I am going to try to summarize all that God has done for me. I was laid off on Dec 31 after 5 years with the company due to budget cuts. I had no severance pay or anything else but vacation left to be paid.

At the moment of my announcement, I felt the peace of God and His words come out, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).” I knew then that it was meant to be. God literally bombarded me with His promises that I will overcome, that I am His daughter and He will bless me in the hills and in the city and that He will open the storehouses of Heaven to pour out a blessing I can’t contain.

Everywhere I looked or listened, there He was reminding me that He is my Provider.

Two weeks later, after much praying, believing and trusting Him, fasting, tithing, reaching out to the prayer warriors, applying for jobs, rebuking the devourer, I started working. A sub consultant from my old job heard of my dismay and looked me up in the phone book and called to offer an interview and maybe a part time job.

I had departed from a job that I drove more than an hour one way in traffic. Busy and with no help, I requested cell phone service for business, but never received it, and then had to expense part of the purchases.

God replaced that with the following:

• Cell phone
• $1,001.34 signing bonus
• 15 minutes away from home (against traffic)
• 40 hrs and hourly (was salary before)
• Business credit card
• No micromanagement
• Free reign of the office

The people are great and I already have earned respect! I also see how I can bless this office with my learned skills. What is really unbelievable to me is that My Father never waivered or let me fall into depression or lack. I never lacked, instead, I never had so much money in my bank. In addition, He has placed me in a place I can witness.

I give Him, and only Him, all of my praise and worship and I will forever tell of His goodness and unfailing love for me. If He did it for me, so He will for you!

I love You Dad!!!!

I believe that we go through situations sometimes just so God can show how He can move and orchestrate our lives. I’ve gone through several of these situations.

I bought my first home a year ago, and I felt a total peace about it. Everything really came into play pretty smoothly. I was able to get a good, fixed rate with just a good credit score and nothing down. I broke my apartment complex and miraculously after a month and half of waiting and calling, they found someone to move in that January 2nd where I didn’t owe an extra penny.

I couldn’t believe it.

I closed Dec. 20th of 2006. Three weeks later I was laid off from my job with the home builder I worked for. I think I cried on the way home and then just resolved to look for a new job starting that day. I pretty much thought that God brought me to buy my new home with so much coming into place that this just had to work out.

Let me also point out that I never did stop tithing. I remember tithing on my severance check with almost a laugh of humor verses despair. I continued to tithe on my small, part-time job checks as well. On a side note , I made a resolution to fully tithe during one of my stints of being without a job several years ago while listening to Pastor Stovall at UNF.

In a nutshell, I was out of a full time job for almost three months; I spent a lot of that time praying and reading the Word, just believing for God to work it out. Philippians 3 and 4 on perseverance and contentment. Hebrews 11 and 12 on faith. Isaiah 56 and Jeremiah 29 on His plan for us.

Through it all, I used any checks to just pay bills and every bill, including my new mortgage, was paid on time. I didn’t have anything in savings beforehand either, but different things came into play including a bigger tax check than expected. (Apparently, I paid points on my mortgage which got me a higher return than otherwise would. I didn’t remember the mortgage consultant telling me about paying points at all, but in the end I was thankful for them.)

I now have a job that has a $9,000 higher base salary than my previous one, plus commissions.

With the past year in the market, looking back I am thankful for the lay off when it was. Also with the way my taxes have gone up $300 since closing, there is no way I would have been able to afford the home with my previous job.

Sometimes when my job stresses me too much, I have to remember to be thankful for the job and paycheck that He gave me.

One last note, a few months ago after my roommate told me she was moving out, I was thinking how much harder it is being single supporting myself. Then God spoke to me stating that I am not alone; that He is there supporting me as my provider more than any husband could do. I suddenly had tears feeling His comfort and peace.

God brings us through times to encourage others and show His glory as well as encourage ourselves in the future.

My husband has always had a desire to start his own business and two years back he even incorporated, but his business couldn’t take off.

