15 May 2013 – The Year Of The Rising Part III: “Didn’t I do good?”
I was walking into the dining room from the deck when I heard the Lord say, “I am going to drop the market.” I had recently sold my home of 11 years, resultant of a time in prayer when the Lord directed me to sell it. I sold in obedience and now the majority of my resources were in the stock market and the Lord was saying He was going to drop the market.
I waited a week to ponder, asked Dad (our Heavenly Father) a lot of questions. It became clear that the smart thing to do was to pull out. I called my broker and sold everything, except for two stocks. The Friday I pulled out, the market stumbled. Monday it crashed–I reeled! My resources were saved. I marveled at the goodness of our God. My broker, originally from India and of a Middle Eastern faith, asked how I knew. I respectfully shared that the only true God lives and speaks and would speak to him if he were to ask.
Many people lost great deals of money. Some lost it all and sadly, some people committed suicide. For months after the crash market gurus attempted to explain the cause with many explanations. It was pretty simple in my mind, our God holds it all in his hands!
My Struggle
There is more to this story, one of immaturity in me. When He mentioned he would drop the market, I wanted to short the market, which is a way to make more money by leveraging against a dropping market. When the crash occurred, I was angry, livid that His counsel to me was not to leverage. Within two days I could have been very comfortable with the profits. I would’ve been able to buy a home free and clear, a new car, have retirement and give to the ministry! Instead I was pacing in the living room of my townhouse rental fuming at God’s counsel to not short the market. It was not pretty.
In great care, that a Father can only have for a son, He took me into a vision. In this vision my face was up against a magnificent sculpture made of pure silver, translucent in its purity. It was very expensive, smooth and glassy as far as the eye could see. Then He began to pull me slowly away from the sculpture and then quickly to an aerial view over the sculpture. I was aghast! It was a fish hook. Then the Holy Spirit said; “This would have been in your jaw.” I knew instantly what was being said.
In my youngness and immaturity, I would have been drug away into the deceitfulness of wealth with the windfall. Please hear my heart–wealth is not bad, but it would not have been good for me at that stage of my life. What wisdom God has for our lives. I did not know myself as He did and He preserved my life once again. Many times His counsel has saved me from the wreckage of poor decisions.
Following His Leading
Wise investing is a kingdom privilege among God’s people. It just may not be the way you think it should be. I had given Him all of me which includes my money. Now He is taking care of what is His and mine to manage.
Early on in my walk with the Lord that was a big deal. I thought He would do it every time, keep me in plenty and care for me with increase. After I married, there came a day when in following His lead our family made a major move. It was His lead, yet we lost 80% of our resources. What happened?! One of the reasons we lost resources is I didn’t listen to my wife, Bethany’s, advice. My wife had insight I didn’t have from our heavenly Dad. You see, God can give resources to us, but can we steward it well over time? The answer is a resounding yes, providing we listen to the God-given voices placed in our lives.
Wise investing comes from God’s counsel. I have been aware of an increasing activity among the community of kingdom citizens upon the earth. God is preparing His people to hear and obey regarding money and its influence. Even more, its influence on the heart. It has been said that wealth is not what you have, its what you don’t need. When the heart finds release from sin, it’s journey into healing, freedom and fulfillment in Christ causes a radical shift in our needs and perception of needs. God is working, showing His Church that He can supply our needs and use us in His amazing plan to fund kingdom work on the earth through us.
God’s Goodness
I really think God is about the enjoyment of amazing His people with what He can do. Recently Dad asked me this question: “Didn’t I do good?” I chuckled when He asked that question. We were cut back by 60% of my income the past 14 months. After a major layoff, I was moved from full time to two days a week at work. It has been a nervous time for me. Not as much for Bethany. She had seen God come through time and again for her and her family growing up on the mission field in Africa. She has a gift of faith I believe. Not me, I have to work for faith. So, it was especially meaningful for Dad to ask that question.
He has done good providing for our major needs and surprisingly, even some of our wants. I started laughing when He asked me that question. I said, “Lord, you have done really good!” He loves to love us. I am convinced.
Abiding in Him
I have written this third blog regarding 2013 for this reason. I believe people of our great nation will be paying closer attention to Christians. I believe God’s people are going to show God’s goodness by how He provides and cares for us as our country experiences increase and then comes under greater strain in the days to come.
Even though it has already begun, there is coming a day when people will become greatly concerned over the US and her weakening position on the world theater, as well as the increasing cost of living and the dollar strength decline and more. The people of God will be demonstrating how good God is at taking care of His own. It will be easy to ask ‘won’t you consider becoming His own too?’
How will this happen? It is all about abiding. Think about this: our place is to abide in Him, to be in Him and see through His eyes about living life from heaven to earth. This is a game changer if we get this. No more wondering if He cares, if He wants to pull through for us. If we are in Him, He is causing us to be like Him and talk like Him. Our God rides on the wings of our confession. Our wonderings become removed as they are displaced by His very essence, presence and intentions. I believe His intentions for us are to prosper according to our needs and surplus. Our God is not impoverished. Look at your own life, has He skimped using a limited budget regarding His heart and dealings with you? Absolutely not! He is lavish in compassion for us because of His riches!
Time to gather into barns
We will see increase for this season largely for the sake of gathering into barns. When Joseph gathered during times of increase, it was for the coming drought in Egypt. A respected author recently wrote: “We are in times of gathering and God is giving creative solutions for increase.” I agree. We are not to be ruled by increase, as I could have. We are to be sober in our being led with increased resources. Now is the time to learn how to hear and be lead by the precious Holy Spirit. Scores of Americans will be watching because our country has lost her way and needs kingdom citizens to show her the way back, to show them how it is done. Here we go!
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