A Supernatural Short Sale Story
Last Friday, after four months and 24 days, we closed on the short sale of our previous home. Now to you that might not sound so amazing, but for us it was an extremely difficult battle that revealed God’s love and power multiple times. I know that from the beginning the battle was the Lord’s, but we had to take some steps along the way to work with God to see His will come to pass. I wanted to share with you a step by step roadmap of this victory, and I pray that it blesses, encourages and exhorts you for your own personal situations.
I suppose the story really begins in September of 2009. While alone on a long drive I began seriously worrying about our home’s value, and the fact that we were probably seriously under water. On that drive the Holy Spirit had me confess, “The power of these mortgages is broken over our lives, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.” I received that Word into my heart, and felt better about the situation. I worried little about it for the next six months. Then on March 8, 2010 my father said he would soon have to let my wife and I go. He had employed us for the previous 3.5 years. This was no surprise frankly, as God had recently given me three dreams about the end of that season. But of course we began to seek God for direction.
God immediately told me to sell the house. Knowing that this would be difficult, and hating that I would essentially lose the thousands I spent on home improvement, I checked with God repeatedly. But three times a clear Word came, two dreams, and one vision of a plane. I knew God wanted us to go.
On March 21 we put the house on the market. On April 13 we received our first offer. I felt this was the miracle speedy offer from God, but that night I had a dream that my wife hated that offer, but another was coming. So we waited, and the next day we received a second offer for $30,000.00 more. Glory to God. We immediately accepted that offer and prepared the short-sale package to the bank.
By April 28 we had everything to the bank, and then we waited. I can’t tell you how many nights I lay there considering all the bad possibilities. What if we couldn’t make the payments? What if the bank said no? What if the bank wanted a promissory note for the difference (over $120,000)? The whole situation really, really disrupted my mental and spiritual life. But then God gave me a dream that the house would sell for $308,500.00. As that was more than the offer He told us to accept, I went to God’s Word. I found the third book, the eighth chapter, and the fifth verse.
Leviticus 8:5 – “And Moses said unto the congregation, “This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done.”
Praise God, it honestly gets me emotional just thinking about it. God told me to sell the house. God had commanded the house to be sold. God was telling me that He would supernaturally line everything up so that His will would be accomplished. While I was fine with selling it, it wasn’t my commandment or my word, it was His. It would surely come to pass.
But we kept waiting. You know how it is, that refreshing Word from God grows cold, and the worries return. I began to get very anxious. Then I had another dream. This time I saw a sheet of paper that said if we paid $1,312.20 they would mark it paid in full. As that wouldn’t even cover one payment, I again went to the Word. I went to the first book, the thirty first chapter, verses 2-20. For brevity’s sake I will only put part of verses 17-20.
Genesis 31:17-20, abbreviated – “Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten . . . And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.”
I believed God was telling me to just move out. Now that’s a hard word. Some friends said that I could live there free for two years and let the bank try to foreclose. Being a lawyer and knowing some tactics, this was actually tempting. But I didn’t go that route. God said sell, not sit there without paying. I was going to sell. So I believed God was saying move out, but I waited two months before doing so. I was scared, and I didn’t receive what God had clearly said. Also, about the same time, I had a dream that the bank would let us off completely, requiring no further payments.
The bank said they would give us a first response 45 days after receiving the packet, but 45 days came and went. Then the bank said they needed more documents, which I immediately provided. Then a negotiator was assigned and she said another 8-10 days. That came and went. She said she needed more time. Then she stopped responding.
One night in early July my body headed for bed, but inside I was freaking out. What was going on? Were they denying the sale? What was up? The woman at the title company, who was really supposed to speak with the bank for me, is very nice and qualified, but I had felt maybe she wasn’t giving our file all the attention she could. I’m not mad, she had hundreds of files. I only had one. So I sort of considered getting involved. Now several people had told me not to, but as I was praying and thinking I had a vision of this woman at her desk with files all around her. I knew God was saying that she was over worked and not paying our file enough attention.
Now I didn’t take that as a Word to call her up and let her have it. I took that as a Word to get personally involved. I began calling and calling. I spoke to several people. I also went back and reconsidered the Word to move out. I came to believe that this was the necessary seed for the harvest of the bank letting us go. So we set to finding a new home. Eventually I spoke to someone at the bank who gave me a supervisor’s email address. Two more days, no response.
