Note: Don't miss reading this financial faith builder below that will help you receive your own financial miracle! We encourage you to print this out and read later if you do not have time to read it right now, as you will be blessed and strengthened in faith to read the Millers amazing walk of faith in provision and finances.
This is the Time for Victorious "Change"
by Betty Miller
Things are continually changing in our world, some changes are good, while others are destructive. While things are being shaken in this world, there is One who never changes and that One is God. Since He is perfect and He is God, there is no requirement for Him to change. That is why we can rely on Him and His Word. If He said, we can believe it and trust Him to bring it to pass. If we are to be victorious, then we must be the ones who change and line up with the Word of God. We must ask God as to the changes we need to make in our lives and our finances. We are the ones who must change, as God never changes.
CHANGE -- WHAT WILL IT BRING?
Most people are reluctant to change unless negative circumstances place pressure upon them so that they desire that change. Our new president of the United States, Barack Obama, touted "change" as an important part of his campaign message and because of the myriad of things that need fixing in the nation, that message was embraced by many, while others questioned what kind of changes he had in mind, as their concern was certain wrong changes could make things worse. We all know change is needed in many areas of our nation, including our personal lives, but the question is, "What kind of changes do we need to make?" We have all experienced change in the past year, some of us more than others, depending upon the life events we have individually experienced; however, if those changes are not causing us to become Christ like, but have been destructive changes they did not come from our Lord. The changes God wants us to make are positive changes that bring about His Kingdom in our lives and on this earth. Even negative things the devil brings against us can be turned to good as we give them to God and ask Him to cause those things to work for our good.
VICTORIOUS CHANGE CAUSES US TO BECOME MORE CHRIST- LIKE SO WE CAN HEAR GOD
Jesus requires us to grow in Him so we can change from our old carnal ways and become like Him. This is victorious change! Now growth requires change. I think back in the history of our church in Dewey, Arizona and at one point the Lord spoke these very words to us. He said that Christ Unlimited Ministries was ready for its next step of growth and since growth meant change, He was expecting us to grow more like Him. We thought when He was speaking to us about growth, He meant the church was going to grow in numbers; we were not expecting the requirement that He wanted spiritual growth in us. Many times, we interpret the words the Holy Spirit speaks to us wrongly, because we do not understand the scope of what God is trying to communicate to us.
GROWING IN GOD INSTEAD OF INCREASING IN NUMBERS PRODUCES VICTORY
So God meant internal growth, not external growth in our situation. Instead of growing in numbers, we went through a trial with people coming against us and a church falling away that decreased our numbers, instead of the church growing in numbers, as we were expecting. We found the Lord was leading us and our church family to repent of some things we had been embracing that were not of Him. We ended up over the next few months discovering we were prideful and our dependency in the Lord's provision for us was not perfected as we had thought, as our income dwindled along with the numbers in our congregation and we began to deal with doubt, fear and unbelief. He showed us we all needed a heart cleansing. We needed to grow in love, forgiveness, patience, understanding, faith and trust. What we thought was going to be a short-lived trial in our finances turned into a three and half year battle for the survival of the church.
USING OUR SPIRITUAL TOOLS TO OVERCOME OUR FINANCIAL PROBLEMS
Always before the Lord had led us to use the traditional means to raise money for the church such as sharing our need with the congregation and taking up a special offering and sending a letter out to our 10,000 mailing list and asking them to help. We were in danger of losing the church building since we were not able to make the payments on time. However, at this time, He just would not let us go this direction (not that doing that is wrong if God is leading us to do so, but God wanted to show Himself mighty by meeting our needs in a higher way this time). So He spoke to us that He wanted us to use our spiritual tools of prayer, fasting and faith in His promises to bring about our needed financial miracle.
YEAR LONG FASTING AND PRAYER CHAIN IN THE CHURCH
We followed His instructions in obedience and began a year long "fasting chain" in the church by inviting those who felt led of the Lord to sign up to fast and pray a day. We kept a calendar at the back of the church and each person would sign up to fast the number of days they felt led from 6:00 P.M. each evening until 6:00 P.M. the next evening (which by the way is the official Jewish day). Our church already had Intercessory Prayer Meetings weekly every Friday evening and as an extension to that meeting, we scheduled an all night prayer meeting each Friday night for those who felt led to come and pray corporately until 6:00 the next morning.
