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Living Your Dream

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All of her life Stella Reaves just wanted one thing.

“I always wanted a beautiful home,” she explained. “I said, ‘I love windows, and everywhere I look, Lord, I want to be able to look out a window.’”

These days Stella is living in her dream home, but not too many years ago she was financially wiped out.

“The humiliation of not being able to pay your debt and then being a Christian all at the same time—I felt very badly,” she said.

After her husband died, Stella was forced to provide for her daughter, Jacqueline, on one salary. The problem was Stella still wanted to maintain her comfortable lifestyle.

“I began to get credit cards on top of credit cards on top of credit cards. I was just overwhelmed with debt,” Stella admitted.

Twelve credit cards later and $50,000 in debt, Stella was at her wits’ end; she spent sleepless nights wondering how she would ever get out from under that mountain. But it wasn’t until she missed two car payments and had her car repossessed that she cried out to God for help.

“I began to walk down the streets with my head down,” said Stella. “And I was saying to the Lord, ‘I know that I am Your child, and I know You have a plan for my life, and I know I’ve messed up as far as bills are concerned, but I need another chance.’”

Stella’s second chance came in the form of advice she received from a trusted friend.

“She said, ‘Stella, why don’t you give to CBN?’ She said, ‘God will bless you,’” Stella recalled.

Stella took her advice.

“I was flipping through the channels,” Stella said, “and I saw brother Pat Robertson. He was scribbling on the board. It didn’t mean anything to me, but he was talking about reciprocity. One Scripture stayed in my mind: ‘He that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord.’ And I had at that time probably about $30. I said, OK, I’ll just give this $20. Twenty dollars won’t hurt me. I picked up the phone, I called CBN, and I joined as a CBN partner. Things began to change on that first twenty dollars.”

At the time, Stella was looking for another job. Two days after she sent in her pledge, she received a job offer as a customer care specialist with a major cellular phone company. She soon became a leading salesperson. As Stella’s salary and bonuses increased, so did her giving to CBN. She even turned in her leased vehicle for a car with no payments just so she could give more to CBN.

“I said, ‘Lord, if I don’t have to pay this $475 for my truck, then I can give more to CBN to help feed the hungry, to help clothe children, to send kids back to school so kids can have some clean water to drink,’ ” Stella said. “I got on the phone and I called again and I moved it up to $209. The blessings just never stopped.”

Soon Stella increased her giving again—this time becoming a CBN founder.

“That’s very important to me,” she explained, “because I know that’s what God wants. I know God wants us to take care of the poor. I know God wants us to feed the hungry.”

God challenged Stella to do something else.

“The Lord said, ‘You need to get rid of the credit cards.’ I had a hard time getting rid of the credit cards because that’s how I lived for such a long time. I was afraid to trust God with real money,” she reported. “And I said, God, I trust You.’ I got rid of my credit cards, and I began to pay off my bills.”

Stella paid off her creditors and was able to buy a beautiful home. The lessons that Stella is learning are being passed on to her daughter.

“She came and said, ‘Just put CBN at the top.’ And I did,” said daughter Jacqueline. “I wrote out the $500. A few days later, I went for an interview. They loved me and offered me three times more than what I am making right now.”

The same advice Stella gave to her daughter, she enthusiastically shares with others.
“I would say make that first step. Pick up the phone, call CBN, join The 700 Club, and watch God multiply. Watch God bring it back to you 100 fold. I know He will do it. I just say, ‘Trust God. God will do it,’” Stella concluded.

God wants to bless you too, just as He has blessed Stella. One way you can give to God’s work is through CBN. Not only will you reach thousands each day with a message of truth and hope through The 700 Club, you will also help feed and clothe children around the world, bring medical aid to those suffering, and so much more. Please join with us today.