Ok, so my first "blog experience" has been my incredible sister, Heather. She makes such beautiful, nice entries that people love to read!!!!! Her tips and projects are fun and nice and everything sweet. Unfortunately, I'm not that sweet type person, and most of my recipes include "dumping things together" and hoping the oven doesn't explode in the process (or my family in explosive anger because they have to eat the concoction.) Sometimes when we have "Holy Ghost Surprise", they inform me that I have missed God completely.
However, I've had lots of experience in getting out of debt and in supernatural financial miracles. So with all that in mind, I'm going to start adding entries every so often about how to have financial miracles in your life and on How to get out of debt. We celebrated a year this Dec. without mortgage, credit card debt or bank loans. We must be tapping into something right where God is concerned and I'm determined to teach it to others.
1. Stop believing that your situation is hopeless.
Because it's not!!!! Here's one of my first favorite stories to tell :
We had taken in a lot of people over the summer (a few years back) and I hadn't been able to work much. I had been putting groceries on my credit card to feed them at times and our mortgage along with another loan were 2+ months late. The bank demanded to know a day that they would be getting their money and I gave them one. I had expected money from two places by then a. the federal government was supposed to be paying us a claims check and b. we had an older landcruiser up for sale. The day came that I had promised the bank their money and through a comedy of horrors, neither money was available. The claims check was deposited in some one elses account and they wouldn't give it to us "until they got it back from them" (that's a fine how do you do!). The Landcruiser never sold and we drove to the city to pick it up. Still with writing on the window from the consignment lot, I drove it home feeling the drowning, sinking sensation that the bank had not gotten their funds and we were into our 3rd month of no payment.
When your faced with such situations, its very important to examine your part in this mess (and repent). In the case at hand, I really believed I had done the best I'd known to follow God, but many times I didn't. Many times, I've been in drowning debt because of my own foolish circumstances. It doesn't matter, God doesn't care. He still loves us and wants to help us overcome our circumstances. His goodness leads us to Him, and part of his Blessing is His Provision in our every circumstance. Every time we run to God, He has the answer to make things better if we will be obedient.
In the case at hand, I later drove that same Landcruiser to work that night. I felt crippled with the fear of what was going to happen. Not liking fear to have the upper hand in my life, I began thanking God for His provision. I didn't know how He was going to take care of the mess, but I KNEW HE would (some how). I just kept thanking Him, laughing (possibly from insanity), and fixing my heart on the fact that God was above this.
During my night at work, I felt many opportunities to be afraid of what was going to happen and every one of those times, I stood against that fear. Thats when it happened........
Somebody said "theres a man shining a flashlight into your car!!" It was pitch black out, and foolishly I ran out into the parking area with my hands on my hips thinking to face down a would be burgler. "Can I help you?" I said in the rudest voice I could muster. Out stepped a policeman (of all people!). He was on duty and noticed the writing on the window "Fully loaded, inquire with in". He said he used to have one like that and would really like to have another. At 3am when he got off from work, he got his wife and baby out of bed to test drive it and the next day, he bought that Landcruiser. The bank lady said "any body but you, and we'd have done things a lot differently".
Being out of debt in America (or any other country) is possible. Your first step is to believe that it is and to believe that God can get you out if you trust Him and are obedient to His voice. Hope is a powerful tool that you need to begin (or continue on) in your pilgrimage. Here's a good verse to start with :
Mark 10:27"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."
3 comments:
Shirin, what an excellent post. You are a woman of depth and wisdom--thank you for sharing it with us!
Thank you for the sweet comments, too. You're my favorite sister. :)
Trusting in Him in good and bad....that's the key. I just love this post. It shows such grace and faith. Thanks for sharing your stories. Thank you also for your kind words on my blog regarding our dog Sandy....you know what, I hope dogs go to heaven too ~smile~ Blessings, Heather
“Stop believing that your situation is hopeless.” --- I couldn’t agree more! Every problem has their own solution, particularly in debt-related problems. There are lots of ways to deal with the situation, we just have to know our option and how can we apply it. Anyway, thanks for sharing this. This is just what people who are in the same situation need to hear.
>>Jaden Allred
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