PRAISE AND PROPHECY COMES FORTH
We had Sunday night praise sessions as well. God led us to include the school age children in the prayer and praise meetings and we stood in amazement at how they responded to the anointing of God present in the services. We ordered all kinds of musical instruments so they could join in the praise sessions with us. Young and old alike played their tambourines, claves and shakers and many danced before the Lord. Our worship services changed into such wonderful experiences of feeling the presence of the Lord, soon the children were prophesying and praying along with the adults and we began experiencing moving in the "Song of the Lord." These were songs that were not written in the hymn books, but songs that came from the spirit of God extemporaneously.
A FARMER WHO WALKS IN FAITH IS GOD'S PROVISION FOR THE HOUR
We faced several deadlines over that three year period where we had to have several large sums of money to keep from losing our church property and God miraculously came through each time. The first time we had to have $10,000. According to God's instructions, we did not share this need from the pulpit on Sundays. We only shared our need at the small intercessory prayer group each week for the purpose of prayer. Just a few days before we had to have that amount or face a foreclosure, the Lord spoke to us to phone a brother and sister in Texas who were farmers and get them to pray with us. These were people of faith as they were dry land farmers and they would pray and the Lord would send rain on their crops while many around them did not receive any rain. They also would pray for God to protect their crops from pests as well. The Lord showed us that when you have a need you should always seek out people who walk in faith to pray with you, as doubt and unbelief will block your answers from coming. When Bud called and asked this man to pray with us and shared we had a need for $10,000, the man was shocked as he said, "Bud, you will not believe what just happened before you called. I just opened a letter from an uncle of mine who sent me a check for $10,000 for an early inheritance and I just told the Lord I did not need it right now so I asked him what He wanted me to do with it. Now, brother, it is yours for as long as you need it."
THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD
We passed that trial, but soon because we could not make our property payments we again faced a need of coming up with another $10,000 on one piece of property and $20,000 on the church building. We had to have these payments on a Wednesday and the Sunday before that date, Bud got up to preach his message for the week and the Lord spoke to him that he was to share the need that Sunday to that group of people (remember, we had been told not to share on Sundays so we didn't even think about it). So at the end of his message he told the people there that we were facing two foreclosures the next week if we did not have the needed funds by Wednesday. He closed his remarks with these words, "The Lord has assured us He is going to take care of it, and if it does not happen, then just mark me up as a false prophet and go someplace else." He then sat down and whispered to me, "Oh, honey, what have I done?" He was surprised that he made such a statement. I told him that God would surely come through with a miracle with that kind of bold faith! The next morning, a couple who were visitors that prior Sunday phoned to tell us that they felt they were the ones to give the needed $20,000 to save the church. Then later in the morning, Bud's cousin called to say that his aunt who had died recently, had left him some inheritance money, so we were able to give the other $10,000 to save the church camp property.
FACING ANOTHER CRISIS ONCE AGAIN
Once again, we faced another crisis, as we just did not have the ability to keep up with our payments. this time we needed $17,000. Always, before the Lord had brought the funds in from outside of the church; however, this time He spoke to us that he wanted the people in our church to give sacrificially. We were rather shocked, since most of our people were struggling to come out of poverty themselves as we had been praying for them to learn how to overcome in that area. We announced to them what we believed the Lord had spoken to us and that we were not going to take up an offering that Sunday, but the following Sunday, they could bring their offerings. Most of our people were tithers, so this offering was beyond the tithe. They were all excited about giving and they got very creative about how they could bring their respective offerings. They had garage sales, bake sales, brought their piggy bank contents, etc. Just before the Sunday service that we planned to take the offering, a man came up to us and told us that he felt the Lord wanted him to make up the difference if the combined offering did not reach the $17,000 goal. We did not know he had any money, but he told us he had sold his house in Phoenix and God wanted him to give a portion of the sale toward this project. The people gave around $7,000 combined, while this one man gave $10,000 to once again save the church from foreclosure.
