Hi everyone, it’s been a while! My apologies, but it’s with great reason. I’ve been fighting my giants! Last time I left you all, I was detailing steps God was showing me through the Book of Joshua, from chapters 1 to 13. I am literally blown away by what He’s done since, in my own life, that reflect so much of what’s written there. I’ll get more to that later, but as I’ve been asking Him how to restart things here, I feel He’s leading me to something practical that we can all apply in the coming days.
If there’s one thing He’s highlighting, it’s that we are without a doubt entering a new place. Our world is fast-tracking into some serious changes, and as much as we’re already seeing that, it’s only going to escalate. Our Father, however, always takes care of His children, and there are strategies I believe He’s sharing with us for the road ahead.
One thing that will stand out will be our stability. When everything is shaking around us, our stance in Him will make all the difference. For many, we’ve already been going through our own tests of trusting Him, and as much as these have seemed like areas of lack in our lives, they’re actually God’s provision. When the time comes, we’ll be trained to withstand the storm, and be a shining light to those who need Him.
One very important thing He’s emphasizing is that He’s taking out the systems of this world, so He can establish the systems of His Kingdom. The brokenness of the world’s systems has reached an all-time high, and for Him to use us in these places, He’s peeling us away from our own systems. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken, and everything that can stand will stand. He’s doing it in our lives first so He can use us on greater levels.
Last week was the mark of the Jewish new year, 5784 — The Year of the Open Door. We are literally crossing the threshold from what was to what’s new, and what we relied on before won’t work here. But oh, it’s going to be so much better! At the beginning of 2023, as we entered our own new year, my pastor handed out cards to each of us in the congregation. At the top it read “Top 3 Needs for 2023” with room to write three things down. I wrote down the three that came bounding to my heart, and since then I’ve found that the very giants I’ve faced have been the strongholds standing in the way of each one of these. The first need I listed was Financial Freedom.
There is a Spirit of Mammon, which you may have heard of, that often gets referred to as being overcome by greed and materialism. While that is true, it goes beyond that. You can be a slave to Mammon even if you don’t have much, and you’re putting your hope in money to provide your safety and security. In other words, any time we trust money over God, we’re giving into Mammon. Ouch!
The truth is finances are such a prevalent part of our lives whether we have a lot of it or not, and I feel that’s where God wants me to start today. Months ago, I heard Him say, “Finances are the Final Frontier”. When we can trust Him there, we can trust Him in anything! I’m not going to say I’ve mastered this, but there are some things He’s putting on my heart as He’s teaching me how to OCCUPY this land. I thought I’d share them with you today.
1. Give to God
Tithing is the most important, and basic part of God’s financial system. This, in itself, trains our hearts to trust Him, because giving that 10% is such a stretch for many of us. But when we do, we cross over into His covenant blessings. That means our finances are in His care. All of it. Outside of tithing, we’re flying alone in the breeze, but when we honor Him with what He’s given us, our entire household is protected. Tithing is key.
2. Give to Others
Along with tithing, is giving. The Bible says to give in good measure, and it’ll be given to you in the same way. There’s an amazing flow that happens when we open our hand to others. This world’s system is bent on greed, hoarding, and taking care of self. When we move with the opposite flow, everything changes. It’s a lot like the Law of the Prophets — Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, and your mind, and love others as yourself. This can be applied even to finances. Give to the Lord (tithing), and give to others (giving). In that, you will be BLESSED.
3. Invest In His Currency
This was a big one for me recently. I’ve known it’s good to invest in silver and gold, but hadn’t considered it much until now. Haggai 2:8 says “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine.” Silver and gold belong to God’s monetary system. The “Almighty” dollar DOES NOT. It belongs to the world’s. One is corruptible. One is INCORRUPTIBLE. Below is a powerful clip that explains how silver will be eclipsing gold in the coming days, and that now is the time to get in on it. Get prepared by investing in God’s currency. If you’re new to this, here’s where you can get a jump start on it, without paying a premium.
4. Resist the World’s Systems
I love how the clip mentions that our nation’s financial situation can only change if a new system is in place. Amen! That’s exactly what we’re saying here, and it goes the same for us. We have to remove ourselves from the world’s systems and embrace God’s. You cannot be a slave to one and rule in another. Only when we come out from under the world’s system can we walk in financial authority over it. This means no more delving into credit cards, loans, lines of credit. I know it’s hard, and each of us has a unique situation, but the more you can trust God for His provision, and resist the world’s, the more He’ll turn this thing around.
I think that’s enough for now. We’ll go into more later, but the key is we are called to be Josephs. If we’re in the Marketplace, God has called us to impact the Marketplace. It’s not about just taking care of ourselves. It’s about taking care of others and extending His Kingdom. The beautiful thing is, when we’re a conduit, we get blessed. The inside of a hose, also gets wet. Joseph, as he was used by Pharaoh to disburse provision, also lived in abundance.
The coming days are charged. And you were born for such a time as THIS! Take the steps to stand on His sure foundation, let Him use you, and see the salvation of the Lord!
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Haggai 2:6-9 For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the desire of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”