FAITH

Reading Time 2 mins 48 secs – “I’m just not sure what to do.” “I don’t know if I’m making the right decision.” “Is this part of God’s plan for my life?” Have you said any of these things or thought like this recently? If you have, you’re definitely not alone. I hear these things from people all of the time. I’ve been there too. Several years ago, I was facing some obstacles. I had a dream one night that I was standing in the desert, and in front of me was a straight road surrounded by flat sand. God said, “Walk down the road.” So, I began walking. Then, all of a sudden, huge cement barriers began to pop up here and there and completely block one side of the road or the other so that I had to dodge them as I walked. Then, someone came up behind me and put a blindfold on me. I said, “How am I going to walk down the road? I can’t see where I’m going!” That’s when God said, “By My Spirit.” That’s how our lives are supposed to be lived as believers— by His Spirit. Now, what does that really mean? It means God wants to help you. It means He wants you to trust Him with your problems and with your questions. It means He wants you to walk in His power. You have the right to be led in life by the Spirit of God. That’s a whole lot better than you trying to figure it out. See, the Bible doesn’t tell you who to marry, what degree to get, or what occupation you should have. It doesn’t tell you whether or not you should buy or sell a house, buy or sell your stocks, or anything like that. But to be successful in life, you have to know those things. God wants you to know those things. He really does. See, you have access to some amazing help. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is our Counselor. He’s there to help you in life, in business, and in your marriage. He’s there to give you new ideas and plans that will take you to incredible places you’ve never been before, places that aren’t familiar and may seem downright ridiculous to you, but not to God. First Corinthians 2:9-10 say: However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” You have access to things you don’t know, things you’ve never heard of, and things you’ve never thought of. You have an ability past yourself to succeed in life— through the Holy Spirit. John 14:16 tells us that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. Talk about favor! God Himself is on your side. You have access to secret, inside information. God will help you live life before the devil even knows you’re there. You can have wisdom in every situation. When Polly, our fourth child, was pregnant with her first child, we won a trip to Costa Rica through one of our business vendors. The trip was scheduled for the same week as Polly’s due date. We needed to know what to do. There was no way we were going to miss the birth of Polly’s baby. So, we were praying about what to do. One day, I was out riding my bike, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “The baby will not be born on the due date. The baby will be born two days after you come home from your trip.” So, I went home and told Drenda to get packed. And Ivory, Polly’s daughter was born two days after we returned from that trip. God can give you the wisdom you need for any situation too. In Matthew 13:11, Jesus said the knowledge of the secrets, or mysteries, of the Kingdom of heaven has been given to US, but not to them. That means you aren’t supposed to just stumble through life hoping things will work out. God wants to show you the secrets, or mysteries, of the Kingdom, so you can advance and win in life.

