Try This for a Year to Radically Improve Your Finances

Okaloosa County, Florida

Keith Kemp has spent a lifetime swinging a hammer. In 1996, he and his wife Terry ran the largest construction company in Okaloosa County, Florida.     

“When you've done something, and the people really love it and, you know, that satisfaction you get from thrilling them and giving them what they were asking for, that's always the best thing,” says Keith.

In 2000, the Kemps began building spec homes for a real estate company that pushed them to build more homes than they budgeted. Keith believed he could deliver.  

“We were booming so much,” says Terry.  “He just planned that we would sell that many homes. So he just borrowed the money and, you know, and built all those homes, but they just didn't sell.”

“The market just dropped,” says Keith. “It just stalled, and we didn't have enough money in the bank to pull us on through until they were sold.”

The unsold homes were eventually repossessed and caused the Kemps to shut down their business. Keith began sub-contracting with other companies, but the money he earned wasn’t enough to cover all their expenses. They soon lost their home, vehicles, and were forced to move into a trailer on an empty lot owned by a friend, but that too was repossessed.   

“When they were going to repossess the trailer, Keith started throwing this house together with a few of our friends and it wasn't even finished when we had to move into it when they took the trailer,” says Terry. “We didn't even have stairs at the front door. We had construction stairs.”

“I felt terrible because I’ve always been able to supply for my family and my wife and at that time I didn't have anything,” says Keith. “When I’m struggling to try to figure out where are we going to make the money and how I’m going to take care of my wife and kids, it's definitely that hurts you.”

Terry is a 700 Club viewer, and soon, Keith began to watch it as well. There, he learned about tithing.   

“Keith seeing the money miracles that happened once the people started tithing, some of them didn't even have money to buy food with, but they gave their last $5 and then stuff just started happening to them,” recalls Terry. “So I said, ‘Keith, God said God cannot lie. God said, give me 10% and he would give you that tenfold over.’ I’m like ‘he can't lie.’ I said, ‘just test him.’”

“She'd always been wanting to tithe, and me, oh, ‘they ain't getting my money," remembers Keith. “So I wouldn't do this. But as things got bad and the more I started watching the 700 Club, then, you know, well, I finally agreed.”

Keith and Terry began tithing to their church. They also started giving to CBN. Before long, they saw God begin to move in their finances when Terry noticed a deposit in her bank that she didn’t make.

“I went to the bank and I told them, ‘this money's in there and it's not mine,’ and they're like ‘yes, ma'am, it is.’ I said, ‘well, then I’ll take every bit of it.’ It was $4,000 and I brought it home and I handed it to my husband and he was able to pay the bills for three months.”

The Kemps continued to tithe faithfully. Then Keith started receiving multiple construction jobs. As their income increased, so did their giving to CBN.  

“We kept going up and up with our giving after that because I was convinced if it's going to be there when you need it, you-you might as well help out as many people as you can," says Keith.

Today the kemps are back in business. Keith’s income has doubled, and they are now debt free. They’ve also finish building their house. They know without doubt that God blesses those that are faithful in their giving.  

“Just try it,” says Keith. “Do it for a year and then tell me what your thoughts are. I think anybody that tries it could do it for a year and if they ain't noticed that things are going better for them, I’ll be totally shocked.”

“I encouraged everyone to tithe," says Terry.  “I’m telling you, if you would tithe, you will see a miracle."