adequate space for our family. I
was overwhelmed. I immediately
shut my iPad and started praying.
Lord, could you really be telling us
to purchase a house? Why would
we purchase a house when we have
all this land to build on? I told God
that I heard Him, but if He truly
wants us to purchase a home that is
already built, He would need to tell
Mike because we weren’t on speak-
ing terms at the moment.
to search for a different home but
God kept directing us back to the
house we didn’t feel we deserved.
Mike and I didn’t speak the rest of
the night and even the next morn-
ing he went to work and we still
weren’t speaking. He texted me
mid-morning and it read, “I think
God is telling me that He wants us
to sell everything and buy a house
that is already built.” As tears rolled
down my face I asked him when
God told him this information and
he replied, “last night when I was
working on the house.” In July, at Family Camp, we sat
down with Pastor Jim & Lisa and
told them about our journey. We
had one more teaching session for
the week and Jim said that it was
for us. He was teaching on sacri-
fice, specifically when Abraham was
asked to sacrifice Isaac. We wept
through the teaching session and
knew what God was asking of us.
One verse He led us to was Ephe-
sians 3:20 ~ Now to him who is able
to do immeasurably more than all
we ask or imagine, according to his
power that is at work within us ~ so
we prayed that verse as we put all
our land and our old farmhouse up
for sale. We knew that if God truly
wanted us to have the house we
didn’t feel deserving of, He would
make it happen.
We started praying for God to di-
rect us toward the house He wanted
us to have. God directed us pretty
quickly to a house but we soon be-
gan to question Him. Ultimately, we
did not feel like we were deserving
of such a nice home. We continued It seemed like the longest process
and it was excruciatingly difficult.
More times than we can count we
were ready to quit. God continu-
ally brought us to our knees and
we wept after what seemed like
disappointment after disappoint-
ment. We thought we would get to
the end and the house would be
sold or we wouldn’t have enough
to cover the cost. The first piece
of land sold, then the second. We
closed on both of those properties
and knew what we had to get from
the third parcel in order to pur-
chase the home God was leading
us to. After the closing, we prayed
all afternoon and into the night.
Twenty-two hours after the closing
of the second property an offer
came in on the third parcel for the
exact amount we needed! God not
only saved the home for us, He also
gave us exactly what we needed to
purchase it.
Because of our obedience with
Grace Beyond, God gave us more
that we could ever ask or imagine.
You see, the home God has given
us not only has all the features that
Mike and I wanted in the house we
were going to build on our proper-
ty in 2008, but far more. God built
our home in 2008 to give to us as a
gift after He molded us to be more
like Him. As people enter through
our front door, the verse they see
is Ephesians 3:20 and it is such a
blessing that we are able to share
with everyone who enters how God
gave us such an amazing gift.
As if He hadn’t already shown us
how much He loves us, the first
night we stayed in our new home,
Mike and I were outside on our
deck praying. As we were praising
God for all He has done for us,
what should come across the sky
but a shooting star!
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