CROWN'S MISSION:
Equipping people worldwide to learn, apply, and teach God's financial principles so they may know Christ more intimately, be free to serve Him, and help fund the Great Commission.

Testimonies

 

 

Recent stories

10/1/2009

I would like to say "thank you" for your show. Because of what God showed us through this show, my husband and I were able to pay off our house in 17 years. We wanted to pay off our house before reaching 50, and we did. We are 49. It was a challenge, but we knew that we wanted to get out of debt prior to retiring (I still have about 10 years of working) and before our two girls went to college.

When I first started listening to your radio show, we had just finished purchasing a new car. After a year and a half, and after listening to your show talk about getting out of debt, I told my husband that we needed to pay off our car. I showed him how much interest we were paying and told him that if we took money from savings and some from checking, that we could do it. We prayed about it, and prayed, and prayed. At the end, we decided to go ahead, and we paid off our car in one and a half years.

Since we then had this extra income, we decided to apply it toward the house payment. We also put an extra $1,000-$2,000 extra toward the principal. We also opened a CD account to earn more interest. Our goal was to pay off the house by December 2009, but when I did the math, I knew that our house could be paid off by August 2009. I told my husband, and he was surprised. He said to hold on and just wait until December; he wanted to make sure we had emergency money. He forgot about the CD.

Well, I prayed about. I noticed that if we took the CD money out, once it matured, and money out from our regular savings (but making sure we still had 2-3 months' worth of living expenses saved), we could pay off the house in August. I was so excited with what I wanted to do that I did not tell my husband of my plans. I prayed about it, over and over, and told the Lord what I wanted to do. Well, I ended up doing just that.

I called our mortgage company and asked what the final payment would be if we paid the house off in August. We had the right amount of money in both savings along with some money from our checking. When I received the check from the Credit Union with the final pay off, I could not believe what I was doing. There were so many emotions going on my mind, I was numb. I couldn't believe that this was going to be the last payment to our house. A dream come true! Even though the economy was bad, we were still going to accomplish our goal! I was so excited that I must have been telling the Lord "thank you" so many times that He probably was tired of listening to me saying "thank you."

After I had sent the final payment, I told my husband what I had done. He could not believe that this was it. I told him that I wanted to surprise him once the Deed was sent to the house. I was going to place it in a platter and present it to him. We both starting laughing and could not believe that our house no longer belonged to the bank. It is an amazing feeling. Now, we can start giving more to the Lord. Praise God! God has been so good to us; it is just amazing.

Thank you for letting me share my story.

If we did it, anyone can do it. People just have to decide what is important in their lives and try to get out of debt. Set goals, and sooner or later they will come true.

WE DID IT!

Dora, CA

 

10/17/2009

We have chosen financial freedom and have been offering Crown's resources to our small church. Recently a need for clean water was presented to us by a missionary to Thailand. The amount my wife and I heard when seeking God for the project was $2,000 (a large stretch for our little congregation, like the widow's oil)!!

We agreed that it would take a miracle to come up with the funds, especially in less than a week! Several believers fasted, and we broke fast together with a spaghetti dinner, allowing people to give a donation. (We had not discussed with the congregation the amount we had heard God tell us.) Should we have been surprised by the results? No!

We handed a check over to the missionary that evening for $2,000. We were all speechless and then began praising God with tears flowing. A miracle happened that night. Our faith was strengthened. But that's not the end of the story.

A week or two later, an anonymous giver gave another $2,000 toward the project. God not only provided what He asked of us, He matched it!

We could tell you of many other ways the Lord is working. God has turned many difficulties into blessings, and we are so grateful to Him! We encourage the believers to secretly give and store up treasures in Heaven! May this encourage others. God's principles are alive and well. They truly do work!

An anonymous pastor, United States

 

10/22/2009

Throughout our 55 years of marriage, my husband and I tried two or three budgeting methods, became discouraged, and gave it up. My only guideline about whether there was money to spend was if I noticed my husband spending money and figured I could as well. Not a good plan, and it caused lots of problems.

I heard many times on your broadcasts questions to listeners about, "Do you have a budget?" So I knew we would someday have to try this again. It was just before we retired that I sent for the budget notebook, but I stashed it away and forgot about it. After moving and settling in, I felt the need to revisit the budget idea and followed the plan of suggesting it to my husband. It went over "like a lead balloon."

I had prayed before asking and continued to pray for guidance. Finally, he was willing to take the first step of writing income and outgo on a sheet of paper. Later, we did the next step of assigning categories and amounts. We were wobbly at first but caught on quickly.

About a year later I overheard my husband telling a friend about our learning to budget. He said, "This is one of the best things we have ever done for ourselves." I praised the Lord! I agree. Now, there is no doubt in my mind if we have the money to purchase something. It's great! I thank God for your ministry.

Alice, TN

 

10/25/2009

I participated in a Crown Financial small group study through my church in 2006. At that time I was out of control with my spending, I had no money in savings, and I had a huge amount of debt. Through the study I realized that I was a slave to my debt. I realized that working only paid my debt and that I had no means to give to God's work or to prepare for my own future. The study was eye-opening for me.

I developed and started using a budget to track my bills each month, to pay off debt, and to control spending. I was shocked when I first added up and saw in black and white what I really owed—totals and monthly payments. I immediately took charge of my spending, the one thing that was totally in my control. It took me just over a year to get my debt "reasonable."