Then, like a flood, came the breakthrough. On July 8th we received a lease agreement on the place we believed God had for us. We were moving out at the Word of the Lord. We would trust Him for the sale to go through. THE SAME DAY, the bank called me. They essentially said, “Mr. Howell, we are so sorry that took so long. Your short sale was completely approved. You don’t have to give us another dollar. You can close anytime.”
You simply can’t imagine my joy. We had moved ahead on a difficult Word from God, and we were immediately seeing the rewards of obedience. Considering everything involved, God has freed us from around $400,000 in debt. Now that’s supernatural debt forgiveness!
That night I had another dream. God said to move immediately. I had planned on moving in a few weeks. But I called the realtor, we set it up, and God sent two angels that worked like absolute champions to help me move. We were completely moved two days later, Saturday July 10. But it wasn’t over. That night, while sitting in my new place relaxing and thanking God, I got an email. The buyer couldn’t close for over a month, they had to sell their home first. (As they didn’t have that contingency in the contract, they were now technically in breach.)
Well of course I was immediately offended and extremely irritated. This could mean more money from me to the bank. We asked them to hurry, so as to avoid that. But they didn’t hurry. More issues, more irritations. Everyone asking, when will you close, when will you close. Then I had another dream that I mentioned in another post. I was circling a fenced property with my father, who was asking if we would close. I said, “Praise God, it’s going to close and be alright.” The next thing I knew I was going right through that fence, and I was high up in the car, almost like riding in a tank, right onto the land.”
I knew God wanted me to confess my trust in Him, and that this would get me where I needed to go. Well that’s what I did. I cast all my cares on to Him as the Word instructs, and I trusted Him that it would close. And Glory to God, on August 13 it finally closed.
The power of those mortgages was broken over our lives. We were supernaturally delivered from those who had power over us. We were supernaturally released from a huge debt. With a mighty hand and strong arm God brought us out of that place and into our new home, which we are really enjoying. I don’t know what God has next, but I know that the sale of our home was something that the Most High God commanded to be done, and it was done.
Now maybe all this sounds a bit goofy or insignificant to you. But it sure wasn’t to us. I know lots of people are getting through short sales right now, and I’m glad for them. But that’s not our story. This is our short sale story, a victory for which God alone deserves all the credit.
And when I look at it, and consider the past months, with the dreams and visions, the verses and Words – when I consider everything, there is only one possibility – the All-Seeing, All-Knowing, All-Capable God desired that I sell my house. He wanted it done, He told me what to do, and He guided me through the process from start to finish.
Jehovah, the only living God, whom we have access to by our faith in Jesus Christ, also has plans for your life. He wants you to have that relationship with Him, where you can see His will and walk it out. Your life will never be as before. Working in connection with the One True God, there’s nothing like it. I pray that you draw closer to God, for I know He will draw closer to you. You will see Him work in your life, and you’ll never again want to experience life without Him. Praise the Lord.
God immediately told me to sell the house. Knowing that this would be difficult, and hating that I would essentially lose the thousands I spent on home improvement, I checked with God repeatedly. But three times a clear Word came, two dreams, and one vision of a plane. I knew God wanted us to go.
On March 21 we put the house on the market. On April 13 we received our first offer. I felt this was the miracle speedy offer from God, but that night I had a dream that my wife hated that offer, but another was coming. So we waited, and the next day we received a second offer for $30,000.00 more. Glory to God. We immediately accepted that offer and prepared the short-sale package to the bank.
By April 28 we had everything to the bank, and then we waited. I can’t tell you how many nights I lay there considering all the bad possibilities. What if we couldn’t make the payments? What if the bank said no? What if the bank wanted a promissory note for the difference (over $120,000)? The whole situation really, really disrupted my mental and spiritual life. But then God gave me a dream that the house would sell for $308,500.00. As that was more than the offer He told us to accept, I went to God’s Word. I found the third book, the eighth chapter, and the fifth verse.
Leviticus 8:5 – “And Moses said unto the congregation, “This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done.”
Praise God, it honestly gets me emotional just thinking about it. God told me to sell the house. God had commanded the house to be sold. God was telling me that He would supernaturally line everything up so that His will would be accomplished. While I was fine with selling it, it wasn’t my commandment or my word, it was His. It would surely come to pass.
But we kept waiting. You know how it is, that refreshing Word from God grows cold, and the worries return. I began to get very anxious. Then I had another dream. This time I saw a sheet of paper that said if we paid $1,312.20 they would mark it paid in full. As that wouldn’t even cover one payment, I again went to the Word. I went to the first book, the thirty first chapter, verses 2-20. For brevity’s sake I will only put part of verses 17-20.
