Written By Minister Carolyn Jacobs, Jacksonville District

James 2:18 – Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

The main title for this article is, “Faith in Action,” because that is exactly what it took for me to become a first time home buyer. For many years, I had been asking God to bless me with a new home; something suitable for my family and friends to gather - a place to enjoy each other’s company over a good home cooked meal. I had been asking others to pray, as well. I would do all the things that “saints” are supposed to do. I would decree and declare that, “I believed God would bless me.” One of the declarations we make each Sunday at my local church, Solid Rock COGBF, Yulee, Florida, over our giving is, “because I am giver who sows generously, I believe that you Father will cause me to reap generously.”  I not only sow monetarily but ever since the Lord saved me, I’ve been one to sow into the kingdom and to sow into people’s lives. So I didn’t understand why my prayer for a new home wasn’t being answered. Please understand that I wasn’t asking God for anything extravagant but something that would meet my needs that was comfortable and affordable.

Sometimes, because of fear or doubt we are reluctant to trust God. There are times that God will give us a nudge in order for us to walk into the blessings he has for us. Jesus told Peter to “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught (mouthful).” Peter was reluctant, going on what he knew, however he said, “nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net” Luke 5:4,5.

One night at the residence in which I was living, I believe God gave me the nudge I needed. The circuit breaker tripped and the smell of smoke was everywhere. I called Fire and Rescue; they did a thorough investigation but could not find the source of the smoke smell (NOTE: I never saw any smoke just smelled it – that was a miracle in itself). They determined that there was a surge in my electrical box and that I had some of the old knob and tube wiring that needed to be replaced. That experience really frighten me. A fire is very destructive and nothing I would ever want to deal with. I started praying more earnestly, “Lord, bless me with a new home.”

During my time of asking God for a new home. I heard many testimonies of people being approved for new home purchases. Some were, “I got approved for a 5-bedroom house, and I know my credit wasn’t good but God granted me favor.” I was like wow: God, if you did it for them, I know you can do it for me, because my credit is good, I pay my bills on time and I always pay more than the minimum due. My problem was, that I had too much credit – which can be a negative if you want to purchase a home.

What I later found out is, a lot of the people with those testimonies lost their homes, because of the financing they agreed to. They opted for a Balloon Loan, which allowed them to get into a home with less than favorable credit, no down payment, a reasonable interest rate and low monthly payments. The Balloon Loan terms was for a 5-7 year period. The expectation was, during that period they would use the savings on their monthly mortgage payments to pay off debt and correct their credit. However, many people did not do that, but used the extra savings to buy furniture and other niceties for their new homes. At the end of the balloon period, their mortgage had to be refinanced. If they still had poor credit, acquired more debt, and in some cases had loss of income, they were refinanced at a much higher interest rate causing their mortgage payments double or triple.

I could have gone in that same direction but thank God I didn’t.

As I have grown in my faith, I try to rely on the Word of God for help, hope and healing. During a service at Solid Rock in November 2011, Pastor Vincent Campbell, The Faith Center (TFC), Tucker, Georgia, preached a message on faith. One of the things he said was, faith requires action. To paraphrase he said, “We can say that we believe God but until we put faith into action, it is not really faith.” At the conclusion of his message, he asked everyone to plant a faith seed of $100.00. Not for himself but to sow into our ministry. I did not have the $100.00 but wanted to give. I started to tell him that but the Holy Spirit spoke to my spirit and said, “You don’t have to tell him, just do what you said,”  so I agreed with the Holy Ghost. That was on Sunday and I would not get paid until that Friday, which was when I wrote the check for my tithe and offerings, also one for the faith seed.  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 2 Corinthians 5:7. Faith does not require you to see but to move.

That Monday when I got to work, I told my co-worker, which is a Pastor that I was going to start looking for me a house; that the Holy Spirit had let me know it was time to move and asked him and his wife to be in prayer with me. That same evening, he called me back at work and asked me if it would be okay to have his sister-in-law give me a call, she is a realtor…the rest is history. I gave my $100.00 the following Sunday and wrote “faith seed” on the memo line of my check.

On June 12, 2012, I closed on my new home. I saw God work on my behalf in so many ways. I wanted a townhouse but He blessed me with a single family home. I have an affordable monthly payment, the day before closing, my interest rate was dropped another 25% - which lowered it even more. I was financed at 100%, no down payment required and all closing costs paid. My out-of-pocket was $500. I had a one hour drive to work, now I am less than 30 minutes away. I am 10 minutes from church. I save about $200 a month on gas. I am closer to our ministry work in Georgia. When my pastor, Elder Harry J.  Johnson, blessed my home, he prayed that it would be a refuge - a place where my family and friends could come and feel love, receive hope and find peace. That had always been my prayer. Having a new home has never been about me but about my family, friends and the fellowship we share.