Dave’s Journey: From Losing Everything to Gaining What Matters

Dave was eleven when his father died of cancer. His dad had worked from boyhood—he left school in the sixth grade to take a job and help support his parents—and he wanted more for his own children. Before he died, he asked Dave’s mother to make sure Dave and his siblings finished college, so they would never have to struggle for money the way he had.

Dave honored that wish. He earned a degree in business administration and set out to become an entrepreneur. With a loan from the Small Business Administration, he bought a men’s formal-wear franchise in Houston—and it worked. Before long, he owned a second store.

He was sure this was only the beginning. “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—Black Monday—the U.S. stock market suffered one of the steepest single-day drops in its history. In the months that followed, oil prices fell to historic lows, and the Houston economy went down with them.

Faster than Dave thought possible, both businesses were running in the red and digging a deeper hole every week. Bankruptcy followed. The self-made man came apart—and his marriage unraveled along with his finances.

“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 forgives sin, restores broken lives, and makes all things new. Dave began to understand that his deepest need was not simply to recover his businesses, finances, or marriage. He needed a Savior.

Humbled by everything he had lost, Dave turned from trusting in himself and placed his faith in Jesus Christ. He opened his heart to receive God’s forgiveness and was born again. Although his circumstances did not change overnight, Dave was no longer facing them alone. Christ had given him new life, new hope, and a new purpose.

A New Dream

Now Dave saw everything through new eyes.

“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 went looking for a way to reach them. “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.”

Dave had let go of chasing success and a big paycheck. But the multitude from his dream never left him—and God, he would soon learn, intended to provide for him, “more than enough,” so he could help reach them.

“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.”

Then the preacher said something that stopped him cold: “This message today isn’t for everybody … It’s for you!”

Dave sensed the Holy Spirit speaking. “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!”

It became a turning point. “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, out of paychecks that barely stretched, Dave kept his promise—and God proved faithful. Over the next ten years, his income grew tenfold: from $5 an hour as a prayer minister to $50 an hour, giving him far more to pour back into winning souls and discipling believers.

“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

Dave had been blessed through trusting God with his finances. But what about the dream—the great crowd of lost souls crying out for Jesus?

Then, several years ago, God opened a door for Dave to join Inspiration Ministries, 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 long to touch lives around the world for Christ—and to trust God more fully with all He’s placed in your hands? Consider doing what Dave did: take a step of faith and sow a seed to win souls and disciple believers through Inspiration Ministries. Visit inspiration.org/souls.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you rebuild your life after bankruptcy or financial ruin?

Dave’s story is one of many that answers yes—not always by regaining what was lost, but by finding something steadier. After bankruptcy, Dave came to faith in Christ and rebuilt his life around a purpose no downturn could take from him.

What does it mean to trust God with your finances?

For Dave, it began with a single step of faith—a pledge he could not yet afford—and a decision to stop leaning on his own wallet. Trusting God with your finances means holding what you have with open hands and giving as He leads.

How does Inspiration Ministries share the Gospel worldwide?

Inspiration Ministries reaches people in more than 200 nations through media outreach, online ministry, biblical teaching, and the International Prayer Center. Each year, more than three million people respond to the Gospel through its outreaches.