Introduction

PartI

GetOutofJailFree!

PARTII

ReceivingtheWealthoftheNations

PARTIII

ChristianEconomics101:TheArtofStewardship

PARTIV

Repentance101:ReceivingKingdomAuthority

PartV

Repentance102:TheMostDeadlyEnemy

PARTVI

ChristianEconomics102:Obedience

PARTVII

TruthorConsequences

PARTVIII

AchievingYourPurpose

Introduction

ThespiritofpovertyisoneofthemostpowerfulanddeadlystrongholdsSatanusestokeeptheworldinbondage.Everychurchandeverybelievermustfightandovercome this enemy inorder towalk in thepurposes forwhich they arecalled.This stronghold isoneof theenemy'smost successfulweaponsagainstus,butbyovercoming itwegainaplaceof spiritualauthority fromwhichwecan be used tomeet some of the world'smost pressing needs.Wherever thisstrongholdisoverthrown,it islikecastingoffthedarknessofthemostterriblespiritualwinterandseeingtheworldblossomintospringagain.

Whenwe think of poverty, we usually think ofmoney or economics, but thespiritofpovertymayormaynothaveanything todowith these.Thespiritofpovertyisastrongholdestablishedforthepurposeofkeepingusfromwalkinginthe fullness of the victorygained for us at the cross, or the blessings of ourinheritance in Christ. This can relate to everything from the quality of ourmarriagestotheanointingwehaveforministry,aswellasanyotherresourcesthatweneedforwhatwehavebeencalledtodo.

Thegoalofthespiritofpovertyisnotjusttokeepthingsfromus,buttokeepusfromthewillofGod.Todo this,Satanmayevengiveusgreat riches,butourlives will nevertheless be just as empty and full of worries as if we weredestitute.

Thefirststeptowarddefeatingtheworksofdarknessistounderstandthem.WemustthenapplywhatGodhassaidinrelationtothem.Sataniscalled

"theprinceofdarkness"becausedarknessishisdomain.Hismainstrategyistokeepus fromseeing the lightofGod'sWord.Therefore,whenever the lightofunderstandingshinesonsomething,hisauthorityoveritisbroken.

BecauseSatancanonlyrulewherethereisdarkness,orignoranceofthetruthofGod, truthbreakshispower.This iswhy theLord said,"Youshallknowthe

truth,and the truthshallmakeyou free"(John8:32).Both theLord Jesusand the churchare called"the lightof theworld" (seeJohn8:12,Matthew5:14). Jesus came to"destroytheworksof thedevil" (I John3:8), and thewaythatHedidthiswasbyshininglightintothedarkness.

WhenwewalkinthelightasHedidwewillalsodestroytheenemy'sworks.

The Lord has given us divinely powerful weapons for the destruction ofstrongholds (see IICorinthians 10:4). Strongholds aremaintained bywhat theScriptures call principalities. We can cast out demons, but we must wrestleagainst principalities (see Ephesians 6:12). Wrestling is the closest form ofcombat,anditisoneinwhichweseektodisplaceourfoe.Principalitieswillnotflee justbecausewecommandthemto.Wemustpushthemoutbywalkinginthelightthatexposesthem.Truth,spokenbytheanointing,isthemostpowerfulweaponthereis,andwehavebeenentrustedwithit.

Ourgoalforbeingfreefromthespiritofpovertyisnotjustsothatwecanhavethings that we need or want, but so that we can do the will of God, withouthindrancefromeitherphysicalorspiritualdepravity.

Whentheworldwitnessesourfreedom,itwillstartaskingfortheanswersthatwehave.Whenwearefreedfromtheyokeofthespiritofpoverty,ourfreedomwillbemanifestedinthenaturalaswellasthespiritual.Spiritualauthoritywillalwayshavedominion in thenatural realmaswell, just as theLord's spiritualauthority was manifested by His healing the sick, raising the dead, and evenmultiplyingfood.

Oneevidencethatwehavebeentrulyfreedfromtheyokeofthespiritofpovertyis financial independence. Financial independence does not necessarily meanthatwearerichorcanbuyanythingwewant.Itdoesmeanthatwearefreeofeveryfinancialyoke,sothatweonlyhavetomakedecisionsbasedonwhatthewilloftheLordis,notonhowmuchmoneywehaveordonothave.ItmaybethewillofGodforustohavealotortohavealittle.

LiketheapostlePaul,wemustbecontentifweareeitherabasedorabounding,aslongasitisthewillofGodforus.Thatisthekeyphrase:ifitisthewillofGodforus.WedonotwanttobeeitherabasedoraboundingifitisnotHiswill.ThekeyforliberationfromanyevilstrongholdinourlifeistoknowGod'swill.

It is important for the church to be prepared to handle unprecedentedwealth.

ThereareanumberofpropheticScriptureswhichindicatethatthewealthofthenationswillbebroughtintothechurch.Thiswillbeagreatopportunityfortheadvancementofthekingdom.Butitwillcomeasaresultoftheadvancementofthekingdom,butwemustrememberthatsomeofthegreatesttestsattheendofthis agewill be economic. That iswhy themark of the beast is an economicmark,whichdetermineswhetherwecanbuy, sellor trade. Ifwearenot freedfrom the yoke of the spirit of poverty, when we receive wealth it will onlyfurthercorruptus.

In the end,when the greatest economic trials are coming upon theworld, thefaithfulwillbestandingonaRockthatcannotbeshaken.Thatiswhymanyaregoingthrougheconomictrialsnow.Allofthemaremeanttofreeus.Theyareatest,andGod'stestsareforthepurposeofpromotion.Itisnowtimethatwepassthem,sowecangoontothebetterthings.

Itisimperativethatwesetagoalforbeingfinanciallyindependent,becausethatisHiswillforeveryoneofHischildren.ItisnotHiswillforanyofHistobeboundbytheyokesofthisworld.Thereisaclear,biblicalstrategythatwillbothgetusthereandkeepusthere—ifwefollowitfaithfully.

Wemustthereforeseekfinancialindependence,butalwayskeepinmindthatitis a means and not the end in itself. To be financially independent withoutknowingourpurposeinGodwouldbelikegettingalldressedupwithnoplacetogo.GettingfreeofthisstrongholdisforthepurposeofenablingustodoHiswill.SeeingthatpurposeispartofthemotivationthatitwilltaketobefaithfultoHisWord.Ihavethereforeconcludedthisbookletwithasectiononachievingourpurposes.

RickJoyner

PartI

GetOutofJailFree!

OneofthemostbasicconflictsbetweenthekingdomofGodandthispresentageisthatthelatterisbuiltonslavery,buttheLordcametosetmenfree.

EverythingthatSatandoesisintendedtoincreasetheyokeofbondageuponus.EverythingthattheLorddoesisintendedtosetusfree.Asweproceedtowardthe end of the age, the differences between these two kingdoms will becomeincreasinglypronounced.

Howdoweget free to live in thekingdomofGod?This is thequestofeverybeliever.Then, once our lives are firmly established in the kingdom,wemustseektoteardownthestrongholdsoftheenemyandsethiscaptivesfree.Inourbattle we must always remember that the conflict is between slavery andfreedom.IfyoubelongtoChristJesusyouarecalledtobefree!

ItwasforfreedomthatChristsetusfree;thereforekeepstandingfirmanddonotbesubjectagaintoayokeofslavery(Galatians5:1).

TheLordpurchaseduswithHisownblood.WebelongtotheKingofKings.HehascalledustobesonsofGod,jointheirswithHim.WearecalledtorepresentHis kingdom as ambassadors, walking as members of the highest nobility,royaltyofthehighestorder,God'sownfamily.Todothis,wemustbefreefromtheyokesofthispresentevilage,andcarryonlyHisyoke.

CometoMe,allwhoarewearyandheavy-laden,andIwillgiveyourest.

TakeMyyokeuponyou,andlearnfromMe,forIamgentleandhumbleinheart;andyoushallfindrestforyoursouls.

ForMyyokeiseasy,andMyloadislight(Matthew11:28-30).

Yokesrepresentbondage.Thereareyokesofbondagebywhichmenarekeptindarknessandoppression.Theseyokesusuallyappear tobeaformoffreedom,but result in themost terrible burdens. In contrast, theLord's yoke appears atfirsttobebondage,butresultsinthegreatestfreedomwecaneverknow.

Wewillallcarrysomeone'syoke.WewilleithercarrytheyokesofthispresentevilageortheyokeoftheLord.IfwearetocarrytheLord'syoke,wemustcastoffeveryyokeoftheenemy.Wecannotservetwomasters.Theonewhoseyokewe carrywill be the onewe serve and represent in thisworld.We canmakeeveryclaimtobeaChristian,butifweliveourlivesaccordingtothewaysofthispresentevilage,weareservingthepowersofevil.

Youadulteresses,doyounotknowthatfriendshipwiththeworldishostilitytowardGod?Thereforewhoeverwishes tobeafriendof theworldmakeshimselfanenemyofGod.

Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealouslydesirestheSpiritwhichHehasmadetodwellinus"?

ButHegivesagreatergrace.

Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVESGRACETOTHEHUMBLE."

SubmitthereforetoGod.Resistthedevilandhewillfleefromyou.

DrawneartoGodandHewilldrawneartoyou.Cleanseyourhands,yousinners;andpurifyyourhearts,youdouble-minded(James4:4-8).

Therecanbenocompromise.Ifweareyokedtotheworld,weareservingtheworld.IfweareyokedtotheLord,wewillserveHimonly.Asweproceedtotheendofthisage, thedifferencesaregoingtobecomemorepronounced,andthebattlebetweenthetwokingdomsmorefierce.Butallofthisishappeningforthepurposeofsettingusfree!AllthathappenswillresultintheLordhavingabridethatispreparedforHim,withoutspotorblemish.

TheScripturesareclearthatgreattroublesarecomingupontheworldattheendof this age. Even if we believe that we will be raptured before the "greattribulation,"whattheLordsaidwasjust"thebeginningofbirthpangs"makesitclearthatwemustbepreparedfordifficulties.Ourpreparationfordifficultiesistoseekfirstthekingdom,liveinthekingdom,andalwaysrepresentthekingdomofGod,whichissimplytoobeytheKing.

Ifweare faithful to this,wedonothave to fear thesedifficulties,whetherwebelieve that we will go through the tribulation or not. The kingdom of God

cannot be shaken, and if we have built our lives upon it, neither can we beshaken.EverydifficultythatcomesuponusnowistohelpustobuildourlivesonthekingdomofGod.

For it is time for judgment to beginwith the household of God (I Peter4:17).

