The Law of Reciprocity

When Your Financial “Master Plan” Fails  

By Tim Branson
The 700 Club

CBN.com - Raising seven adopted children isn’t easy, but CBN partners Steve and Sandra Hogue say it’s worth it. “We are helping change the destiny and the course of a child's life, and so that became the most important thing for us,” says Steve.

“We actually got our first four within 15 months, so we say we went from zero to four within 15 months,” says Sandra.

The young family quickly outgrew their small home. They bought a bigger house, even though they hadn’t sold the first one, but the housing market was booming, and they weren’t concerned. 

“We assumed we would sell the house quickly and we would make a lot of money on it and we would drop it on our new house and have this big home and be debt free from a mortgage within a few years. It was just this wonderful master plan that did not work out at all,” says Steve.

That’s because the housing market crashed. They were unable to sell their first home, and now were stuck with two mortgages. They quickly burned through their savings. 

“Now we're at a place where we were trying to avoid foreclosure by trying to do whatever we could to make the payments,” says Sandra. “And that meant we would sell anything we could find around the house that we weren't using or didn't need.”

“We actually sold both of our cars, literally, to pay the mortgage,” says Steve.

Things were tight for the family and they had to cut back on everything, except what they gave to their church and to CBN.

“We would never cut back on tithes, that is absolutely something you just have to do,” says Steve.

At one point they even increased their giving to CBN!

“The Lord spoke to me actually during a telethon that CBN was doing to increase our monthly giving,” says Steve. “In the natural, it was nuts. It was absolutely nuts. But we did it.”

Even though it was a long tough, journey, they trusted God would provide and He did. Sandra explains, “We didn’t really go without. We never went without a meal or without clothes or without a roof over our head. God always provided.”

The Hogues say God even replaced their cars with two passenger vans!

“Two different times within four months, two different people walked up to me with keys in their hand,” says Steve.

Then, finally a breakthrough, they sold the second house, and walked away free and clear. 

“It was peace that we hadn't experienced for four years,” says Sandra. “It was a new start. It was fresh.”

Now with only one mortgage, Steve and Sandra paid off their debts. They eventually adopted three more children, and they love CBN too, especially Superbook.

The Hogues have since moved into a home big enough for all of them and they were able to keep their first home as a rental property. They believe it’s all because they were faithful to give.
 
“We learned that He was our source, and He alone,” says Sandra. “It’s not our jobs, not what other people were able to give us.”

“There's people that are wrestling with this whole ‘Do I really need to tithe? Do I really need to give? I can't afford to give,’” says Steve. “I don't know how else to explain it but to just test the Lord. You cannot out-give God.

Being obedient to God's truth made an incredible difference for Jennifer. Join Jennifer in partnering with CBN. You will make a difference in lives around the world, through medical missions, food and clothing programs, humanitarian outreaches and so much—all in the name of Jesus. Please join today.

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