Exchange Your Financial Fear for Peace of Mind

As a single mom raising three kids, Marta Pena's finances were stretched to the breaking point.

Marta remembers: "Most of the time, it was living paycheck to paycheck with the stress of wondering, am I doing things right? Are we going to have enough? Because there really wasn't any savings."

Marta prayed for something more. One Sunday, she walked into a church that would change her life forever.

"They were just singing and praising God, and the people looked so happy. I thought this was amazing. And I had been asking the Lord, what's in this Bible?"

Marta gave her life to Christ and began learning about God's promises. But when she heard about tithing, she hesitated.

"I said, surely God knows that I cannot afford to give Him 10%. But when I began to study in Malachi, I read that we could test God on that, and there are promises attached to it. It says He'll open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that we won't even be able to take it all in. So, that next Sunday, I wrote out a check for $106 and 41 cents."

She gave it with fear, but the very next week, Marta got an unexpected raise that increased her monthly salary by the exact same amount.

"Oh my goodness, you know, God, your word is true! Once I started tithing, I didn't stop and having gotten that raise and getting the promotions, it just made life much easier. Not just the giving, but also in learning more about the Lord, it just gave me peace in my thinking, peace in my life. And it just helped me raise my children. It helped me maintain my sanity, knowing that God is faithful."

Marta spent her career in the logistics industry as a licensed customs broker at the 3rd largest port in the United States.
"I did receive promotions going from being an entry writer to a supervisor. I've moved up to management positions. I've been a branch manager, I've been a vice president of different companies. So, God has just continued to bless."

Then, at sixty-two, she was recruited by the 3rd largest logistics company in the world.

"I had an increase in responsibility, being a promotion, and once again, it showed me the Lord is so faithful."

When Marta retired at seventy-three her salary represented a 700% increase over where she began in her career.

"I've said it to my grandson: you have to make sure that you tithe. If you don't do anything else, you've got to tithe. Because if you tithe, then things will go well for you. I've seen it in my life. I know that it's true."

Marta's trust in God inspires her to also give to ministries like CBN, where she sees the impact of generosity in action.

"I give to CBN because CBN does bring that hope to other people. They go to the places that are traumatized and have had devastation. And I want to be a part of it. So, CBN, I feel, is like a partner in my life."

Today, whether Marta is harvesting from her garden or creating beauty on a canvas, her life reflects the joy and peace of trusting God.

"Trust the Lord with your finances. Be obedient. Give that 10%. I did it with fear and trepidation. And God just showed me that He was faithful, and He was true to His word."