On May 1, 1990, I prayed for my $2500 government student loan to be canceled or paid by May 31st. I had just started my Master’s degree at Regent University. I did not have a car and was only working 20 hours a week at $6 an hour as a graduate assistant. I put Proverbs 4:20, “My son [or daughter], pay attention to my words…,” into action and made my work schedule so I could listen to the Word [debt freedom Scriptures and testimonies] being preached on Brother Kenneth Copeland’s broadcast. Brother Copeland’s guest was John Avanzini, who was declaring “War on Debt”. He taught that it was God’s will to be out of debt. He shared Deuteronomy 15:6 where the believer is to “lend to many nations, but not to borrow”, and was to “owe no man but to love him” (Romans 13:8).
Once I knew it was God’s will for me to be out of debt, then I made my request to God based upon I John 5:14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him”. I also used Mark 11:24, “Therefore I [Jesus] say unto you, ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them’”.
I had to watch what I said to be in line with what I was believing for. I almost made a wrong confession talking with the campus’ cleaning lady. She was saying how in debt she was. I almost said that I was too, but remembered that today was the day I had believed to be out of debt. I had rolled the care of the debt on God and so had forgotten about it.
I had to keep believing I was debt free for a week past when I expected the loan to be paid off, I kept saying, “Thank you, God, that I was debt free May 31st. On June 8th, I rode my ten-speed bike back to University housing and a man called. He asked me for prayer about his work. At the end of the conversation, he said, “Oh, by the way, I paid off your student loan as of May 31st! I had never asked him to pay it off, nor had I ever mentioned my prayer to him.
If you would like for someone to agree with you in prayer to be debt free, please email me at [email protected].