An amazing few days. Supernatural debt cancellation!

Hey friends! I feel the need to apologize about my ability to keep the blog up-to-date as much as I'd like. It's just hard to find the time. But when something amazing happens, I am going to be sure to make a post! And something amazing happened over the past week that I couldn't wait to share!

First of all, I want to say... I watched Joyce & Creflo both this morning. And they both were discussing the difference between praying for miracles and then doing the dailies. Basically - it's great to believe for miracles and God is a God of miracles. But He is also a God that gives you wisdom and direction and "leads you by the way you should go" (Isaiah 48:17) If you are going through a challenge, whatever it may be - I know there is scripture that can guide you in your particular need. I looked up the scriptures that I needed and prayed and meditated on them for a long time. At first, the only breakthrough was my ATTITUDE! But, that is the first breakthrough we need!

So many times I see it (and I have done it myself) - people who want things to be different in their lives but they don't want to work for it. I'm not just talking about people living on welfare here. I'm talking about people who "wish". Examples?? Sure... Here are 3!

I "wish" I had more friends. "No one called and invited me to go out tonight, so I give up. I'm just going to go to a bar and meet some people there. No one loves me anyway." I'm sorry - did you call anyone to invite them out? I used to have moments like this. But now - I just invite other people to do stuff. If they are busy, I invite someone else. Just because I'm married doesn't mean I don't want to hang out with people either! Dustin & I are together like ALL THE TIME now. :) And we want to hang out with friends. But feel free to INVITE US. We shouldn't have to be the ones inviting others all the time. So stop with the pity party and call someone! If they have plans, don't take it personally! Call someone else!

I "wish" I could lose weight / feel better. Ugh... I am saying this to bring light back home to me! Dustin & I have been saying this for months. But the truth is... We are not doing anything about it - not really. We start, but don't finish. We start and I end up resisting something and so we quit. We start and I hurt my back. We start and Dustin gets tired of going. We start and then we go eat pizza and coke every day for a week straight. Look - it's true that I am extremely busy right now and it's true that I have back problems. BUT I can find 30 minutes to work out if I want to. AND I can especially eat better!!! But... we haven't done it. It's doing the dailies that would change this for us!!!

I "wish" I were out of debt. Well.. Don't just WISH. DO! If your current income will not do it, then pray for God to show you a way to do it!!

In all these instances, my true belief is this 3-step plan! 
1. PRAY scriptures!! Look up scriptures that have to do with your situation (love scriptures, health scriptures, financial scriptures) Meditate on them until your HEART knows them! Then your attitude will start to change. This is the first part of the dailies - the scriptures!

2. LISTEN! God will nudge you to follow Him on certain things. For instance - He might put on your heart to invite someone to dinner (your treat) and maybe it's someone you don't normally hang out with (and maybe not even sure if you want to). But do it and see what happens! Or maybe he nudges you to do a marathon when you can barely walk up a flight of stairs right now. Commit to it, and maybe it will help you! OR if He nudges you to give someone a gift card when you can barely pay your own bills... do it! I remember buying someone a $50 Kroger card one time when we could barely buy our own groceries. But we did it in faith!! So, listen to those nudgings. Don't you know - I'm glad I LISTENED when He told me "just apply to the job. See where it goes"

3. DO THE DAILIES! Work on your attitude. Study the word. Be nice to others. Remember that it's not all about you. Do something for someone else every single day - even if it's just an encouraging word or a comforting ear. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Pay as much as you can on your debt, even if it's just $20!

Joyce said this morning that she's glad God didn't just supernaturally deliver her from all her issues. She had to walk out the journey of the dailies. When you do it that way, you GROW! You learn so much and your faith is built like a foundation for future victories!! AND just wait... once you walk it out and see success on your end, God can supernaturally deliver on His end as well. You could get BOTH!