$300,000 ECONOMIC MIRACLE TESTIMONY
We are sharing this personal testimony because we believe it will encourage some of you who are going through some personal economic trials right now. During this period of time, Bud and I experienced great testings and trials in the area of our ministry finances, as soon our need grew to $300,000, as we faced a balloon note along with other debts. As Satan waged an all out attack against our finances, we found ourselves in an extreme crisis, with great embarrassment in facing creditors. As our financial troubles increased, we sought God more diligently as to what we were doing wrong. The Lord throughout this time revealed to us the areas of our lives that needed correction and change. As we repented and made these changes and increased our prayer life, the Lord assured us that He would send us the answer to this need and spoke to us He would pay off the entire indebtedness. We faced five attempts of the enemy to rob us of our church properties during a 3 1/2 year time period. However, each time through prayer and fasting and using our spiritual weapons as God directed, He delivered us out of each attempt of the enemy to rob us. The Lord spoke to us to believe Him for the funds to pay off our properties completely and not to go to the world systems to borrow or seek help. We obeyed God in this, although it was not easy at the time, because we were faced with the possibility of the total loss of all our properties. In spite of that, God gave us the grace and faith to press through to our victory. In the face of the enemy's taunts of whispering to me that we were going to lose the property, I remember declaring these words out loud, "Satan, this property belongs to God, not to Bud and Betty. You might be able to rob it from us, but you can't rob it from God. It does not belong to you, it belongs to God, so you must flee because we are submitted to Him and doing His will!"
James 4:7: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
ONE DAY AT A TIME
How faithful God is! You see, it was not God's fault that we got into a financial mess, but rather our own, as we made some unwise decisions, plus our own lack in other areas that ultimately created these problems for the ministry. In spite of our weaknesses and failures, the Lord answered our prayers with a miracle and sent us the $300,000 we were believing Him for. We saw the Lord do this without using our newsletter mailing list and without pulpit pleas Sunday after Sunday to raise the money, because as I shared, God directed us not to do so. (We are not coming against any ministries that do this, because if God is leading them in that direction they must obey. We must all be obedient to the methods He instructs us to use, but we must be sure it's His method or we can get in the flesh in our finances.) God so desires that we, His children, should believe Him and trust and look to Him for all of our needs to be met. We must remember that God is our source. Our source is not our job, our social security or retirement benefits, nor our savings. Those are simply channels that God can use to take care of us. However, if any of those channels are disrupted, God is still God and not only can, but will take care of us if we look to Him in faith. Sometimes when we did not have the money for something, God would give us favor with our creditors. God's favor can replace the need for money in certain situations. God will make a way when there is not a way. Remember, He can even multiply food to feed us if it came down to it.
GOD IS FAITHFUL AND SENT THE NEEDED $300,000
Nothing is impossible for God and as we rolled our cares over on Him we saw at the time, the largest financial miracle of our lives in the ministry. Without having to do anything that would be a worldly endeavor, we saw God bring a person, who wishes to remain anonymous, to the ministry and pay off all of the debts we had incurred over the years. This person was truly sent of God, as we had never met prior to this time. This person had only attended one of our meetings in another town ten years earlier. As we were sharing our testimony and need, they simply spoke up and said the Lord spoke to them that they were to give us $300,000. They said God had spoken to them while driving to our home for dinner, that they were to give that exact amount to the ministry. We didn't even know they had that kind of money. When they shared this with us in our kitchen, we all felt the strong presence and anointing of God right there! We just want to encourage you that if you are believing God for a miracle in your life, whether it is healing, deliverance, or finances, God is faithful to answer as we continue to believe Him! One of the greatest lessons I learned during this time was how to trust God for provision on a daily basis. Now in the trials of this day, I just know He will continue to provide, because He has never failed us, and I know He will not fail us today, nor will He fail us in the future because He was so faithful to supply our daily needs as the scripture promises He will do.
