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God Is Always There: Anthony's Faith Journey- Part 2
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God Is Always There: Anthony's Faith Journey- Part 2

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Hi friends!  On today’s episode of Draw Near to Me, we will begin the final part of Anthony’s faith journey.  For those who prefer to read, today’s content is also posted below.  As a recap, part 1 ended with Anthony being encouraged by his friend, Chris, to come to a prayer group.  Although he was initially hesitant to go, he decided to attend.  It was there that a woman felt he needed not only prayer, but a hug from a mother.  God knew exactly what he needed to be comforted.  That night, he felt the Lord speak to him and ask him to turn away from the things that were harmful to his life.  Anthony agreed.  That became a transformative moment.  Since this is a man’s testimony, my husband, Jeff, will narrate Anthony’s story.  If you enjoy this post, please share it with others using the share button below and consider doing a free or paid subscription.  With that, let’s dive into the final part of Anthony’s story. Enjoy!

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A week or two after that night of prayer, I met Amanda at work.  By that time in my life I had a good job at a credit union and I was transitioning back into something beneficial.  Amanda was going through a tough time in her relationship.  Meanwhile, I was obviously coming out of my divorce.  As we leaned on each other, we became really good friends. 

During that season, I started going to the church that my friend Chris went to.  I began serving there and got involved in that community.  Eventually Amanda and I started dating and went to church together.  That was where she got saved. 

Amanda and I were married by the pastor from that church.  It was a really beautiful time.  This coming October we will have been married for 12 years.  A friend of mine joked with me and said,” You know, God made you wait for a number of years with your career, but He knew that you needed Amanda right away.”  I am so thankful for her and what God has done.

When Amanda and I first got together, I was still a train wreck to some degree.  Our finances were an absolute mess.  We were essentially living paycheck to paycheck.  Together, we had over $75,000 in debt despite the fact that we were working, paid our bills on time, and did what the average person does. Even though we thought we were doing all the right things, the problem was we never could get caught up.  We were drowning in debt. 

We realized that this was not God’s design for marriage.  It was not His plan for us to live in poverty.  So, we signed up for Dave Ramsey’s financial program, The Total Money Makeover.  It is essentially like his Financial Peace University but branded differently.

One of the first issues that I faced was a psychological challenge.  I knew in my heart and mind that what God wanted for my finances was different than what I was actually doing with them.  Even though I was tithing, I wasn’t living in line with His Word.  I knew I was not being a good steward of my money. 

In my previous marriage, I had developed a spending mindset.  I thought, “Hey, you’re always gonna have debt so why does it matter? You’re always gonna have a car payment, so get a nice car because you’re gonna be paying for one anyway.  You don’t need savings, that’s what you have a credit card for.  You can use that in case there’s an emergency.”  That mentality had been there for years of my life.  I knew what I was doing wasn’t right, but there’s a difference between knowing it and having it be a part of your core.  I honestly had to reprogram my brain. 

God helped us through that process.  Before the Dave Ramsey program, Amanda and I didn’t have a good budget or the tools to be successful.  Once we came out of that program, we felt totally equipped and empowered.  It was so freeing.  Amanda and I tackled our finances as a team.  We made the decision that being in debt was not the way we wanted to live, so we were going to make a change.

There was a psychology to the Ramsey program that almost created new pathways of thinking for your brain.  To see the little victories and wins of paying off a small debt felt so good.  However, in some ways because I am a high achiever, it did not feel like it was good enough.  We paid off a $300 credit card bill and I canceled the card, but my mind moved to the $12,000 debt or whatever was next in line.  At times it was difficult to be satisfied with the baby step of clearing a small debt.  What I really wanted to tackle was the larger one.

It was incredibly hard to come up with creative ways to pay off all of the $75,000 in debt.  God used real estate to help us out of part of that situation.  That is one reason why I sell houses as a portion of my business.  I know the power of it and the leverage that’s there, so I am a big proponent for it. 