NOW... finally for my news! We have walked through this stuff for a few years now with our finances. Last week, I did our September balance sheet. I realized we paid off almost $2000 in debt on top of going on vacation and getting some things for ourselves. I couldn't believe it! But Kismet and Relish had great months on top of what we had as our regular income. I was so excited when I saw this!!! We are doing it!!! But then... the supernatural came along! You ready??? 3 things happened over a few days time (after seeing that budget on Wednesday)

1. Our largest debt is the last on our list to payoff because we are doing the Dave Ramsey snowball thing. It is a credit card we used to help finance Relish in the beginning. They raised our interest rate in January (tripled it) and wouldn't tell us why. After about 12 phones calls and 3 letters to them, I wrote one last letter notifying them I would no longer be paying the bill until someone could explain to me what had happened. (They said we had a late payment but couldn't prove it and could not transfer us to anyone in management to help us). So I stopped paying and started praying and just trusting God. The day after pop died (9/9) we got a letter from a lawyer saying CitiBank was suing us. And not just for the balance due, but for about $3000 more than that from accrued interest and fees PLUS attorney's fees. We wrote a letter last week and faxed it to the law firm disputing the charges. I called on Thursday just to make sure they received the fax. The guy that answered (a lawyer) asked if he could help us. He ended up not only dropping all those extra fees, but taking off almost $3000 of real debt (what we actually owed) and settling for the rest, to be paid in monthly installments through June. It was SO easy, it was nearly unbelievable!!! AND he was really nice about it - helping us with what we could pay and working out a plan that would work!!! PRAISE GOD!!!! So our biggest debt will be paid off much sooner!!! AND it will go on our credit as good standing!!! (we got all of it in writing) So the one big bill I was concerned about - God supernaturally did exceeding blessings with!!!

2. Our second largest debt and second to last on our list to pay off was my student loan. On Saturday, before we left for Bowling Green (to visit with Dustin's family for the day) - I checked our mail. I had a letter from the Mississippi Higher Education (I went to school at Southern Miss). It was about my student loan. They said they were pleased to inform me that in September, 2011 they were able to reduce my student loan balance by $2500. It has already been applied to my account - nothing I needed to do. WHAT?! I looked online and sure thing!!! SO... we chipped off about $1500 on our first smaller debts. AND THEN our two biggest debts and last things on our list to pay - God supernaturally chipped off $5500!!!! WOW!!!! A-MA-ZING!!!!

3. When Dustin & I got back from vacation, we immediately started looking up our "next cruise". We wanted to go on the cruise that leaves from Miami - the Eastern Caribbean cruise. We liked the Norwegian Epic and started daydreaming. But I knew that with our debt situation - it would be next Fall until we could do another big vacation. Well... while in Kentucky, Dustin's grandma announced that she was taking us all on a family vacation. And guess what it is? YEP! The Norwegian Epic, leaving out of Miami!!! When is it? February 11th!! AND she is going to pay for it all! She said it was a gift - that Poppa wanted to take a trip with everyone and never got to do it. So - we will be going on our next dream vacation in just FOUR months! For free!!! WHAT?!!!

God clearly showed me the connection! We have been doing our part and now HE is showing us the supernatural!!! So, my friends...  I encourage you to do those steps!!! Read the Word! Pray! Invite that person to dinner. Then you may get invited to a spa day with someone else. Climb those stairs and then maybe you'll want to run that marathon! Maybe someone at work will start climbing with you and before you know it - you are getting in shape!! Buy that gift card for that family that needs it. TITHE even if you don't have a lot to give! Give what you can (like the woman with the perfume that poured it on Jesus' feet) Do what you can do! And then God will show you blessings and then MIRACLES!!! It's enough to make you sit down and weep for hours. I know I cried a lot this weekend. And let me just say - tears of joy taste much sweeter than tears of desperation and pity that I once cried years ago! Step out in faith and hope and love!!! Then be prepared to be blessed when you least expect it!!!

Love you all! I am standing with you in faith, my friends!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Isaiah 48:17!!!

Financial Scriptures: Words to stand on!

Hey friends! Well, it's been a whirlwind of a week preparing for the new job. I have received several messages from many of you requesting the financial scriptures. I plan on going through my favorites and what they mean to me and how I stood on them and how they have come to reality in our lives (not just thru this new job, but in many areas!)

