The delay for the last two days was related to a closing on a miracle. You see since I operate in the business world and people always talk about closing the deal, I like to put my Holy Ghost spin on the term and call it closing on a miracle. In short, a couple who I will call the Johnson's and are 83 years old had been trying to purchase a brand new house and they came up against some serious opposition because in the natural world the only real estate you should be looking for at that age, so people think, is in a fenced in, well manicured lot with plenty of ornaments, flags and flowers around. In short, you should be preparing for the grave. We started working with the Johnson's two years ago and they came into my office and told us of the deplorable living conditions they were living in and that they heard we help people get into new homes, especially people with limited means. I had 4 houses that I had just completed building and they were waiting for nice people like the Johnson's to purchase and move into. The thought did cross my mind ever so briefly though, that they seemed much older than my usual home purchasers, but nevertheless, this is the Kingdom of God and all things are possible if you can believe. (That's bible Y'all).
Well I asked the usual due diligence questions such as are you employed, how's your credit, etc.. etc.. etc and they told me that the only income they received was social security and it was about $1,200 per month. I said okay, let's go out and look at some houses. Now mind you $1,200 per month on a fixed income doesn't go very far these days so I could have sad right there that chances are slim to none that you will qualify for a house but you can get a Section 8 HUD voucher to live in subsidized apartments somewhere. But No, I knew in my Spirit these people were looking for homeownership and nothing less. Now, that's Faith y'all. I want this and I ain't settling for nothing else because my God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think.
So out the door we go and I notice that they are in great health, sound mind and they jump into their 1983 Buick and said they will drive themselves to the home sites and follow me. I was like, alrighty... We get to the house sites and Momma (Mrs. Johnson), begins looking in each of the four houses and she has a poker face out of this world. She looked, emotionless except for one house she saw and she said Hhhmmmphhhh. You Southerner's know that when the church mothers and family matriarchs say hhhmmmphhh, that is not a sign of a good endorsement LOL. But the very last house we walked into, no sooner that we got into the living room she stopped and with the most enthusiasm I have seen her display all day, she said very direct and firmly. This is the house. I was like Mrs. Johnson, do you want to see the rest of the house? She said that's fine, but this is the house. I said I wonder if Mrs. Johnson know that there is some buried treasurer in the back yard or something, lol. But, in all truth, I realized right then that these were very Spritual people and that while I only saw the two of them in the room, they came in with another person, the Holy Spirit. And years of walking in the Spirit has shown them how to hear his voice. "My Sheep hear my voice" (Bible).
Well that part of the miracle is completed, now comes the serious stuff. The house was selling for $85,000 and as I stated earlier, $1,200 in joint monthly income from social security does not seem to be enough to cover family living expenses, home maintenance and repairs, principal-interest-taxes and insurance. However, I am not one to stop a Faith endeavor, I proceeded with completing the application and submitted it to the government lender.
Oookaaaaayy.. This is when the war starts. You see people who only walk by sight look at things far differently from people who walk by Faith. Faith people see in 4 dimensions not just 3 and they believe the fourth dimension has far more possibilities, resources and benefits then what is seen in the natural 3 dimensional world. Well the government agency folks are only trained to see things in the three dimensional world, not the fourth. And here is what they saw. A couple who was 83 years old, strong bodies and minds but in their mature stages of life. Secondly, they saw an income that did not appear to be enough to handle the expenses associated with homeownership and lastly, how many couples at 83 years owe have the audacity to seek a 30 year mortgage. They are usually ready to ride things out, prepare for the end or getting on a waiting list for a nursing home. But no, not the Johnson's, they are living fully and have no plans to cut their blessings short. Furthermore, they want to leave their family an inheritance. One of them most noble acts of a father is to leave an inheritance for their children. They wanted their blessing and they were willing to do what it takes to obtain it.
Well, the government was finding reason after reason to reject the loan application but federal law prevents age discrimination so they could never use that reason. However, the used the credit score, we overcame that, then they used monthly income, we overcame that, then they said the house that I built was not built according to their regulations. That's when it got personal because all my houses are built in accordance with state, federal and local laws and I had documentation and inspections to prove it. However, this is where the government get's many people stopped. They wear the people down and then they find some obscure reason to put the last nail in the coffin. However, thanks be to God, I had already been down this road before so I knew exactly how to fight, what weapons to use and how to make the government pay me for all of the pain and suffering associated with a 2 1/2 year battle for this house. The question that I had however was; could the Johnson's hang in here with me? Mr. Johnson and I was having a conversation one day and I asked him if he could hang in for the long battles that may occur. He shot back with all confidence and said in all the years he has been serving the Lord, one thing he has found to be as true as the air we breathe:
Luke 21:19
King James Version (KJV)
19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
That's exactly what he said to me and he said if we fight, we fight all the way and we fight together. I was like, YESSSS, I got a soldier with me on the field. So fight we did. It took 2 years of research, paperwork and then finally we had an appeal hearing with the Government which closely resembles a court trial without all of the cost of lawyers etc..etc.. I had to defend my client the Johnson's and I knew with the Faith that the three of us possessed we would be victorious. And indeed we were.
So yesterday I was at the real estate closing signing papers and passing the keys to the new home to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. Today they own a brand new 3 bedroom 2 bath brick home with a house payment of only $392.00 per month. Now tell me where you gonna get a newly built brick home for that kind of money these days. (Miracle 1). I got compensated way more than I thought I would have for handling this transaction (Miracle 2), and the person at the government whom I had been battling with gave me a congratulatory hug after the transaction was completed.(Miracle 3). My son Andre Stephens Jr. was with me from start to finish on this transaction and he now has witnessed how Faith produces miracles and if you want to win the Kingdom of God, you have to be willing to use your faith and fight for it.
Try the Faith walk; it only get's gooder and gooder.
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