BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Because of Brother Copeland’s teaching about debt, we saved our money and paid cash for a new car. I started a construction company, which God blessed. When we moved to Tulsa so I could go to Bible school, I never imagined I wouldn’t be able to find work. Not being able to provide for my family and feeling as though I was out of the will of God was the darkest time of my life.” Tested by Fire Bill and Cindy had no idea that when they moved to Tulsa they would have to apply everything they’d learned about faith just to survive. While continuing to look for work, Bill built himself up by praying in the spirit and meditating on God’s Word. Few in their circle of friends and acquaintances had any idea they were destitute. With five children, they’d rented a house that was bigger than what most students lived in. Cindy had worked for Ethan Allen for years, and through her job their house was filled with beautiful furniture. Bill dressed in suits he had worn as an executive in his company. They looked prosperous and they never told anyone about their financial woes. They did, however, complain to God. “Lord, this isn’t healthy!” Bill said. “My children are surviving on ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese!” You can have whatever you want, the Lord replied. Make a list. Bill listed fresh fruits and vegetables. Then, he added ham and steak to the list. The next day one of his classmates reminded Bill, “You said you’d come by and see my apartment.” “I would,” Bill replied, “except Cindy has the car today.” “Come on, I’ll drive you.” At his apartment, the man asked Bill to look in the freezer. “See that package of steaks? Take it to Cindy!” Later that week, someone took Bill to the grocery store and paid for two huge shopping carts filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. By Sunday, the Lord had provided everything on Bill’s list except ham. That evening a neighbor invited them to dinner. She served ham and fried okra, sending the leftover ham home with them. Desperate Measures While Bill felt like a failure, in many ways the move to Tulsa had really been harder on Cindy. Leaving Michigan meant leaving behind the family support system she had there. In addition, they had left lush vegetation and stunning blue lakes and arrived in summer heat that had seared the grass, leaving it brown. “I knew the importance of our words,” Cindy recalls. “When we’d first learned to live by faith, our 3-year-old daughter, Pamela, had become ill. Although it seemed like years, the battle over her health lasted only several months. During that time, I had to guard every word and most of what the Lord allowed me to say was Scripture. “However, I found the unrelenting financial pressure harder to deal with. I kept slipping into old habits of talking about the problem instead of praising God for the answer. Many times we’d be at dinner and I’d catch myself saying negative things about our finances. I’d leave the table and go kneel in the bedroom to pray. Afterward, I’d go back to the meal. Before long I’d blurt out something else negative.” “There she goes!” Cindy’s children giggled when she left the table for another self-imposed time out. One morning a woman took Cindy’s children for the day. “You need to get alone with God,” she said. During her prayer time, the Lord encouraged Cindy to guard her words and live her life as an example for others. Knowing that she had to get a grip on her words, each time Cindy felt tempted to talk about the problem, she covered her mouth with duct tape. The Goodness of God “Walking around with duct tape on my mouth helped me learn to control my words!” Cindy remembers. “Changing my words helped. One day while I was at Bible study, I returned to my seat and found a stack of money on my Bible. +++++++++++++++ “My responsibility where my Partners are concerned is to pray for them...to support them.... I’ve committed my life to seek God and receive revelation from God that I can preach and teach to my Partners.” —Kenneth Partner with us today! 1-800-600-7395 (U.S. only) +1-817-852-6000 BVOV : 13

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