Matthew 6:31-34:
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
GOD WANTS US TO BELIEVE HIM TO GET OUT OF DEBT
Today we are grateful to have our properties paid for so we do not have that burden as we fight other battles for the funds we need to overcome in our current financial battle. We believe the Lord wants all His people debt free so we can serve the Lord without encumbrances, as we prepare in the days ahead for the coming of the Lord. In order to experience financial victory, we must keep God's laws and commandments in regard to finances. We must ask God as to the changes we need to make in our finances. We are the ones who must change, as God never changes. If there is any changing to be done it is going to have to be on our end. I am listing below a link to other articles dealing with how to get our financial house in order. One of those laws is the law of tithing and giving in order that we may receive God's abundant blessings. The commandments of God are given to bless us in the earth. They are not a ticket to eternal life. Repentance and faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross for our sins is the only way for man to get to heaven and it is free to all who come to Him. However, if we are to please Him and become like Him, we must obey Him and that obedience brings the blessings He promised, as those blessings are conditional. Tithing(10%) and giving is the way we receive back in the area of finances. When we fail to tithe we are guilty of robbing God. We are to bring our gifts to His storehouse (the place we receive our spiritual food) and then we are promised blessings we cannot contain!
Luke 6:38: "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."
Malachi 3:6-12:
6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
Links to other articles that reveal what the Bible has to say about finances, business, money, pyramid schemes, the stock market and tithing. Go to: What Does the Bible Say About Finances?
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Personal Message from Bud and Betty Miller:
Dear Friends,
We are so grateful for your love, prayers and support of Bible.com and we just want to say "thank you." Never have we had so much mail from people who are reaching out to request prayer or who need answers because of the increasing problems in their lives and the lives of those they care about.
NEW BLOG BY BETTY
We are excited about some new additions the Lord is speaking to our hearts about. These will improve and expand the site to include audio/video ministry. We have been working behind the scenes preparing new ministry content that we will be soon ready to add to the website. I am also feeling led to start writing a weekly blog that will deal with current events in the light of the Bible. If you would be interested in signing up to receive this blog you may send us an e-mail requesting it to: BibleBlog@bible.com
AUDIO/VIDEO COMING SOON
We have made progress in setting up a video studio in order to tape and download Bible teachings, prayer meetings, and sermons so you can view these on your computer with instant access. In order to purchase this new video/computer equipment and get the programming done on the website we would appreciate your help and prayers.
We are trusting the Lord right now for $100,000, with another $100,000 needed in the next two months. Thank you for standing with us for this.
We need your help to reach the hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world that are seeking the Lord. The new media is Internet audio/video. We are asking the Lord to speak to the hearts of the people whom He has chosen to help us right now. We know God has a people that hear His voice and will obey Him when He speaks to them. You may be one of those that He desires to use to help us continue to reach the world with the Gospel via the Internet for 2009.
Bible.com is reaching masses of people from around the world. Over a million unique visitors come each month to visit Bible.com! We have mentioned this statistic before, but it is worth repeating; Bible.com is sharing the Lord with almost 20% of the world's population that is now online (and growing at a rate of over 200% a year). There is a generation that is growing up online. If we do not minister to them in relevant ways, someone else will. Remember, any gifts that you give, you will be storing up treasure in heaven.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Click here to donate.
P.S. Good News! We also want to let you know that we now have the Daily Devotional that is on the site in hard copy. Millions have read "God's Wisdom for Daily Living" online at Bible.com. It has changed their lives. It can change yours. You can now purchase this 365 Daily Devotional Bible Study Book in Paperback. You can sample the contents by going to the Daily Devotionals section of bible.com. The published devotional is a somewhat condensed and edited version of what you will find online. Click here for more information and to order.
Yours for Global Harvest,
His grateful servants,
Bud and Betty Miller
Bible.com Ministries
ChristUnlimited@bible.com
Click Here to Donate Online
Bible.com Ministries sponsors this site and is 501(C)3, tax-exempt, non-profit ministry. We appreciate your love and support. Your love gifts will help us continue this work and expand it to reach millions. God bless you! You can send an offering by mail if you prefer to: Bible.com Ministries, P.O. Box 850, Dewey, AZ 86327
New Blog by Betty Miller
Betty will soon start writing a weekly blog that will deal with current events in the light of the Bible. Hopefully in the next couple of months we can begin posting these. If you would be interested in signing up to receive this blog you may send us an e-mail requesting it to: BibleBlog@bible.com