Towards the end of last year and beginning of this year, he wanted to dissolve his company because he wasn’t getting any business and any business he was getting meant he had to work out of state which he did not want because it meant being away from his family.

Well, the first week of fasting he was at work and his co-worker sent him an email about an opportunity with a different company and he asked my husband if he was interested. My husband called the company and before we knew it he had a contract with them. This opportunity will allow him to do business using his company and the prospects of growing his company have started.

We thank God for this opportunity because it allows us to give and be a blessing to others.

At first we were like is this because of the fasting or what? I think it is; the moment you decide to fast the Holy Spirit starts moving on your behalf.

We are so blessed and are overflowing with gratitude and humility. We are praying that we would continue to be generous as God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others and that we continue to give to the cause so that many more people can be saved and receive eternal life.

I had my spiritual awakening today. It was neat, funny, great and surprising all wrapped up in one.

I have to start from the beginning. My mother told me about my brother’s blessing yesterday. The Lord not only blessed him with a good job, but a good job with a great salary. The first thing I thought was that with the money he was making I could really use it to help support my family more.

So then I was thinking about the fast and how maybe I was doing something wrong because nothing happened. So I went to work today and began to speak with Cleo who is one of the guys I work with. He began to just talk to me about how God was dealing with him and how when you pray not only should you talk but listen as well. I always thought there was a format to praying and that it should be a long drawn out thing.

Man was I ever wrong!

Not only did I not know how to pray, but I didn’t know how to discern the voice of God either. I left work and on the way home I heard something say read Psalm 23:1. Me being me, I started saying why, for what, what does that say?

The whole ride home Psalm 23:1 was on my mind. So when I got home and read Psalm 23:1 which reads “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” I thought, “that was so weird because that was the answer to my questions and the answer to my fasting.” Then I had to share the news with my mom.

I finally heard and obeyed the voice of God and it feels great. I just want to take in more and read more. I feel like my eyes have opened and I see a whole new world.

It’s a great feeling and it’s a feeling I pray I will have forever.

My husband Paul retired from the military. A stressful time made worse by the fact he had not secured a job yet. I just transitioned from a full time job making pretty good money to a job allowing me to be at home with my kids after school.

But that meant a lot less money.

He finally got a job with a nice company. It meant he had to drive to Altamonte Springs on a daily basis. He was out of town often which was stressful for us after having him always with us.

One day while loading some boxes at his work he felt a pulling sensation and pain in his arm. He went to the doctor and after several tests they confirmed that he had torn two tendons completely from his shoulder and surgery would be necessary.

He had the surgery, but while recovering his company decided to relieve him. He had several months of healing and rehabilitation to go through and knowing that he had no job to go back to made that recovery hard.

Through the next few moths he recovered and looked for a job with no luck.

Then one day he said he wanted to start his own painting company. It was something he did with his father as a side job throughout his military career.

We prayed to God for guidance and were given full peace that this is something he should do. When the economy started to fall the company did too.

Once again we had no money but my very small check. We tithed all through the experience that we had.

Months later it has gotten so hard that they are coming to take back the truck, our phone is being turned off and we are very far behind in mortgage. My sister has asked me if money is so hard why you still give at church.

I always say because it is not our money to keep.

Paul and I decided to do the 21 days of prayer and fast together. For me, it is a true test in my faith because I cook professionally. We pray together and get in his word be it in the car, on the computer and before bed.

Wednesday night we went to service for the first day of the fast. I felt such a release and peace.

My husband received a call from UPS requesting an interview. Then he went online and a request for an interview was sent to him for a local train company.

Then he received another phone call that a job he had wanted 2 years earlier (right before he retired) had been going through resumes and was giving his to the director for review. They called him in for his interview and we are waiting for a call back. This is a job he did for 20 years in the military. Something he loves.

God is truly amazing.

One day I remember brushing my hair and God spoke to me and said, “You lack faith in me because you worry too much.”

I have since put everything at his feet. All my hopes, fears and worries.

I know the Holy Spirit has entered me and that I am walking closer with God. I know He will meet all our needs.

