The Poor are Rich!

I do not usually use anyone else’s material, but these words leaped off that page at me.

A Trustworthy Name

I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. (Zephaniah 3:12)

When true religion is ready to die out among the wealthy it finds a home among the poor of this world, rich in faith.

The Lord has even now His faithful remnant. Am I one of them?

Perhaps it is because men are afflicted and poor that they learn to trust in the name of the Lord.

He that hath no money must try what he can do on trust. He whose own name is good for nothing in his own esteem, acts wisely to rest in another name, even that best of names, the name of Jehovah. God wilt always have a trusting people, and these will be an afflicted and poor people. Little as the world thinks of them, their being left in the midst of a nation is the channel of untold blessings to it. Here we have the conserving salt which keeps in check the corruption which is in the world through lust.

Again the question comes home to each one of us. Am I one of them? Am I afflicted by the sin within me and around me? Am I poor in spirit, poor spiritually in my own judgment? Do I trust in the Lord? This is the main business. Jesus reveals the name, the character, the person of God; am I trusting in Him? If so, I am left in this world for a purpose. Lord, help me to fulfill it. Wood John http://jesusprayergroups.webs.com/

As I read this quote today, it provoked me to thinking…

I thought of people who’s walk with the Lord I admire, and I think of God’s servant Heidi Baker, when she had completed her Phd in systematic theology, and God told her and Rolland, to “Go to Mozambique, and sit with the poor, and learn about my kingdom’.

I think Jesus, the great king, is also the greatest of servants and loves to use, poor, broken people, to teach us about Him. He is love, He is mercy, and He is humble.

In all my study, and depths of prayer and soul searching, I see the needs of this broken world, and am reminded that His love, His power, His grace are sufficient, but if I want to see it.

Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Heaven is where the power of the Holy Spirit is authorized from. This is where the Father, receives our prayers through Jesus our high priest and answers in signs, wonders, and miracles…

How I long to see the power of God in the earth, healing the sick, mending shattered lives, hearts, dreams.

Yet, the kingdom of heaven is for those who are poor in spirit, yet rich in faith.

Today, I see tremendous things occurring in his kingdom and I have the privilege to be part of some of them. Yet, in my own life and family, I need some miracles….

If you are truthful with Him, so do you…

For these, let us come together before Him, and humbly ask:

“Father, I need you. Your power, Your provision, Your grace, Your wisdom, Your understanding, Your insight into my life, that I might walk before You, pure, and able to be some sort of solution to this broken hurting world. Jesus, though You have gifted me greatly, I, just like the poorest of the poor, see my great need of You. Meet with me today, and do what only You can do.’

Wealth Transfer Can be a Messy Business…

Wealth Transfer Can be a Messy Business…

Pr 13:22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

Zeph 1:12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.
13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.
14 ¶ The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

Seems to be, I see a transfer of wealth, from the wicked, to God’s children here. I know that as a theologian, this is an allegorical interpretation of these verses, for they were written to a different people, in a different era. Yet, God has not changed!

Interesting thing I see is that in verse 12, there are a people that basically think they are going to do their own thing. I call these folks that know about God, but do not know Him. Probably good generally moral church folks, that get up, go to work, and somehow believe that God is not in anyway involved with their day to day work.

Sunday Christians

Seek ye First is still in the book, and it is good to seek God each morning, not just before church on Sunday. There is a spirit filled life available to us, with miracles evident in every day. Let us not be as:

2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

1 Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

God judges them for their unbelief and humanistic ways, and takes their stuff from them, and gives it to them that know and fear Him. Tough spot to be in as a nominal Christian if this is happening to you, but worse yet, is if you truly understand the process, and then have an unsaved or religious family member going through this process. How you would love to tell them what to do, and why this is happening to them, but you know they will not listen to you, so all you can do is pray God open their eyes.

Ec 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Guess if you didn’t care, it wouldn’t hurt so much, but because we love people, we care, and long to heal, redeem, restore them, like Jesus does, but so many simply refuse to listen…

Yep, this transfer of wealth thing is a messy business sometimes….so is birth, but it produces beautiful children.