Whenweheartheword"judgment,"weoftenequateitwithdestructioncausedbytheLord'sultimatewrath.IfwereadtheScripturesinthelanguagesinwhichtheywereoriginallywritten,wewouldnotfeelthisway.TheGreekwordthatistranslated"judgment" in this text iskrisis, thewordfromwhichwederiveourEnglishword"crisis."Adefinitionofcrisisis"thepointinadiseaseortraumawhenitisdeterminedifthepatientwillliveordie."

TheaboveScripturecouldthushavebeentranslated,

"ItistimeforcrisistobeginwiththehouseholdofGod."Theimplicationisthatthechurchwillgothroughcrisisbeforetheworlddoes.Godallowsthissothatwhentheworldisgoingthroughcrisiswewillbeonsolidground.ThisiswhyJames wrote: My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into varioustrials,knowingthatthetestingofyourfaithproducespatience.

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect andcomplete,lackingnothing(James1:2-4NKJV).

Herewesee that trialsproducepatience,which leads toourperfection,so thatwewillnotlackanything.Thatistruebiblicalprosperity.

"The earth is theLORD'S, and all it contains, the world, and those whodwell in it" (Psalm 24:1). Even though it is presently subject to bondagebecause of the fall, the Lord is going to take this world back.We have beencalled to be a part of His invasion force, but we can only be on one side inthisbattle.WemustnowgetfreeofeveryyokeoftheenemythatcausesusinanywaytocompromisethewaysofthekingdomofGod.Thetrialswearenowgoingthroughareallmeanttohelpusdothis.

TheLord is not the least bitworried about the economy, or any other humanproblems. We are called to be seated with Him in the heavenly places (seeEphesians2:6).OurLordwillneverlackfortheresourcestodowhatHewantstodo.NeitherwillweeverlackfortheresourcestodowhatHewantsustodo.

TheMarkoftheBeast&TheMarkofGodBecause"theloveofmoneyistherootofallevil"(ITimothy6:10KJV),money testssomeof theultimateissuesofthehumanheart.IdolatryisoneoftheultimateoffensesagainstGod.Money is one of the primary idols in the world today. An idol is not justsomethingthatpeoplefearorworship,butwhattheyputtheirtrustin.Moneyinitselfisnotevil,buthowwerelatetoitcanbeafactorthatdeterminestheentirecourseofourlivesforgoodorevil.

ManysincereChristiansstillhave idolatry in theirhearts in relation tomoney,becausetheytrustmoreintheirjobsorbankaccountsthantheydointheLord.Because we know that one of the ultimate tests that comes upon the peoplelivinginthelastdayswillrevolvearoundthe"markof thebeast,"whichisaneconomic mark that determines whether we can buy, sell or trade under hissystem,itisimperativethatweconfrontthisinourlivesnow.

InRevelation7:1-3weseethatfourangelsaresenttoholdbackthefourwindsof theearthuntil thebondslavesofGodhavebeenmarkedon their foreheads.Believershavespentagreatamountoftimetryingtofigureouthowthismarkofthebeastwillcome,sotheywillnotbefooledbyit,buttherehasbeenalmostnoattentiongiventohowwetakethemarkofGod.Theonlywaywewillnottakethemarkofthebeast,regardlessofwhetherweknowwhatitisornot,istohavethemarkofGod.IfwearemarkedbyGodwewillneverhavetofeartakingtheenemy'smark.

Theseangelsheldbackthewindsoftheearth,whicharetheviolentforcesthataredestinedtosweeptheearth,until thebondservantsweresealed.ThekeytounderstandingthissealofGodistounderstandthebondservant,justasthekeyto understanding themark of the beast is to understandwho those taking thatmarkareserving,whichisthebeast.

WhenSlaveryIsFreedom

Itisobviousthatnotallbelieversarebondservants.Manyreallydocometoanunderstandingof thesacrificeofJesusfor theirsins,but theystillgoonlivingtheirlivesforthemselves.

Weweretheslavesofsinandwerepurchasedbythecross.IfweareChrist's,weare no longer our own—we belong to Him. A bondslave does not live forhimself,butforhismaster.Thiscommitmentisnotjustanintellectualagreement

with certain biblical principles; it is the commitment to a radical lifestyle ofobedience.

Abondservantdoesnothave anymoneyor timeofhisown, andhe thereforecannotfreelyspendwhathehasbeenentrustedwith,sinceitisnothis.Evenhisfamily belongs to his master. To voluntarily become a slave is the ultimatecommitment that can be made in this world. That is what it really meansto embrace the cross. Those who are truly bondslaves are the ones who willreceiveHismark.

EventhoughtheLordpurchaseduswithHisblood,HewillnotforceanyonetobeHisbondservant.InScriptureabondservantwasonewhowasabletogofree,butlovedhismastersomuchthathechosetobehisslavefortherestofhislife.We,too,arefreetochoosewhetherwewillbeabondservantornot.GodallowsustochoosewhetherwewillserveHimornot,becausefreedomisrequiredfortrueworship or for true obedience from the heart.There can be no obediencefromtheheartunlessthereisthefreedomtodisobey.

The reasonHeput theTreeofKnowledge in theGardenwas togiveman thefreedomtochoosewhomhewouldserve.Thiswasnottocausemantofall,butrather so that man could prove his devotion. If all the Lord had wanted wasobedience, He would have done better to have just created computers andprogramed themtoworshipHim.Would thiskindofworshipbeacceptable toanyone,muchlessourgloriousCreator?

Weare free togoon living forourselves,but it is theultimate folly.WemustknowtheLordasourSourceandkeepourtrustinHim.Thekeytooursurvivalin this time is being a bondslave.Everymaster is obligated to provide for hisslaves,andwehavethemostdependableMasterofall.HewilltakecareofHisown.

BeingabondservantoftheLordistobecomeHisslave,butitisalsothegreatestfreedomwecaneverknowinthislife.WhenweareunitedwithHimbytakingHis yoke,wedie to thisworld just asHedid.Whenwe are truly dead to theworldthereisnothingtheworldcandotous.Itisimpossibleforadeadmantofear,tobeoffended,ortofeelremorsebecausehelosessomeofhispossessions.To the degree that we fear the loss of our possessions or positions, that isprobably thedegree towhichweare stillnotdead to these things.TheenemyusesfeartobindusjustastheLordusesfaithtosetusfree.

WhenwearedeadtothisworldbutalivetoChrist—whenwehaveHim—allofthetreasuresofthisearthseempettyandinsignificant.WhenweareseatedwiththeKingofKingsonHisthrone,whatpullcananyearthlypositionhaveforus?Thisdoesnotmeanthatwedonothaveagenuinecareforourjobsorministrieshere,butwecareforthembecausetheyhavebeenentrustedtousbyHim,andweengageinthemasworshipuntoHim.Ifourpositionsherearetakenfromus,wearestillseatedwithHim,andwewillworshipHiminwhateverwayHecallsus to next.We areHis slaves, andwemust be contentwithwhatever jobHegivestous.

WhenChristisourLife,ourTrust,andthetrueDesireofourhearts,Hecantrustuswiththeearthlypossessionsandpositionsthatwearecalledtoruleover.ButifHeisnotourLife,ourTrust,andtheDesireofourhearts,ourpossessionsandpositionswill inevitably ruleoverus.Whoeverorwhatever rulesoverus is infactour lord.Weareenteringa timewhenthe lordshipofJesusmustbemorethanadoctrine—itmustbeaprofoundandcontinuingrealityinourlives.Thenwewillbefreeindeed.

Whenweare fullyyoked toHim,havingcastoff all theyokesof thispresentevil age, Hewill then be free to trust us with the unlimited resources of Hiskingdom.

PARTII

ReceivingtheWealthoftheNations

Alawofphysicsstatesthatenergyisneverdestroyed,butsimplychangesforms.Thesameistrueofwealth;itisneverdestroyed,butoftenchangeshands.Evenduring theGreatDepression,wealthwasnot destroyed, butwas transferred tothosewhowereinapositiontotakeadvantageofthetimes.

Thosewhowereinthispositionwerethosewhowerenotindebt,andhadcashreadilyavailable.

Businesses were bought for as little as ten percent of their value. Land wasboughtforaslittleasadollaranacre.Thewealthwastakenfromthosewhohadoverextended themselves with debt and was received by those who had thewisdomtolivewithintheirmeans.

Weareheadingforanevengreatereconomicupheaval than theDepression. Itmaycomethisyear,oritmaycomeintenyearsorevenmore—butitwillcome.Thosewhoarenotprepared for itwillbedevastated.Thosewhoarepreparedwill take advantage of the times and receive authority over unprecedentedwealth.WearebeingpreparedforthisbytheproblemsHeisallowingustogothroughnow.

Asthepsalmistwiselyexhorted:

Therefore, let everyone who is godlypray to Thee in a time when Thoumayestbefound;surelyinafloodofgreatwaterstheyshallnotreachhim(Psalm32:6).

TheLordisallowingustogothroughtroublesnowthataremeanttodriveustohigherground.Evenifwehavebeenfaithful inall things,sometimestheLordstillallowsustogothroughtroubles,justasHedidJoseph,soHecantrustuswithevenmoreofHisabundance.

LikeJoseph,wearebeingprepared toproperlymanage theabundance thatwereceive,sothatitcansavelivesduringthetimesoffaminethatarecoming.

TheLordwantsHispeopleprepared touse the circumstances that are comingforthesakeofHisgospel,notjustsothatwecangetrich.Onefundamentalflawthatwillkeepusboundbythespiritofpovertyisselfishness.WhenitcomestotheLordtrustinguswithmoreresources,motivesarecrucial.

TheLordisrightnowpreparingHispeopleforwhat isabout tocome.HehasbeenwarningHischurchforovertwenty-fiveyearstogetoutofdebt.

He has given us plenty of time to do it. However, because the expectedcatastrophic economic problems have taken so long to come, many havedisregardedthewarning.Thereisstilltimetorepentandgetourhousesinorder,butwemustnotdelay.Thosewhoareobedientwillhavenothing tofear fromwhat is coming, but can look forward to a godly prosperity in the midst offamine.Thosewhocontinueindisobediencewillpayaterriblepriceforit.

Don'tGoBacktoJail

We were bought with the highest price that could be paid—the blood of theLamb.Because"theborrowerbecomesthe lender'sslave"(Proverbs22:7),whenwego intodebtwe sell ourselves tobecome the slaveof another. Ifwebelong to Christ we are not our own to sell. When we go into debt we areactuallysellingthatwhichbelongstoGod.

Does thismeanweshouldnevergo intodebt foranything?Inprinciple this istrue.However,wemustunderstandthatwedonotliveunderthelaw,andthereisadifferencebetweenprinciplesandlaws.

Laws cannot be broken, but there are exceptions to principles. This does notmeanwe can just disregard principles any timewewant to. Itmeans thatweneedtohearveryclearlyfromtheLordtodoso.

