“My life is full of real life success stories”
As a struggling missionary there was a time when I didn’t consider the above statement to be true.
I didn’t consider myself to be prosperous.
Today, we’re often amazed at how God blesses everything we lay our hands to.
What a blessing to be in such a place where we are no longer just sowing seeds but we’re actually setting under the tree watching the fruit fall off for us to administrate wisely.
Our family is blessed beyond measure with finances, health , and unity. Our friends and close acquaintances love us and respect us. Our ministry is thriving as nationals practicality beg us to consider giving them a spiritual covering so they can start new churches
The real life success stories go on and on.
Blessings are not the exception they are the norm. I’m not saying that I’m exempt from problems but our family does have a lot to give thanks to God for.
It hasn’t always been this way.
So what’s my secret?
Our Real Life Success Story
In my last article I gave some preliminary thoughts and some action steps on How To Get Everything You Touch (& Do) To Prosper. Be sure and read this valuable information because you’ll see how prosperity and blessings and real life success are synonymous words
Today I want to give you a personal testimony about my learning experience and our real life success story
Please allow my to balance off this testimony by telling you that prosperity is not just about money. I’m a prosperous person because of my faith in God, my family life, my health and of course we do have many material possessions in which to count our blessings.
In my coming articles I’ll give you some actual tips and step by step information I’ve used to obtaining Real Life Success or Godly Prosperity.
Our Adoption Lesson
We wanted children.
Children are a sign of prosperity. Psalm 127:3 actually calls them a reward.
My wife and I had been trying to have children for years but after going through fertility treatments we gave up on giving birth to a child. I told my wife that God would give us a child and it actually happened.
While in Mexico, In the year 2000, we were handed a beautiful baby daughter in a matter of days without even going through legal paperwork.
What a blessing. We have always thanked God for our daughter, Cristi and have never doubted God’s providence in becoming parents to such a wonderful child.
Problems are a natural part of real life success stories (they’re opportunities in disguise).
There was one small problem. When we were handed the 3 month year old baby girl she didn’t have a birth certificate. We first thought that we would just register her as our own since we could easily do this in a foreign Country. However, after careful consideration, we discovered that we would have to tell a series of lies to falsify papers.
Real Life Success stories are achieved though adoption processes
I’m not a good liar because that would be trusting in myself and not trusting in God so that option was ruled out very quickly. Even though we already had the little baby in our custody we decided to go through a legal adoption in the Country of Mexico.
Real life success stories are achieved through perseverance
This proved to be a very long ordeal. It cost us a lot of money, a lot of inconveniences (we couldn’t travel to the USA as a family) and a lot of stress. However. we never gave up hope and we persevered through the legal red tape until we finally overcame the ordeal setting a landmark example of the right way to adopt in a country where legal adoptions was once unheard of.
After 10 years we were finally rewarded with a legal adoption of our daughter, Cristi.
Missionaries are supposed to be poor.
That is what everyone told me when I chose to become a missionary in 1987. The problem is. I believed them. After struggling financially for years and accumulating over $85,000 of credit card debt I decided it was time to leave my “poor missionary” mentality behind.
In December of 2007, I made the decision that if I had more money I could actually do more for God as a missionary. Up until that time I had raised up 4 churches but had aspirations to raise up hundreds of churches.
I was heavily criticized by fellow Christians when I boldly proclaimed What I would do if I had a million dollars?
Once the criticism began rolling in, I knew I was on the right track because success does not come without opposition.
I decided to change my mentality and lifestyle from that of receiving to that of giving.
I used to look at people with money and hope they would give me a large donation. I decided to start making large contributions into the lives and pocketbooks of others.
I read and applied Luke 6:38 to my lifestyle:
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
My real life success story started when I began to live to give and give to live.
Read this article on How to Find Blessing in an Economic Recession for more principles that I learned.
I began to apply these 12 rules about money to my life:
- Give your tithe to God. MalaquÃas 3:8-12
- Give a tithe to Yourself – 10% for investments
- Give your first fruits to God – In 2009 I gave all of my first paycheck or income to God
- Control what you spend, spend less tan you make
- multiply –gain interest, don’t borrow
- It’s better not to lend to friends- you risk loosing your friend
- Be wise in your investments be informed before you invest
- Own you own home or land– pay off your mortgage
- Prepare for the future – Save Money
- Grow in your abilities through education read, get a mentor, never stop learning
- Don’t be 50-50 partners in business with anybody– you be the leader
- Give a tithe of the tithe
How I got out of debt
By applying the above rules for my life I not only gave to countless ministries and individuals but I also became debt free in less than two years time.
I stated that I owed over $85,000. Most of that debt was in credit card debt. I paid that debt off using a simple method shown in this video at http://www.successhisway.com/how-to-pay-off-your-debts.
I owed several banks. Here’s what I did to pay off my debts:
- I chose the loan with the smallest amount and began paying as much as i possibly coud on that debt.
- I didn’t pay attention to interest rates as I was only concerned with wiping out the debt that I owed the least amount to.
- I paid the minimum on the other debts for the time being
- Once I paid off the smallest debt I then concentrated on the next debt with the smallest amount owed
- I used all of the money I was paying on the previous debt and applied it to this debt.
- I continued this snowball effect until I had paid off all my debt.
I became known as a giver
I read books, I listened to messages and most of all I put my knowledge into practice. I gave away everything that I could possibly think of.
I gave finances, I gave material possessions, I gave away my time, and I gave my all to every project I entered into.
My financial state had definitely turned around. I didn’t owe anyone I became the lender and not the borrower. Not only had my finances turned around but something else had happened….
Our ministry exploded and we began giving a spiritual covering to hundreds of churches.Our ministry actually began planting new churches on a monthly basis.
But that it didn’t stop there. I wanted God To bless everything I touched. I still had a house for sale. We still couldn’t leave Mexico as a family because we didn’t have a visa for my daughter and most of all I knew that there was more. I was searching for God’s best. …
Read about the day I missed the Bus
In the next part of this message you read about the day I became fed up. I’ll continue my testimony and I’ll let you know why I don’t ever have to ask God For money. I ask him for something else…
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What do you think of my real life success story so far? I welcome your comments below.
I apprecciate it very much that you’re sharing these things with us. Thanks brother.
Dear Brother,
I was so overwhelmed with your desire for the Lord and to bless other people. I was touched with the things you have done. I could feel your love for the Lord and your faith that God is so faithful in His promises. I can relate to that because its also my desire to help other people. I can sense that God is on the process of developing me.As of now , I still need to learn more, and to listen more to His guidance. Thanks for your testimony. I’m so blessed!
Edith,
Thanks for the valuable comment.
You just used added value to others who may be reading this. That’s a major key to real life success.
I love your teachable attitude. …
We should be listening and learning everyday
You’re on the right track!