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Want to Be Able to Give More? Better Know How to Pass This Test

Gary Keesee • Feb 20, 2019

If you needed to go behind enemy lines during a battle, would you pick someone with no experience or someone that had been tested and trained?

I think we would all be ridiculous not to choose the person that had been adequately tested and trained. God is no different. He wants to bless you and work through you, but He needs to know you can handle it first.

If you want to be able to give more, you better know how to pass the money test.

In Joshua 6:19 (NIV), we see God giving the Israelites very specific instructions regarding what to do with the spoils of the battle of Jericho, the wealth of the city. “All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.” However, a man named Achan went against this command and kept some of treasures for himself.  When God told Joshua that the reason they lost the Battle of Ai was because there was sin in the camp, Joshua confronted Achan.

Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath” (Joshua 7:20-21, NIV)

Just because you have money doesn’t mean it’s yours.

God has an agenda and he needs you to fund it.

Achan misunderstood the purpose of the wealth that he touched when he took it for himself rather than giving it to the Lord.

You pass the money test by discerning the purpose of the money you touch.

Second Corinthians 9:10 says, “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”

Who supplies the seed? God does. Whose seed is it? God’s seed.

You must have the proper perspective that seed is not only for satisfying your needs and desires, but more importantly for enlarging the harvest. God increases your store of seed to increase his impact in the earth.

The treasure was not for Achan. In fact, it would have been better for Achan to stay in Egypt as a slave because when they found out he stole from the Lord, they stoned he and his whole family. He was not mature enough to handle what the Israelites had been given, and the consequences were serious.

God says he will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). We could also say that God will not prosper you beyond what you can handle. Prosperity will destroy you if you don’t view it in the right mindset. Just look to our wealthiest icons in popular culture!

Christians often get this backward and think God will bless them with billions by next week. He’s smarter than that, and He loves you more than that. Money is dangerous, and those that don’t use it according to Kingdom principles suffer huge consequences. Just look at the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). They lied about the amount of money they sold a piece of land for and both died as a result. It would have been better for them if they had never even owned the land.

God is your father and he wants to train you to handle money properly and view it in the correct mindset. We’ve all been trained by the world to hoard for our protection and security. But God has commanded us to put our hope in Him and give to those in need so that we may experience what life is really about (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

All of us are at a different point in the process. Some of us are being tested with hundreds of dollars and some of us are being tested with millions. The test doesn’t get any easier, the number just changes.

We all have that point that makes us say, You want me to give what?!? It may not be hard to give $5 or $10 without batting an eye, but when God says to give $10,000, you might choke.

What’s your number—what number would make you choke right now if God asked you to give it?

You can’t be trusted past that number. If $10,000 makes you choke, you can’t handle $10,000. It’s a trust issue at that point.

When you don’t trust God to provide, He can’t trust you. As we loosen our grasp on what was already God’s to begin with, we allow Him to trust us with more.

If you want to pass the money test, you must discern the purpose of your money, which is not necessarily for you. As you sow it with God’s intent, he will keep giving you more so you can give more.

Your life can be completely changed by living out these principles. Start growing your number today.

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For more life-changing teaching on passing the money test and achieving financial success, request your copies of Gary’s Money Mysteries from the Master book and Money Mysteries from the Master package download.

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.
By Gary Keesee 12 Dec, 2023
Reading Time 3 mins 51 secs – When was the last time you failed at something? Was it something small or something big? Was it fun? Of course, it wasn’t. Failure is never fun. Here’s the thing: it’s not just a cliché to say you can always learn from failure. It’s true. In fact, having a proper understanding of failure is vital to your success. I’m sure you’re familiar with the Honda Corporation. Honda has a proper understanding of failure. I read that their engineers spend 95% of their time studying their failures—why the lawn mower wouldn’t start the first time or why the gas mileage is higher on their new car model than on the old one. Why? Because they know that their success lies in those failures. You have to look at failures the same way. We’re all going to make mistakes. Most of us come into God’s Kingdom, and we don’t know how to live life, so we fail. And the enemy loves to pervert our failures. He wants us to hesitate in moving forward, so he tries to get us to rehearse our failures over and over again, or he paints a vivid picture of the risks. He tells us that our failures are permanent. And, all too often, we believe him. Then, we stop. We don’t move forward because we’re afraid we’ll fail again. Or the enemy has another tactic—blaming the failure on God . That’s one of his favorites. Why? Because it makes us question God. The enemy used this tactic on Joshua. In Joshua 1, Moses died and God put Joshua in charge. Joshua led the people to Jericho, and the walls came down. Things were working just like God had said… until chapter 7. That’s where failure happened. There was a guy named Achan in chapter 7. Achan had stolen some of the spoils from battle, and Joshua had no clue. Unaware of Achan’s failure to follow God’s instructions, Joshua sent men on to the next battle at Ai only to see his men killed. Everyone has a chapter 7. We’ve all had those moments when we begin to follow Christ, and something happens that doesn’t match the picture, or the promise, in the Bible or what we know God has said. And if we don’t understand how to deal with failure, those moments may make us lose our courage. We might hesitate, or we might set up camp and never try again, or we might just try to run back to Egypt. So, we have to understand failure and how to deal with it. Joshua had to learn. At first, like we all do, Joshua reacted . The enemy’s plan to have him blame God worked. Joshua questioned God. Ever done that before? Ever blamed God or questioned Him? We all have. But God wasn’t having it. He told Joshua to GET UP! See, people say that they wish Jesus would just show up. Trust me, you DON’T want that. Jesus isn’t going to show up and say, “Let’s have a group hug.” When the disciples freaked out that they were going to drown in the storm at sea, Jesus didn’t get up and coddle and comfort them. No, Jesus said, “Where is your faith?” In the same way, He’s probably not going to baby you if you experience failure. He’s going to say, “GET UP! Have you not read MY WORD? I already paid the price!” He will correct you. That’s exactly what God did to Joshua. He told him to get up . Then, He told Joshua exactly what had happened. See, the failure wasn’t just on Achan’s part. It was also on Joshua’s. Joshua hadn’t sought instruction from God before he engaged Ai. If he had, God could have told him about Achan before they went to battle. Instead, Joshua just assumed . You can NEVER assume things in the Kingdom. You can’t do anything based on your past victories. The enemy is already wise to them, and he’s already changed strategies. You don’t have to fail. If you go to God first, failure doesn’t have to happen. But even if you do fail, there are steps you can take to overcome the failure and move forward: 1. Ask God what happened. If the Word says it, it’s God’s will. There are a lot of variables—things like unbelief and wrong expectations—that mess with the heart and can short-circuit faith. If it didn’t happen, you need to ask God why. 2. Pinpoint the short circuit. Know who, what, why, when, where, and how so it doesn’t happen again. 3. Ask God how to fix it. 4. Get the plan from Him on how to restore the loss. 5. GET UP and take action. Sure, you’ll probably feel afraid. Ignore your feelings. God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous. You will have to be too. You can feel afraid, but don’t act like it. Remember, if you’re not doing the hardest thing in your life, you’re not growing. God has already prepared a way for you to go and succeed in a big way. Be confident and let the Holy Spirit teach you, train you, and reveal unique strategies to you. Keep your vision in front of your face. Write it down! Believe it’s possible; otherwise, you’re destined to stay right where you are. God wants to advance His Kingdom in the earth through you. He’s depending on you to overcome failure and take territory for Him.
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