The Crash, the Dream, and Destiny

Dave’s incredible journey from losing all to gaining everything that matters.

When Dave was 11, his father died from cancer. His dad had worked hard all his life, leaving school in the sixth grade to get a job and help his parents support the family. Before his dad passed away, he asked Dave’s mom to make sure Dave and his siblings went to college so they wouldn’t have to struggle financially as he had.

Honoring his father’s wish, Dave earned his college degree in Business Administration and set his sights on becoming an entrepreneur. His breakthrough came when he was able to obtain a loan from the Small Business Administration to purchase a men’s formal wear franchise in Houston. His hard work brought him success, and soon he was able to purchase his second business.

As a young business owner, Dave was confident this was just the beginning of a lucrative career. “Everything was going great, and I was very proud of myself,” Dave shares. “But I was totally unprepared when the bottom fell out.”

The Crash Took Everything

On October 19, 1987, the U.S. stock market experienced one of the biggest single-day drops in history. Over the following months, the Houston economy crashed as the oil market fell to historic lows.

Faster than he would have thought possible, Dave’s businesses were running in the red and digging a deeper hole every week. Forced into bankruptcy, the self-made man plunged into deep despair, as his life and marriage quickly unraveled.

“I thought I had all the answers and could make my own way in the world,” Dave admits. “Then, seemingly overnight, I couldn’t. Suddenly, I realized just how full of myself I’d been.”

In the midst of this troubled time, Dave’s younger brother shared with him about Jesus, the one who can make all things new. Dave opened his heart to accept Christ and was born again.

A New Dream

Now it was time for Dave to reassess everything.

“Early in my new life as a Christian, the Lord gave me a powerful vision in a dream. I could see and hear an unfathomable mass of humanity crying out, ‘Jesus!’” Dave vividly recalls. “The agony and hopelessness of these perishing people caused me to wake up in a cold sweat. I wasn’t sure what to do with this dream, but felt I needed to do something … anything I could do … about reaching those desperate people.”

So Dave sought out ways to touch the lives of others. “After I got saved, I said goodbye to my business-building quest and took a ministry job making $5 an hour as I prayed for people over the phone,” he remembers. “The pay didn’t really matter to me, because God was meeting all my needs. It was a great privilege to pray with people in their time of need, and many were led to the Lord.”

Although Dave was no longer motivated by the desire for business success and a big paycheck, he soon discovered that God wanted to bless him with “more than enough.”

“One afternoon I saw a preacher on TV talking about how someone could receive a financial breakthrough by sowing a $1,000 into God’s Kingdom. I was skeptical, but finally sat down on my couch and really heard what he had to say.”

Suddenly, the preacher got Dave’s attention when he said, “This message today isn’t for everybody … It’s for you!”

“For the very first time,  I was saying, ‘God, I’m not going to trust my wallet anymore. I’m going to trust You.’”

Dave instantly sensed the Holy Spirit speaking to him. “Something exploded inside of me at the preacher’s words,” he says. “I knew God was calling me to pledge $1,000, but I was still only making $5 an hour. It was one of the most frightening things I’ve ever done!”

Much to his surprise, this was a turning point in Dave’s life. “For the very first time, I was saying, ‘God, I’m not going to trust my wallet anymore. I’m going to trust You. And as You bless me, I will surely pay on my promise.’”

Little by little, Dave faithfully sent a portion of his meager paychecks toward his pledge – and God showed Himself faithful! Over the next 10 years, his income grew 10 times over! Instead of the $5 an hour he made as a prayer minister, he was now earning $50 an hour – enabling him to sow much more money toward soul-winning and discipleship.

“The journey to God’s abundance requires time and faithfulness,” Dave says. “But He will unleash supernatural provision for your life if you remain faithful and don’t give up!”

The Dream Fulfilled

Though Dave was abundantly blessed through trusting God with his finances, what about the dream he had of all those lost souls crying out for Jesus?

Several years ago, God opened the door for Dave to work at Inspiration Ministries, where he’s part of fulfilling David Cerullo’s vision to “Impact People for Christ Worldwide Through Media.”

“Every day, the partners and staff of Inspiration Ministries are reaching people around the world for Christ,” Dave reports with great joy. “In 2019 alone, over 2.5 million people came to Christ through our evangelistic outreaches. I am humbled and awed by God’s great love in allowing me to be part of such an incredible ministry of salvation and discipleship!”

Do YOU dream of experiencing God’s abundance and touching lives worldwide for Christ? Then consider doing as Dave did. Take a step of faith to trust God with your finances. Visit inspiration.org/souls to sow a seed to win souls and disciple believers through Inspiration Ministries![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]