WEALTH TRANSFER - DIVINE STRATEGY
Ben Peters
Oct 7, 2007
Greetings Friends,
I want to share a message God has been giving me. Actually it's a condensed version of several insights and revelations coming in the last few months. But first let me share a couple of requests.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Pray for Brenda and Jessie as they head home after some very great meetings in New York State. Also continue to pray for our family and team. We need wisdom, vision and grace for the challenges of the present and future.
2. We have a young friend in Calgary, Alberta, who has cancer. She has already had surgery and is now taking chemotherapy, but the doctors don't have much hope for her. Her family is desperate for a miracle. Her name is Candice and would appreciate your prayers. We want her to be healed by the Master Physician.
Much love to all,
Here's the article:
WEALTH TRANSFER – DIVINE STRATEGY
Wealth is being transferred constantly, but not always in the direction we hope for. For instance, a huge portion of the wealth of the western world is being transferred to the Middle East. Our insatiable appetite for their abundant supply of crude oil transfers billions of dollars into the bank accounts of Sheiks and Islamic dictators, some of whom are our sworn enemies.
But it’s time to get ready! Things are about to change. We are soon going to see the kind of wealth transfer that many devout Christians are praying for all around the world. This wealth transfer will be one of “Biblical Proportions”. In fact it will remind us of some of the Old Testament stories of wealth transfer. This will be so incredible that it will impact the whole world and bring in a massive harvest, rapidly and explosively expanding the Kingdom of God on the earth.
THE PATRIARCHS
Abraham was given great personal wealth as he grazed his livestock on the fertile pastures of the land that God had given him. But God promised him a future wealth that surpassed what he could see in his day. That wealth included many nations coming from his loins, a Redeemer birthed through his seed, and great blessings on all who would bless his descendents.
But before Jacob, his grandson, died, the heirs of Abraham left their inheritance and migrated to Egypt to avoid starvation and to join Joseph who had been made a ruler in Egypt. They did continue to prosper somewhat and multiply in Egypt, but their own land, their inheritance from God, was left for others to populate and claim as their own.
This transfer of wealth was the first major loss to the fledgling nation of Israel, and would be followed by others in the centuries to come. It is important to understand that ownership of land is a key component of natural wealth.
THE PASTURES OF GOD
While reading the book of Psalms one day I found an unexpected nugget in an obscure passage. Here it is:
“Who said, ‘Let us take for ourselves the pastures of God for our possessions.’” (Psalm 83:12)
The “who” above refers to Zebah and Zalmunna mentioned in verse 11. These two kings of Midian cast their eyes on the pastures of God and decided they would engage in a transfer of wealth. The young nation of Israel, after the passing of Samuel, had wandered from God and served idols. God’s protection was lifted and other nations were emboldened to claim their land. When Israel repented and cried out to God, he raised up deliverers, like Gideon, to deal with their oppressors.
But what caught my attention immediately was the interesting expression, “the pastures of God”. Pastures are the source of provision for the flock of God – His sheep. Without pastures, sheep will not survive. The enemy is always coming to remove our source of wealth.
The Kings of Midian had come in and stolen the crops of Israel as soon as they were ready for harvest. They pitched their tents on Israel’s land and probably used Israel’s pastures to graze their own sheep.
Being a revivalist and teacher, I immediately thought of the spiritual application of “pastures of God”. I believe our “pasture” – the source of our spiritual prosperity is the very presence of our Living God. Out of His presence comes all we need and desire, including the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, with all His gifts and graces.
When the enemy is able to get us to leave our pasture, the presence of God, he can take away our power and strength to do God’s work. He can also remove the needed resources to build and expand the Kingdom of Heaven on the earth.
What has happened over the centuries and millennia is that the enemy has had a strategy to transfer the natural provision away from God’s people and into the hands of his own slaves. To do this, he had to lure the people of God away from their “pasture” – the presence of God, Himself.
THE JOY OF HARVEST
“You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy. They rejoice before You according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.” (Isaiah 9:3)
When God wanted to describe extreme joy in terms His people would understand, he used two comparisons. The first was “the joy of harvest”. This is a phrase which is very prophetic for our day.
Most prophetic people believe that we are beginning the great and final harvest before the return of Jesus Christ. I believe we will see a great acceleration of the harvest in the next few years. This harvest will produce the greatest joy the church has ever known. It will fill the feeling of something missing that so many Christians express.
So many Christians, especially the younger generation, are saying, “There must be more to Christianity than what I am now experiencing.” Yes, there is! It’s participating in bringing in the harvest and presenting it to the Master.
God actually designed us in His image to experience supreme and powerful joy. He declares that “In His presence is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures for evermore.” Most Christians have not discovered where that joy comes from. It comes from seeing the smile on the face of the Father when we bring the harvest to Him. But what will it take to bring in this tremendous harvest?