Reading Time 3 mins 17 secs – I had questions about what had happened, but I didn’t take time to ask God about it. Like most Christians who encounter disappointment, I did nothing but accept failure as a puzzle I would figure out later, instead of seeking God about it right then. One of the most important lessons God taught me concerning how faith works happened way back in 1993. Two full years before, I had been talking to some local police officers when they shared with me about how many deer were typically hit on the roads every year. I asked them what happens to the deer that are hit and killed, and they told me about “The List.” It was a list of people they would call to come and tag the deer. Apparently, in Ohio, there were special tags for deer that were hit on the road. That would be a great way to get some extra venison , I thought. I wanted on that list. So, I got on the list. And before deer season ever began that year, I had already butchered five deer. My freezer was full of venison. We were stocked up, so when the season started, I wasn’t really that excited to go hunting. In fact, I went into the season without even praying or asking God for my deer. And I didn’t sow any seed either. But I still went out on opening day and every day of the weeklong season. Apparently, I hadn’t learned that it was a waste of time to go out without releasing my faith. I look back and realize how hardheaded I was. I got up every morning that week, went to the effort of hunting, and got exactly what I had released my faith for— nothing . Pay close attention to my mindset at that time—I knew something was wrong, but since my freezer was already full, I wasn’t that concerned about it. But I still wanted to have the victory of getting a deer myself. I should’ve prayed and asked God about it, but I didn’t. Jump ahead to the 1992 season. I was confused about what had happened the year before, but I still didn’t bother to pray and ask God about what had happened. Since I hadn’t received any calls yet about roadkill deer before the season started, I sowed my seed and prayed about getting some venison. After multiple attempts at getting a deer that season, and some missed shots, I knew something was really wrong. God had taught me so much about faith through hunting just a few years before. What was the problem? I had questions about what had happened, but I didn’t take time to ask God about it. Like most Christians who encounter disappointment, I did nothing but accept failure as a puzzle I would figure out later, instead of seeking God about it right then. I was fighting discouragement when the phone rang. It was the police department, and they had a deer that had been hit just 100 yards down the road from my driveway. I glanced out the window and could see the flashing lights outside. When they asked me if I wanted the deer, I eagerly agreed to take it. It ended up being a plump button buck, and the meat was in perfect condition. While I was bringing the deer back to the house, I realized God had in fact blessed me with the deer Drenda and I had asked Him for, but it didn’t come in the way I believed it would— or did it ? It wasn’t until the beginning of the 1993 season that I truly sought God about the previous two seasons and what had happened. In prayer, He clearly said, “ The police list. ” What? The Lord clearly showed me how being on the list had affected my faith and divided my focus. The list was a backup plan. I knew that if my faith in God didn’t come through with a deer, I could always get one from the police department. I had divided faith—two completely different visions of how to get my need met. I believed in my own method (the roadkill list), and yet I wanted to trust God to bring my deer through hunting. I was wavering in where I placed my trust, and I ended up receiving those two years from where I had the most confidence—the list. My faith had operated, but not how I had wanted it to. The Bible says a man who is double-minded should expect to receive nothing from the Lord. A good illustration of this principle is the person who asks God to meet a need and believes to pay cash for it, yet knows all along that if God doesn’t come through, he’ll just use a credit card to get the need met. If you have a backup plan, you’re not walking in faith. Faith doesn’t need a safety net. And you’ll always find that your alternative plan is really the one you’re trusting. As humans, we like to have everything in place so we feel secure. But God wants us to realize that there is no place more secure than resting in faith.

I had questions about what had happened, but I didn’t take time to ask God about it. Like most Christians who encounter disappointment, I did nothing but accept failure as a puzzle I would figure out later, instead of seeking God about it right then. One of the most important lessons God taught me concerning how faith works happened way back in 1993. Two full years before I learned that lesson, I was driving home and was almost to our driveway at the old farmhouse when I saw police lights up ahead. It was nothing new. I just assumed someone had been pulled over for speeding. But as I came up on the police car and slowed down to pass it, something caught my attention. There on the side of the road was a beautiful eight-point buck. It had been hit by the other car that I had just seen pull away. I pulled over and asked the police officer what he was going to do with the buck. Since my driveway was only about 400 yards down the road and I had kids to feed, I thought I would ask if I could have the deer. The police officer actually seemed relieved that he didn’t have to deal with the disposal of the deer. Just before we parted ways, he shared with me that deer were hit on the roads often and, if I was interested, he would be happy to put my name on “The List.” It was a list of people the police would call to come and tag deer that had been hit on the roads. That would be a great way to get some extra venison , I thought. So, I got on the police list. And, within a few months, and before deer season ever even began that year, I had already butchered five deer. My freezer was full of venison. We were stocked up. So, quite frankly, when the season started, I wasn’t really that excited to go hunting. In fact, I went into the season without even praying or asking God for my deer. And I didn’t sow any seed either. But I still went out on opening day and every day of the week-long gun season. I hadn’t yet learned that it was a waste of time to go out without releasing faith. I look back and realize how hardheaded I was. Every morning that week I got up and made the effort to hunt. And got exactly what I had released my faith for— NOTHING . Pay close attention to what my mind-set was at that time. I knew something was wrong. But since my freezer was already full, I wasn’t that concerned about it. But I clearly still wanted to have the victory of getting a deer myself. I should’ve prayed and asked God what was going wrong, but I didn’t. Jump ahead to the next season. I was confused about what had happened in 1991, but I still didn’t bother to pray and ask God about what had happened. Since I hadn’t received any calls yet about road-kill deer before the season started, Drenda and I prayed in agreement and sowed our seed for a buck. After multiple attempts at getting a deer and some missed shots, I knew something was really wrong. God had taught me so much about faith through hunting just a few years before. What was the problem? I was fighting discouragement when the phone rang. It was the police department. They had a deer that had been hit nearly right in front of my driveway. There were the flashing lights outside our windows. I was shocked. When the officer asked me if I wanted the deer, I eagerly agreed to take it. It ended up being a plump button buck, and the meat was in perfect condition. While I was bringing the deer back to the house, I remember thinking God had in fact blessed me with the deer Drenda and I had asked Him for. But I was confused on why it hadn’t come in the way I believed it would. Or did it? It wasn’t until the beginning of the 1993 season—a full TWO years later—that I truly sought God about the previous two seasons and asked Him what had happened. I was out jogging and praying when it clearly came to me— the police list. It was then that I realized that my confidence hadn’t been in God’s Word or in His Kingdom, but in “The List.” The list was a backup plan. I knew that if my faith in God didn’t come through with a deer, I could always get one from the police department. Being on the list had affected my faith and divided my focus. I had divided faith—two completely different visions of how to get my need met. I believed in my own method (the road-kill list), and yet I wanted to trust God to bring my deer through hunting. I was wavering in where I placed my trust; and those two years, I ended up receiving from where I had the most confidence —The List. My faith had operated, but not how I had wanted it to. The Bible says a man who is double-minded should expect to receive nothing from the Lord. A good illustration of this principle is the person who asks God to meet a need and believes to pay cash for it, yet knows all along that if God doesn’t come through, he’ll just use a credit card to get the need met. If you have a back-up plan, you’re not walking in faith. Faith doesn’t need a back-up plan or a safety net. And you’ll always find that your alternative plan is really the one you’re trusting. As humans, we like to have everything in place so we feel secure. But God wants us to realize that there is no place more secure than resting in faith. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What did I do about the police list? How does this story apply to YOU and YOUR life? Get the answers to these questions and many more in my brand new book, Your Financial Revolution: The Power of Provision . Discover the importance of faith, how you can tell when you’re not in faith, and how you can build faith. Plus, learn the FIVE BASIC STEPS you can take to receive the provision you need! Click here to order your copy of Your Financial Revolution: The Power of Provision now .