Let’s Pray:

“Father, I want to know you, personally, and I want to obey You fully. Show me clearly what I need to do, and give me the grace to do it I pray, in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen’

The Golden Ladder of Giving:

The Golden Ladder of Giving:

The following account was written by a friend of mine, pastor Dan Stratton, from New York City, and I love it’s thoughts. So, I shot him a message, and asked his permission to post it here on the blog. With his permission, here it is:

“A while back I had dinner with an elderly gentleman who was doing work around the world. He spoke of building shopping centers in Ghana. His name was Daniel and his son’s name is Joseph. Joseph and I were classmates at Yale. However, I was introduced to Daniel through Obie who has been my friend now these past 8 years or so.

A group of politicians and business leaders had come from Africa to discuss potential work that we might do together. We met at the Havana Club at the top of the 6’s where Obie has been a member for some years. We were there as Obie’s guests.

Obie is an established African American businessman – a Harvard graduate and a very strong Christian. Daniel is a Jewish businessman who has done amazingly well in the real estate market and a devout Jew.

Our discussion began. Obie challenged the motives for this potential partnership as he spoke to the contingency from Africa. Amongst this group were men who had been to prison with Nelson Mandela and had been part of the formation of the new government in South Africa. We looked for common ground.

We found common ground Daniel and me in and old document written by Moses Maimanodes. I was introduced to this as the Golden Ladder of Charity. Daniel challenged me and said that the thought would best be understood and communicated as the Golden Ladder of Justice. He said that the difference was this, “Charity is something we can choose to do or not do. Justice is a duty. Justice must be done.”

In this Golden Ladder, Maimanodes bemoans the fact that so many with such good intentions create division through their giving. He says that it is not enough to give. He describes a wisdom and a process that must be considered to insure that the giver doesn’t subjugate the recipient. If the recipient is minimized in any way, he says, eventually there will be a major backlash that will leave both parties diminished.

The Golden Ladder

The steps of giving — 8 rungs.

1. To give with reluctance or regret. This is the gift of the hand but not the heart. 
2. To give cheerfully, but not proportionately, but not until solicited. This causes distress to the sufferer. 
3. To give cheerfully and proportionately, but not until solicited. 
4. To give cheerfully, proportionately and unsolicited but the giver gives directly into the hand of the receiver, exciting in him the painful emotion of shame. 
5. To give cheerfully, proportionately, proactively but the giver does not know the recipient. Still the recipient knows the giver. 
6. To give cheerfully, proportionately and proactively; whereas, the giver knows the recipient but the recipient does not know the giver. 
7. The chamber of Silence — total anonymity. Giving cheerfully, proportionately and proactively, whereas, neither the giver nor the recipient knows each other. 
8. Anticipating need. Preventing poverty. Preventing suffering through education, infrastructure and access. Giving to someone so that they never experience a day where they have to raise their hand to ask for help.

I have written extensively on the emotion and the pain experienced as we walk through these 8 steps of revelation. Growing to give without the need to be recognized is a process that few are unaware of.

In every exchange, every conversation, it would bid us all well to keep in mind that even Wisdom is a gift that can subjugate the hearer if we are not careful. This subjugation will create a backlash. Taking heed to give as anonymously as possible is a journey toward selflessness.”

Carefully consider that which you have received. Has it created in us an anger or worse, a hatred for the giver. Reconcile that, or you will receive that same anger paid back to you when you give.

And carefully consider when you give. Your motive may be some form of recognition, that will cost you and the recipient far more than the resources exchanged.

I say this into the realm of need that exists on our precious planet earth. None of these thoughts are mine. I have just discovered them on my “school of hard knocks” journey.”

This is the end, of pastor Dan’s account, but I have been meditating on several Scriptures, that lead my thoughts towards the worship component of our giving:

How about this one:

Hebrews 7:8 AKJV

And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth

Here, we see that when we give, we first present our offering to God as an offering, then to whoever He directs us to give it to in this life. Charity then, true charity – must be worship to God.

