PRAISE REPORT!
I am writing a cheerful addendum to a post that I wrote back on October 15, 2007 called "Harvest". I have been blogging since last June and I am drawing spatially closer to my 200th post with a pace that astonishes me! Anyway, I digress. In the aforementioned post, I illuminated the principles of giving, basically stating that we cannot out-give God!
I will get to the cheerful part in a moment, but first let me set the stage. In my August 6, 2007 post, From Here to There, I shared in depth about my family's financial challenges. I'll be honest, life has sometimes seemed like a "trudgery"! Yet, much like trudging through the deep snows of winter, with Christ, the hope of spring delivers us onto the awakening soil of renewal.
Recently, we learned that Barry's boss is secretly selling his business and doesn't want to my husband to know. Most likely, his boss is doing this out of fear of losing Barry prematurely and not wanting a customer fallout. It's fair to say that this is selfish, especially considering that Barry's boss is paying him a pittance of what was promised. In addition, his boss decided not to pay Barry for the month of February; a long story, but a reality.
So, here we were with this recent revelation 2 days before rent was due. We had no other recourse but to trust God. On the due date, we went to church and Barry gave his last $60.00 into the offering. Before leaving church that evening, a dear couple felt led to give us $400.00. The following day, my aunt sent me a belated Birthday check of $50.00. In the meantime, eviction papers were served to us, giving us until Friday the 8th to pay or quit.
On, the morning of the 8th, I was scheduled to lead Worship at a breakfast meeting. The Lord brought back to my memory the recent message that our retreat speaker had exhorted us with. I began to say aloud, "The facts are these: rent is due today, we don't have the money, and we're scheduled for eviction. The truth is this: God owns the cattle on a thousand hills; He will never leave us or forsake us; He will supply all of our needs according to His riches in Glory; and Luke 6:38 (NKJ) "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Facts don't set us free; the Truth sets us free.
While leading Worship at the meeting, I encouraged the audience with what I had rehearsed in my spirit. Barry arrived towards the end of the meeting to receive some prayer. A gentleman approached us with his checkbook and told us that he felt directed to pay our rent. He wrote out a $2500.00 check (more than what we owed) and gave it to us! Two other precious ladies slipped checks into my hands for $300.00 and $25.00, and another dear soul gave me a $5.00 bill, apologizing for the amount. That $5.00 bill was gold to us!
We paid our rent as well as another obligation. In a span of 3 days our "facts" were resurrected by "Truth"!
I am writing a cheerful addendum to a post that I wrote back on October 15, 2007 called "Harvest". I have been blogging since last June and I am drawing spatially closer to my 200th post with a pace that astonishes me! Anyway, I digress. In the aforementioned post, I illuminated the principles of giving, basically stating that we cannot out-give God!
I will get to the cheerful part in a moment, but first let me set the stage. In my August 6, 2007 post, From Here to There, I shared in depth about my family's financial challenges. I'll be honest, life has sometimes seemed like a "trudgery"! Yet, much like trudging through the deep snows of winter, with Christ, the hope of spring delivers us onto the awakening soil of renewal.
Recently, we learned that Barry's boss is secretly selling his business and doesn't want to my husband to know. Most likely, his boss is doing this out of fear of losing Barry prematurely and not wanting a customer fallout. It's fair to say that this is selfish, especially considering that Barry's boss is paying him a pittance of what was promised. In addition, his boss decided not to pay Barry for the month of February; a long story, but a reality.
So, here we were with this recent revelation 2 days before rent was due. We had no other recourse but to trust God. On the due date, we went to church and Barry gave his last $60.00 into the offering. Before leaving church that evening, a dear couple felt led to give us $400.00. The following day, my aunt sent me a belated Birthday check of $50.00. In the meantime, eviction papers were served to us, giving us until Friday the 8th to pay or quit.
On, the morning of the 8th, I was scheduled to lead Worship at a breakfast meeting. The Lord brought back to my memory the recent message that our retreat speaker had exhorted us with. I began to say aloud, "The facts are these: rent is due today, we don't have the money, and we're scheduled for eviction. The truth is this: God owns the cattle on a thousand hills; He will never leave us or forsake us; He will supply all of our needs according to His riches in Glory; and Luke 6:38 (NKJ) "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Facts don't set us free; the Truth sets us free.
While leading Worship at the meeting, I encouraged the audience with what I had rehearsed in my spirit. Barry arrived towards the end of the meeting to receive some prayer. A gentleman approached us with his checkbook and told us that he felt directed to pay our rent. He wrote out a $2500.00 check (more than what we owed) and gave it to us! Two other precious ladies slipped checks into my hands for $300.00 and $25.00, and another dear soul gave me a $5.00 bill, apologizing for the amount. That $5.00 bill was gold to us!
We paid our rent as well as another obligation. In a span of 3 days our "facts" were resurrected by "Truth"!