How did you celebrate Easter? Yes, Easter. The day that is usually about egg hunts and baskets and candy and the Easter bunny and dressing up in fancy outfits and going to church. Because, we all know, this year was drastically different. With most Americans under orders to stay at home, how we celebrated Easter changed for maybe the first time in our lives. Church services were online, or listened to from parked cars drive-in-theater-style. Dresses and cute little Easter hats and bow ties and vests for the kiddos were left in their closets. Egg hunts only happened in our own yards, not in communities. So much about how we celebrate Easter changed. But why we celebrate didn't. Maybe you only took communion with Saltine crackers and grape juice from your living room in front of the TV, but why you took communion didn't change. Maybe you joined your church's Easter service online while you were still in your pajamas, but why you chose to join in didn't change. Because on Easter we celebrate that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. We take communion. We stop to think about the horror He went through for us, and we're grateful He took our place. But this Easter especially, I want to make sure that no one forgets that Jesus's death isn’t the most important part of the story— it’s that He rose from the grave. Imagine with me for a minute that you’re sitting in the defendant’s chair in a court of law. Since the Bible tells us that Satan is the accuser of the brethren, imagine he's sitting on the other side of the courtroom as the plaintiff. Now, imagine Satan telling the judge over and over again that you owe him. He is taking you to court, accusing you in front of the judge, because he wants you to pay the price for what you've done. He wants justice. In his mind, the only way for you to pay for what you've done is for you to belong to him . But you have the best attorney possible. Your attorney tells the judge that He already stepped in on your behalf and paid the price for you to walk away from all of Satan's accusations, taunting, and tactics. The judge bangs His gavel and says, "Case dismissed." And you walk away FREE and CLEAR. Jesus is your attorney. He is the one who already stepped in on your behalf and paid the price for you to walk away free and clear. Only Jesus could live up to the Law. He was judged by the Law and pronounced innocent. Jesus didn’t sin. He was tempted as we are, but He had a nature of light. His death was a set-up. In Acts 8:32 we read that Jesus was deprived of justice. Jesus, the only one who wasn’t guilty, was crucified as being guilty FOR YOU AND FOR ME . Satan had done something illegal in the spiritual courts of law. He deprived Jesus of justice. Satan thought he was getting away with something because Jesus was innocent. And Jesus didn’t even open His mouth to defend Himself. He was silent, willfully walking into His death. Because God had a plan. Yes, Jesus paid the price in our place. Justice demanded an answer. Jesus was the answer. He was the only man on the face of the earth that could give God the legality in the earth realm. Because of His death, the Bible says that you now rule as kings and queens. Because of His death, you now possess the righteousness of Jesus. You stand before God innocent. It’s not an emotional thing. No matter how you feel or what you see or how much dysfunction, chaos, pressure, stress, or fear Satan tries to throw at you, you can enforce your legal rights as a believer, because Jesus already stood in the gap. Jesus gave His life on the cross to buy us back from evil. Then He ROSE from the grave, defeating death, and EVERY other lesser work of darkness. Jesus didn't just pay for our sins. He OVERCAME death. He gave us liberty. He made us sons and daughters of God Almighty. He gave us amazing benefits. There is nothing greater that has happened in the history of the earth. So, as far as God is concerned, whatever you might be dealing with is a legal matter—a court case—that was ALREADY settled ( dismissed! ) 2,000 years ago in a spiritual court of law! It's already DEFEATED, CONQUERED ! No matter what problem you’re facing—in your marriage, in your family, in your finances, in your business, in your body— you can be confident in your legal right that you will see justice served on your behalf as a citizen of the Kingdom of God. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ God is the God of Justice and His Kingdom is one of laws that do NOT change. If you're putting up with things you don't have to like dysfunction, chaos, unrighteousness, and fear, it's because you don't know who you really are and the authority you have in this life. You have a legal right for justice to be served on your behalf. You can stand on the promises of God, justify yourself, and overcome the enemy. Learn how to enforce justice and get your victory in this life! Download your copy of my The Cry for Justice mentorship series now. Want to learn step-by-step, what Drenda and I learned about the Kingdom of God and how it completely changed our lives? Click here for your FREE access to the first month’s module of Provision Institute !