In this passage, that I often teach on with respect to tithing, I see the spirit of giving, and on this I will expound. When I give to the poor, if possible, I do what I can to remain anonymous, for Jesus Himself said:

Matthew 6:3 AMP

But when you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing [give in complete secrecy],

As we understand, that ‘the poor we will always have with us’ and we seek to honestly empower, support, and bless them to the best of our ability through the love of God that works through us, it is good to meet needs, without expecting anything from them, as part of our worship and obedience to God Himself. Though I may not expect anything from the poor, I do expect things for them – as I honestly seek to better their condition, be it through education, job creation, or economic development initiatives.

In Matthew 25, we see how God will judge us, individually and in the work of our organizations, by how well we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, get water to the thirsty, visit the sick and the prisoner. Again, in these passages, I see the spirit of worship injected between the lines of the text – God loves all people – and one of the ways we worship, is to serve and meet the needs of people that He created in His image.

We must do it in faith to please Him, for it is written:

Proverbs 19:17

He who is gracious and lends a hand to the poor lends to the Lord, And the Lord will repay him for his good deed.

No matter how wealthy our work and gifts make us, we humbly recognize that it is only by the hand of an Almighty Creator, the author of all life that we have been able to prosper, and that He is the author of all life. No matter how wealthy we become, we are limited in our abilities to alleviate human suffering, He is limitless, and well able to repay to us, any amount He might require us to give.

Sometimes that giving, is only seen privately, between us and Him in prayer. Like when Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, and was legitimately owed his wages and expenses while he was there. Yet, he saw the oppression and needs of the people and we read:

Nehemiah 5:

Nehemiah’s Example

¹⁴ Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my relatives have eaten the governor’s food allowance. ¹⁵ But the former governors who were [in office] before me put heavy burdens on the people and took food and wine from them in addition to forty shekels of silver [as an excessive monthly salary]; even their servants assumed authority over the people. But I did not do so because of the [reverent] fear of God. ¹⁶ I also applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered together there for the work. ¹⁷ Moreover, there were at my table a hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. ¹⁸ Now the following were prepared for each day: one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls (poultry) were prepared for me; and in intervals of ten days all sorts of wine was provided in abundance. Yet for all this, I did not demand the governor’s food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people. ¹⁹ Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all I have done for this people.

Read the whole chapter – he used his position and authority to make financial wrongs right, and to set the people of God free from unjust interest.

I find myself often surrounded by glaring financial needs, children that need food each day to live, orphans that need school tuition and supplies, ministries that need buildings, and I long to help them all, yet I am ONLY responsible to help those that God places upon my heart.

Yes, we are to give, but with selflessness, and purity of heart, that we might see God in every area of our lives.

May we give, generously, often, in faith, to glorify Jesus in all we do:

Let’s Pray:

‘Father, flow through me in generosity and love as I worship You in my giving. Help me to become more selfless, than selfish, equipping and empowering people that you love to the best of my ability. Release to me, more resource and wealth to further make this world a better place. Help me to alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found, to use my position, authority and influence to break policies that oppress people, rather than empower them in life, liberty, honor, and pursuit of the dreams You have placed in every human heart. I ask this, knowing I am heard, for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen’

A Cry for the Fatherless…

A Cry for the Fatherless

Titus 3: 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

As I again seek the face of God, for my support, with bills on my desk, I look upon this page, and see the needs of orphans and orphanages, that make my pressure seem like a picnic. Could it be that our loving Father has allowed my particular trial, to humble me, that I might see?

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Yes, the internet has allowed me international outreach, but the needs I see, are real, and heartbreaking.

God’s Word promises provision and prosperity, and this I teach: giving and receiving, but what about those who have nothing to give but their love and prayers.

Children, helpless to provide for themselves, destitute of daily food, proper shelter, and schooling.

James 2:14 ¶ What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

As a father, when we are low on funds, or food, and I have to hug and hold my children, when I have nothing to give, my heart breaks…

How much more our heavenly Father, Creator of all life, seeing the greed, selfishness, and stinginess, that puts children into starvation, prostitution, or a life of begging.

And so I weep, questioning whether this journey of faith is in vain. At least when I had our companies, I could do something financially, however small, to give, to support, to provide in some small way to the needs before me.

