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Trading Debt for Dreams

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The Morales enjoy spending time outdoors. They are living in a house they never imagined they would own. When they married in 2011, both were Christians and earned decent incomes with Lili as an RN and Willie's marketing job in New York City. They agreed on everything that mattered -- except getting out of their $90,000 of debt. Willie said: "We knew there was a monster in the closet when it came to finances. So, it was just assumed that we would continue living life and make payments all of our life."

Their car payment, revolving credit card balances, and Lili's student loans were carved into their monthly budget. Their debts weighed on Willie. So, he would listen to podcasts on his commute, and when home, he would read Dave Ramsey's book, "The Total Money Makeover." Lili remembered questioning her husband's insistence on getting debt-free. Lili recalled: "I didn't think it was possible to pay off the debt in the timeframe that he had proposed. I actually thought it was impossible. And it was hard to hear that vision because it was so restrictive. The vision that I had was to actually be able to be a source for my friends and my family. That was always my biggest thing."

One thing they agreed on from the start was a commitment to tithe. Willie believed: "Everything that comes in is God's. The first 10% is God's. I understood from a young age that it wasn't mine to manage in the first place. It was all His.” Lili, at first, found the practice challenging. Yet, every month she says there was a margin in their budget. Lili rememberd: "As we tithed, the more we had. The spreadsheet didn't add up to me." 

After much negotiation and two and half years of a no-frills budget without vacations, nights out, or big-ticket purchases, the couple was debt-free. Willie recalled: "I remember when I made that last payment. I said to her, 'Let's go! We're paying this off now.' And we went and paid it off. Oh, man! It was such a great feeling. I think we cried a little bit together. It was, it was a great feeling."

Now a decade later, their salaries have doubled with career promotions and merit raises. As a result, Lili can now give beyond her tithe like she envisioned all along. Willie summarized: "Malachi 3:10, that's the only verse in the entire Bible where God says to, ‘Test me, test me in this.' If anyone can get anything outside of the tithing message it's that tithing is one of those things that you do because you're in love with God, that you love Him.”

The Morales say they have also experienced God's favor with housing. In 2020, God led them to sell their home, making them a substantial profit. Instead of having to rent long-term, a friend told them about an unlisted property, and they bought their dream home. They have gained 30 per cent equity since moving in. Willie added: "I'm not tithing to get that reciprocity. I'm not tithing because I want that reciprocity. I'm tithing because I'm falling in love with my Jesus, and I'm falling in love with Him more and more every day. If God was big enough to say, ‘I'm going to give my only begotten Son,’ and He has created us in His image, I think we need to be givers."

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About The Author

Cheryl
Wilcox

Cheryl Wilcox is a 700 Club Producer.