What do you think when you hear someone talking about an “act of God”? You know, the things the insurance companies and news stations label like tornadoes that destroy entire neighborhoods, floods that completely ruin towns, and viruses that run rampant around the globe? What do you really believe about God and about His character when you hear things like that? Because so many people have been tricked into believing that God isn’t good. Satan has worked overtime for more than 2,000 years telling people lies and distorting the character of God. It’s his goal to convince as many people as possible that God isn’t good or trustworthy. Satan wants you to believe that God is unpredictable; that He’s good to some people, but that He “allows” bad things to happen to teach people lessons or to punish people for wrong choices; that He takes people from earth early because He “needs another angel in heaven”; or that He just flat out expects too much from us. But those are all lies. That’s not God’s character. Why does it matter what you believe about God's character? Because in order for you to live in all that God has for you, you must have a right perception of who He is. How you live your life and the outcomes of your life are dependent on how you view God. You must have a proper perspective of His character. How can you find out what's true about His character? 1. Read the Bible. We learn about God’s character from His Word. His Word shows us clearly who He is: Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. - James 1:16-17 For everything God created is good… - 1 Timothy 4:4 GOD IS GOOD. He is always the same. He does not change. And He doesn’t do bad things to people. To say that God does bad things to good people doesn’t match what the Bible says about Him and who He is. Acts 10:38 says Jesus went around doing GOOD and healing ALL who were oppressed of the devil. It’s Satan who oppresses, not God. God doesn’t’ change depending on the situation. His character will never change. He is ALWAYS good. You can trust Him. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 2. Ask Him. God is the God of answers. He wants us to understand His Kingdom and how it operates so we can experience His promises in our lives and effectively walk out our God-designed futures. You need knowledge of who God is and how His Kingdom operates. You can't receive from Him or fully believe His promises to you if you have a faulty picture of Him and His Kingdom. Have you ever built something that ended up not working? Ever stood back and looked at something you did and said, ‘Wait a minute. Something is wrong here?’ You got frustrated, right? Then you went back to the instructions you never bothered to read in the first place and you start dissecting everything and you realize you have a screw in the wrong place, a wire disconnected, and that you need batteries. When you finally fix the issues, and get it in alignment, it works just like it was supposed to. The BIBLE is just like that. It’s supposed to work just like it says. If there’s a malfunction, it is NEVER on God’s end. He wants to tell you WHY it’s not working. He wants to help you make changes, tell you exactly where you missed it, and give you the right picture of Him and His Kingdom. So, ask Him! Pray and ask Him where the malfunction is! Friend, what you believe about God and His character sets the stage for your entire belief system. No matter what may be going on around you—what trial you may be facing or situation you might be in— you can stand steadfast knowing that God is good and faithful and that His plan is to work in everything for your good. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Want answers about who God is and the incredible things He has for your life? Get them now— Download Because You Asked: Faith instantly for your gift of any amount. Get more encouragement! Go to Faith Life Now TV for FREE 24/7 livestreaming of our services, Scripture readings, mentorship teachings, and children’s programming!