For example, I know somepeoplewhoyears ago felt they should not go intodebt for a house, even though themortgagewas less than the leasepayments,andthehousewasinanappreciatingmarket.AtthetimeIfeltthatthisdebtwaspermissible, but they disagreed. Now these people are still leasing, withpaymentsthataremuchhigherthantheywerethen.Theycouldhavenowownedthehouseoutright,anditsvaluehasmorethanquadrupled.

That still does not necessarily mean they should have bought the house,especially if their consciences would not permit them to. Many believe that

"Owenomananythingexceptlove"(Romans13:8)isanemphaticcommandthatwecannotcompromise.

However,ifitwereanemphaticcommandment,whydidHechastisethefoolishservant in the parable of the talents for not at least getting interest for Hismoney?WouldtheLordencourageustoloanmoneyatinterestifitwereasintoborrowunderanycircumstances?

IntheOldCovenant,theIsraeliteswerecommandednottoloantheirmoneyatinterest to theirbrethren,but thishadnothing todowith loaningat interest toothers,whichiswhytheJewshavebeenthemostoutstandingbankersinhistory.Evenso,asaprinciple(notalaw),itisbetternottogointodebtforanyreasonwithoutacleardirectivefromtheLord.Wemustgetoutofdebt,andstayoutofdebt,exceptwhenweareclearlypermittedtodootherwiseforaseason.

PARTIII

ChristianEconomics101:TheArtofStewardship

Christian economics is the art of good stewardship in obedience to the simplebiblicalprocedureswhichtheLordhaslaidoutforus.

Stewardship is the emphasis of a substantial portion of theBible, and itmustbecomeamajoremphasisforourtimes.

AstheLordmadeclearintheParableoftheTalents(seeMatthew25:14-30),wemustseektouseeverythingtheLordhasentrustedtousinthemostprofitableway.Itisrightthatwegivemoreemphasistoourspiritualgiftsthanournaturalresources.

However,whatisoftenoverlookedinthisparableisthatthekindoftalentstheLord was talking about was money. In Bible times, "talents" were a form ofcurrency.Certainlywemustnotexcludetheliteralinterpretationofthisparableaswell.RecordedinLuke16:9-13wehaveanotherrelatedexhortationfromtheLord:

AndIsaytoyou,makefriendsforyourselvesbymeansofthemammonofunrighteousness; thatwhen it fails, theymay receive you into the eternaldwellings.

Hewhoisfaithfulinaverylittlethingisfaithfulalsoinmuch;andhewhoisunrighteousinaverylittlethingisunrighteousalsoinmuch.

Ifthereforeyouhavenotbeenfaithfulintheuseofunrighteousmammon,whowillentrustthetruerichestoyou?

Andifyouhavenotbeenfaithfulintheuseofthatwhichisanother's,whowillgiveyouthatwhichisyourown?

Noservantcanservetwomasters;foreitherhewillhatetheone,andlovetheother,orelsehewillholdtoone,anddespisetheother.YoucannotserveGodandmammon.

ThatwecannotserveGodandmammonmeanswecannotcombinethemotiveofservingGodwith themotiveofmakingmoney.There isabundantevidencethroughouthistorythattheloveofmoneywillquicklycorruptaministry.ButwemustnotexcludethefirstpartoftheLord'sexhortationinthistext,thatweneedto "make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon ofunrighteousness." In thisHeisnot tellingus tobefriendswith themammon,buttousemammontomakefriendswith.

TheLordalsomakes itclear in this text thatwemust learn tobefaithfulwithworldlygoodsbeforewecanbeentrustedwith thetruerichesof thekingdom.Learning to properly handle unrighteous mammon while maintaining a rightspirit is important foreveryChristian.Learning todo thisnow,as theultimateconflict between the spirit of this world and the kingdom of God begins torevolve around economics and the ability to "buy or sell" (Revelation13:17),makesthisexhortationevenmorecriticalandtimely.

ChecktheSource

Ifprosperity isyourprimarygoal, thenyouwill serve theonewhogives it toyou.JustasSatanpromisedJesus,ifyouwillbowdowntoworshiphim,whichistolivebyhisways,hewillgiveyoueverythingthatGodhaspromisedyou.Jesus had already been promised all of the kingdoms of the world. Satan'stemptationwastotaketheeasyway,toseektoattainthatpromisewithoutgoingtothecross.

SatanwillpromiseyoueverythingthatGodwantstogiveyou,andhewillalsoshowyouaquickerandeasierwaytoattainthem.Satanisthepresentrulerofthisage,andhecandoit.

Takingthemarkofthebeastisnotthesinthatbringsthejudgment.Thesinistoworshipthebeast.

Themarkissimplyevidencethatonehasbeenworshipinghim.Willweescapejudgmentifwerefusetotakeamark,butthengoonlivingourlivesaccordingtothewaysofthebeast?Ofcoursenot.

Ratherthanbeingsoconcernedaboutthemark,weshouldbeconcernedabouthowwemaybeservingthewaysofthebeast.

Themarkof thebeast isprobablyfarmoresubtle thanmanyhavebeen led to

believe, justas themarkofGod isnot literal,but spiritual.Even if thebeast'smarkisliteral,theonlywaythatwewillnottakeitistohavethemarkofGod'sbondservants. This is the reason why the events of these times have beenrestrainedbythefourangelswhoareholdingbackthewinds.Godisrightnowmarkingthosewhoaretruebondservants.

TheYokeoftheBeast

DebtisprobablythemainreasonwhyChristianstodayarenotfreetorespondtothecallofGodintheirlives.Whenthereisacalltodoanything,fromenteringthe full-timeministry to going on amission trip, if ourmain consideration iswhetherwecanafford itornot, it is an indication thatour financial conditionrulesusmorethanthewillofGoddoes.Itisarevelationofjusthowmuchwehavebuiltourlivesuponthefoundationsofthispresentage,ratherthanhearingandobeyingthewordoftheLord.

This must change, and change quickly, for all of us. And our situation canchange! The Lord is going to provide away of escape for thosewhowill beobedient.Regardlessofhowdisobedientorhowfoolishwehavebeen,orhowbadoursituationisnow,ifwerepenttheLordwilldeliverus.OurGodreallyisall-powerful.WhenHehelps there isno limit towhatcanbedone.WhenHispeople are trapped with the hordes of the enemy bearing down on them, HedelightsindoingsomeofHisgreatestmiracles.

IfwecallupontheLordinfaith,HewillpartanoceantogetusfreeifHehasto.However, true faith begins with true repentance for whatever we have beendoingthatiswrong.Repentancedoesnotjustmeanthatwearesorry,butthatwealsoturnawayfromourwickedways.AsC.S.Lewispointedout,oncewemissaturnandstartdownthewrongroad, itwillneverbecometherightroad.Theonlywaywecangetbackontherightroadistogobacktowherewemissedtheturn.TheLorddoesnotwant todeliverus just tohaveus slip rightback intobondage because we did not change our ways. Therefore, true repentance isevidenceofthetruefaithwhichcompelsHimtorespond.

AttainingFinancialIndependence

Thereisaclearbiblicalprocedureforgettingoutofdebt,forstayingoutofdebt,and for becoming financially independent.Thebiblical definition for financialindependence is being in the placewhere you never have tomake a decision

basedonfinancialconsiderations,butsimplyontherevealedwillofGod.ThisistheconditioninwhicheveryChristianshouldlive.Thisshouldbeourfirstandmostimportantfinancialgoal.

Regardlessofhowbadourpresentfinancialconditionis,thereisaverysimplebiblicalformulathatwillprovideasurewayofescape:Repentance+Obedience=Freedom

Wemust start by recognizing any ways in which we have departed from theclearmandatesofScripture,andthenbegintoobeytheclearandsimplebiblicalinstructions for financial management. If we do, we will escape our presentsituation and begin to live a life of freedom that is better than we have everdreamed.

WrongMove

Mostofusthinkthatthewayoutofoursituationistomakemoremoney.Thatisalmost never the answer to financial problems, and can even make mattersworse.God'splanforfinancialindependencedoesnotrequireustomakemoremoney,andHeisprobablynotgoingtogiveusarevelationsothatwecanwinthelottery.Wemaynotthinkthatthereisanyotherway,butthereis.IfGodcanmultiplythebreadandthefish,Hecancausewhateverwearenowmakingtogojust as far as He wants it to. All we must do is obey the simple and clearinstructionsthatHegaveusintheScripturesformanagingwhatHeentruststous.

Whenwehaveprovenourtrustworthinesswithwhatwenowhave,Hepromisestogiveusmore tomanage.Remember,Heisgivingit tous tomanage,not tohave.WeareHis bondservants, andwe thereforedonot have anythingof ourown. It is all His, andwemust not spend it on ourselves unlessHe gives uspermission.Wemustalwaysmaintainthisperspectiveifwearetoavoidfallingbackintobondage.

BeforeGoingOn

BeforewecontinuewiththethemeofChristianeconomics,weneedtoaddressan importantand related issue.Thechurch is stillwounded inmanyareas thatSatan intended to cripple her. These are the very areas where she must havepowerforwhatistocome,soshemustbehealedintheseareasnow.

PARTIV

Repentance101:ReceivingKingdomAuthority

Remember that the formula for financial independence is REPENTANCE +OBEDIENCE = FREEDOM. This section has to do with the repentance thatmostofuswillhavetodobeforewecanevenunderstandwhatwearerequiredtoobey.

BecomingVesselsofPower

It is by theLord's stripes thatwe are healed. In theveryplacewhereHewaswounded,Hereceivedthepowerforhealing.Thesameistrueforus.Intheveryplacesthattheenemyisallowedtostrikeus,oncewearehealedwewillreceiveauthority for healing in those same areas. For example, a person who hassufferedabusebecomessensitivetootherswhohavehadthesameproblems,andtheircompassionfortheabusedcanreleasetheLord'shealingpower.

Truespiritualauthorityisfoundedoncompassion.WhentheLordsawthatthepeople were like sheep without a shepherd, He became their Shepherd.CompassionreleasesthepowerofGod.

Everywoundwehave suffered in our liveswas for thepurposeofmakingussensitiveandcompassionatetowardotherswhohavesufferedinthesameway,sothatHecanreleaseHishealingpowerthroughus.

Almost every person on the planet has been held in bondage to the financialyokes of thisworld, and/or has received financialwounds from allmanner oftheft and deceit. The Lord is going to use His church to break the enemy'sfinancialpowerovermultitudesandsetthemfree.HehasallowedtheenemytowoundHischurchinthisareainordertomakehersensitiveandcompassionate,sowecanhelpsetothersfree.

Beforewecanbeused tohealothers,wemustbehealedofourownwounds.Oneoftherequirementsforbeingapriestwasthathecouldnothavescabs(seeLeviticus21:20).Ascabistheresultofanunhealedwound.Onewhohasscabsissooverlysensitiveinthatareathatyoucannottouchthem.