The last huge debt Amanda and I tackled was a $32,000 student loan.  I couldn’t figure out a way to pay it off because it was accruing so much compound interest.  Even if we made payments for the next 30 years, it would not be enough.  So, we finally decided to get radical.  Amanda and I sold our house. 

After paying off the closing costs and setting aside the $32,000, we walked away with $200 extra that we could use to celebrate.  We took our friends out to a Japanese steak house and treated everyone.  Then, we sent in the check that covered our entire balance to the student loan company, which was paid for by the sale of our house. We were finally completely out of debt.

In the end, the process was so freeing.  I now had the tools to finally succeed and went through the experience with a wife that was super supportive.  The debt we used to have would smother me.  It could feel overwhelming, like the walls were caving in on me.  There was a fear that went along with it.  What if we missed a payment? What if someone lost a job? What if? What if?  Those what ifs kept me up at night.  I didn’t want to live like that anymore. 

Through that time God did an incredible healing in my life.  He completely transformed us and our finances.  He also gave us a ministry.  Amanda and I now lead Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University through our church.  Through this, we have been able to help other people that are going through similar challenges and struggles.  God is now using the brokenness of that time and that season for good.  Amanda and I get to teach people the same principles that we have learned and continue to adhere to. 

It has been so fulfilling to be able to help people out of debt and to allow them to see that there is hope.  What is so powerful is that we are not doing the work for them, we are just giving them the tools and the confidence that they need to overcome those challenges.   They begin to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that they don’t have to live that way. 

I think the challenge is that our society is built around debt. If you look at a lot of the systems that are in place, for example student loans, many are designed to keep people pouring back into the system.  While it would be good for the individual, if you taught an entire generation of people how to properly handle their finances and do things the right way, it would cause problems.  Society as a whole was not designed to operate that way. 

Regardless, for us it’s really a beautiful journey to see people break free from debt.  It’s so powerful on so many different levels.  Even the generosity aspect of it.  We have seen people change their patterns of behavior toward money.  If we really dig down deep, how we spend money is often a heart issue.  There’s a psychology behind it.  It is the greatest thing to see when people recognize that.  When they decide that they are going to be more generous.  Witnessing how their life on earth has changed because their hearts have, now that’s eternal.

God has moved in so many ways.  Not just in terms of the financial aspects of my life.  Over the past 20 years, God has taken me through the brokenness of my past marriage, of finances, and relationships with my family.  Perhaps I was not living on the streets, or eating ramen every day, but I still had deep wounds and hurts that God has brought me through.  Even my family, which scattered after my mom passed away, has reconnected.  In fact, most of us now live in the same area.  We have had opportunities to really come together as a family.  Recently, I’ve even had the chance to gain insights and learn what it was like to lose mom from one of my sibling’s perspectives.  God has been using all these different moments to mend relationships and to bring us all closer together.

During all the seasons of my life, God is good.  He was always with me.  When I hold on to this understanding, it helps me a lot and I’m in a much better place.   I look back and I can see those darkest times and those most difficult moments, but I was not alone.  When I lost my mom, when I had given up on life, when things felt dark and lonely, God was always there.  He’s always near and close by. 

God is always right there with us, but we don’t always see it or grasp that.  As I get older, I realize more and more how good He is.  I am enough because He is.  Over the years, I have gained a better understanding of how God has always had good plans for me.  I am simply in awe of Him and His power at work.

Anthony, thank you again for sharing part of your beautiful story.  I loved so many moments of it.  I also appreciate how transparent you were with the process of becoming debt free.  What an important message for us to hear, especially in a culture that tells us that debt, and the way it imprisons us, is a norm.  I hope that many will see the freedom that comes with being a good steward of what God has given us! If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it with others by hitting the share button.  If you are not already a subscriber, consider doing a free or paid subscription so you don’t miss any content and to support my work. Thank you!

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