Proverbs 22:7
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender's slave.
I realize it is the habit of some to read only those posts that start out fast, share startling information, and which evoke strong emotional response. There is a bit of the ambulance chaser rooted in the Adamic nature. I entreat those who subscribe to these writings to pay close attention to this post. By the end of this post you will have encountered some truly profound issues that have bearing upon your ability to pass through the coming troublous days successfully, avoiding the snare of the adversary.
I am persuaded that it is not the will of Yahweh for His sons and daughters to be in financial debt. I had this conviction from at least my early twenties. Yet, in disobedience, I transgressed after I got married and began using borrowed money to acquire those things my soul coveted, and which society told me I needed, to live a full and satisfying material life. If you have read my autobiography titled Evidence of Things Unseen, you will know that Yahweh disciplined me severely for my disobedience in this area.
http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Evidence%20of%20Things%20Unseen.pdf
When Yahweh scourges His sons, it is so that they might share His holiness. His chastisement results in the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12). Yahweh brought correction to this area of my life in 1999. Since that time I have had no financial debt. The liberty I have experienced due to being debt free has been remarkable. I have been free to go wherever the Father would lead me, and to pursue the ministry and activities He has appointed for my life.
Concomitant with being freed from debt, I was also delivered from many material possessions. This is the point at which a great many Christians stumble. They do not want to let go of those material possessions that give them a sense of comfort, pleasure, security, or pride. What will the neighbor’s think? What will family members say? How will the people at church who are living materially focused lives respond? We are living in an age where the spirit of Laodicea rules in the church.
Revelation 3:14-17
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write... You say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”
The church, particularly in Western nations, equates material success with spiritual life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yahshua declared:
Luke 12:15
"Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."
Some time back I posted a blog that consisted largely of images of Christian books promoting material prosperity. Since it is a quick “read,” I will include it here.
The Road to Hell is Paved With...
They say there is a paradise at the end of this road.
Many are the travelers along this way.
Surely so many could not be wrong.
Millions of Christians have made this genre of books bestsellers.
If only a few find the path to life...
If it is an afflicted path...
If Christ's disciples must not love the world, or the things in it...
Then who is walking this road?
Matthew 7:13-14
The gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.
James 4:2-4
You lust and do not have... You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Christ told those who would be His disciples to count the cost of following Him.
Christ went to the cross, not to the bank.
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Christian books promoting material prosperity represent some of the best selling of all Christian material. This is Laodicea. They say, “We have become rich, and are in need of nothing.” These same ones have traded spiritual riches for temporal possessions. Many have become slaves of this world system as they have incurred debt that they might live a life their soul desires. They are not content with food and covering. Many demand a home of their own, with furnishings, and many possessions. Yet Yahshua told the Scribe who expressed a desire to be His disciple that “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” To the multitudes He declared the following:
Luke 14:33
“So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
To follow Christ as His disciple was a radical commitment 2,000 years ago, and it is just as radical today. There are legions of professors of Christ, but only a small remnant of disciples. The apostle Paul wrote the following to the Christians in the materially prosperous Roman city of Corinth.
I Corinthians 7:29-32
But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away. But I want you to be free from concern.
The apostle’s motive in communicating these things was “to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord” (vs. 35). There are a great many Christians who are distracted today. Their focus on material possessions, and the concerns of this world, has prevented them from attaining to spiritual maturity. It has robbed their lives of spiritual fruit.
Luke 8:14
“And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.”
I share these things to set the stage for what I write next. I want you to understand Yahweh’s purpose for allowing wicked men to enslave the world through financial domination. Judgment must begin at the house of God. Yahweh must free His people from all covetousness and self-seeking. He must turn them to a focus upon His will, and bring them to embrace the disciple’s cross, apart from which no man can be brought to spiritual maturity.
Matthew 19:21
Yahshua said to him, "If you want to be perfect (mature, lacking in nothing), go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Only by living an abandoned life, following Yahshua wherever He would lead, can a man or woman be brought to that perfect and mature state that the Father desires for their life. Most Christians today are not living abandoned lives. They are choosing a comfortable life for themselves. They make offerings to God that cost them very little. They are eschewing that afflicted path the leads to life, “and few there be who find it.”
Because Yahshua desires earnestly that His sons and daughters obtain LIFE, He must deliver them from the bondage of this fallen world system. There is no more enslaving aspect of this world than its financial system. In recent weeks the news reports from Cyprus have shown what is coming to mankind everywhere. The events in this small nation serve as a harbinger for people everywhere. Consider the following news report.
Waiting for an A.T.M. in Nicosia, Cyprus, to operate
Cyprus Sets Up Tight Controls as Banks Prepare to Reopen
By LIZ ALDERMAN
NICOSIA, Cyprus — The Cypriot government on Wednesday announced severe restrictions on access to funds held in the country’s banks, hoping to control a rush to withdraw money when the banks open Thursday for the first time in nearly two weeks.