Likewise, our unhealedwounds keep people fromgetting close to us in thoseareas. This keeps us from being able to intercede for those who need ourministry. Spiritual scabs, therefore, can disqualify us fromourmost importantministry.

Eventhoughwecanreceivethepowerofhealinginthesameplaceswherewewerewounded,ourwoundsmustbehealedfirst.Scarsmayremain,whichmaycontinuetobealittlesensitive,butnotsosensitivethatnoonecangetclosetous.Thesensitivityofscarsisdifferentfromthatofscabs.

Scarskeepusjustsensitiveenoughtohelpusdiscernthewoundsinothersthathavenotyetbeenhealed.

TheWayofEscape

Thefirstprinciple togettingoutofourpresentfinancialbondageisnot toget,but togive.Ifyoucringedat thatstatement, it is theevidenceofawoundthatmustbehealed.Ourfoehasthewisdomofthousandsofyearsofrulingoverhisdark domain, and he has wisely attacked the most important issues with hisbiggest weapons. He has taken some of the most important words in theScriptures,suchas

"holiness," "submission" and "giving" and made them repulsive even toChristians.Yet,thesetruthswillberecoveredbythosewhoovercome.

It is true that the church has been raped. Rape is the ultimate violation of aperson. Rape is therefore one of the most difficult traumas for a woman torecoverfrom.Thechurchhasbeenrapedrepeatedlybyhype,manipulationandthosewithacontrolspirit.

IftheLordcouldhavepreventedthis,whydidn'tHe?

Whatlovingfatherwouldallowhisdaughtertoberapedifhecouldpreventit?OurheavenlyFatherallowedHisSontobecrucifiedsounjustly,becauseHehasa higher purpose.His goal is ultimately to useHis Son,working throughHischurch,toremoveallrapefromtheearthforalltime.

WemustunderstandthatnothingbadhaseverhappenedtousthattheLordhasnotallowed.Hedoesloveus,evenmorethanweloveourownchildren.Hehasnotletanythinghappentousthatwasnotforourgood,andforthehighergood

ofHiswhole creation.Wemust stop sulkingoverourwounds andunderstandthat they were allowed so we could receive authority over the very one whowoundedus,andbethevesselsofhealingforhisothervictims.ThisiswhytheapostlePaulwrote:NowIrejoiceinmysufferingsforyoursake,andinmyfleshIdomyshareonbehalfofHisbody(whichisthechurch)infillingupthatwhichislackinginChrist'safflictions(Colossians1:24).

This scripture does not imply that the work of Christ was not complete. Thewordtranslated

"lacking"herecouldhavebeentranslated"leftbehind."Theimplicationis thatHeallowsustogothroughsufferingsforthesamereasonsthatHedid,withtheexception of the propitiation. Our sufferings are also meant to help releaseredemptiveauthorityintotheworld.Thatiswhy,whendefendinghisauthority,Paul pointed to his tribulations. Every suffering that a believer endures has aredemptivepurpose.

Even though theLordallowedHisownbride tobe raped,He isgoing todoagreatmiracle.Heisgoingtotakethechurchthathasbeenrapedrepeatedly,andat other times has played the harlot, andmake her into a pure, chaste, virginagain. In the very placewhere shewas themost severely abused, shewill behealedandwillthenbegiventhepowertohealothers.

TheLordisalsogoingtoraiseupalastdayministrythatwillneveragainrapeHisbride.Theywillbespiritualeunuchsforthesakeofthekingdom.

A eunuch cannot even have a desire for the bride. His whole purpose is topreparethebridefortheking,andhissatisfactioncomesfromseeingtheking'ssatisfaction.Thatwillbethenatureoftheministrythatiscoming.Theywillnotbeinministrytotakefromthechurch,buttoserveher.

There will be a people raised up before the end that follows the Lord fully.However, it is to be expected that itwill take the church a long time to trustthem, or anyone, after the past abuses.Many believers have responded to thefinancialabusesbyrefusingtogiveanymore.Thisisunderstandable,butuntilthey are freed from this attitude, they will likely stay in financial bondage.Giving is fundamental to Christianity, and giving our money is one of theprimarywaysweare freed from itspowersof idolatry.Therefore, these issuesmustbeaddressed,withoutcompromise,forthesakeofthosewhohavebeenso

wounded.

Todaywecanbefreefromallofourspiritualwounds,andneverlookbackonthem.Theyneednoteffecttherestofourlives.Thewayofescapeisthecross,whichismanifestedbyforgiveness.

The twomost powerful beings in the universe are trying to kill us—God andSatan.Oneofthemisgoingtodoit.Whodoyouwantittobe?Wecanhangontoourwoundsandtheinjusticescommittedagainstus,andletSatankillus.Orwecangotothecross,forgiveandbeforgiven,andletGodkillus.

Thisisachoicewemustallmake,andtherearebenefitstoeach.Let'slookateachone.

IfweletSatankillus,itwillbeaslowerdeath.

We can also keep our bitterness and resentment. We might also have thesatisfactionofgettingevenwiththosewhoabusedus,andthatsometimesfeelsreallygood.

IfwelettheLordkillus,therearesomedownsidesthatweneedtoconsider.Hewilldoitveryfast,andbecauseitissofasttherecanbesomeveryintensepain.Thecrosshurts!Wewillalsohavetogiveupourplanstoretaliateagainstourabusers.WewillevenhavetogiveupthedesiretoseeGodjudgethem.Wemustcompletelyforgive,andactuallyprayforthosewhopersecuteus.Wewillevenhavetoloveourenemies!Hewillnotletusoffthecrossuntilwe,likeHim,say,"Fatherforgivethem."OneofthegreatestproblemsisthatourforgivenessandlovemayevencausesomeofourenemiestocometotheLord,andwewillhavetolivewiththemforever!

ThebenefitsoflettingtheLordkillusareratherappealingthough:peacethatnopersonorcircumstancecaneverstealfromus;lovethatfeelsmuchbetterthanresentment;andbestofall,eternallifewithHim,withourFatherandallofHisangels,ourlovedones,andevenwithsomeofourformerenemies.

Thereisonlyonewaywecanknowthepoweroftheresurrection,andthatistodie.Wearecalledtodiedaily,butwearealsopromisedthatifwedo,wewillexperienceresurrectionpowerinourdailylives.

Weallwanttogotoheaven,butbeforewedotheLordwantsustobringsome

heaventoearth.Wehavebeengiventhehighestcallingapersoncanhave;wehavebeencalledtobeambassadorsofHiskingdom.ThatmeansthatwearetobewalkingdemonstrationsofthekingdomofGod.Arewe?

TheLastBattle

TheLordsaidthat"theharvestistheendoftheage"(Matthew13:39).Theharvest is thereapingofeverything thathasbeensown,both thegoodand theevil. We also see in the Bible that the tares are gathered first (see Matthew13:30).TheLord starts the judgmentwithHis ownhouse, becauseHe cannotjudgetheworldifHisownpeoplearelivinginthesameevilconditions.Therewill be a distinction between His people and the world when the judgmentscome,butitwillbebecauseHispeoplearedifferent.

The issues here aremuch greater than whether you get out from under somefinancialpressures,orgetoutofdebtaltogether.Thisisnotjustaboutfinancialindependence.ItisaboutdestroyingouridolsandbecomingtrueworshipersofGod—thosewhoworshipHiminSpiritandtruth.Itishavingasolidfoundationuponwhichtoconfrontthegreatestdarknessofourtimes.

Wesimplycannot liveby thestandards,desires, lustsandwaysof thispresentevilage,andthekingdomofGodatthesametime.Thisdoesnotmeanthatwecannothaveahouse,oracar,oratelevisionset.Itdoesmeanthatwewillonlyhave that which we have permission to have. It also means that we "do allthings for the sake of the gospel" (ICorinthians 9:23), and that our firstconsideration inmaking anymajor decisionwill be to determine ourMaster'swill.WemustalsostartbydoingnowwhatisclearlywritteninHisWord.

PartV

Repentance102:TheMostDeadlyEnemy

The devil has many titles in Scripture, but his most effective guise hasunquestionablybeen,"theaccuser of our brethren" (Revelation 12:10). Heseems to know better than the church that when we come into unity, he isdoomed.Hisnumberonestrategyagainstusthereforeistokeepusdivided.Hismost successful strategy for this has been to get us to accuse one another.Hedoesthisbyreleasingacriticalspirit,whichreleasescriticism.Criticismisalsothenumberonewaybywhichwereleasethespiritofpovertyintoourownlives.

TheLordmadesomeremarkablepromisesinIsaiah58:8-9,ifwewouldremovethiscriticalspiritfromourmidst:

Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery willspeedilyspring forth; and your righteousnesswillgo before you; and thegloryoftheLORDwillbeyourrearguard.

Thenyouwillcall,andtheLORDwillanswer;youwillcry,andHewillsay,

"HereIam."IFyouremovetheyokefromyourmidst,thepointingofthefinger,andspeakingwickedness.

Herewearepromised that ifwe remove theyokeof criticism fromourmidst(whichisportrayedas"thepointingofthefinger,andspeakingwickedness"),our lightwill breakout, ourhealingwill come speedily, thegloryof theLordwill followus, andHewill answerourprayers.There ispossiblynothing thatcan so radically change the church, and the lives of individual believers, thanhavingthecriticalspiritremovedfromourmidst.

Thebestway to remove it is to haveour criticisms changed into intercession.TheLord ever lives to intercede,while the devil lives to accuse. Ifwewouldstop siding with the devil, and see people through the Lord's eyes, our firstresponsetoseeingsomethingwrongwithanotherpersonwouldnotbetoaccusethem,but tointercedefor them.Howquicklywouldweallbechangedbyjustthisone thing?Howmuchmoreunity,and thereforepower,would therebe inthe church? The Lord said that it would result in light, healing, glory and

answeredprayer.Whatmoredoweneed?

This textmakes it clear thatour addiction tocriticism is themain reasonwhythereissolittlelight,solittlehealing,solittleofthegloryoftheLord,andsolittleansweredprayerinthechurchtoday.

Criticismisprobablythebiggestopendoorthatthespiritofpovertyhasintothelives of believers, because criticism is one of the ultimate manifestations ofpride.Wheneverwecriticizesomeoneelseweareassumingthatwearesuperiortothem.Pridebringsthatwhichanyrationalhumanbeingshouldfearthemost—God's resistance."Godresists theproud,butgivesgrace to thehumble"(James 4:6 NKJV). We would be better off having all the demons in hellresistingusratherthanGod!

WhomAreWeCriticizing?

When we criticize another Christian, we are actually saying that God'sworkmanshipdoesnotmeetourstandards,andthatwecoulddoitbetter.

Whenwe criticize someone else's children,who takes offense? Their parents!ThisisnolesstruewithGod.