This is my first time experiencing fasting and I am simply blown away by what happened to me the evening of January 13th.

Let me back up a minute. I am in the process of opening my own business. I originally moved to Jacksonville from Cocoa Beach to run and eventually buy the BBQ business formerly known as Willard’s BBQ on Beach Blvd.

As fate would have it, I was not able to buy it when it was time for my brother-in-law to sell it. So he sold it to another guy he knew from church. I trained the new owner and stuck with him for several years.

Due to a series of events a couple of years back, the guy ended up having to close the doors on the smokehouse.

I changed careers and had pretty much written off the idea of having the little restaurant as my business. I found making a living in real estate has become nearly impossible and that I was being drawn back to that little shop for some reason.

Well, a new guy came in and totally renovated the place and turned it into a coffee shop that never seemed to get off the ground.

So again the building became vacant.

This time I was at the right place at the right time and was able to secure the lease. I incorporated and have since been in the process of reopening it again as a BBQ spot once more.

Unfortunately, I hit a financial wall. I had an investor that had been assisting me with funding, but he has apparently gone MIA. I have not been able to reach him for nearly two weeks. So I had asked God Sunday morning for a blessing.

I told him I needed a miracle. I asked him to bring me $15,000 so that I could get open.

Well, within 6 hours of leaving church Sunday I got a phone call from a former employee that used to work with me several years ago when I had originally ran the BBQ shop when it was Willard’s. She asked me to meet with her and her husband.

I agreed and we met at 7:00 that night. They said they could help me with all the repairs I had left to complete so that I could pass the health inspection and get up and running.

Then they said we want to help you out financially also! We have $30,000 and want to invest in you. We feel passionate about this little place and can’t imagine anyone better than you to do this with.

My mouth was slightly agape. I was shocked for about half a minute and then all I could think of was God is great.

He not only answered my prayer, he answered it with double what I had asked for.

I have told anyone who’d listen about how amazing my journey has been so far and how great the Lord has blessed me. God has opened every door along the way as I have entered into this journey with him as my partner.

Now he has sent me two people to work with me and help me grow in a way that was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I give God all the credit for this amazing turn of events and just pray that I continue to walk with him through this journey.

I have been blessed.

Thank you God!

On November 1st, my husband lost his job due to budget cuts at his company. With only two weeks severance pay, we were relying solely on my income to get us through.

Shortly following the job loss, Pastor Stovall had a heart-to-heart with the congregation regarding tithing, how it works and the needs of the church. He said that supernatural stuff happens when you step out in faith and put God first in your finances.

At the end, Pastor Kerri held a dime over her head and asked if ten cents on every dollar was what was separating you from God. Wow, did she have my number! With tears pouring down my face, I wrote a check for a full tithe - an amount that frankly, would prevent us from paying other bills and would surely cause us to come up short at the end of the month.

You know what? We never came up short.

As we continued to tithe on every dollar that came in the door, we continued to be provided for financially. We never had to touch our savings account and Santa was able to provide abundantly for our two little boys during the Christmas season.

We wanted desperately to draw closer to God and we saw the 21 days of prayer and fasting as an opportunity we simply could not pass up.

We committed to the full 21 days and have been praying faithfully and attending all of the corresponding services.

Well, yesterday, on the seventh day of the fast, my husband had a job interview in an industry he really wanted to work in and also one that is very tough to break into. And after interviewing yesterday afternoon, he got the job offer last night.

Not only is it the job he wanted, it is the salary we desired and the growth opportunity he needs. It also includes a company car, so we can now sell one of our cars to save on one of our car payments, insurance and gas!

PRAISE GOD!!!

We are blessed to even have the opportunity to give. We have surrendered our finances to God and have committed to always put him first, especially in this area of our lives.

If you are thinking you can’t do it or you won’t make it, just try one time. Give God 10%. God will reward your faith.

Trust in Him, the Almighty.

Father, we thank You for the chance to give and we are so grateful for the opportunity to draw closer to you through fasting, Lord.

We know this is just the beginning.

With eyes wide open!