Three years later, I am still using the system. I still watch my money every paycheck. I have paid my way out of considerable debt, have built a good start to retirement savings, and continue to focus on how I can control my money rather than it controlling me. I am able to give to charity and to church. I am free of being a slave to my debt.

I know that God spoke to me through this study. He made me realize that my debt was controlling my life and that it had to stop NOW. I can't begin to tell you how good it feels to know that with each paycheck, I have money left over to save rather than coming up short.

It was not an easy process to actually look at my debt and come face to face with the real numbers. It was not easy to set a budget that paid off my debt rather than just paying minimums. There were plenty of times I left myself just enough to get by. But, my debt was being paid off rather than adding to it, and it was all worth it.

The principles in Crown are easy to understand and follow. The Word of God that speaks through these messages are life saving!

Kathy, GA

 

10/28/2009

We just want to encourage people, especially young couples, to seek God and believe His Word! We are a homeschooling family with 8 children (7 boys, one girl) that has lived on one income, debt free for the most part, on a single income for over 20 years. (That income has been between $16,000 and $38,000.)

We began seeking God's heart in our finances before we were married and have trusted that He knows what is best to do with all that is His. We have been encouraged by wonderful teachers like the late Larry Burkett and others at Crown all along!

We have been able to build our home, pay our taxes, own many used, older vehicles (for us and our driving children, who also have been taught to live within their means according to Biblical principles,) and by God's grace, meet every need we have ever had. All the while God always gave us opportunities to GIVE!! We have seen Him provide for others through us and been blessed to give, offer, and tithe...even giving away a couple of vehicles!!

We have had insurance only a few years and paid cash for the births of most of our children, paid cash for our vehicles, homes, appliances, and any other major needs. We have seen God provide this and the emergency fund, savings, and some investments, all on a salary of a municipal employee. While one of us has a B.S. degree, we believed that God was more concerned with her keeping our home and training our children than making more money. Sounds crazy, but we sometimes have just sat in awe seeing it on paper and realizing how He has been so faithful to care for us. We have committed to Him all, not just 10%, and He has done with it what He wills!

When we started, we paid off a little 700 sq ft home, gutted and remodeled it, added on as needed, sold it, then used the money to build our home now (valued at nearly 200K.) We "bit the bullet" many times and struggled some, worked VERY hard, murmured and complained a bit (maybe a lot), and enjoyed seeing how God provided, sometimes even through His people and our families. We have never made much, but always had much.

We even lost our savings in an investment blunder only to see God use that to teach us how to trust Him truly and not our riches. Then He just provided in a wonderful way, freeing us to let it go. There's so much to tell of the years of seeing Him care for us! The best part is the faithfulness He has shown even when we were not trusting. We have always offered and tithed, but He has shown us how to give.

Our children, ranging in age from 1 to 20, are learning to live according to Godly principles in their finances. Two are in college, working, saving and trusting. While our income is low enough to qualify them for government grants to help, they pay for everything they need, help with some needs here at home, where we have built a dormitory in the back yard to allow for the oldest to study and have some opportunity to learn responsibilities on his own. They bought their first cars at the age of 16, pay their own phone and insurance, and GIVE when they see opportunity. Their cars are old, but they are busy saving so that when they need another one, they will have cash to pay for it.

We have many stories of how all this has worked out over the years, and would love to share with young people to start out willing to give 100% to their Father and see His faithfulness. Yes, there are things we would probably do differently. We'd be foolish not to correct our mistakes. But God has taken even those and worked them for His purpose in our lives. How good it is to trust in Him!

Of all that we have experienced, we are most grateful to find that living by Biblical principles is not about having things or giving or even doing right with finances, but it is about growing close to a God who is a Father, Provider, and Savior. Ultimately, it is the relationship we have attained with Him that we find value in and cherish. The experience of trusting Him with all has given us that relationship!

Don and Veronica, TX

 

10/29/2009

Thank you for airing Kandy's story [guest on MoneyLife, October 26-27] of paying off so much debt with God's help. As I listened, I felt led to give God the glory by sharing my story.

In January 2008 I faced the ugly truth that my total debt was $78,492 and I had nothing in savings. However in the past 22 months, I have paid off $54,577 in debt, making a net income of $62,000 per year. No, I did not inherit any money, win the lotto, gamble at the casino and win, or sell anything (car, land, house etc.) My creditors did not lower/freeze my interest rates or write off any of my debt. I have not requested or received assistance from any of the debt relief or credit counseling services.

I am paying off the debt by totally relying on God, placing Him first in every area of my life and living a frugal lifestyle. I give 11% of my gross income to God and seek His help in my finances. I know we are in a recession; however, God has been and continues to be faithful toward me. I should be completely out of debt within six months.

This journey has not been easy as I did not have the support of a mate. I am single (never married) without children, and I have received considerable negative comments from family and friends. No one believed that I would pay off this much debt in 22 months, and they are just starting to believe that I might be debt free in six months.

My sister jokingly informed me that after sending in my last debt payment, I could feel free to continue making payments, to pay off her debt. I just laughed.

May God bless your ministry, and please continue to air debt success stories, similar to Kandy's, as they are so inspirational.

Tawnya, TX

 

10/30/2009

I know that God is working in my life because last week I didn't have enough money to put gas in my car. I was praying so hard for God to give me peace so I would not get stressed out.

When the mail came that day, there was a check in the mail for $20. See? God does answer prayer!

Bev, OH

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