Whenwe criticize one ofHis people,we are actually judgingHim.WhenwecriticizeoneofHisleaders,wearereallyjudgingHisleadership.

Such grumbling and complaining is the same problem that kept the firstgenerationof thechildrenof Israel frompossessing theirpromised land.Theirgrumblingcausedthemtospendtheirentireliveswanderingindryplaces,andthis is the chief reasonwhymanyChristians stay in such dryness and do notwalk in thepromisesofGod.AsJameswarnedus:Donotspeakagainstoneanother,brethren.Hewhospeaksagainstabrother,orjudgeshisbrother,speaksagainstthelaw,andjudgesthelaw;butifyoujudgethelaw,youarenotadoerofthelaw,butajudgeofit.

ThereisonlyoneLawgiverandJudge,theOnewhoisabletosaveandtodestroy;[whenwejudgethelaw,wejudgetheLawgiver];butwhoareyouwhojudgeyourneighbor?(James4:11-12)

Whenwe"pointthefinger"tocriticize,weyokeourselves:

Judgenot,thatyoubenotbejudged.

For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with themeasureyouuse,itwillbemeasuredbacktoyou(Matthew7:1-2NKJV).

IoncevisitedastatethatwasunderoneofthemostpowerfulspiritsofpovertythatIhavewitnessedinthiscountry.Thiswasremarkable,becauseitisastateofgreatbeautyandnatural resources,with talentedand resourcefulpeople,but aspiritofpovertywasonalmosteveryone.Anothercharacteristic thatstoodoutwas that almost everyone I met there seemed to uncontrollably scorn andcriticizeanyonewhowasprosperousorpowerful.

WitheverypastorofasmallchurchthatImet(andalmostallofthechurchesinthisstatewereverysmall),theconversationwouldinevitablyturntocriticizing"mega-churches"and"mega-ministries,"

which these people obviously thoughtwere the reason formany of their ownproblems. What made this even sadder was that many of these small-churchpastorswerecalledtowalkinmuchmoreauthoritythantheleadersofthelargechurches orministries that they criticized.When I prayed for them, the LordshowedmethattheirjudgmentsandcriticismsofothershadrestrainedHisgraceintheirownlives.

Manypastorsyoke themselves and their congregations to financial povertybycriticizing how other churches or ministries take up offerings, or solicitdonations. Because of their judgments on others, they cannot even take up abiblicalofferingwithoutfeelingguilty.Again,asthetextinIsaiah58states,theprimaryreasonforthedarkness,unansweredprayer,andlackofhealingandthegloryofGodinourchurchesisnotthedevil,orotheroutsideproblems;itisourowncriticalspirit.

OfthemanypeopleIhavemetwithexceptionalspiritualgiftednessbutlackofspiritualfruit,thishasalwaysbeenaprevailingcharacteristicintheirlives.

They had judged and criticized the ministries of others who were gaininginfluence, and had thereby disqualified themselves from being able to receivemore.Ourcriticismswillbringustopoverty."Deathandlifeareinthepowerofthetongue,andthosewholoveitwilleatitsfruit"(Proverbs18:21).

AsSolomonobserved:

Butthepathofthejustisliketheshiningsun,thatshineseverbrighteruntotheperfectday.

Thewayofthewickedislikedarkness;theydonotknowwhatmakesthemstumble(Proverbs4:18-19NKJV).

Ifwearewalkinginrighteousness,wewillbewalkinginincreasinglight.Thosewho stumble around in thedark seldomknow the reason for that darkness, ortheywouldnotbe in it.However, thecriticalperson isapridefulperson,whowill therefore be critical of everyone but himself.He therefore cannot see hisownsin.AstheLordstated,heissobusylookingforspecksintheeyesofhisbrothersthathecannotseethebigloginhisowneye,whichisthereasonforhisblindness.

Weareallsavedbygrace,andwewillneedallofthegracethatwecangetinordertomakeitthroughthislife.Ifwewanttoreceivegrace,wehadbetterlearntogivegrace,becausewearegoingtoreapwhatwesow.Ifweexpecttoreceivemercy,wemust start sowingmercy, andmost of us are going to need all themercywecanget.AstheLordsternlywarned:

Youhaveheardthatitwassaidtothoseofold,"Youshallnotmurder,andwhoevermurderswillbeindangerofthe39

OvercomingtheSpiritofPovertyjudgment."

ButIsaytoyouthatwhoeverisangrywithhisbrotherwithoutacauseshallbeindangerofthejudgment.Andwhoeversaystohisbrother,

"Raca!"[emptyhead]shallbeindangerofthecouncil.Butwhoeversays,"Youfool!"shallbeindangerofhellfire.

Thereforeifyoubringyourgifttothealtar,andthererememberthatyourbrother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar,andgoyourway.Firstbe reconciled toyour brother, and then come andofferyourgift.

Agreewithyouradversaryquickly,whileyouareonthewaywithhim,lestyour adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to theofficer,andyoubethrownintoprison[bondage].

Assuredly,Isaytoyou,youwillbynomeansgetoutoftheretillyouhavepaidthelastpenny(Matthew5:21-26NKJV).

Itisclearbythiswarningthat,ifwehavebeenguiltyofslanderingabrother,weshould forgetaboutourofferings to theLorduntilwehavebeen reconciled toour brother. The Lord links these together because we often think that oursacrifices andofferings can compensate for such sins, but theyneverwill.Wewillstayintheprisonswemakeforourselveswithourjudgmentsuntilwehavepaidthelastcent,oruntilwearereconciledtothebrotherweslandered.

If we will remove this terrible yoke from our midst, the Lord continued Hispromise in Isaiah:Thenyouwill call, and theLORDwillanswer; youwillcry,andHewillsay,"HereIam."

And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire inscorchedplaces, and give strength to your bones;and you will be like awateredgarden,andlikeaspringofwaterwhosewatersdonotfail.

Andthosefromamongyouwillrebuildtheancientruins;youwillraiseuptheage-oldfoundations;andyouwillbecalled therepairerof thebreach,therestorerofthestreetsinwhichtodwell(Isaiah58:9,11-12).

PARTVI

ChristianEconomics102:Obedience

Again, our formula for financial independence is REPENTANCE +OBEDIENCE=FREEDOM. In thispartwe aregoing to addressobedience alittlemoredeeply.

Two more important biblical texts for the church today are found in Haggaichapter one andMalachi chapter three. Let's prayerfully consider them:ThussaystheLORDofhosts,"Thispeoplesays,'Thetimehasnotcome,eventhetimeforthehouseoftheLORDtoberebuilt.'"

ThenthewordoftheLORDcamebyHaggaitheprophetsaying,

"Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while thishouseliesdesolate?"

Nowtherefore,thussaystheLORDofhosts,"Consideryourways!

"Youhavesownmuch,butharvestlittle;youeat,butthereisnotenoughtobesatisfied;youdrink,butthereisnotenoughtobecomedrunk;youputonclothing,butnooneiswarmenough;andhewhoearns,earnswagestoputintoapursewithholes."

ThussaystheLORDofhosts,

"Consideryourways!

"Gouptothemountains,bringwoodandrebuildthetemple,thatImaybepleasedwithitandbeglorified,"saystheLORD.

"Youlookformuch,butbehold,itcomestolittle;whenyoubringithome,Iblow it away.Why?"declares theLORDofhosts, "Because ofMyhousewhichliesdesolate,whileeachofyourunstohisownhouse.

"Therefore,becauseofyoutheskyhaswithhelditsdew,andtheearthhaswithhelditsproduce.

"AndIcalledforadroughtontheland,onthemountains,onthegrain,onthenewwine,on theoil,onwhat thegroundproduces,onmen,oncattle,andonallthelaborofyourhands"(Haggai1:2-11).

"WillamanrobGod?YetyouarerobbingMe!Butyousay,'HowhavewerobbedThee?'Intithesandofferings.

"Youarecursedwithacurse,foryouarerobbingMe,thewholenationofyou!

"Bringthewholetitheintothestorehouse,sothattheremaybefoodinMyhouse,andtestMenowinthis,"saystheLORDofhosts,"ifIwillnotopenforyou the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until itoverflows.

"Then Iwill rebuke the devourer foryou, so that itmay not destroy thefruitsoftheground;norwillyourvineinthefieldcastitsgrapes,"saystheLORDofhosts.

"Andallthenationswillcallyoublessed,foryoushallbeadelightfulland,"saystheLORDofhosts(Malachi3:8-12).

Anotheroneofthewordsthattheenemyhasdonehisbesttosocorruptthatwecannotuseitistithing.Liketheotherwordshehasdirectedhisgreatestpowersofcorruptiontoward,thiswordrepresentsatruththatheknowswillsetusfreefrom his yokes of bondage. I therefore will use that word as much as I canwithoutapology.

TithingisthebiblicaltermforgivingthefirstfruitsofourlaborstotheLord.Itwas specifically directed to be ten percent. It was practiced by the patriarchsbeforetheLawofMoseswasgiven.

AbrahamgaveMelchizedek a tenth of the spoil hewon in his battlewith thekings,andJacobalsopromisedtogivetheLordatenthofallthattheLordgavetohim(seeGenesis4:20,28:22).TherewereotherofferingsthatonecouldmaketotheLord,butthisonewasrequired.

LikemostChristians,Ihaveheardconsiderableteachingabouttithing,bothforandagainst.TherearegoodargumentsforandagainstitbeingapartofourNewCovenantdisciplines.AlthoughImaynotfullyunderstandthetheologyofit,Ihavenodoubtthatitisatruthforalltime,andthatGodstillhonorsitjustasHepromisedinMalachi.

Tithingisnotnecessarilytryingtolivebythelaw,anditisnotlegalism,thoughitcanbe.Therearepeoplewhopray legalistically,butdoes thatmean thatweshould stop praying? I know peoplewhowitness, read their Bibles, and evenworshipunderthecompulsionofareligiousspirit,butdoesthatmeanweshouldquit doing those things?Of course not.Wemay examineourselves to be surethat we are doing them in the right spirit, but we must continue doing thefundamentaldisciplinesof thefaith.Givingthefirstfruits to theLordisoneofthosedisciplines.

Giving the firstfruits of our income to theLord in the right spirit is an act offaith."WithoutfaithitisimpossibletopleaseHim,forhewhocomestoGodmustbelievethatHeis,andthatHeisarewarderofthosewhoseekHim"(Hebrews 11:6). The Lord requires faith before He will release His powertowardus,andgivingour firstfruits toHim isanactof faithbywhichwearedeclaringthatwetrustHimastheSourceofourprovision.