And so I break before His throne, questioning if I should not rather be building some business, to try and generate money to alleviate suffering, whether or not this call to preach the gospel is a vain thing…

I will see Him, I will hear His voice, and I will obey.

Whatever He says, I will do, yet I cannot call myself a man of God, and see these needs, and not be moved to action. Now, I must know what action is the correct action…

Mt 25:35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Jesus, how would you have me to do this…?

Let’s pray:
‘Father, the poor we shall always have with us, yet you have called us to provide for them. Please show me Your heart of compassion for this, and please show me how to do my part. You are Creator, and You always provide for Your creation, yet these verses scream our responsibility to do something. Though I have nothing in terms of silver and gold, I am rich in education, strength, and passion. Show me how, to use my gifts to meet these needs, in Jesus name, Amen.’

 

Last year, clearly, God laid upon my heart to send these children money for Christmas. Above, you see the clothes they got for Christmas 2015. Now, after a full year of supporting this work almost weekly, we we able to help again with Christmas 2016. My dream, is to be able to do this for 11 more orphanages in 2017.

Money simply makes more of YOU!

Pr 10:16 The earnings of the godly enhance their lives,
but evil people squander their money on sin

Some years ago, I was over at Rhema listening to Deon Sanders, the football legend speak.

He made the statement: Money simply makes more of You!

He went on to explain:

If you love Jesus, your money will go to help support His work, and to build great things for your family. If you love immoral women, money will buy more women. If you love partying, money will buy more expensive parties, more cocaine, fancy wines, superb whiskey. If you love cars, boats, computers, toys, etc, money just buys more of them, but if you love Jesus, you will use wealth with wisdom….

I don’t know about you, but I am determined to make my life count for eternity!

I want each and every day to make an eternal difference in this sin sick, war torn, hurting world. I want to see people’s lives changed, by the love and power of God, and I’m hard after it.

Money simply helps me love more people, and do good in building cool projects.

Sure, the love of money is the root of all evil, but money itself is not evil, in fact, it can become an great tool to use in developing people. It makes a great servant, but a lousy Lord.

Seems the Lord has directed me to write and study often on the topic of Biblical wealth, the motives that govern our money. Here are a couple of thoughts:

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2016/01/12/wealth-gods-way/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/good-gold-money-with-a-mission/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/11/21/the-money-test/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/06/18/what-spirit-do-you-serve-with-your-money/
https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/10/27/wisdom-for-biblical-prosperity/

When I had my carpentry company, and was determined to produce the highest quality of woodwork possible, money was a great way to keep people motivated. Not only did it provide for us as we carefully managed and produced some incredible projects, but it was a great way to reward men who took the time to hone their skill set and develop as master craftsmen over years.

People who would never take time to listen to you about Jesus, have a lot more interest, when you are the one writing their paycheck each week, and they actually see God’s love being walked out in the workplace, a boss who regularly walks, talks, and sacrificially loves the people we are called to serve, earns respect through the sweat, that can come no other way.

Matthew 23:11

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

Seems God’s promotions simply mean more responsibility, and the privilege of serving and loving more people…

The truth is, there is a spiritual war being fought every day in the earth, and control of money is one of the weapons employed.

Matthew 6:24

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

I have a couple of questions for you today:

In this verse, that has been often misquoted, I believe Jesus is not speaking about money directly, but naming an actual evil spirit that controls people through money, named mammon. Light and darkness, you can’t serve God and money, but surely you can serve God WITH your money.

Not all of the thoughts that cross your mind with respect to your spending, are your own. Holy Spirit will gently nudge you to do good things, and evil spirits will encourage you to indulge your lusts, and spend your hard earned cash on worldly pleasures…

1. What do you do with your money? Have you taken a look at your bank statement, and honestly tried to look at your cash-flow with the eyes of Jesus? Could you cook at home a couple of days, or pack a lunch, so that you could give some of the money you presently spend eating out, on supporting an orphanage, a missionary, or some unique Jesus project perfectly tailored to your gift?

