We made some bad financials decisions in our 20’s which eventually caught up to us in our early 30’s. We were living in a nice little condo that I loved. We brought our first born son home to this condo but by 2008, it was clear that we were in over our heads. The payments were becoming increasingly difficult to make each month and although tried every means we could to save the condo, we lost it to foreclosure.

I was embarrassed and disappointed, not just with myself but with God. I knew He could do a miracle, we heard amazing testimonies of people who prayed and received miraculous favor with their banks and their homes were saved, but this would not be our story. With a mountain of debt it was clear that the best option would be for us to move in with my in-laws. What I thought would be 1 to 2 month inconvenience, turned out to be a 5 year journey of faith.

Faith Lesson #1: Faith is an act of our will.

“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I WILL not believe.” John 20:25 These are the words Thomas, one of Jesus twelve disciples, spoke after he heard that Jesus had resurrected. If Thomas can, by an act of his will, choose not to believe; then we, by an act of our will, can choose to believe. I decided that no matter what, I would choose to believe that God was good, that He did not fail me and that he could be trusted. Although the outcome was not what I had prayed for, I believed he had a plan and I had to resist becoming angry and disappointed with him. I reminded myself that God is in the restoration business, even if the mess was by our own doing.

My husband and I attended Financial Peace University at our church where we learned how to handle our money. We began to climb out of debt, and 3 years after the foreclosure, I began to dream of having our own home once again, but not just another condo, I wanted a HOUSE and a yard.

Faith Lesson #2: Faith must be spoken, out loud. “Whosoever SAYS to this mountain…” Mark 11:23

God’s Word is the PRIMARY way God speaks to us. In my heart I knew that if I stayed faithful in my daily reading, God would use his Word to speak to me about my desire for a house, that he would give me something to build my faith on.

“You set me up with a house and yard. And then you made me your heir!” Psalm 16:6

As soon as I read this verse, I knew it was for me, it was the verse I would build my faith on. My husband and I prayed this over our lives and began to thank God for giving us a HOUSE and yard. We would say, “when we buy our house…”, not if we buy, but when we buy. We lined our words up with His WORD.

Faith Lesson #3: Faith must be acted upon.

Two years went by, we were out of debt and had some money saved. We had become relaxed on our prayer as it did not happen over night as we had hoped. I became pregnant with our second son and became determined to move out of my in-laws before the baby was born. My husband and I put pen to paper and figured out what we could afford, we contacted our real estate agent and began home shopping but it soon became clear that we could not afford a house, but another 2 bedroom condo, and not like the one we had before, but smaller and not as nice.

Frustrated and sad I began to pray over the situation because I wondered if it was right for me to desire a house, after all we had created the mess, but God reminded me of the verse he had given me 2 years earlier and that he indeed is in the restoration business. Why would he restore us to less than what we had before, that wouldn’t be restoration at all. With renewed faith, I called our real estate agent and asked that she began to show us houses.

Now, I have to be honest, when we found the home we liked and took a step of faith by placing an offer on the home, I was scared! In fact, I fought fear the ENTIRE buying process. At that time, we could not afford the home, however, we were careful and prayerfully followed God’s leading. We trusted that if we were making a mistake, he would let us know. At the same time the enemy was screaming at me, “are you crazy, who puts an offer on a home they can’t afford! You’re just going to embarrass yourself again!”

As we continued to pray through the buying process, we began to see God close the gap between what we could afford and what the house was going to cost us each month. By the time closing came, that gap was smaller and our faith was stronger.

It has been 3 years now and I have not lost a single night of sleep wondering if we were going to be able to pay our mortgage.

What are you believing for? Health and healing, restoration of a relationship? A home, or for a baby. Whatever miracle it is that you need, faith is going to be required if you’re ever going to see that promise happen in your life.

Decide to believe, find a promise from his word to build your faith on, and speak it out loud, then act on it. Not foolishly of course, but by his leading. He can be trusted, he is good, and he is faithful. Don’t give up!