The measures, which are supposed to be in effect for only a week but are widely expected to be extended in some form well into the future, will prohibit electronic transfer of funds from Cyprus to other countries. In addition, individuals will not be allowed to take more than 3,000 euros (about $3,860) in cash outside the country, well below the current ceiling of 10,000 euros.
The cap on withdrawals from automated teller machines will rise to 300 euros a day from 100 euros, but credit and debit card charges will be limited to no more than 5,000 euros a person a month. Banks will not cash checks; they will accept checks as deposits, but many people will no doubt be reluctant to put more money into a bank. Bank clients also will not be able to withdraw money from fixed-term deposits before their maturity date.
“This is a typical set of exchange control measures, more reminiscent of Latin America or Africa,” said Bob Lyddon, the managing director of IBOS, an international banking association. “There is no way these will only last seven days. These are permanent controls until the economy recovers...”
Stress has intensified in recent days in Nicosia, the capital, as Cypriots have grown impatient waiting for the bailout deal to be completed so the banks can reopen and they can get somewhat greater access to their money. Many are also angry at what they see as the inept handling of the situation by Mr. Anastasiades. Others harbor suspicions that the I.M.F. and Germany are punishing Cyprus in part because of its role as a money haven that opened a window for wealthy foreigners to move their funds into the euro zone with few, if any, strictures.
Demonstrations that attracted hundreds here last week have swelled into gatherings of thousands of people who have grown more agitated as they realize that their future under the terms of the bailout will be bleak...
The cost of bailing out the island’s two largest banks, the Bank of Cyprus and Laiki, is to be borne by the banks’ large, uninsured depositors.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Mr. Demetriades said he expected big depositors at the Bank of Cyprus to sustain a “haircut,” or loss, of about 40 percent on their 14 billion euros in long-term deposits. In exchange, depositors will receive shares in a recapitalized bank.
But with the economy deteriorating rapidly, major depositors may have to take an even bigger loss so that the Bank of Cyprus can free up cash to protect its rapidly deteriorating loan book.
Laiki, also known as the Cyprus Popular Bank, is even worse off. About four billion euros in deposits there will be transferred to a so-called bad bank, and those assets will most likely be wiped out as the bank is wound down.
Under European Union treaties, restricting the free movement of capital is forbidden. Critics say that what is happening in Cyprus shows that union rules will be flouted when the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and European Union leaders find it convenient to do so...
“It has to be acknowledged that this is something entirely new,” said Nicolas Véron, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a research group in Brussels, and a visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. “This will shape expectations in other countries, and the issue is whether capital controls can be avoided in future episodes.”
Landon Thomas Jr. contributed reporting from Nicosia.
[Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/business/global/tensions-escalate-in-cyprus-as-banks-prepare-to-reopen.html]
People of God, if you have been paying attention to what is occurring in Cyprus, you will know that very diabolical actions are being carried out by the international bankers. A free people have had their money confiscated simply because it was on deposit with banks in their nation. The Cypriot government and its banking system had accrued unsustainable debt loads, and required bailing out by other European nations. This situation was itself created by the international bankers who urged nations, banks, and citizens to borrow money in a profligate manner, and then reduced the money supply, collapsing the banking system.
Every part of this was engineered as part of a plan to enslave the people of the world through financial domination. I don’t have the time, or inclination, to go into the details of this plan. There are a myriad of resources available online to those who care to educate themselves on this topic. What I desire to focus upon is what is coming to the rest of Europe, to America, and to all nations. The lives of Christians will be greatly impacted. The degree to which your own life is affected will be commensurate with your level of debt, the amount of money you have in the financial system, and how involved you are with this world system of finance and materialism.
Let me summarize what has occurred in Cyprus. The citizens of that nation, and people from other nations that had money invested in Cypriot banks, have suddenly been robbed of billions of dollars of their savings. The rationale given by the international bankers is that all the people using the banking system bear partial responsibility for the situation there. Therefore, it is required of all those with bank accounts to bear the cost of fixing the situation. People with deposits over 100,000 euros would receive a 40% loss according to the article above, which is several days old. The news yesterday reports that this loss may now be as much as 60% of their deposits.
Wealthy depositors in the Bank of Cyprus could face losses of as much as 60 per cent – far in excess of what had been expected – as the country scrambles to save what is left of its stricken banking sector.
Depositors with more than €100,000 in Bank of Cyprus are set to get shares in the bank in exchange for at least 37.5 per cent of their uninsured deposits, while a further 22.5 per cent of their deposits will be put into a special fund attracting no interest and could see further write-offs...
Large depositors in Laiki Bank, which is being broken into good and bad banks, are likely to see nearly all of their assets written off.
[Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4a1bb1d6-9926-11e2-af84-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2PEIl6hM6]
People of God, let us put a human face on this. Suppose this was your money in the bank. Perhaps you had saved for years for retirement, or to purchase a home, or to start a business. Suddenly, and without warning, the banks close and a crisis is declared. The banks remain closed for two weeks, and you are only able to withdraw a limited amount each day, enough to buy some food, or gasoline.