2. What are you doing to grow in your gift and calling? Do you have a night course you can take, some books you can read, or a mentor that you could carve time out with, that will help you grow intellectually, spiritually, physically? Are there ways that you can improve, so that you might earn more money, not only to improve the quality of your life (God does love you and want you to have nice things), but to deliberately to earn more income to do your part in alleviating human suffering somewhere in the world…

 Let’s pray:

‘Father, please supply my needs today, and lead me and guide me in my spending, my giving, my stewardship of the resources and gifts you have given me, and give me creative ways to increase in all of these areas. May I ever be led by You Holy Spirit, not bled by the screaming needs and schemes of people, or the deceptive thoughts of devils. May I be generous, as You are Father, but careful to only give where You lead, not moved by the apparent need. I trust that You are good, and that You hear and answer me today, for I come to Your throne, in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen.

The Sin of Sodom

The Sin of Sodom
Ezekial 16:49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.

I’m sure I could create a long devotion, on the sin of Sodom, their wickedness, and many have used the destruction of Sodom, as a text for preaching against homosexuality. I understand how the gay predators tried to rape the angelic strangers that visited Lot’s house, as the traditional interpretation of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Homosexuality is wrong, as is any sex outside of a marriage covenant in the eyes of God, but look at this verse, tucked away in the book of Ezekiel.

The real sins of Sodom mentioned here are:
1. Pride and arrogance.
2. Gluttony, and being overfed.
3. Unconcern for the help of the poor and the needy.

Let’s Look at these some:

Pride: Holman’s Bible dictionary has a long definition: http://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hbd/view.cgi?number=T5098

Yet, I have a very simply one: Pride is simply having a better idea than God, in any area of life.

2 Corinthians 10:5

casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Any time, any where, any person has thoughts opposed to the word of God, they are in pride. They may be sincere, yet in God’s eyes, they are sincerely wrong. Someone might not have their chest puffed up, or be walking in arrogance of way, yet be proud nonetheless, in that they are doing their own thing, not God’s.

This past couple of years has been interesting for me and my family, as we went from a comfortable income, able to go and eat whatever we wanted, to no income, having to eat at food banks, to finally turning my truck back into the bank, and then our house as we went through foreclosure.There has been a wonderful walk of discovery from what is truly a need or merely a want. Things that I had taken for granted, when removed, become prayer points, where I discover where my heart has really been at.
Learning to survive for weeks, without a dime in our pocket, no vehicle, eating at food banks, has quite honestly changed me, and made me a far better human being, far more accepting, willing to help, non-judgemental, and grateful for the little things in life. Now, I am able to simple see and listen to the poor of this nation, and learn many things, that I could never have heard before.

I remember hearing the story of Heidi Baker, after receiving her PHD from seminary, asking Jesus what He would have her do, and receiving the instruction to go to Mozambique with her husband, with nothing but faith in God, and to ‘sit with the poor and learn of my kingdom’
As I reach out internationally, to Christian brothers and sisters serving the Lord who honestly have to trust the Lord not only for their next meal, but in many cases, the meals of those orphans that have come to them for their daily sustenance, sacrificial living at a level that we here in America cannot comprehend, and as I cry out to God for our daily needs, I am acutely aware that the God I am praying to loves them, exactly as much as He loves me and my children. The nature of my prayers has radically changed. The old cliché’ is true: ‘You never truly discover that Jesus is all you need, until He is all that you have!’.
He can create a humble pathway of provision, that requires a radical, strict obedience, and I am convinced that He is doing exactly that in my life. I am a prosperity preacher! I honestly believe that one of the benefits of serving Jesus is financial prosperity:
3 John 1:2
King James Version (KJV)
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Yet, as I have walked this pathway of radical obedience, I have discovered that many, many things in my life were simply wants, soulical desires, that were often born in the world and this culture, not birthed in the fire of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God.
Let’s talk about a couple of these:
Fitness: I love to stay in shape. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and I like to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. To do this, used to live P90X, for those of you who know what that is. This involved 6-10 work-outs/week, a structured diet, many protein and body-building supplements, and of course high dollar multivitamins. These all cost money, usually around an extra $200-300/month, plus a gym membership fee. Money has been non-existant, and in many cases, so has food, any food, so work-outs have been in my make-shift gym in my back yard, 3-4 times/week, and then, and only then, when we actually have enough food in the house to justify it, because I have children to feed.

