count the cost” before starting something? What spiritual lesson is He teaching beyond just practical wisdom? ([02:24])
The pastor said budgeting is not just about money, but about discipline and aligning our hearts with God’s purposes. How does budgeting become a spiritual practice, according to the sermon? ([26:39])
What does it mean that “discipline unlocks God’s blessing,” and why can’t God bless an undisciplined budget or life? ([15:31])
Why do you think Jesus links our hearts so closely to our treasure? How might our spending reveal what we truly value, even if we say otherwise? ([26:39])

Application Questions

The pastor shared that it’s easy to “tap out” and let our future selves deal with the consequences of today’s spending. Can you think of a recent time when you “tapped out” of your own future? What would it look like to take responsibility instead? ([08:40])
The sermon talked about feeling the “pain” of spending as a way to stay intentional. Do you use cash, cards, or digital payments most often? How does your method affect your awareness of spending? Would changing your method help you be more disciplined? ([05:29])
Everyone has “emotional Hulks” in their budget—areas they overspend for comfort or security. What is one area in your budget that you protect or overspend on emotionally? What would it look like to surrender this area to God? ([17:19])
The pastor said, “Discipline in budgeting is not about restriction, but about creating space for God’s blessing to flow.” Do you see budgeting as freedom or restriction? How could a change in perspective help you? ([15:31])
Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If someone looked at your bank statement and calendar, what would they say you value most? Is there a change you want to make to better align your spending with your values? ([26:39])
The pastor shared a story about plugging “budget leaks” and finding hidden capacity for generosity. Have you ever discovered a “leak” in your budget? What steps could you take this week to identify and address one? ([24:13])
God’s provision often follows our obedience. Is there a practical step of obedience—like starting or adjusting a budget, or giving more generously—that you feel God is prompting you to take? What’s holding you back, and how can the group support you? ([33:31])

Sermon Clips

“All of the problems you came in here with are finite. It's personal and it's painful. But we are here with an infinitely healing God, an infinitely powerful God. A God who all the trauma in your life rolled up into your life can heal and can actually get you into a place of your destiny and your purpose in your life where you are okay. Not just okay, you are thriving and you are succeeding and you are helping people. It doesn't mean that life gets easier. It actually does get harder, but God inside you gets greater.”

“So today you're going to be hearing about our budget faux pawas and my mistakes and our emotional spins and all of those things. so you'll feel better about your life. But really what we want you to do is either start a budget today or we want you to tweak your budget today. Uh God cares about it and God never wants his children worried about money. But he also wants to teach us about resources as well.”

“Then he says, who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there's enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money. Now, Canadians, you can't live on a foundation here. You die in the winter. You die. And then everyone, watch this, would laugh at you.”

“But don't just be a church person who reads like 50 chapters of the Bible every day like and doesn't do any of it. It's supposed to be done. So, I would rather you read one scripture verse in the morning and applied it then read a bunch of things that you don't intend to apply.”

“Here's the thing about having a budget is that everybody says they have a budget, but not everybody actually has a budget. We would have said we have a budget. What we meant by that before we had an actual budget where we had written all the things up and looked where all the numbers were and then tracked it all before that we what we meant by that was like we never spent more than we made but we didn't track it. So that wasn't a budget though.”

“What we're doing now is we're not wrestling with our budget cuz you should not be losing to your own budget. But what we're doing right now is we're like, boom. $18 coffee. This is what we do. I'm wrestling with it. I'm wrestling with it. And then I'm just like tap out. I'm tapping credit card debt in. I'm tapping my budget out. And I'm tapping in future Corey. Consequences are for future Corey.”

“I want you to start a budget today. I want you to to download the budget app on your phone or I want you to tweak your budget right now. But but pain is kind of the key of all of this. Now, you can volunteer for this to happen. Um, every time I do this, it's like honking the horn in traffic. You know, like if I'm honking the horn, I'm like, "Come on, man. Sam, move that car out of there. You're blocking the intersection. It's green light. Let's go."”

“Some of us are not fans of Jesus. We're fans of Jesus when he's says things nicely. But his whole motivation here is not, you'll notice it's not a mature argument. He's like, "You don't want people to think you're an idiot, do you? You don't want people to be laughing at you one day, do you?" And sometimes what we want, we want Jesus to argue with us like we're big boys.”

“Well, this needs to be a come to Jesus moment with your budget. Or you can wait and it's totally up to you. Now, I'm not going to force you or you can leave the church and be like, "Pastor made us talk about budget cuz he loves us and we're irresponsible." Well, big boys budget. And I don't want you to get to the end of your life without the resources that God had planned for you the whole time. But what it means is disciplining oursel today so that we can we can live and give like nobody tomorrow.”

“Change the word today. Just do this for me from I can't, right? Because that's what we say like there's no point. My bills are my bills. I can't change it to what it really is is I won't. That gives you actual power to change because I can't means like I can't the the heating bill is the heating bill. I'm like you can turn the thermostat down.”

“Sometimes what we do though is as as church people, though, is we come and we're like, "Okay, so I'm a son or daughter of God. So, I come and I demand the blessing from God, but I'm not willing to give the obedience to God. So, I want the blessing, but I'm undisiplined." Well, blessing on an undisiplined life and on an undisiplined budget actually turns out to hurt people. And God is not into hurting people.”

“He budgeted his entire life to pay for your sins and to adopt you into the family of God. It was free to you. That doesn't mean it was free to him. You know, some people come into this church and and you're new here and you're like, "Wow, this is great. Somebody paid for this." I'm like, "Yeah, I know families that gave like three months of family income on top of what they normally gave just to get you into this building. So, it's free to you, but it's not free to them. Thank you for being generous."”

“There's something about an undisiplined budget that God cannot bless. But when you're disciplined with it and when you're generous with it, God himself comes and he's just like he he does what I do with my kids and I'm like, "Don't tell your sisters. Here you go. I love you. Don't tell your sisters." There's something about it.”

“The freedom you want is probably already in there. Ours was and we didn't know it was till we looked at the bleeding. Then we're like, "Oh, it's actually in there." You want to be more generous with the Lord and people, it's probably in the budget already. You just haven't written it down to see where it's just in the wrong line. It's just in the wrong spot. And you won't even miss it when you move it. I promise.”

“Now, here’s why it matters. Matthew 6, Jesus says, "Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." So, this is why Jesus talks about money so much is because he said, "It's not a practical issue. It's a heart issue. It's a heart issue." You're like, "Well, I wish I love my husband more." I'm like, "Can I let me look at your bank account?"”

“I'm teaching you like I teach my daughters. I'm like, I'm just going to be super honest with you. If I could tell you how much money my kids have, you would think they rob banks. We gave them zero dollars. They worked for it. They babysat. They are generous with the Lord. The gifts they gave to build this house for your kids is incredible. The money they have in their bank accounts is incredible.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Venue Church This sermon · AI assistant

What is the biblical perspective on budgeting and finances?

How does Jesus illustrate the importance of counting costs?

Why is discipline crucial in managing resources effectively?