MONEY MANAGEMENT

De-Stress Your Finances

"About three, three-and-a-half years ago, we got to a point where we were just struggling," says Sandy. "When you are in business for yourself, it can be major stress. You are thinking, 'I’ve got employees that have to be paid.' You are the last one to get paid when you are employed with yourself. When there’s nothing left over, it’s some serious stress."

For months at a time, the Ryans didn’t have enough money to pay their bills. But one day, as Sandy was watching a television program, she learned a principle that breathed life into their strained financial situation.

"I had been listening to CBN," says Sandy, "and Pat Robertson was talking about tithing and how important it was and the law of reciprocity, which I didn’t understand at the time. I just ended up crying. I thought, 'You know what, Lord? What is going on? We were doing better three years ago than we are right now.' That little voice inside of my head thought, 'What were you doing then that you’re not doing now?' I thought, 'I don’t know. Tell me.' Then the voice said, 'What about tithing? You were tithing.'"

And as they began to give again, an amazing thing began to happen.

"We keep track of every dollar that comes in. We keep track of every new patient. So we know, day by day, week by week, month by month, what our numbers are," she says.

"The more we give, the more blessed we are," says Jim. "It’s one of those things that somebody told me one time that you can’t out-give God. That’s what I have found through the giving. It is just nice to know that we are blessed, and it is nice to know that we can help others who aren’t so blessed and give them things that help them out."

But as the business prospered, there came a time when Sandy felt something was wrong.

Again she heard that still small voice.

"He said, 'Sandy, when do you tithe?' 'I tithe every month.' He said, 'Do you tithe on the first, or do you tithe on the tenth? I thought, 'Sometimes I don’t sit down to do my bills right away, or sometimes I forget my checkbook, forget to mail stuff out right away, or give it to the church a little late.' He said, 'Sandy, just like you are waiting on that money to come into your business, people are waiting on that tithe check. I trusted you. You have got to do it first.'

"That’s when I signed up for Pledge Express. At least I know that it will be there on time," she says.

Sandy and Jim believe strongly in giving to CBN. They believe this is an investment for eternity.

"With CBN it is not like you are just giving to one program, or they are just doing one thing with their money. With CBN you can help spread the gospel to people that you would never get a chance to minister to," says Sandy.

The Ryans say they’ve learned some awesome spiritual lesson.".

Concludes Sandy, "Out of all the people that we put our trust and faith in—I don’t care how much they love you, they’re human and they can let you down—God will never let you down."

Jim and Sandy found God to be faithful to His word, and when they acted in complete obedience, God poured out His abundant blessing on them. God wants to do that for you, too! When you give to CBN, you will minister through The 700 Club to people who are searching for answers, as well as provide food, clothing, and medical care to those who need a tangible expression of God's love.

And when you join, sign up for Pledge Express, CBN's automatic monthly giving option. Jim and Sandy found that Pledge Express is a safe and secure way to give, saving them the time and postage of sending a monthly gift. Those giving through Pledge Express also enjoy a special monthly teaching tape by Pat Robertson.

Please join with us today!
Find out more about Pledge Express.

• Find your way to peace with God
• Send us your prayer request online
• Call The 700 Club Prayer Center at 1 (800) 700-7000, 24 hours a day.

A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.