Captured by the Call

Our church was in horrible financial trouble.  Do we lay off staff, cut back the budget, minimize the vision, fast and pray for one day?  When pushed by loud voices that you must do something quick, the tendency is to lean on our own logic and reason.  Proverbs 3:4-6, “So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  As a staff, we felt an overwhelming call to not cut back but "increase the vision!"  How do you increase the vision with a lack of money? 

The following Sunday, a single man came up beside me as I was sitting in the second row listening to the first speaker of the tag team, asking me if he could do something after feeling God speak.  I didn’t ask what he heard, because I felt the Spirit all over him.  When the speaker finished, he walked up, pulled out his wallet, and said, “I’m only doing what God told me to do.”  He took every bill out of his wallet and placed them on the stag floor, walked off, out the back door and left.  The silence in the room was deafening, when all of a sudden different ones started coming up placing all of their money on the stag.  It continued until money covered the complete stage.  I saw poor people giving all the change they had.  I observed rich people unfolding the secret compartments in their wallets and purses and empting all their money onto the floor.  So much money I thought, wow, we can pay off every bill and increase the vision, but God had different plans.  “Give it all away,” the inner voice of the Spirit said, “ask anyone who needs money to come up and take what they need.”  I couldn't help but stick with that voice.  The following week, I heard from so many people how God met their need.  The result of that miraculous Sunday was, the giving went up every week for the next two years. 

One of the miracles that day was the story of a single lady.  She told me how God told her to break up with her boyfriend and stop having sex.  She thought, this will not work out good for me because he won't buy me the tires he promised.  She looked into my eyes and said, “sure enough, that is exactly what happened."  As she sat in church that morning depressed, doubting her decision, the gentleman walked up and laid all of his money on the stage.  Her feeling went crazy, get up and get the money for your tires, but she froze.  She said, “as I hesitated, all the money was taken.”  As she sat in her seat following the service kicking herself for not getting up, two homeless men came up and give the money they had picked up because they felt God say, "give her your money."  She counted the money after they walked away, and it was exactly the amount needed for the tires.

The Japanese character for "crisis" is a combination of the characters for "danger" and "opportunity" (or promise); crisis is therefore not an end of opportunity but in reality only its beginning; the point where danger and opportunity meet; where the future is in the balance and where events can go either way.  Be encouraged, the Holy Spirit desires to lead you by the power of the name of Jesus. Know that you are loved, chosen and empowered to lead.  What kind of help do you need to break free, stop, get away and increase your vision?

Another translation of Prov. 3 is, “Put God first in everything you do and He will direct your ways, and crown your efforts with success.”

Captured by the Call

Our church was in horrible financial trouble.  Do we lay off staff, cut back the budget, minimize the vision, fast and pray for one day?  When pushed by loud voices that you must do something quick, the tendency is to lean upon our own logic and reason.  Proverbs 3:4-6 NAS, “So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  As a staff, we felt an overwhelming call to not cut back but increase the vision.  How do you increase the vision with a lack of money? 

The following Sunday, a single man came up beside me as I was sitting in the second row listening to the first speaker of the tag team, he asked me if he could do something he felt God told him to do.  I didn’t ask what, because I felt the Spirit all over him.  When the speaker finished, he walked up, pulled out his wallet, and said, “I’m only doing what God told me to do.”  He took every bill out of his wallet and placed them on the stag floor, and walked off, out the back door and left.  The silence in the room was deafening, when all of a sudden different ones started coming up placing all of their money on the stage.  It continued until money covered the complete stage.  I saw poor people giving all the change they had.  I observed rich people unfolding the secret compartments in their wallets and purses and empting all their money onto the floor.  So much money I thought, wow, we can pay off every bill and keep going.  But God had different plans.  “Give it all away,” the inner voice of the Spirit said, “ask anyone who needs money to come up and take what they need.”  I chose to stick with that voice.  The following week, I heard from the deacons and elders, and without exception, they all said, “that was God, great job!”  The result of that miraculous Sunday was, the giving went up every week for the next two years. 

That afternoon we had a dedication of our new gym.  A single lady came to me afterwards asking if she could share her story.  She told me how God told her to break up with her boyfriend and stop having sex.  She thought, “that will not work out good for me because he promised to buy me the tires I needed so bad, and this would cause him to decide against buying the tires.”  She looked into my eyes and said, “sure enough, that is exactly what happened, and as I sat in church this morning depressed doubting her decision, that gentleman walked up and put his money on the stage.”  She went on telling me of her feeling as all the money was being placed upon the stage, she thought, “Wow, there’s my tires.”  But she said, “I hesitated, and by the time I got up, all the money was gone.”  As she sat in her seat following the service kicking herself for not getting up, two homeless men came up and shared that they felt God told them separately to give their money to the lady sitting in the fourth row.  She counted the money after they walked away, and it was exactly the amount needed for the tires.

Another translation of Prov. 3 is, “Put God first in everything you do and He will direct your ways, and crown your efforts with success.” 

The Japanese character for "crisis" is a combination of the characters for "danger" and "opportunity" (or promise); crisis is therefore not an end of opportunity but in reality only its beginning; the point where danger and opportunity meet; where the future is in the balance and where events can go either way.  Be encouraged, the Holy Spirit is leading you by the power of the name of Jesus. You are loved, chosen and empowered to lead.  What kind of help do you need to break free and increase your vision?