You might be asking yourself why in the world do you have a debt eraser with a blog titled: "Give It All You Got?" Well, I have the perfect answer for you; this past year I paid off all my student loans, car loans, credit cards, mortgage, and all debt assigned to my name and at the same time donated the most amount of money I've ever given in my life! I'm a living testament to:
Malachi 3:10: "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it".
I would like to share with you three real-life examples this past year that give testament to the claim of; testing God with your tithe as well as your giving and letting him pour open his floodgates (please note: I believe God will always bless a cheerful giver, it may not come through your finances directly though, it may come by him blessing your: health, relationships, friends, family, etc.).
1) If you want to pay off a massive amount of debt (over six digits of debt) you have to be fully dedicated and have an internal drive to trust in your daily routines. For me, that meant daily prayer/meditation and monthly fasting. I strived to do all of this with the focus of adding value to others in my role at work and to give to each person I met while expecting nothing in return.?My goal was to provide as much value as possible to each Business Leader I met whether they joined the Chamber or not. Many of the companies that did join the Chamber I believe were led to me by faith. For example, one company that joined is one of the largest companies in the country, and out of the blue, I get a call on my cell phone from their Regional Manager who asked to join the Chamber on the spot! There were many examples just like this one of relationships that formed when I did nothing but pray for God's wisdom, strength and guidance daily. I believe God was working behind the scenes all throughout this last year.
2) The determination to reduce debt at a God sized rate couldn't have been any higher! In July, Britt and I got engaged, and my promise to her was that before we get married I would be completely debt free. I knew from multiple mentors/friends/and books that going into marriage with financial challenges can crush your marriage. Britt (my fiancé) and I, also have a passion to serve others overseas in the next several years. In order to go, you have to be completely debt free. For a minute....can you imagine.....having over hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, and at the same time being true to your commitment to the love of your life? Well, you know what they say.....with massive reward brings massive sacrifice. So after much prayer and fasting, I decided to sell my duplex (that I totally renovated), at the beginning of 2021 and was blessed by an old friend to be his basement dweller. Later in the year, I delivered packages for Amazon/Shipt at night to speed the debt snowball. I reduced traveling and became laser focused on hitting my budget every month (always including a tithe). The focus of "Giving Everything I Got," still meant giving financially to friends who served overseas/sponsor children in need/non-profit orgs./girl scout cookies/and families in need over the holidays, when asked, Britt and I gave. Please always remember, it's not about the amount you give, it's about the obedient heart you have to give! This obedience to give meant though that I struggled to hit my monthly budget. Every month, I prayed/fasted/and mediated and asked God for wisdom and guidance and every month he provided. There was multiple instances of friends/family providing in different ways that covered certain expenses and allowed me to hit my budget. These people (you know who you are) were truly angels in my life at a time when I needed them most.
3) Having a purpose more than just making money was the key ingredient to eliminating a all of my debt. My purpose was to, "Give It All I Got," to serve others with everything I had this included my time as well. Last year, I had the opportunity to co-lead a group called "Serve Group" where 10-20 guys serve a non-profit in the cities every second Thursday of every month (please join us!). Britt and I, had the opportunity to adopt a family from Afghanistan that moved to Minnesota. We also spend time investing in new friendships with several homeless families in the cities through a non-profit we love called Project 6:8. If you can't give to someone that asks, which many times I was in this situation, whether that be the person on the street corner that you drive by, or a friend that posts a Go Fund Me on social media, than I would encourage you to offer your time to them or connect them to your network. I can promise you, that you are always blessed to be a blessing, and your life will be changed for the obedient heart you have to give. You never know how God can work in your heart and the new relationships he will bring into your life when you just open yours to freely give.
I'm so very thankful for the many ways God threw open his floodgates and I pray that he would do the same for you! Get out there and "Give It All You Got" and let him take care of the rest.