Without a doubt it will take a tremendous amount of financial resources for this harvest to happen. The “Pastures of God” must be taken back from the enemy. We must have the resources for training harvesters, transporting them to the harvest fields, employing cutting-edge technology, wages for the workers, material aid to the poor and starving, and well-digging equipment, etc.
POVERTY OF SPIRIT – KEY TO MATERIAL PROSPERITY
An incredible number of ministries are experiencing unusual attacks on their finances, causing them to cry out to God for His deliverance. I believe this is a reminder that we need to become more aware of our spiritual poverty and cry out, like Israel did, for the restoration of our “pastures” so we can fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.
Like Israel, the church went into captivity, not to another nation, but to a spirit of religion and darkness. For over five hundred years, God has been leading us out of bondage and back towards our promised land. Like Judah in the time of restoration, under various emperors, we are back on our land, but not fully owning it.
But it’s now time for the great harvest and we need the fullness of God’s provision to bring it to Him. If we want to experience the joy of harvest, we must pursue the provision to facilitate the harvest.
WHEN DELIVERERS ARE BORN
Moses was brought into the world to bring deliverance to God’s people, but the enemy was trying to kill him before he could grow up. God’s purpose was to use Moses to spoil the Egyptians and transfer the wealth of Egypt to the Children of Israel. Then he would bring them to the Promised Land to recover more of their wealth by transferring it back from the Canaanites, Hittites and Jebusites.
When Jesus came to transfer the wealth of Heaven (God’s presence) to the Earth, the enemy tried to take him out through King Herod. Jesus was the Savior or Deliverer of the whole world and a He was a tremendous threat to the enemy. If a baby was going to bring deliverance, he would try to take out all the babies.
Today according to several leading prophetic voices, a huge new source of wealth is being prepared for Kingdom expansion and will be released progressively in the next few months and years. So what is the enemy doing now to ministries that are going to finally have the finances they need to bring in the harvest they desire? He is trying to take them out by attacking their finances.
We should not be discouraged. God will protect His plan. But we must bring this deliverance to birth through intimate worship and prophetic intercession. It’s time to breathe (prophesy) and p.u.s.h. (pray until something happens).
KINGDOM FIRST
I have taught for many years that we see so few healing miracles in the western church because we are usually much more concerned with our own bodies being healed than we are with the divided and crippled “body of Christ” being healed. We don’t seek first the Kingdom, even though we think we do; we most often seek first our own well-being.
We have virtually no idea how important unity in the body of Christ is to the Father. He wants His Son to have a strong and healthy body to work through. His body needs healing more than any human being on earth today. The Father is looking for those who have His heart – His passion for Jesus’ body to be healed. He wants to heal our bodies too, because they are members of His body, but He wants us to have a Kingdom First heart and pray earnestly, like Jesus did, for unity in His body. (John 17)
I believe the “Kingdom First” law is a higher law than other spiritual laws like physical healing. It doesn’t necessarily apply to individual cases, but rather to the level of spiritual power of a segment of the body of Christ. The more “Kingdom First” we are, the more “these things” will be added to us.
The same thing holds true for prosperity. Even as very few Christians earnestly pray for the healing of the fragmented body of Christ, very few Christians pray earnestly for the financing of the harvest. We may pray for finances for our own ministries, but very little for other ministries and the body of Christ in general.
A NEW AND EXCITING GENERATION
But I have good news! God is raising up a generation of radical lovers, who love His presence and are down-loading His heart and experiencing His power. They hold nothing dear except His presence. They are willing to both live and die as martyrs for Him.
These are mostly young, but not all. God is connecting spiritual fathers and sons in a most exciting way. He is truly turning the hearts of fathers and sons towards each other. This, of course, includes mothers and daughters.
This generation could be called the “SOLOMON GENERATION”. They have the wisdom of their “father” David, and the additional wisdom that comes from a heart to seek God and His wisdom. When Solomon was asked to choose what He desired, he didn’t ask for personal wealth or long life, but put the Kingdom of God first and asked for wisdom to rule God’s people.
Because He sought God’s prosperity with a “Kingdom First” heart, God also blessed him with incredible wealth. God is preparing to release on this new generation a greater wealth than He gave to Solomon.
This generation will have the heart of Solomon for the Kingdom of God and God will trust them with amazing provision. This provision will include vast amounts of finances, but it will also include powerful spiritual gifts represented by the wisdom, knowledge and understanding given to Solomon.
A CHANGING CHURCH
The church today is radically different than it was ten or twenty years ago. So many ministries and movements have arisen with a focus on intimacy, intercession and worship. In the next few years, this will expand and explode.
At the same time, the most awesome release of finances into the Kingdom will take place. The harvest is ripe and God wants us to enjoy the most incredible joy we have ever experienced. For all who participate with a “Kingdom First” heart, tremendous adventures are waiting.
God is about to transfer billions and trillions of dollars from the heathen to the Kingdom, so we can all enjoy the joy of harvest and the pleasure of dividing the spoils of war. Let’s get excited and seek first His Kingdom with all our hearts. The rewards will be greater than anyone can imagine.
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