I also want to talk to you about FEAR, as I believe that fear is the greatest defeater any of us will ever know. If you stand on these scriptures, you have to make sure it's in faith and not in fear. Don't feel condemned by that (that can lead to a downhill spiral). When I started standing on these for finances and on the healing scriptures for my health - it was often in fear. Most of my life was controlled by fear. It's truly the Devil's greatest weapon - and it's all smoke & mirrors. Here is a great story Joyce Meyer shares (in my own words)

There was a village where children played freely. There was a mountain nearby and the children told ghost stories of the monster on top of the mountain. Some children attempted to climb the mountain, but as they climbed, they would hear this roar coming from above. One by one, they would turn around and come back down as quick as they could. Then one day, a boy looked up and said "I will get to the top!" He and his friends started out. As they climbed higher, the roars got louder. One by one, every boy turned around except for the one. He trembled as he took each step, nearing the top. When he finally reached the top, he saw a small animal about a foot off the ground, about 5 lbs, cute & furry. The boy was shocked "Are YOU what was making all that noise?!" The animal opened it's mouth and only a squeak came out. That's what fear is! It's an idea, a roar from a defeated enemy! It's his last hope to keep us from our destiny!!! Climb that mountain and no matter what happens, KEEP CLIMBING! You may tremble, but keep going - knowing it is never as bad as your mind tells you. KEEP CLIMBING!! You have an over comer inside of you!!! And if you feel fear, it's okay - DO IT AFRAID!!! And then the fear will fade! I will talk more about this in future posts, but for now...

Here are the financial scriptures you can start standing on TODAY! I encourage you to quote them and MEDITATE on them. Quote them several times, close your eyes and say them, absorbing each word. Eventually, you will memorize them - not just in your mind, but in your heart! And THAT is when things will begin to change! I also encourage you to do this EVERY day!!! Challenge yourself, make it a priority!!! If it's a priority to have a breakthrough, work on it! Be sure to quote the passage as well - that is what gives us power - quoting where the promises are in the Bible.

***ALSO, KEY*** Replace generic "your", "their" words with "My" Make the promise FOR YOU. For example, in #10, I say "And my God shall supply all MY need..." This makes it personal promises just for YOU! Of course, all the verses ARE for you, but it helps build the faith in your heart. :)

I will be back soon to blog about specific scriptures! Love you guys! I pray the last one (#22) over you!!! ENDURE!!!

1. Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. - 3 John 2
2. I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. - Psalm 37:25
3. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. - Psalm 34:10
4. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. - Psalm 23:1
5. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:
   ³ “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
   ⁴ “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
   ⁵ “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
   ⁶ “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
   ⁷ “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
   ⁸ “The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you..- Deuteronomy 28:2-8 
6. And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. ¹² The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. ¹³ And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. - Deuteronomy 28:11-13
7. 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. - Luke 6:38
8. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven, And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. ¹¹ “ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts; ¹² And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the LORD of hosts. - Malachi 3:10-12
9. “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. - Matthew 6:31-33
10. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus - Philippians 4:19
11. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. - Joshua 1:8
12. Thus saith the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD your God which teaches you to profit, and leads you by the way you should go. - Isaiah 48:17
13. And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. - Deuteronomy 8:18
14. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. - Proverbs 3:5-10
15. Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the LORD charged Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed. - 1 Chronicles 22:13
16. ¹ Blessed is the man
             Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
             Nor stands in the path of sinners,
             Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
     ² But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
             And in His law he meditates day and night.
     ³ He shall be like a tree
             Planted by the rivers of water,
             That brings forth its fruit in its season,
             Whose leaf also shall not wither;
             And whatever he does shall prosper. - Psalm 1:1-3
17. Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established. - Proverbs 16:3
18. Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established;
    ⁴ By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. - Proverbs 24:3-4
19. If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity,
    And their years in pleasures. - Job 36:11
20. Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. - Colossians 4:1
21. not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; - Romans 12:11
22. ³⁵ Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: - Hebrews 10:35-36