That Moment You Realize You Can’t Pay Your Bills

Randy Smith of Prescott, Arizona owns and operates Smith Wood Designs.  His specialty is building custom cabinets.

While working in his shop, he says, “I especially like cedar because it smells good.”

In 2006, Randy had just bought supplies for five big jobs when the housing market crashed.  The contracts fell through, and all that was left were a few small jobs.  Randy and his wife Sue didn’t know how they would pay their mortgage or monthly bills.

“I’ve never felt so low in my life, he confesses.  “I’ve got to pay suppliers;   you know we’ve got materials we’ve just bought. We would have to live in the woods.”

Sue adds, “Yeah, I’m looking at the books and I’m thinking, there’s nothing in there to pay the bills this month, what do we do?”   

Sue says she got their answer one day, while watching The 700 Club.  They were already consistent tithers and CBN partners, but she felt now God wanted them to increase their pledge to CBN.  

“And I’m going, how can we do that?  I’m afraid,” admits Randy.   “When I told her “let’s do it” secretly inside of me, I was going, oh  man we’re going to die.”

After they increased their pledge, Randy sill had a few small jobs coming in, but he needed a breakthrough.  That’s when Sue told him that she believed they should give even more to CBN.  

Randy shares, “I wanted to believe.  You know I could feel Satan attacking. He says, “You’re not going to make it.  You’ve got to pay this bill.  How are you going to pay the bills if you give the money to the Lord?”

Randy finally surrendered complete control of the couple’s financial situation to God, and agreed to give more to CBN.  Soon after, someone handed him a check for $700.

“She goes, ‘You know what, I’m sitting in church and God told me you need this money,’” Randy recalls.

Even though the Smiths were now giving more than ever, their bills were always paid on time, and their books always balanced.  

Sue says, “It seemed like every month was a miracle!  I could see each time we gave, that the business would come in.  That’s not why I was giving, but that’s the way the Lord did it.  He blesses when you give to helping others, which is what CBN does.”

This past year, the Smiths had more business than they ever had.   And even with no advertising, they still have enough work to keep them busy for months to come.  

Sue declares, “You can’t out give God.”

Randy concludes, “Now I’m starting to finally get it.  If you step out in faith, God’s going to take care of you in ways you don’t even see, you don’t even know about.  And the more you do it, the better off you are.  It’s going to work.  I mean you’ve got to see it.”