Stories carry power. What we hear and how we respond is the foundation of pretty much everything that we allow to come to pass on this planet of ours.
I had the privilege of sitting under a very powerful ministry and man of God from Nigeria this weekend. A holy awe and fear of God was permeating the church as he simply closed his eyes and began to recount the mighty ways God has worked in revivals in our recent history.
He wasn't talking about Peter and John in the Book of Acts, or Moses and the children of Israel, or even some of the miracles Jesus accomplished before His crucifixion. This was not your ordinary sermon. He instead talked about the moves of God that have swept through the Church and the world through the last two centuries.
We heard of the prayers and vows that were made by ordinary men and women unto God and the character of those who paid the price to see God come and do something extraordinary in their midst. I took it all in like a sponge, thought it over, and fell asleep.
I woke up thinking about economics.
Wealth and the benefits
When I was a young teenager, living at home with my parents and having no real money of my own, I decided to start investing. My passion for investment came about not because I read good books like Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Nor did I even have a desire to be rich.
One good thing about growing up in Australia is that you can have a comfortable life during childhood without ever really being exposed to excessive wealth. This type of upbringing allows you to not be too affected by desiring to have the most expensive, brand name clothes or needing to be seen in the latest Mercedes Benz in order to feel successful and important.
There are many millionaires in Australia who are happy to drive a cheap second hand car, sit in economy class on the plane and buy their clothing in Target. This easygoing attitude is hard to find in countries where there is a vast gap between the rich and the poor, as indicators of wealth are felt to be necessary for both social standing and self-esteem.
What was my investment to be?
Getting back on track, I had no money to invest, nor was I interested in monetary gain. My teenage obsession was not found looking at pictures of girls in magazines, or listening to the latest music to hit the charts. My obsession came from reading a book on Evan Roberts and the Welsh Revival. I read it cover to cover in one day. That day formed my teenage years.
I saw that when people committed themselves to pray and ask for revival, God would provide. If people would invest time, energy and prayer into heaven, they would eventually withdraw hundred-fold returns. What goes up as vapour, unseen and unknown, comes down as heavy rain. I liked the odds.
The people I read about spent hours, days and even nights in prayer in the firm conviction that God would hear and respond. At that time I spent hours surfing, playing video games and watching episodes of The Simpsons. So I made a plan.
I would set aside an hour every day to pray and read my Bible. Half an hour reading, and half an hour praying, shut up in my room. I picked the time which I thought would be best, which for me happened to be the time I should be doing my homework from school (something has to be sacrificed, and it sure wasn't going to be surfing).
The sacrifice to be rich in God
Then I began. Reading was OK. Praying was hard. I found myself checking my watch after five minutes. My watch checking continued for a few months, but I had decided not to leave the room until my time was finished. My goal was to spend hours praying every day like the revivalists, and ultimately I wanted to see God move just like I had heard about in history.
My biggest fear in life is missing out. I didn't want to miss out on anything God had made available for mankind. I want to be rich in God!
Eventually I came to a point where I would spend hours in prayer every day without ever having to check my watch. I would leave my room only when I felt the tangible presence of God upon me. I have made withdrawals on those investments since and there are more still to be made.
But this weekend, as I heard about the prophetic promises made by those who paid the price to bring heaven to earth those many years ago, I knew it was time to start investing again.
You tend to put stock in the words of those who have been successful in the stock market, and heed their predictions. Well, if the revivalists of old are right, there is a big payday from heaven coming in our time and any investment we make will have exponential effect!
The question must be asked: what are you investing in?
We have a short window to wisely buy up the oil, or be left in the dark with the foolish.
The only Kingdom that is everlasting is the one that comes from heaven. When everything else crashes, its treasure will remain. A wise place to invest, I believe.
Joshua Robbie is from the Gold Coast Australia, he and his wife Rene' have determined to give themselves in service to the kingdom of God in all aspects of life.
Josh Robbie's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/josh-robbie.html