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Here’s How to Get the Answers You Need Just When You Need Them

Gary Keesee • May 17, 2019

Do you need answers? Maybe a little help?

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All of the hotel rooms in the city were booked. There was a big design conference coming, and it had always attracted a lot of visitors.

Joe Gebbia sent his roommate, Brian Chesky, an email with an idea:

What if they bought a few air mattresses and turned their apartment into a bed and breakfast for the weekend, complete with breakfast for their guests?

They could set up a website and call it airbedandbreakfast.com.

After all, they were having trouble paying their rent. This might be a great way to bring in some extra money.

It worked. They got their first three bookings. Each guest paid $80 a night to sleep on air mattresses.

There’s much more to the story, but Joe and Brian’s unusual strategy ended up paying off.

Twelve years later, their company—Airbnb—is worth $31 billion.

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That’s a really great story, right? But what does it have to do with you ?

Two words: UNUSUAL STRATEGY .

Brace yourself, friend. What I’m about to tell you CAN COMPLETELY CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

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 ! He has your answers.

One of those secrets—a KEY secret, or mystery—is the POWER OF STRATEGY .

Last month I mentioned that, too often, we forget we’re in a spiritual battle , and we don’t take the spiritual adversary we have seriously; (remember how I said we’ve seen too many TV shows and cartoons that downplay the enemy to just some creepy guy with horns and a red cape?)

But Satan is alive, and demons are real, and they don’t want to see you prosper and live the destiny God has for you. This is the reason the Bible says Jesus spoke in parables—it was God’s strategy to keep things from the enemy.

Think about it. The adversary would love to cut you off at the pass. God prevents that by keeping things hidden until the right time and by using unusual strategies to advance His Kingdom in the earth.

Unusual strategies from God are YOUR SECRET WEAPONS.

Friend, God has the answers you need right when you need them.

He wants to give you direction for your life. He wants to help you reach the destiny He’s designed for you.

YOU must step out in faith and trust Him to show you what to do.

Let Him help you. Ask Him to tell you what to do and where to go.

And you might as well get it in your head now that a God-inspired idea is almost guaranteed to sound foolish to your natural way of thinking (like renting out air mattresses on your apartment floor, or getting a coin out of the mouth of a fish).

…go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us. —Matthew 17:27b (NLT)

Have you ever heard of anyone else anywhere in the world catching a fish with money in its mouth? That’s not a normal thing. There’s nothing ordinary or natural about that at all.

Jesus was trying to teach them a critical lesson—how to take unusual instructions. He was training Peter to get accustomed to hearing and obeying unusual strategies !

Granted, Jesus still had Peter catch a fish. Peter was a professional fisherman, so he knew how to catch fish. The enemy knew that. So it wasn’t a big deal for Peter to be fishing. As far as the enemy was concerned, Peter was just going about his normal day.

But God was using an unusual strategy.

Here’s what you need to understand…

Just like Peter, YOU can get the exact answer you need exactly when you need it .

God knows where your provision is, and He wants you to have the answers you need!

He has hidden the secrets of His Kingdom FOR you, not FROM you.

Psalm 23 says God delights in preparing a table for you in the presence of your enemy. God uses unusual strategies to advance His cause right under the enemy’s nose . He loves that. We do too! And that’s how God wants to use YOU!

That’s how He used Drenda and me!

You may know some of our story, but years before we were in ministry, we were in financial ruin.

When Drenda and I made a commitment to the Kingdom and began to gain knowledge of how it worked, we didn’t suddenly have more money. I still needed to create or capture money from the earth realm.

God doesn’t have any money to just put in your mailbox, but He does know where the money is and can give you a plan to capture it. In my case, He gave me a dream one night about starting a company that would help people get out of debt. He gave me that plan while I still had plenty of debt of my own to pay off. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense—me helping people get out of debt—but God was using the foolish to confound the wise. He was using a unique strategy.

When God uses the foolish, it also confounds the enemy, who isn’t anticipating that unique strategy. ( Remember, God delights in preparing a table for you in the presence of your enemy. ) The devil never had a clue that I would someday be out of debt and declaring the good news of the Kingdom in the area of money. Neither did I. But as we followed God and let God show us how to proceed, it worked!

To win in life, YOU need YOUR UNIQUE STRATEGY from God, your unique path to run on, a niche that God will give you to own and occupy as your own.

At first, the plan probably won’t make sense. Like me, you may have never thought of doing what God shows you to do. That’s the point; the devil has never thought of it either.

So, here’s my question for you: Have you been missing out on the power of strategy in your life?

I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of God’s help in my life.