Genesis 31:17-20, abbreviated – “Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten . . . And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.”
I believed God was telling me to just move out. Now that’s a hard word. Some friends said that I could live there free for two years and let the bank try to foreclose. Being a lawyer and knowing some tactics, this was actually tempting. But I didn’t go that route. God said sell, not sit there without paying. I was going to sell. So I believed God was saying move out, but I waited two months before doing so. I was scared, and I didn’t receive what God had clearly said. Also, about the same time, I had a dream that the bank would let us off completely, requiring no further payments.
The bank said they would give us a first response 45 days after receiving the packet, but 45 days came and went. Then the bank said they needed more documents, which I immediately provided. Then a negotiator was assigned and she said another 8-10 days. That came and went. She said she needed more time. Then she stopped responding.
One night in early July my body headed for bed, but inside I was freaking out. What was going on? Were they denying the sale? What was up? The woman at the title company, who was really supposed to speak with the bank for me, is very nice and qualified, but I had felt maybe she wasn’t giving our file all the attention she could. I’m not mad, she had hundreds of files. I only had one. So I sort of considered getting involved. Now several people had told me not to, but as I was praying and thinking I had a vision of this woman at her desk with files all around her. I knew God was saying that she was over worked and not paying our file enough attention.
Now I didn’t take that as a Word to call her up and let her have it. I took that as a Word to get personally involved. I began calling and calling. I spoke to several people. I also went back and reconsidered the Word to move out. I came to believe that this was the necessary seed for the harvest of the bank letting us go. So we set to finding a new home. Eventually I spoke to someone at the bank who gave me a supervisor’s email address. Two more days, no response.
Then, like a flood, came the breakthrough. On July 8th we received a lease agreement on the place we believed God had for us. We were moving out at the Word of the Lord. We would trust Him for the sale to go through. THE SAME DAY, the bank called me. They essentially said, “Mr. Howell, we are so sorry that took so long. Your short sale was completely approved. You don’t have to give us another dollar. You can close anytime.”
You simply can’t imagine my joy. We had moved ahead on a difficult Word from God, and we were immediately seeing the rewards of obedience. Considering everything involved, God has freed us from around $400,000 in debt. Now that’s supernatural debt forgiveness!
That night I had another dream. God said to move immediately. I had planned on moving in a few weeks. But I called the realtor, we set it up, and God sent two angels that worked like absolute champions to help me move. We were completely moved two days later, Saturday July 10. But it wasn’t over. That night, while sitting in my new place relaxing and thanking God, I got an email. The buyer couldn’t close for over a month, they had to sell their home first. (As they didn’t have that contingency in the contract, they were now technically in breach.)
Well of course I was immediately offended and extremely irritated. This could mean more money from me to the bank. We asked them to hurry, so as to avoid that. But they didn’t hurry. More issues, more irritations. Everyone asking, when will you close, when will you close. Then I had another dream that I mentioned in another post. I was circling a fenced property with my father, who was asking if we would close. I said, “Praise God, it’s going to close and be alright.” The next thing I knew I was going right through that fence, and I was high up in the car, almost like riding in a tank, right onto the land.”
I knew God wanted me to confess my trust in Him, and that this would get me where I needed to go. Well that’s what I did. I cast all my cares on to Him as the Word instructs, and I trusted Him that it would close. And Glory to God, on August 13 it finally closed.
The power of those mortgages was broken over our lives. We were supernaturally delivered from those who had power over us. We were supernaturally released from a huge debt. With a mighty hand and strong arm God brought us out of that place and into our new home, which we are really enjoying. I don’t know what God has next, but I know that the sale of our home was something that the Most High God commanded to be done, and it was done.
Now maybe all this sounds a bit goofy or insignificant to you. But it sure wasn’t to us. I know lots of people are getting through short sales right now, and I’m glad for them. But that’s not our story. This is our short sale story, a victory for which God alone deserves all the credit.
And when I look at it, and consider the past months, with the dreams and visions, the verses and Words – when I consider everything, there is only one possibility – the All-Seeing, All-Knowing, All-Capable God desired that I sell my house. He wanted it done, He told me what to do, and He guided me through the process from start to finish.
Jehovah, the only living God, whom we have access to by our faith in Jesus Christ, also has plans for your life. He wants you to have that relationship with Him, where you can see His will and walk it out. Your life will never be as before. Working in connection with the One True God, there’s nothing like it. I pray that you draw closer to God, for I know He will draw closer to you. You will see Him work in your life, and you’ll never again want to experience life without Him. Praise the Lord.
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