I'll never forget the day Jerry and I, with our two little children, drove from Shreveport, Louisiana, to Fort Worth, Texas, in order to go to work for Brother Kenneth Copeland.

It was 1971, and we were thrilled beyond words. We piled everything we owned in an old yellow Pontiac that had over 100,000 miles on it. Our belongings were flying out of the window down the highway, but we just kept going.

It was nothing but junk anyway, and we were too embarrassed to go back and pick it up.

A Humble Beginning
God has taken us from nothing to more than enough…but it didn't come overnight.

When Jerry began traveling with Brother Copeland, he would be gone sometimes three weeks at a time. I would be left with barely any money, two babies, and not knowing a single soul in Fort Worth.

During one period, I can remember getting in a rut. Perhaps it was the transition of moving, my husband being gone so much, not having my parents just around the corner anymore, or just caring for two young children all by myself.

I got into a habit of doing the laundry and laying all the dry clothing on the guest room bed until it was piled high. Then it looked too overwhelming to fold up, so it would just lie there for days. I would hand wash the dishes and put them on the drying rack until time for the next meal instead of putting them away.

My home was not in order.

I remember complaining to the Lord one time saying, "We don't have any money! Why is it taking so long to get the things I'm believing for?" And I heard Him speak so plain to me, He said, "I won't give you anything until you first learn to take care of what you've already got."

I replied, "I don't have anything!" He said, "Yes, you do. You have your hands." I said, "Lord, show me how to take care of what I've already got."

Being Faithful In Little…
He began teaching me the small things that may sound so insignificant - like putting the laundry away, stacking the dishes in the cupboards, painting those old dirty walls, making curtains for the windows, and much more.

I was learning to finish every job I started. I was learning to excel as a woman of God who is organized in every area of her life. You have to start where you are at, and then God can bless you with better.

As I began getting my home in order, I made a decision right then that I was not going to allow my husband to gain more knowledge about the Word while he was out traveling with Brother Copeland. So, I began feeding myself the Word of God.

Jerry would bring tapes back from the meetings, and I would get my Bible out and follow along as Brother Copeland preached. I had to discipline myself to remain consistent in my daily fellowship with God. It was not easy, but I wanted to grow as much as Jerry was. And I did. I wanted our marriage to be equally yoked.

It made a much more pleasant and inviting home for Jerry to return to when I had been feeding my spirit the Word of God. My home was in order, and our family was at peace.

God Honored My Faith
On one occasion, Jerry was leaving for another three-week tour with Brother Copeland, and I remember us standing outside on the front lawn with me holding one baby on each hip.

With tears coming down his cheeks, Jerry said, "I'm sorry, Carolyn, but this is all I have to leave with you." And he handed me $3.00 for three weeks for three people. He said, "We have to trust God that He will provide." And he drove away in tears.

I went to church that night with those three dollars in my purse, and when the offering plate came by, I dropped them in there. I thought, "What can three dollars buy me?" Not enough. It's better to give God your best so He can multiply it.

I went home that evening, and when I was taking my coat off to hang it in the closet, I reached in my pocket and pulled out a $20 bill! Someone had put that in my pocket without me knowing it, and it was plenty for us to eat on for three weeks. God honored my faith.

Just Start Where You Are
I could tell you story after story of our "adventures in faith." Everything in our lives has come by using our faith, but it didn't happen overnight. It comes in steps. You have to use your faith at the level you are at. Start with what you've got. Begin by taking care of what you've got so God can bless you with better.

Show God your desire to want to know Him more by reading His Word. Then take steps of faith, not leaps or jumps, and watch God bring the very desires of your heart to pass.

He'll do it…just start where you are.

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