If you’re anything like me, and want to know as much as you can about the power of strategy, I’ve got great news for you! I just finished an entire book about it. It’s called, Your Financial Revolution: The Power of STRATEGY , and it’s BRAND NEW.

I’m SO EXCITED to get this book in your hands!

Understanding how God works undercover using THE POWER OF STRATEGY is one of the single greatest keys to your success and victory in life.

It’s critical that you understand this if you want to capture the opportunities God has for you.

No more missing out on the great things God has for you!

By Gary Keesee 13 Mar, 2024
Reading Time 2 mins 34 secs – How can you make sure you’re equipped for the growth coming your way this year? Here are my 10 steps to posture yourself for opportunity and success. 1. Ask yourself how you’re handling your current responsibilities. Don’t run from your responsibilities. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you should be a success. People will still see the evidence of God even if you think you’re in the wrong spot. 2. Detox your life of the things that keep you from having time to think. We live in a fast-paced world. There are plenty of things that can keep you distracted. But it’s in the moments that you stop to think that you’ll find ways to solve problems, and that’s where the opportunities are. So figure out what is consuming your time. Start saying no to some things. Find time to think. 3. Don’t hang around people who are always losing. I know people hit rough spots, but if the people in your life are chronically losing, it’s time to expand your circle. Hang around people who are better than you are, who don’t see things as impossible, and who have vision. It may be uncomfortable for you, but their influence will cause you to think differently. 4. Write down EVERY idea that you have, no matter how strange it seems. Most people filter opportunities and ideas through what they perceive their ability to be. This means most people discard ideas by the dozens because they don’t think they can do them. But God isn’t limited to what you know how to do. The ideas He gives you might seem so weird to you that you can’t process them fully. Write them down so you have time to think about them. 5. Research. Research. Repeat. You don’t need to know how to do something; you need to know how to learn how to do it. Research until you find what you’re looking for. 6. Count the cost before you jump. A lot of Christians hear God and jump out too soon, resulting in catastrophe. There are seasons for everything. God will prepare you for where He wants you to go. Be patient. 7. Always be in agreement with your spouse. Never, ever march out into battle without your spouse being in total agreement and your faith aligned. 8. Ask God for direction. Ask Him to help you, to show you where to go, and what to do. And always remember that prophecy from other people shouldn’t lead you; it should only confirm what God has already said to you. 9. Commit to never quit. Quitting is not an option. Once you’ve moved, don’t move again until God speaks to you. Stay with it. Walk it out. Don’t quit. So many people have so much potential, but they get uncomfortable and they quit. If you want to win, you should always be stretching. 10. Get ready to embrace bigger things. Your ability to see the big picture will keep growing as you change and grow on the inside. You’ll pick up on even more opportunities. For more principles, check out this FREE video on success.
By Drenda Keesee 14 Feb, 2024
Reading Time 2 mins 59 secs – A stuffed toy laid in the road at the scene of the accident. As we passed, the Lord spoke to me, “ Okay, this is your last warning. Are you going to continue this? You know you are opening the door to the enemy.” Gary and I had had a disagreement just before we had left the house for our family road trip. And there we were six hours in and we’d barely said a word to one another. Six hours. You think driving from Ohio to Tennessee is a long stretch of highway? Try doing it while giving someone the silent treatment. One word: torture. Then we passed the accident. Gary and I both felt the same conviction when we passed it, especially because it clearly involved children. But... pride. We knew what we were doing wasn’t good. (What kind of example is it to your children to ignore each other?) But neither of us wanted to lay down our pride. I kept hearing the voice of the Lord, and I’d think, No, I’m not going to fix this thing, because then I’ll have to talk to him. It was almost a competition to see who could hold our grudge for the longest. But strife is dangerous stuff. What is strife? Drama, conflict, friction, disagreement, bickering, arguing, bad blood, disputes… whichever words you use to describe it, it’s dangerous. Whether it’s between you and your spouse, you and your child, you and a friend, you and a family member, or you and a coworker, you don’t want to let strife remain in your life. The Bible says that where there is strife, there is confusion and there is every evil work (James 3:16). Our small argument between Gary and I had gone unchecked and had escalated, and neither one of us were listening to the voice of the Lord. And there were consequences for our strife and outright disobedience. About an hour after we passed the accident, a car pulled out in front of our vehicle, and we were in what could have been a very serious car accident. I started yelling the name of Jesus, and God supernaturally protected our entire family. Initially, it looked as though there were going to be serious issues. They told us our son’s spleen might rupture. I was pregnant, and the doctors worried that I might lose the baby. Through all of these things, we stood on the Word of God, and