One of the biggest reasons many Christians don’t enter into the fullness of God’s Word is that they read the Word of God as a spectator.

It is no doubt a fascinating collection of people, stories, miracles and events. . .but it’s much more. It is alive and interactive when we apply it to our lives.

In reading a red-letter edition of the Bible you will find that Jesus asked over 173 questions during His earthly ministry. While I found the number of questions Jesus asked interesting. . .I found why He asked them. . .profound.

God asked questions. . .because He wanted His listeners to think. . .it facilitates the learning process in each of us.

As I was studying this a few days ago, my fine wife, Bev and I agreed to reduce the number of questions to seven. . .for the purpose of this teaching. Seven. . .do you find that an interesting number?

Number one…what do you think?

Without a doubt. . .one of the best learning methods is to ask questions. After all, this technique was utilized by the greatest teacher of all. . .our Lord and Savior.

There are at least four recorded instances where He said to His disciples “what do you think?” He also asked “how think ye”, “won’t he” as well as other word choices to involve the disciples in the parable and to provoke their thinking.

2 Peter 3:9 says:

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

As I was reading this verse. . .God stirred in me to make a statement and then ask you and me a question. . .which He wants us to ponder before we answer.

First, here’s the statement. . .God is not slack concerning His promises and neither should we be.

Second, here’s the question? Are we spiritual slackers?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines slacker as:

“Moving slowly; sluggish; lacking in activity; not busy.”

When it comes to activating and appropriating His promises into our daily life. . .God does not want us moving slowly. A lack of spiritual activity on our behalf will most certainly be a subject of conversation on Judgment Day.

Did you know that the way we perceive God can keep us from knowing the truth about Him? It’s true.

Your perception of a person, even if it is wrong, will keep you from seeing him or her as they really are. That is the reason I make this statement:

You will have the God you perceive.

I encourage you to write down those seven words and get them engrafted into your spirit.

You will have the God you perceive.

Understand this is true in all aspects, however, since we teach finances, we will approach the financial side.

If you perceive Him as a poor God, you will always think He is trying to get money from you. But when you understand He is a rich God, you will realize His principles are designed to get money to you.

Your perception of God and His relationship to your financial status will cause you to see Him in one of two ways: He will be either Jehovah Needy or Jehovah Jireh.

According to the Bible, God is Jehovah Jireh and is ready and able to prosper and abundantly bless you beyond all you can imagine or think.

He is not Jehovah Needy, standing with His hand out trying to get all you have for his own selfish need.

Are you at a turning point in your life?

Do you need to change from living in lack to walking in abundance?

Do you need to experience the healing touch of Jehovah Rapha?

Do you need to see your long-lost family members born-again and proclaiming Jesus as the Lord of their lives?

Is your spirit ready to embrace a turning point moment?

1 Thessalonians 1:9 in The Living Bible says:

“For they keep telling us about the wonderful welcome you gave us, and how you turned away from your idols to God so that now the living and true God only is your Master.”

People who experience turning points do so for typically two reasons. They become inspired to change … or the more common, they experience a life-changing circumstance (loss of a job) or a catastrophic event (divorce, health challenge etc.) that forces them to change.

Reaching a turning point in our lives. . .normally involves three things.

First, a message we’ve heard. . .that provoked our thinking.

For sports fans this is an exciting time of the year.

The high school, college and professional football seasons are getting underway.

Major league baseball is just a month or so away from the World Series which I hope the New York Yankees win. Of course, that’s my personal preference.

When we think of champions. . .we think of those who win sports titles. . .either as a team or through individual efforts.

It is not easy to become a champion. . .it takes determination. . .practice. . .exercise. . . discipline and, yes. . .commitment to never give up, give in, back up, back down, sit down, quit or walk away until victory is achieved.

God has given each of us the heart of a champion far beyond the field of athletic endeavor. Much like most earthly fathers who want their children to be champions in whatever they undertake. . .our Heavenly Father desires for you and I. . .His children to win in the game of life.

By the way, if you didn’t have an earthly father to root you on for whatever reason … you do have a heavenly Father who is in your corner during every bout. He wants you to come out swinging to put every obstacle in your rear view mirror and excel in life.

The old saying that it’s darkest before the dawn is certainly true in a natural sense. It’s pitch black outside as I was led to Matthew 13:23. . .it’s not a subject that I’d planned to write about. After all, this particular scripture is quoted by every preacher/teacher who ever taught about sowing, reaping and the hundredfold.

But God gave me a different approach to the verse. . .He wanted me to write about the seven keys to a Matthew 13:23 and your hundredfold harvest.

Matthew 13:23 says:

“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

1.         Where does the seed you sow come from?

In the parable of the sower there are three verses (Matthew 13:19,22,23) where we’re told that the sower received seed.

The question is where did the sower receive seed from?

2 Corinthians 9:10 in the Amplified Bible gives us this answer:

“And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [ which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity].”

God provides seed to the sower.

Have you ever wondered how to get a fresh start?

Over the years. . .I’ve heard that expression so many times.

“Brother Harold, I just want a fresh start. How can I make that happen?”

Truthfully, you can have a fresh start with God’s help. . .and guess what? He’s ready to help you. . .so let’s get going.

1 Corinthians 1:26 MSG

“. . .Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. . .”

Romans 8:11 MSG

“When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!”

Why does God want you to have a fresh start?

Charles Spurgeon, the English Baptist Pastor known as the Prince of Preachers, once said:

“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

As I read and re-read that quote. . .I started thinking about the current political climate in this nation and around the world.  There is more instability, lies and manipulations than I’ve ever seen or read about in history.

There is also a great deal of turmoil in the lives of people, including believers, on every level.

Truthfully, I put all the personal and political acrimony out of my mind and I went into a place of rest. 

While I was reading the Word and praying. . .the following words dropped into my spirit.

“Don’t pray doubled-minded.”

Immediately, I thought about James 1:8 which says:

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

According to Strong’s Concordance the word double-minded is the Greek word dipsychos (G1374) and it means:

“He’s gone to his eternal reward.”

Sounds great, doesn’t it?  The phrase is mentally soothing. . .emotionally comforting and spiritually authoritative.

The phrase is the religious way of saying that someone has gone to heaven.

I am not minimizing the ultimate reward we receive as a born-again Child of God. . .the privilege, honor and blessing of being able to spend eternity in His presence.  In fact, I’m blessed beyond measure to be going.

However, there are seven reasons why our reward is more than a one-way trip to heaven.

1.      If you give to or do for others. . .you will be paid for it. . .that’s your immediate reward.

Mark 9:41 says:

Sometime back I remember reading what I thought was a well-reasoned article on decision making.

After a couple of paragraphs. . .I knew the writer was either a hamburger short of a happy meal or he was having a bad day when he wrote the article.

If that seems harsh. . .consider his suggestion on how you should make a MAJOR decision.

The author suggested the readers write out all their choices, put them in a hat and draw out one. He then said … if you’re disappointed in the selection you know one of the other ones is the right choice. The author encouraged people to repeat the process until they found the right decision.

Now in fairness. . .let me say, if you’re choosing a restaurant…I don’t have a problem with that method…but not a decision that affects your family, career or life goals is a different matter.

By then, I knew I had to write “Making Decisions. . .God’s Way.” In a rapid fire order. . .God gave me the seven keys and a week later directed me to finish the teaching.