Coffee: I love me some good coffee. Yet, the days of exotic coffee’s have long gone, and I drink regular Folgers when we have been able. I can live with it, or without it.
Desserts: When we have ice-cream or some sweet for dessert or at a church function, I am simply grateful. I’m fighting for healthy meals for the family, simply putting decent calories on the table, with nutrition in them, sweets are low on the priority.
Pets: We have two dogs, a cat, a rabbit, and an aquarium. They eat well, but as I see orphans around the world starving, can I justify the expense of feeding pets, when I should be feeding people, starving children that honestly need food?
Entertainment: Used to hit the movies, and watch the latest and greatest flicks at the theater. Netflix, internet access, and movie nights have not been possible, which has led to family time together where we actually talk to each other, read the Bible, have tickle fights, and love on one another. A walk by the river, and building sandcastles is free, yet builds memories for a lifetime. We still hit movies at the dollar theater as we are able, but my appetites have changed. We enjoy the things of God far more now, because Jesus draws close to us there, as we have drawn close to Him.
Vehicle: For many years, we have had two vehicles. For over a year, we had none. We walked each day to the library for internet and home school, and viola, accomplish a fitness activity, and often skip and sing our way here, laughing as we go. I have believed God for another reliable vehicle, and He has surely heard and answered that prayer, but know this: I will be far more grateful to Him, and far more sensitive to driving others around, for I know intimately what it is like to walk by faith. (He has answered, providing for us a 1998 jeep Cherokee, for which I am very grateful)
Utilities: Never been without them before. Over the past year and a half, we have been without water, gas, and electric for several extended periods of time. Nothing like dark nights, cold showers, or hauling water to simple flush the toilet to make you appreciate services that up until now, I have simply taken for granted. After we moved from our home in November, we have lived with friends, learning that there are radically different ways to do family life than we knew, and we have learned much from each family home we have stayed in. As we travelled to Indian reservations, and spent time with natives, we discovered many have no heat, nor running water, in often extreme climates, yet they are a resilient people, with a deep joy and peace, that has been a great example to us.
The sin of Sodom was in my face, for I now see how I have not only committed all of these three sins, but have lived in them for many years.

1 Timothy 6:17

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

We cry out for revival, that we are willing to pay any price, yet the price God requires, is heart change.
There is financial prosperity in the kingdom of God,
2 Corinthians 8:9
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

Jesus died upon the cross for our poverty, our sin, and our sickness.
Yet, during this season of my financial poverty, I am changing, where human eyes cannot see. Deep in my soul, I am prospering, and in my due season, wealth and riches shall again be my portion in life. Gratefully, humbly, in wisdom, will I again walk in the wealth of this world.
Why? Because I believe, no longer blindly, but because Jesus has spoken to me personally about my finances. One morning, in fervent prayer, He reminded me of who He is, King of the Universe, and He said: ‘Son, you cannot seek me the way you have these past years, and come away diminished!’
True faith always has a good report!
James 2:5
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

This season too, shall pass, and Jesus, my faithful Lord, shall again honor His Word in my life, and cause me to prosper, increase, and walk in wealth, for I have believed.
Ecclesiastes 3
3 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

How about you?

I think in my testimonies I have discussed how gluttony has died its horrible death in my life, but let me talk about concern for the poor.

I have honestly not been able to give anything to the poor, despite the thousands of requests we receive for financial aid from those who read this blog. Not one goes by, unnoticed any more. I honestly fervently pray with compassion for every need, trusting Jesus to do what I personally cannot.

I have faced many days of trouble, and I need the Lord to deliver me as the days have come. Jesus said the poor you will always have with you. Consider them, love them, do not oppress them, and help wherever you can to alleviate human suffering.
Let’s pray:
‘Father, in every season of life, there are lessons to be learned. Help us to recognize the season You have us in, and to be content and faithful in it. May we be quick to learn the lessons we must learn, now, deep within our soul, that in the season of our promotion and favor, we remain humble, grateful, and fully dependent upon You Lord Jesus, Amen’