Financial Priorities that Make a Big Difference

Devin started selling real estate in 2018, and he’s already become one of the top sellers in Kentucky.

Devon shares, “People who have been in the business for years ask me ‘How are you getting your business?’ The honest answer is "I-I pray."

He’s known as “The Real Estate Pastor.”  A successful agent and a committed lead pastor at a church, Devin openly shares his faith.

Devon remembers, “I've had clients that have asked me to come to their house after the closing and pray before they moved in. So it's created ministry opportunities in that regard.”

Through the years, Devin and his wife Elizabeth have trusted God through many ups and downs. In the spring 2008, they had just bought a condo when Devin accepted a job as a children’s pastor in another town. But because of the housing crisis, they were stuck with a home they couldn’t sell or rent.

Devon says, “The income and the expenses just did not line up.”

Elizabeth says, “There were times that there wasn't money to like go to the grocery store.  So I was like, I don’t even know what I’m going to scrounge together for dinner.”

No matter how tight their finances got one expense was non-negotiable. 

Devin shares, “We would sit down and we would write our tithe check first when I got paid.”

Elizabeth shares, “Right up there with brushing your teeth every morning is, you know, the first 10% goes to the Lord.”

Devin says, “We'd pray over our tithe check and just thank God for blessing us and taking care of us. And it was never a question to us of if we should tithe or should we save that money or use it somewhere else. It was ‘No, we're going to give to God first.’”

The Kroners never told anyone they were struggling financially. Still, they saw God using others
to provide for them in some unexpected ways.

Devin recalls, “You can't really explain it, you can't plan for it. Sometimes somebody would call us and invite us for a meal, and we had no food at home at that moment. Sometimes it would be a card would come in the mail with money in it. We got card and a check from somebody we didn't even know.”

Elizabeth remembers, “We never missed a bill. We never had to ask our parents or anybody for money, like God continued to provide like every single time.”

Over the next few years, Devin’s ministry career brought them to different states before landing in Kentucky.  But in 2018, they faced another crisis. Devin’s church salary was being reduced.  Now parents, the Kroners prayed about how to make ends meet.  

Devin shares, “You don't know exactly how it's going to work, how is He going to come through?”

That’s when Devin, who already knew about the housing market from his multiple moves, felt God prompting him to go into real estate on the side.

Elizabeth recalls, “We kinda took on a bit of a leap of faith just in Him cause it cost quite a bit. But I was like, ‘Okay, God. Okay, we'll do it!’”

Devin shares, “I started off in 2018 and in half a year sold more houses than most agents do in a year. And then last year, 2019, I was in the top five percent in our northern Kentucky market.  And again, that's God.”

The Kroners have continued to faithfully give to their church and to ministries like C-B-N.  They recently became Superbook club members.

Elizabeth shares, “With Superbook, I can turn it on, and I know that, one – it's going to be safe for them to watch but it also is going to help to instill some of those Biblical principles that, you know, as parents, Devin and I are trying to instill.”

Devin and Elizabeth are teaching their kids to trust God in all areas of life. Devin says that when people obey God through giving, He is always faithful to bless them.

Devin shares, “When you commit to tithing and God blesses you, it may not be more Benjamins in your bank account, but it may be more peace in your marriage. Blessings can look like a lot of different things. It can affect your health, it can affect your mindset, it can affect your relationships, and it can affect your wallet.”

Elizabeth says, “The principle of tithing is so much more than just the fact of giving 10%. It's that level of obedience and that level of trusting God, that God's got you.”