The word of our testimony is one of the factors by which we overcome theworld.IhavethetestimonythattheonlytimesIhavesufferedfinanciallysincebecomingaChristianwerewhenIneglectedtotithe.Thiswasusuallydoneoutofcarelessness,becauseIhavealwaysbelievedintithing.However,everytimeIhavesuffered financial troubleandhavegonebackandcheckedmyrecords, IfoundthatmytroublesbeganwhenIbecamecarelessinthisonething.WhenIrepentedand startedgiving the firstfruitsofmy income to theLord again, thewindowsofheavenalwaysquicklyopenedjustasHepromised.

When I became a successful businessman, I was giving large donations tochurchesandministries.IwasgivingsomuchIstartedtojustassumethatIwasgivingatleasttenpercent,andquitkeepingupwithit.Attheverypeakofmysuccess,mybusinesswentintoatailspinandcollapsed.Later,Ifeltcompelledtogobackandcheckmytithingrecord,andfoundthatmytroublesbeganalmostimmediately when I started falling short in giving the first ten percent to theLord.

OvertheyearsIhaveheardinnumerabletestimoniesofdramaticturnaroundsforpeople who committed themselves to tithing.When I taught this in our localchurch, I almost immediately started hearing testimonies of how financialdifficultiesbeganto turnaroundquicklyforpeopleafter theybecameobedientin this. Without exception, the ones I have met who have chronic financialproblemsarealsotheoneswhodonotgivetheirfirstfruitsfaithfullytotheLord.

Thisdoesnotmeanthatifyoutithethisweek,nextweekallyourproblemswillbe over. However, most people do almost immediately see the Lord begin tointervene and turn things around for them. I have witnessed many financialmiracles, but sometimes the Lord intervenes by revealing other relatedstrongholdsthatarehinderingus.RegardlessofhowHedoesit,theendresultofgoodbiblicalstewardshipwillbefinancialindependence.

GoodIntentionsAreNotObedience

I havewatchedquite a fewpeople sink financiallywhodidbelieve in tithing.LikeIoncefoolishlydid,theyoftensaidtheyweregoingtosetasidetheirtithesuntil the Lord directedwhere to give them. Thismay sound noble, but if themoneyisstillinouraccount,wehavenotgivenit.TheLordhasalreadytoldusinHisWordwheretoputit—inHisstorehouse,whichisthechurch.Evenifyoudonotagreewithwhereyourchurchleadersspendit,ifyouareapartofalocal

body,thatiswhereyourtitheshouldgo.

IhaveheardotherssaythattheydonottithebecauseeverythingtheyhaveistheLord's. This is another tragic delusion. If everything they had was truly theLord's,theycertainlywouldbeobeyingHiscommandtogivethefirstfruits.Goddoesnotneedourmoney.ThewholeworldisHis.Thisisforus,notHim.Ourexcusesareonlyhurtingus.

SincethechurchisthestorehouseofGod,doesthatmeanthatourcongregationsshouldtithe?Yes.

First,itisaprivilege,notapunishment.TheLordwantsallofHispeopletobevessels throughwhichHis provision can flow tomeet the needsHewants tomeet.Ifwedonotgive,wecutoffthisflow.IfyouwantproofthatGodhonorsthe tithing principlewith churches andministries, aswell aswith individuals,checktheonesthatarealwaysstrugglingandthosewhichalwaysseemtohaveanabundance.

Whenwestartedourcongregationwecarelesslyforgottobegintithingfromitsincome.Thechurchsufferedsignificantlossesuntilwestartedtotithefromthechurch's income. Immediately the congregation's finances turned around. Wecould count these as coincidences, butwewould have to be spiritually brain-deadtodothat.

When itwasprophesied in thebookofActs that a faminewasgoing tocomeupon the whole earth, the churches did not begin to hoard, they took up anoffering—they gave! (see Acts 11:28-30).When we give, we are putting ourtreasures in heaven and our trust in God. If you believe that economiccatastrophe iscoming, theonlywiseplace foryou to invest is in thekingdomthat cannot be shaken.Youmay think that you cannot afford to tithe, but youcannotaffordnotto.Mostofusdonotreallyneedmoreincome,wejustneedtohave the devourer rebuked. But the Lord promises to do more than that; Hepromisesthatwewillbesoblessedthatwewillnothaveroomenoughtoholditall.

Are you that blessed? If not, then bring the "whole tithe" into the storehouse.Thatmeans the before-taxes tithe. Ifwe really believe theword ofGod,whywouldwe notwant to bring thewhole tithe, andmuchmore?He promises ablessingthatissogreatthatwecannotevencontainitanyway.

The following are a few other biblical promises that the Lord has given inrelation to this. Knowing these, and living by them, can turn your wholefinanciallifearound.TheyareGod'sWordandHecannotlie.

Give, and it will be given to you; goodmeasure, pressed down, shakentogether,runningover,theywillpourintoyourlap.Forbyyourstandardofmeasureitwillbemeasuredtoyouinreturn(Luke6:38).

Hewho gives to the poorwill neverwant,But hewho shuts his eyeswillhavemanycurses(Proverbs28:27).

Thereisonewhoscatters,yetincreasesall themore,andthere isonewhowithholdswhatisjustlydue,butitresultsonlyinwant.

The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himselfbewatered(Proverbs11:24-25).

NowthisIsay,hewhosowssparinglyshallalsoreapsparingly;andhewhosowsbountifullyshallalsoreapbountifully.

Let each one do just as he haspurposed in his heart; not grudgingly orundercompulsion;forGodlovesacheerfulgiver.

AndGod is able tomake all graceabound to you, that always having allsufficiencyineverything,youmayhaveanabundanceforeverygooddeed(IICorinthians9:6-8).

PARTVII

TruthorConsequences

The Lord is going to judge the earth, and He is going to start with His ownhouse. Judgments are not always condemnation, but they are the last call torepentance before the condemnation comes. It does notmatter howmuchweattendchurchorhowmuchtruthweknow;wewillbejudgedbyourdeeds,byhowwehavelived.AccordingtotheScriptures,toknowthetruthandnotliveitwillonlybringamoreseverejudgment.

Paulwarnedusto"beholdthenthekindnessandseverityofGod"(Romans11:22).Manyaredeceivedbecause theyonlysee thekindnessofGodwithoutalso seeing His severity. Others are deceived because they only behold HisseveritybutdonotunderstandHiskindness.ToknowthetruthwemustseebothHiskindnessandHisseverity,together.

Many presume that because we are now in the Age of Grace we can go onwillfullysinningandGodwilloverlookit.Thatisamosttragicdelusion.WeareintheAgeofGraceandTruth(seeJohn1:17).

OurGodisaGodofHisWord.OursalvationdependsonthefactthatHekeepsHisWord.Hispeople,whoarecalledtobelikeHim,willalsobeapeoplewhokeep theirword.Our yes is supposed tomeanyes, and our no is supposed tomeanno,withoutcompromise.

Tobreakourwordtomanisbad,buttobreakitwithGodcouldbethegreatesthuman folly. Ananias and Sapphira bore the consequences of this, and Petercalled it lying to theHolySpirit.Theywanted tobe identifiedwith thepeoplewhoweregivingeverything,whilethey"keptbacksomeoftheprice"(Acts5:2). We would be much better off to never commit ourselves to being abondservantofChristthantohavemadesuchacommitmentandholdbackpartoftheprice.

Itisfundamentaltowhatthechurchishereforthatwebecomeapeopleofourword.Thebridgethateveryrelationshipisbuiltuponistrust.Withouttrustyoucanhave forgiveness,andeven love,but therecanbenogenuine relationship.Thestrengthofthetrustwilldeterminethestrengthofeveryrelationship.

For the church to be the bridge-builder that helps restore the relationshipbetweenGodandman,wemustbetrustworthy.

The spirit of poverty gainedmajor inroads into the churchwhen some publicministries were caught in lies, unfaithfulness, or misusing the donations thatwere being given to them. Overreacting to this, many people stopped giving,whichhascausedseriousrepercussionsintheirlives.Manybegantobreaktheirpledges to churches or ministries. Even ministries which were living by thehigheststandardsofintegritywerehurt.Butthepeoplewhobroketheirpledgeswerehurtevenmore.Tobreakapledge isaseriousmatter,and theScripturesmakeitclearthattherearerepercussionstothis.Manyarenowsufferingthem.

AuthorityHasResponsibility

Becauseitisobviousthateconomicswillbeoneofthemajorteststhatallwillbefacingattheendoftheage,itisimperativethatifwearegoingtobealightinthedarkness,wemustlivebymuchhigherstandardsofintegrityinfinancialmatters.Withauthoritycomesresponsibility.Adamwasgivenauthorityovertheearthandallofthebeastsuponit.

Whenhefell,everythingunderhisdomainsuffered,includingbillionsofpeople.WhenKingDavidsinnedbynumbering thepeople, tensof thousandsof thosepeopledied.Wemaysaythatthisisnotfair,buttherecouldbenotrueauthorityiftherewerenotalsotrueresponsibility.Themoreauthoritywehavebeengiven,themorethosewehaveauthorityoverwillbehurtbyourmistakes.AndtheseareGod'schildrenwhoaregettinghurt.

TheScripturesexhortus;"Ifwejudgedourselves rightly,we shouldnotbejudged"(ICorinthians11:31). Ifwewill examineourselves, praying for theLord to send His Holy Spirit to convict us of any evil way and embracingcorrection as a sign of God's favor, we will not have to endure the worsejudgmentwhenitcomes.ToservetheLord'sownhousehold,andtobestewardsofHis resources, isamostseriousmatter. Ifwearecalled todo this,wemustlive by the very highest standards of integrity.Wemust understand the greatresponsibility we have been given, and treat it with the seriousness that itdeserves.Itisnotjustthemoneythatmakesitserious,itistheintegrityofHishousehold.

Before the end, when nothing else on this earth is stable or trustworthy, the

worldwilllookatthechurchandseeapeoplewhocanbeutterlytrusted,whoseword is theirbond,because theGod theyserve is trustworthy.ThestrengthofourwitnesswillbedeterminedfirstbyhowmuchwetrustGod'sWord,andthenbyhowmuchourwordcanbetrusted.IfwereallybelieveGod'sWord,wewillbecomelikeHim,andourwordswillalsobetrue.

Wemustaddresstheseseriousissuesbecausewearecomingtothemostseriousof times.There isagood fear; it is the fearofGod.The lackof thispureandholyfearofGodispossiblythemainreasonforthefollyanddelusionthatthechurch has been trapped in for so long. There has never been amore seriousbusinessthanourrelationshipwithGod.Thejudgmentthatwillultimatelycomeupon the whole world is basically the result of the world treating Him sofrivolously.Canwe,whoshouldmorethananyknowbetter,dothatandexpecttogetawaywithit?