As I listened to it, the Holy Spirit suddenly filled the room. Immediately, I knew that I had to get this out as soon as possible. Just CLICK HERE and use promo code: NOFEAR for your COMPLETELY FREE instant download of the MP3 version of Revolution of the Mind: Fear ! Please download it, listen to it, and share the link and promo code with everyone you know. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ There was a time in my life when fear didn't just try to beat down my door every single day... I let fear in. I was so afraid, I didn't want to leave my house. I was so overcome by fear that my body was nearly paralyzed. I had numbness in my face and other parts of my body for two months! Then God showed me the strategy I needed to fight and silence fear. I want to share it with you. But first, I want to remind you that YOU WERE CREATED AND ANOINTED FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS. What should you do when fear is consistently knocking on (or trying to beat down) your door? 1. Stay in faith—in agreement with what God says about you, your future, and your life. Let me just say it— you can't watch news reports 24/7 and expect to stay in faith, especially right now. Turn the television off. Put down your phone. Unsubscribe to the updates. Don't just find something else to do; spend time saturating your mind with the Word of God. You've probably heard me talking about how important your "picture" is—the picture you see of yourself and your life when you close your eyes. As you allow the Word to sink in to your heart and mind, when you close your eyes, you'll see the picture of what God says about you and your future. You'll have faith for that picture. And fear cannot overtake your faith! 2. Spend time praying in the Holy Spirit—asking God for insight and wisdom in this time. There are a couple of reasons you want to do this: 1) To stay strong in the presence of God for yourself; and 2) To be aware of incredible opportunities. You'll want to get direction from the Holy Spirit on how to minister to those around you. The world’s language is fear. The Bible says that fear is torment . You probably know that, especially if you've ever battled fear yourself. You probably also know that a lot of people are really scared right now. As I was rummaging around my office the other day, I found a Scripture project I did a couple of years ago titled Revolution of the Mind: Fear . As I listened to it, the Holy Spirit suddenly filled the room. Immediately, I knew that I had to get this out as soon as possible. Just CLICK HERE and use promo code: NOFEAR for your COMPLETELY FREE instant download of the MP3 version of Revolution of the Mind: Fear ! Please download it, listen to it, and share the link and promo code with everyone you know. Praying in the spirit will also help you see some of the amazing financial opportunities in the days ahead, and there will be many!!!!! Remember, you are the light in dark times! God did not give you a spirit of fear. He has already equipped you to overcome every strategy of the enemy! You have the victory! ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Get more encouragement! Go to Faith Life Now TV for FREE 24/7 livestreaming of our services, Scripture readings, mentorship teachings, and children’s programming!

We were in a really tough spot. We were struggling just to afford groceries. At that time, a commercial kept coming on TV for a local fruit farm, and one of the things they kept advertising was their homemade apple butter. (I love apple butter!) I prayed, “Lord, I  would love to go get some […] The post God Cares About the Little Things in Your Life appeared first on Gary Keesee Ministries.

God has your answer. Imagine with me for a minute that you’re sitting in an auditorium with hundreds of other people getting ready to listen to a speaker when someone walks out on the stage and tells the audience that they’ve hidden a treasure underneath one of the seats. What would you do? Jump up […] The post Need Something? This is Who has Your Answers. appeared first on Gary Keesee Ministries.

We All Face Fear The news is getting more intense every day. It can be hard not to feel fear every single day about the things that are going on in the world. Luke 21:26 warns us that in the last days the hearts of men will fail because of fear. There are a lot […] The post Fear is a Liar — You Don’t Have to Be Afraid appeared first on Gary Keesee Ministries.