GOD'S ECONOMY

Do You Need a Financial Safety Net?

By Tim Smith
The 700 Club

CBN.com -Matt and Cassie Breithaupt were off to a great start when they first married. No problems. No worries. But there was also… no budget.

“We just did not handle our money correctly,” says Cassie. “We’d have money coming in, and no written budget to tell it where to go.”

“All the money coming in was going out to pay bills and expenses,” adds Matt. “And to pay off the debts that we owed. So it got to the point to where it got harder and harder to get by.”

When they didn’t have enough money, they would rely on their credit cards. And their credit card debt grew quickly.

“I would say, at the worst, it was about $30,000,” says Cassie. “Enough to make us feel like we were sinking.”

Matt worked as an RN at a local hospital, and Cassie stayed home with their four children. As their debt grew, so did the friction in their home.

“I told him, ‘You don’t make enough. Your checks are not big enough’. That’s what I literally said to him,” says Cassie.

“I’m sure we argued more than we should have, and a lot of it was over money,” says Matt, “about what can we afford to spend. What should we be buying, and not buying. So it just really became a bigger and bigger strain.”

“Because we were both feeling frustrated,” says Cassie. “We couldn’t get ahead, and it’s not a good feeling.”

“I finally got to the point where I said, ‘enough is enough.’ We need to take some drastic measures. We’ve got to do something,” remembers Matt.

Matt and Cassie agreed to do two things: They started tithing, and they also made a household budget.

“I grew up in a Christian home,” says Cassie. “I knew about tithing. I believed in it, and I knew we should be doing it, but we were always giving God what was left over.”

“We really got on the same page, spiritually, and realized that we needed to commit this part of our lives to God, and live it out in a way that would be pleasing and honoring to Him,” says Matt.

They stuck to their budget, using a “cash and envelope” system.

“When Matt gets paid, 10% comes off the top of his paycheck for the tithe.”
 
“You’re telling the money where to go, instead of the money telling you where it should go, and that’s the difference with the budgets,” adds Matt.

Within a few weeks of tithing and sticking to their budget, their finances did a 180 degree turn.

“We put our house for sale. It sold within two weeks,” says Cassie. “We were able to pay off a huge chunk of debt with that. And a few months later, Matt got a new job, and he was making about 25% more than he had been. Then, within a period of nine months we had paid off everything.”

Even their local newspaper featured Matt and Cassie and their success.

“I think what it really comes down to, when we look at the big picture, is what are we trusting in? And I think many of us, including ourselves, trusted in money, instead of God,” says Matt.

Today, they have six children, and they’re adopting two more kids this year.

“We’re at a point now where he’s the one that we have to trust in for everything. And if we’re willing to do that, he’ll see us through and make sure we have all the things we need,” says Matt.

“One of my favorite verses is Malachi 3:10,” says Cassie, “Where the Lord says, ‘Do not rob me in your tithes and offerings.’ And to give to Him and see, test Him, and see if He will not give back more than you can take in. And I believe that to be true.”

Being obedient to God's truth made an incredible difference for Matt and Cassie. It can make a difference in your life too! Join them 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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