THE GIANT THIS WEEK
The Money Giant is not simply about money.
That is the first and most important thing to understand about him. Money is the door he comes through. But what he is actually after is much larger than your bank account.
He is after your time. Your freedom. Your relationships. Your sanity. Your sense of who you are and what you are worth and whether you deserve to keep going.
And he will come to your door being nice and polite. Introducing himself almost as a friend. Entering in such a splendid way that you think you are welcoming someone you can rely on. Someone you can trust.
He has been doing this for a very long time. And he is very good at it.
This week we open the door — and look at him clearly.
THE SPARK
I want to tell you what financial shame feels like from the inside.
Not the numbers. The feeling.
It feels overwhelming. Extremely heavy. Burdensome. Like that warped mirror we spoke about — showing you not who you are but a distorted, diminished version. Shameful. Weakening. The particular kind of weakness that evil produces when it has been given enough time and enough access to work with.
Because that is what it is. When you experience a loss caused by someone who promised you everything and delivered the ultimate zero — that is not simply a financial event. That is a deception. Orchestrated. Executed. Designed to ruin you — financially, mentally, emotionally — all at once.
It reminds me of when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Offered everything. The kingdoms of the world. The glory of them. All of it, available, just within reach — if only He would bow. And He resisted. But for most of us, in our human nature, it is not so simple. We strive for the best. We long for the promise of more. We hear the whisper that the grass is greener on the other side and we lean toward it before we have stopped to ask who is doing the whispering.
And then comes the moment. The final countdown. The ultimate zero.
The great deception reveals itself. And you stop — because you have to stop, because the mind needs time to understand what just happened, to come to its senses, to realise that what has happened to you has happened to countless others before you and will happen to others again.
And then comes the turmoil. The confusion. The shame of the rent unpaid and the mortgage behind and the loan taken to improve your life now sitting on your shoulders like a stone you cannot put down.
My dear, beloved reader — here is the truth.
I have lived this life. I am like you. Hopeful. Positive. Wanting to build something special — not just for myself, but for my family and for the people whose lives I hope my work will touch. And I faced these hurdles. I still face some of them. The financial consequences of the great deception are still with me, still being worked through, still requiring daily faithfulness to a path that is not always easy.
But here is what I know that I did not know when I was sitting frozen, watching the number on the screen reach zero.
Problems are not here to destroy us. They are here to build us.
The obstacles we face today are the ones that will make us the victors of tomorrow. I know — I know — that you want them resolved immediately. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, one of the best things you can do is begin analysing immediately what went wrong and how to remedy it. The mind that moves toward solutions is already beginning to heal.
But the truth is that most people need a moment before they can even begin. And in that moment — in that raw, disoriented, everything-has-collapsed space — the Money Giant sends his most dangerous messengers.
He whispers: take another loan, you will repay them all. He suggests the bottle, because it helps, because others have used it, because the pain is real and the relief seems quick. He points toward the gambling table and calls it a game rather than what it is. He finds every open door in the moment of your greatest vulnerability and he enters through all of them at once.
And some people follow those voices. I want to say that plainly, without judgment and without looking away. Some people go into depression. Some drown themselves in substances. Some, in the darkest moments, take their own lives — leaving behind the people who love them with loss and grief and a silence that never fully heals.
And it is a tragedy — one I will not dress up or explain away. I only want the person still reading to hear this: the breakdown is not the end. Financial ruin is not the final verdict on your worth. A path forward exists even when you cannot yet see it. Whatever the Money Giant has whispered to you, wherever you are as you read these words, you are not beyond reach.
This is why I write. For them. For you. For the person reading this at 3am who cannot see a way forward.
My dear friend — here is what I need you to hear.
You are not alone.
If you were scammed — fight. If you went bankrupt — fight. If you are struggling financially in any way — fight. Fight back and do not give up. The world may think you have lost something. But you know how much more you now have to gain.
And when you stop — stop for a reason. The reason that gives you clarity of mind. That makes you do your research. That helps you build a plan for how to climb out of the deepest trench and surface on the water and swim to the shore like the real champion you are. Because you deserve a life that is meaningful. A life that is yours.
Stop. Focus on your WHYs. Your reasons. Your wife, your husband, your partner, your children, your parents, your friends — everyone you love and who loves you. Focus on them. Let them be the reason you keep going when the Money Giant tells you it is not worth it.
This life is like the light of a candle. It lasts only as long as it lasts. Make it your own. Love it. Write your own story the way that is good — the way that is full of potential, full of meaning, full of the life you were built to live.
Your breakdown is not there to put you into a miserable existence where hope does not exist. It is there to make you strong. To make you a good fighter. To turn the disadvantage into something productive — a life filled with opportunities, with good relationships, with the particular quiet confidence of a person who has been through the worst and come out the other side still standing.
All you need to do is stop. Clear your mind. Gather your strength. Think, and think again.
And know this above everything else — the new path of your life is one you do not have to walk alone. There is someone who cares about you. Someone who loves you. And if you cannot see that person right now, do not believe the giant who tells you they do not exist. Keep looking. Keep reaching. They are there.
YOUR STONE THIS WEEK
Name one way the Money Giant has been speaking to you — through shame, through pressure, through the whisper of a quick solution that would only deepen the problem.
Write it down. Look at it clearly. And then beneath it, write one small, practical, honest step you can take this week toward the shore.
Not the whole journey. One step. The Mariana Trench is crossed one stroke at a time.
You are already swimming.
The Giant is waiting. Pick up the stone.
God bless you,
— Cassius Stone
WHERE TO TURN
If you are struggling and cannot see a way forward, please reach out. You are not alone.
In the UK, you can call Samaritans free, any time, on 116 123.
If you are outside the UK, you can find a local helpline at findahelpline.com.
And if the Money Giant has left you in debt, or you have been scammed, free and confidential help is available in the UK:
StepChange — free debt advice, online or on 0800 138 1111
National Debtline and Citizens Advice — free debt and money guidance
MoneyHelper — free, government-backed money support
If you have been scammed, report it to Action Fraud and check the FCA's ScamSmart tool before trusting anyone who offers to "recover" your money for a fee.
Asking for help is the first stroke toward shore.