TheGodwholovedussomuchthatHegaveHisonlySonisnotsoharshastocondemnusforpettymistakes.Heknowsthedifficultiesandpressuresthatwearesubjecttointhisworld.ButalthoughHeknowsthatwewillallstumbleattimes,theScripturesareclearthatpresuminguponHisgrace,andholdingbackwhenwehavecommitted togiveall,willultimatelyresult in tragedy. It isnotenoughtoknowHisWord,wemustalsokeepit.

WhenFearIsFreedom

WhenthestormscomeitwillbetoolatetotrytobuildyourhouseontheRock.Let us now take heed to the Word of God that exhorts us to obedience:Therefore, let everyone who is godlypray to Thee in a time when Thoumayestbefound;surelyinafloodofgreatwaterstheyshallnotreachhim(Psalm32:6).

Behold,theeyeoftheLORDisonthosewhofearHim,onthosewhohopeforHislovingkindness,

Todeliver their soul fromdeath,and tokeep themalive in famine (Psalm33:18-19).

ThispoormancriedandtheLORDheardhim,andsavedhimoutofallhistroubles.

TheangeloftheLORDencampsaroundthosewhofearHim,andrescues

them.

OtasteandseethattheLORDisgood;howblessed is themanwhotakesrefugeinHim!

O fear theLORD, youHis saints; for to thosewho fearHim, there is nowant.

Theyoung lionsdo lackandsufferhunger;but theywhoseek theLORDshallnotbeinwantofanygoodthing(Psalm34:6-10).

Thegreatest promises in theScriptures are to thosewho fear theLord.ThosewhoproperlyfeartheLorddonothavetofearanythingelseonthisearth.

ThosewhoknowHim,butdonotproperlyfearHim,havefallentosomeofthegreatesthumantragedies.

Johnwas intimatewith the Lord, while Judaswasmerely familiar withHim.Therecanbeagreatdifference.AfamiliaritywithGodthatbreedspresumptionispossiblythemostterribledelusion.

However, familiarity thatbreedsan increasingrevelationof justhowawesomeHeiswillbreedobedience.

TomakeacommitmenttobeabondservantofChristandthengoonlivingforourselveswouldbeatragicfolly.Toknowthetruthandcommitourselvestolivebyit,andthennotdoit,istheverydefinitionofahypocrite,forwhichtheLordreservedHismostvehementcondemnation.

EventhoughwewereboughtwithapricebythebloodoftheLamb,HewillnotforceustoserveHim.

Obedienceisrequired,butwemustchoosetoobey.

Thereislibertynotto.Wemaygoyearswithoutsufferingtheconsequencesofoursins,butwewilleventuallyreapwhatwesow.AsKingSolomonstatedinEcclesiastes8:11:"Becausethesentenceagainstanevildeedisnotexecutedquickly,thereforetheheartsofthesonsofmenamongthemaregivenfullytodoevil."

ThatGoddoesnotswiftlyjudgeoursinisofteninterpretedtomeanthatitdoesnotmattertoHim,butthisisthedelusionofadarkenedheart.ThatHedoesnotquickly discipline them is in itself a judgment that leads to their furtherhardening.

WemaythenthinkthatiftheLordwouldjustexecuteHisjudgmentsquicker,wewould not be prone to be so evil.That is true, but thatwould also inhibit thefreedomthatHegivesussothatwecanproveourdevotiontoHim.Whowouldeverdisobeyiftheyknewthatswiftjudgmentwascoming?ThesamefreedomthatHegivesustodisobeyisthefreedomthatHegivesustoobeyandthereforeproveourdevotion.Thosewholovethetruthwilllivebythetruthevenwhenitisnotconvenientorseeminglyexpedient.

PARTVIII

AchievingYourPurpose

Iwas sitting inReggieWhite's den listening to him and a teammate from theGreenBayPackersdiscuss their footballcareers.SomehavecalledReggie thebest defensive lineman to ever play thegame.Hehas been anAll-Pro for tenstraight years, and was recently named to the All-Time NFL Team, which iscomposedof thebest players over the seventy-fiveyear historyof the league.ShawnJones,withwhomReggieandIweretalkingthatday,hasalsobeenoneoftheoutstandingplayersoverthelastdecade.

Duringthisconversationitcameupthattherewereprobablymanyyoungmenin every citywhohad thepotential tobe theverybestNFLplayers, andwhohave dreamed about doing it, yet theywould never even play in an organizedfootballgame.Why?

Whatistrueofthosewhohavethepotentialtobegreatathletes,butwhoneveraccomplishwhat theycould, isprobably trueofeveryposition in life.Mostofthepotentiallygreatmusicianswillspendtheirliveslisteningtoothersperform.The greatest potential businessmen, artists, scientists, statesmen, doctors,lawyers,writersorministerswillprobablyspendtheirlivesdoingsomethingthattheyareboredwith,andneverdowhattheyweregiventhetalentstodo.

Why? The answers are the same in almost every case. Understanding thesereasonscanmakethedifferencebetweenourhavingfruitful,fulfillinglives,oronesfilledwithfailureandfrustration.

TheCauseofOurFrustration

Therewillbefrustrationinourlivesifwedonotfulfillwhatwehavebeengiventhenatural talents todo,but that frustration isevengreater ifwedonot fulfillourspiritualdestinies.Thisfrustrationcouldwellbefoundattherootofmanydivisionsinourchurches,denominationsandevenfamilies.

Frustrationisalreadyamajorprobleminthechurch,butthelatterstagesofthisfrustration, which are boredom and lukewarmness, can be even moredevastating.

Beingangryisnotgood,butitdoesshowthatatleastonestillhastheabilitytocare.Thereismorehopeforacongregationthathastensionsinitthanonethatisasleep.However,ifthoseinministryaredoingtheirprimaryjob,whichistoequipthesaintstodotheworkoftheministry(seeEphesians4:12),muchoftheenergythatisnowbeingmanifestedastensionwillbeusedtoproducefruit.Andthatisaprimaryreasonwhyweareinthisworld.

BythisMyFatherisglorified,thatyoubearmuchfruit,andsoprovetobeMydisciples.

YoudidnotchooseMe,butIchoseyou,andappointedyou,thatyoushouldgoandbearfruit,andthatyourfruitshouldremain,thatwhateveryouaskoftheFatherinMyname,Hemaygivetoyou(John15:8,16).

AccordingtotheLord'sstatementhere,theprimarypurposeforwhichwehavebeen called is to bear fruit, and fruit thatwould remain.Bearing fruit ismorethanjustgrowingpersonallyinthefruitoftheSpirit,asimportantasthatis.TheLord is implyinghere thatwearecalled todosomethingofsuchconsequencethat our liveswill continue to impact thisworld even afterwe have departed.HowmanyChristiansdoyouknowwhoaredoingsomethingwiththispotential?Wemightevenaskhowmanychurchesare.Theyarefewindeed.Yetthisisthecallingthatisuponusall.ThatiswhytheLordplacedinourheartsthedesiretodo something of significance. What is the difference between those who arebearingsuchfruitandthosewhoarenot?

EveryChristianhasaministry,apurposethattheyhavebeengiveninthislife.You were made for that ministry. The Scriptures state that you were evenforeknown and called by God before the foundation of the world. Yet, theScriptures also teach that "many are called, but few are chosen" —goingbeyondcallingtocommissioning(Matthew22:14).

Like the first generation of Israel which left Egypt, called to go into thePromisedLand,yetspendingtheirliveswanderingincirclesinthewilderness,mostpeopledothesamething.Theyspendtheirliveswanderingincircles.

God does not want you to live in the perpetual frustration, or boredom, thatcomesfromnotwalkinginthepurposethatyouweremadefor.Hewantsyoutolive ina land"flowingwithmilkandhoney" (Exodus3:8),which is a landwithmuch fruit.Hewants you to have the indescribable pleasure of knowing

thatyouhavedoneHiswill,thatyouhaveaccomplishedallthatHeputyouonthis earth to accomplish. The first step to getting out of your wilderness isbelievingthatHehassomethingbetterforyouandthatHeisabletobringyouintoit.

Manyoftheprinciplesthatmakeoneanachieverinanyfieldarethesamethatenable us to achieve our purpose in Christ. Because it is in the area of thesegeneralprinciplesthatmostfail,thesearetheonesthatwewillfocusoninthisstudy.

There are five basic characteristics that can be seen in the lives of thosewhohave accomplished notable achievements in this world. These samecharacteristicscanbefoundthroughouttheScripturesinthebiographiesofthosewhofulfilledthepurposeofGodintheirgeneration:

1.Theyhaveaclearvisionoftheirpurpose.

2.Theystayfocusedontheirpurpose.

3.Theyhave thewisdomandresolve togather thenecessary resources,orgetthetrainingrequired,foraccomplishingtheirpurpose.

4. They do not associate with problem-oriented people, but with solution-orientedpeople.

5.Theyrefuse to letobstaclesoroppositionstop them; theystayresolutelyonthecoursetofulfillingtheirpurposeregardlessofsetbacksanddisappointments.

Nowlet's lookateachof these inmoredepth,aswellas thestumblingblocksoverwhichmanyfall,andthereforefailtoaccomplishtheirpurposeinthislife.

FactorNumberOne:

WeMustDefineOurPurpose.

Itisimprobablethatanyonewillfulfilltheirpurposeiftheydonotknowwhatitis.IntheScriptureswecanseethattheLordalwaysrevealsaperson'scallingtothembeforeHeexpectsthemtoaccomplishit.Hedesiresforeachoneofustoknow our purpose in this life.Yet, I have traveled extensively throughout thebody ofChrist and have found that only a very small percentage of believers

evenknowwhattheirpersonalcallingis.Thenonlyasmallpercentageofthoseareactuallybeingequippedtofulfillit.Thisisobviouslyoneofthemosttragicfailuresofthechurch,andthereasonwhysheispresentlyhavingsuchasmallimpactonourworld.

Aprimaryreasonwhymanydonotknowtheircalling is that theydonotcareenoughtoseektheLordforit.Hehasordainedthatwemustask,seekandknockbeforewewillreceive.Ourcallingispossiblythemostprecioustreasurethatwehavebeen entrustedwith, andwhatmakes treasurevaluable is that it is eitherrareorhardtofind.Thosewhoreceivetreasuretooeasilywillnotunderstanditstruevalue.

YoumayreplythattheLordshowedtheapostlePaulhiscallingwhenhebecameaChristian,butbyPaul'sownconfessionhespentmanyyears,muchofitaloneinthewilderness,definingthatcalling.

WhenyouseektheLord,getspecific.Thosewhohavegoalsthataretoogeneralrarelyaccomplish them.Thosewhowant to "go intobusiness for themselves"almostneverdo.Thosewhowant to"beamusician"or"go into theministry"almost never do; or if they do, they quickly fail.However, thosewho go intobusinessbecausetheyloveacertainproductorservicearemuchmorelikelytosucceed.Thosewhofallinlovewithacertainmusicalinstrumentaremuchmorelikelytobecomemusicians.Thosewhogointotheministrybecausetheyhaveaheart for reaching a certain people group with the gospel, plant churches, orperformacertainministry,etc.,aremuchmorelikelytobothdoitandsucceed.