we all came out unharmed, including the young preacher’s son who had pulled out in front of us (he was in disobedience at that moment too). Even in the midst of this difficult situation, through our prayers, standing on God’s Word, and our children’s words to the medical personnel, we had opportunities to minister and impact the little county hospital we had to visit. The enemy tried to take us out, but he lost. We were responsible for opening the door to the enemy. But the name of Jesus is more powerful than our mistakes and circumstances, and that is what kept us protected. You MUST stay on guard and not allow strife in your life, with anyone. How? Here are just three quick tips: Bite your tongue. You don’t have to say everything you think. Don’t lash out or give the silent treatment. Work on communicating with others in a healthy way. Repent quickly and forgive quickly. Take responsibility; admit when you’re wrong. Say you’re sorry and ask for forgiveness. Don’t hold onto hurts. Forgive as you’ve been forgiven by Jesus.
By Faith Life Now 10 Jan, 2024
Reading Time 4 mins 7 secs – Are you saved? Have you forgotten how that happened? Think about it. Did someone preach hellfire and brimstone to you, or did someone show you they loved you? Did they hand you a Bible and send you on your way, or did they spend some time with you? Did their example make you want to run or make you want what they had? Which of these people are YOU for other people? It’s easy to forget that WE have what the world needs. It’s easy to get focused on ourselves, on our busy lives, and on just doing life and church. It’s very easy to forget what we’re here for. As “The Church,” we’re called to live lives of worship and of service and to show Jesus to others. We were made to glorify God, know Him, be involved with others in the church, and to go out into the lost and dying world, sharing the love of Jesus, and making a difference. I talk about “marketplace ministry” often, because God didn’t create everyone to work and do ministry in a literal church building. No, He created each of us to minister to others in the marketplace—in places like our jobs, our businesses, our neighborhoods, and our schools. Look at Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus is talking to His disciples. He had spent three and a half years investing in their lives, and He had something important to say. He told them to GO and make disciples of all the nations. He told them to reach OUT. That’s the same directive you have as a modern-day disciple of Jesus. That makes a lot of Christians uncomfortable. After all, we’re not all evangelists, right? Studies tell us that only 2-3% of the body of Christ are actually evangelists. And the Bible only mentions it twice. So, most of us aren’t evangelists. But there is a difference between a gift and a role . The gift of an evangelist is a gift from God where you’re anointed to be and do something, but we’re ALL called to fulfill the role of evangelism. So, how do we do it? How do we avoid all the uncomfortable, awkward moments? It’s very simple. You invest your time and you invite . Invest your time in people. Spend time with them. Invite them to have a cookout or get coffee. Invite them to come to church. Invite them to join a small group. Invite them to meet you at the playground with their kids or to bring their kids to VBS at your church. Investing in someone else takes intentionality and effort. We’ve got to invest some time in people’s lives. Sure, cold turkey evangelism works some of the time, but what works ALL of the time is when people find genuine love and concern. Think about it. What might happen if you began to invest in those relationships that you already have and reach the people you already know? What might happen if you started to really pay attention to the people where you live, shop, play, and eat? When was the last time you invited someone to church? When was the last time you sat down with someone that doesn’t go to church and had a coffee and mentioned God? Do you even know anyone who doesn’t go to church? (Are you starting to sweat?) Friend, we HAVE to show people that they matter, and we HAVE to show people that we’re normal. We’re here building families, doing life, and overcoming struggles by the grace of God, and people need to see it. Otherwise, they’re completely entitled to think Christians are weird. Seriously. Most people out there in the world think that we’re nuts. They think we don’t have any answers. There’s usually one quack “Christian” out there at their school, their job, or in their family—somebody that’s crazy, that doesn’t honor God, or love people—and that’s the only example they’ve seen. The world needs to see Jesus. The woman at the well knew this. After she talked to Jesus, she went back to the city and told the men to come and see the man who told her everything she ever did. She told the guys, and they headed to see Jesus. At the same time, the disciples were talking to Jesus. He told the disciples to lift up their eyes and look because the harvest was white right now. It was ready, and He wanted them to stop waiting. Right then, a flood of men with white turbans on their heads was coming out of the city. They were coming to see Jesus. They were the harvest. But they were Samaritans—they didn’t get along with the Jews. The disciples saw them as problems. Who do you see as a problem? See, too often, we’re blind to the harvest. That’s why Jesus said, “ Lift up your eyes. ” Don’t live blind to the harvest, or focused on yourself, or too busy, or just “doing” church. Lift up your eyes. SEE the overlooked, underappreciated, hurting, rejected people around you. And get busy investing and inviting.
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