|
|
| Being
obedient to God's truth made an incredible difference
for Bill and Karen. They made themselves available for
God's love to flow through them to others, and they
are reaping a blessing themselves as well. Join them
in partnering with CBN. You will make a difference in
lives around the world, through medical missions, food
and clothing programs, humanitarian outreaches and so
much -- all in the name of Jesus. Please
join today. |
| |
|
Getting OUt of Debt
How to Weather the Economic Storm
By Michelle Wilson
The 700 Club
CBN.com –
Bill DeLoach has never been afraid of hard work or working
with his hands. In fact, he can take an old junker and restore
it to its classic beauty. Bill loved working with cars so much
that he turned his hobby into a business.
"A lot of people started coming to us because they would
say, 'I have heard you are Christians and that you don’t
cheat people and that you do a fair price and you do good work.'
It was really word of mouth," notes Bill's wife, Karen, about
their booming venture.
With their solid reputation, the DeLoach family never lacked
for business.
"We were making pretty good money," says Bill. "We
were able to pay our bills, and, basically, life was good."
But when the economy went into recession, profits from their
car repair business dropped rapidly. By 2003 Bill and Karen were
making less than $10,000 a year. They were $80,000 in debt and
behind on their shop lease and home mortgage. They got letters
threatening foreclosure.
"When you see your character tarnished by not being able
to pay your bills and not being able to feed your family the way
you’re supposed to, it hurts," says Bill.
Bill and Karen prayed to God for a way out of their troubles.
Even though they struggled to make ends meet, they continued to
tithe.
Karen recalls, "There were times when we said, 'Where are
You? Why aren’t You showing up?' But you just have to stand
on the Word. You just have to keep standing on the Word, knowing
that He can’t deny Himself and that He is faithful."
When the DeLoaches ran out of groceries, God faithfully supplied
their need through others.
"Pastor Colby, he came up and said, 'We didn’t know
what we could do for you, but maybe you could use this.' He had
freezer bags full of meat that he had gotten at a local meat store.
That meat lasted us a month," Karen recalls.
One day while watching a story about Operation Blessing's relief
efforts on The 700 Club, Karen was challenged to give.
As she explains, "No matter how bad you think you may be,
there is somebody that’s always worse off than you are.
I just felt like God impressed on me that we should make a pledge
to The 700 Club."
But how would they come up with the $20 a month?
That's when Karen realized, "I’ve worked up here for
16 years, and I’ve never drawn a salary. Let's just consider
this paying me $5.00 a week. "
So Bill and Karen gave, and God blessed their obedience. Immediately,
things began to change for the better.
"Before I even got the forms back to send the money in,
everything started breaking loose," says Karen.
The Deloaches quickly sold three cars, and in the next few months,
business started picking up.
"We were able to pay that 10-months-worth of rent that we
were behind on," Karen says. "We were able to catch
our house up and even pay that next payment before it was even
due. [It was a] miracle."
Perhaps the best result was that Bill got a job as a mechanic
working 40 hours a week and at just the right pay. His job even
included health insurance.
"My first paycheck was probably more than I had made in
the last several months," notes Bill. "It has been very
prosperous."
Bill and Karen are now almost completely out of debt. They believe
it happened because of their willingness to obey by giving.
"All He required was that small pledge. The obedience to
that was the catalyst," Karen says. "I’m the one
who is getting the golden opportunity by giving to something,
but God used that to bless us back abundantly."
Being obedient to God's truth made an incredible difference for
Bill and Karen.They made themselves available for God's love to
flow through them to others, and they are reaping a blessing themselves
as well. Join them in partnering with CBN. You will make a difference
in lives around the world, through medical missions, food and
clothing programs, humanitarian outreaches and so much -- all
in the name of Jesus. Please
join today.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
|