FactorNumberTwo:

WeMustStayFocusedOnOurGoal.

Thisistrulyararequality,andthelackofitremovesmanyfromtheranksoftheachievers. The diversions can come from positive or negative factors. Manycannot see past the obstacles to attaining their goal, so they seek easier goals.Others are diverted by successes in lesser purposes. Harry Truman onceremarkedthat,"Mostpeoplearedefeatedbysecondarysuccesses."Thisistrue.

OneofthehardestteststhatwemustpassifwearegoingtofulfillourultimatecallingistonotbedistractedbyalloftheotherthingsthatGodisdoing.

God is doingmanywonderful things today, but it is not possible for us to be

involved inallof them. It isoftendifficult to resist joininganother successfulmoveofGod,especiallywhenwell-meaningpeopleoftenmakeothersthinkthattheyaremissingGodiftheydonotjointhatmovement.WemustlearntogiveourselvesonlytowhatGodhascalledusto.

Whenwe get beforeHis judgment seat,He is not going to ask us howmanysuccessfulchurchesormovementswewereapartof.HeisgoingtoaskusifwedidHiswill.

FactorNumberThree:

WeMustHavetheWisdomandResolvetoGathertheNecessaryResources,orTraining,forAccomplishingOurPurpose.

Whenwehaveaclearvisionofourpurpose,andtheresolvetostayfocusedonit,wearemuchmorelikelytoseeallthatwillberequiredforfulfillingit.

Forthefulfillingofeveryvisiontherewillbeeducation,preparationandtrainingrequired. Between the time when God reveals the calling, and the actualcommissioningtothatministry,therewillalwaysbeatimeofpreparation.Theinability to understand this difference between the calling and thecommissioning of God, and the using of the time between them wisely, hascausedthefailureofmany.

As Albert Einstein once said, "Premature responsibility breeds superficiality."MartynLloyd-Jonesonce toldR.T.Kendall that he thought premature successwasoneofthemostdangerousthingsthatcouldhappentoaperson.

Paul was called as an apostle somewhere between eleven and thirteen yearsbeforehewascommissioned to thatministryatAntioch (seeActs13:1-4).Hespentmuchof this timein thewilderness,seekinghisownrevelationofGod'spurpose inhis life,andadeeperunderstandingof thegospelhewas topreach(seeGalatians1).Hedidnotjustsitbackandwait;heusedhistimetoprepare.Thisiswheremanyfallshort,andthereforefail.Insteadofbeingimpatient,weshould be thankful for all of the time that we are given to get ready for ourcalling,andweshoulduseeverybitof itwisely.Thiswillbeaprimaryfactorthatdeterminesthequalityandfruitfulnessofourministry.

Possibly the greatest difference between the star athletes,musicians, artists orgreatprofessionalsinanyfield,andthosewhohavethetalentsbutaresittingon

thesidelines,isthedevotiontotraining,practiceandpreparation.

Anancientproverbstates,"Thosewhofailtoplan,plantofail."ThereisasubtlementalitythathascreptintolargesectionsofthebodyofChristthatplanningisnot spiritual.Many actually infer that if you knowwhat you are going to doaheadoftime,Godcouldnotbeinit.Thisisamazing,becausewearesupposedtobe takingon thenatureofGod,and this isprofoundlycontrary toHisbasicnature.Infact,therevealingofHisplanisoneofthemostgloriousrevelationsofHischaracter.Jesuswascrucifiedbeforethefoundationoftheworld,andwewerecalledinHimbeforetheworldbegan.That'splanning!

If we are becoming like Him, planning should be one of our greatest skills.Rarelyhasanyoneeveraccomplishedanythingofsignificancewithoutplanning.It can be argued that the level of our ability to planwill be amajor factor indetermining the significanceofouraccomplishments. It is true thatmanywhohave thementality thatplanning iscontrary to theworkof theHolySpirit areoverreactingtothosewhomakeplansaccordingtomerehumanreasoning,planswhichareoftenmadewithoutevenconsultingGod.Evenso, thisoverreactionandfailuretoproperlyplanhasunquestionablybeenfarmoredevastatingtothechurch.

FactorNumberFour:

WeMustSurroundOurselveswithSolution-OrientedPeople.

One of the first steps that successful leaders implement when assuming apositionistogetridofeveryonewhospendsmoretimetalkingaboutproblemsthanaboutsolutions. Is thisnotwhy theLordJesusHimself spentsomuchofHistimedevelopingthefaithofthosewhowouldbeHisfutureleaders,andwhy"withoutfaithitisimpossibletopleaseHim"(Hebrews11:6)?

WhenGeneral Grant took over the UnionArmy during the CivilWar, it hadalreadysufferedmanydefeatsatthehandsofGeneralLeeandtheConfederateArmy.TheofficersandmenoftheUnionArmyhadbecomesoconditionedtodefeat that when Grant first marched against Lee, even members of his owncommandteamprophesiedhisdoom.Thesewerepromptlydismissed.Then,inhis first engagementwithLee at theBattle of theWilderness, reports came infromeverydivisionofhisarmythattheywerebeaten.AlldaylonghisofficersbeggedGrant tofleebacktothesafetyofWashingtonbeforeLeecut themoff

fromtheirpathofretreat.Finally,whenitwasobviouseventoGrant that theywerebeateninthatengagement,heastonishedeveryonebygivingorderstoturnsouthandadvanceontoRichmond.

WhenGrant'sgeneralsbeggedhimtoreconsider,thinkingthathehadgonemad,Grantdismissedthemandretreatedtothesolitudeofhisowntent.Heconfidedtoareporterthathehadneverbeeninabattleinwhichitdidnotlookatsomepointliketheyweredoomed,buthebelievedthatineverycrisistherewasalsoan opportunity.When he pondered the fact that Lee would try to cut off hisretreat north to Washington, he saw that it would actually enable him to dosomethingthateveryotherUniongeneralhadtriedtodoandfailed—togethisarmy between Lee and Richmond so that he could advance on the SouthernCapitol. His "defeat" at the Battle of theWilderness opened the door for hisgreatestopportunity,andheseizedit.

When Lee heard that Grant had not retreated, but had rather continued hisadvance,heconfidedthattheendoftheConfederacywasnear.WhentheUniontroopsstartedmarchingSouth,agreatcheerwentupfromtheentirearmy.Forthefirsttimetheyhadageneralwhowouldfight.Leewouldpasteseveralmore"defeats"onGrant,butneveroncedidGrantconsiderretreating.Neveroncedidhepayattentiontothedoomsayers.HeprobablyneverdidwinanoutrightbattleagainstLee,butheheldhiscourseuntilhewonthewar.

Oneofthebasicprinciplesthateverysuccessfulleaderunderstandsisthatifyouaregoingtowinandaregoingtoaccomplishyourgoals,youmustgetridofthepeople on your leadership team who are more focused on the problems thansolutions.ThisistheprincipleofthetenspiesatKadesh-Barnea(seeNumbers13).Theevil,negativereportofthesetenspiescosttheirentiregenerationtheirinheritance.Ifyoucannotconvertorchangesuchpeopleonyourstafforteams,youmustremovethem,ortheywillcostyouthesame.

FactorNumberFive:

WeMustRefusetoLetObstaclesorOppositionStopUs.

Some of the factors that have helped individuals attain extraordinaryachievementsintheirlivescanbecontrolled,andsomecannot.Thosewhichcanbecontrolledare such thingsashardwork,defininggoals, staying focusedonour goals, and attaining the necessary resources for achieving them.However,

possibly the greatest single factor in releasing the highest levels of humanachievement isone thatwecannotcontrol,andusuallywilldoeverything thatwecantoavoid.Thatfactorisadversity.

OneofthefacesoftheLordinScriptureisthefaceofaneagle.Ithasbeensaidthatallofnature fearsstormsexcept for theeagle. Ifabird facesanopposingwindat theproperangle, itwillbecarriedhigher.Eagles learn thisearly,andusesuchopposingwindstoreachthegreatestheights.Thesameistrueofthosewho learn to soar spiritually. Every opposing wind is an opportunity to gohigher,ifyouwillapproachitattheproperangle,orattitude.

Theprimarydelusionaboutaccomplishmentisthebeliefthatwhatallowssometobecomeachieversisthefactthattheyhadfavorablecircumstances.

Usingthisasanexcuseisoneofthemainreasonsmanyfail.Theobstaclesthatconfronted Reggie, Shawn and almost every other player in theNFLwere asgreat,orgreater, than those facingothers.Theywerenotgivenspecialbreaks.Very few achievers in any field are. In fact,when special breaks are given tothosewith great ability, it oftenworks to cause them to fall short of fulfillingtheirtruepotential.

AlexanderSolzhenitsynoncemadetheobservationthat,"Evenbiologyteachesusthatperpetualwell-beingisnotgoodforanycreature."

Adversitydoesmoreforourdevelopmentthanpossiblyanyothersinglefactor.Adversityhelpsustofocus,toeliminatethenon-essentialsanddevoteourselvesto theessentials.Adversitywill cause the trulydevoted toworkharder,whichwill cause them to become stronger. If success comes too easily, we will beweaker.

ThisIsNotMagic

Ihavewatchedmanyofmyfriendswhoplaygolftryonenewgolfcluborballafter another seeking the "magic remedy" that will improve their game. Asonefamousgolfersaidinacommercialforanewgolfball,"Thisballreallycanimproveyourgame,ifyouwillhitthreehundredofthemaday!"

When the same golferwas once asked about a "lucky shot," he replied, "Youknow,themoreIpractice,theluckierIget."

The same is trueofourgifts andcallings. I am frequently askedbypeople toprayforthemtohavethesamegiftofwritingthatIhave.Tomethatisalmostlike one of my student pilots askingme to pray for him to have the "gift ofpiloting"impartedtohim.

Wouldyou flywith someonewho received their "gift of piloting" thatway? Idon't think so. You would want them to have the best training, and thenthousandsofhoursofexperience,too.

I do believe in prophetic impartation, but I think that very few people reallyunderstand it. Even spiritual gifts are imparted as seeds, which must becultivated and cared forwith great patience and devotion. Even spiritual giftsmust be developed with training and experience, or we will be about asdangerousas theabovestudentpilot. Iwouldlovetohavethegift to justprayfor people and command them, "Be mature!"—but that is one miracle that IcannotfindanywhereintheBible.

As was said of the Lord, if we will fulfill our purpose in this life, we must"resolutelyset [our] face togo toJerusalem"(Luke9:51), theplaceofourdestiny.

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