While the banks are closed, international bankers begin implementing the next step of their long laid plans. For the first time they say that those with deposits in the bank are responsible to bear the burden of the bailout. Bank assets are seized. Politicians and bankers working in collusion determine that the wealthier depositors, will have to forfeit much of their assets. This assures the destruction of the middle class. In some instances people lose everything they had in the bank. In the more “fortunate” instances they may retain 40% of what they had in the bank.
Yet, it doesn’t stop there. You can imagine the anger and fear of people in this situation. Many knowing the banks to be acting in a criminal manner want to withdraw all of their money, but this is not permitted. Financial controls, although illegal, have been implemented and are allowed by the government. After all, the governments are borrowers and are deeply in debt. The borrower is slave to the lender. As Amschel Meyer Rothschild stated, “Permit me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.”
The people of the nation are told that they cannot withdraw more than a few hundred dollars/euros a day. They cannot transfer large sums to other banks, or withdraw THEIR money which is in the bank. In effect, it is no longer considered the people’s money. It is the international bankers’ money. They write the rules. They control your funds. They say how much of your money you will lose, and how much you can use on a daily basis.
Many respond by saying, “I won’t use the banks anymore.” Yet, even here they are stymied for the banks will not cash the people’s paychecks. They require that every person must deposit their paycheck. That way all money has to pass through their hands and they can continue to hold your funds and tell you how much you can use each day. This is the ultimate servitude. It is the enslavement of the masses.
People of God, do not believe the lie that this is a one time event that will not be repeated. Now that the genie is out of the bottle it will not be put back in. This same scenario that is being played out in Cyprus will soon be observed in other European nations, in America, and across the globe.
What can you do?
The answer is radical. To many of you Yahshua would say:
“If you want to be perfect (mature, lacking in nothing), go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
I can say with confidence that the Lord’s directions to His people will universally include an abandonment of your will to follow Him wherever He leads. Yahweh told me years ago that I was being called forth as a pioneer among His people in this generation to experience things that they would shortly be called to experience in much larger numbers. He testified to me that I would serve as an explorer and guide to show His sons and daughters the way forward.
Yahweh had me extricate myself from the world system of finance and property back in 1999. I was led to relinquish most of my possessions, either selling them, or returning them to the bank. The Father had me to become debt free, and to live within the means of His provision. At the same time I was directed to leave my employment and trust Him for all my supply. I had a wife, two children, and no savings in the bank. I had no church or organization to support me. I was cast wholly upon the Father.
Yahweh will not tell everyone to do exactly what I was directed to do. He won’t tell all to leave their jobs, at least not yet. However, the general principles observed in my life are universal. All who would be disciples of Yahshua must surrender their lives and possessions to the Lord to be disposed of, or utilized, at His direction. There must be an end to the soul’s rule in the life of the Christian. Fears must be faced and overcome. Carnal desires must be cast down. The saints of Christ must commit themselves to go wherever the Father leads, and to do whatever He asks of them.
The things we own in this world can be a great burden. They weigh us down. Having much of the world’s goods tends toward inertia. It is difficult to react quickly to the Lord’s direction when we are carrying around the world’s possessions. Caring for personal property becomes a consuming drive, requiring much of our time, energy, and money. The less personal property you have, the more freedom you will have to spend your thought, time, energy, and money on things of the Lord.
I am confident that the people of God will find the Spirit directing them to lighten their load. They will be instructed to sell, give away, or otherwise dispose of a majority of their worldly goods. This will in a very tangible way set them free from the rule of this world system. The more you own and possess, the more you will be pressured to conform to the dictates of a corrupt and evil financial system and its masters. The man or woman who owns nothing will experience the greatest freedom.
You may ask, “How will I live? In what way will I survive?” If you are following the leading of the Spirit, Yahweh will provide all you need. Even as He fed an entire nation in the wilderness for forty years, He will provide for His sons and daughters who yield their lives to follow Him. From October 1999 until some time in 2001, and during the years 2003-2005, I had no job yet the Father provided daily for my wife, children and I. Since February 2008 I have not been employed. I have followed the Father wherever He has guided me. I have done whatever He has asked me to do. HE has supplied all my need.
An hour is near at hand when the following words of the Lord must become more than a historical speech to the people of God. Christ’s disciples must walk in the substance of Yahshua’s words.
Matthew 6:24-34
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.”
People of God, what will you do when that which is occurring today in Cyprus occurs in the nation in which you live? How long will you wait until you surrender your life to Yahshua to do whatever He asks of you? If you cling to a materially focused life in this world as the majority of Christians are doing, you will suffer great loss, both physically and spiritually. You can mitigate the loss you will experience by counting the cost of following Yahshua now. Surrender everything you are, and everything you possess, into His care. Whatever He asks you to do, do it.
Do not deceive yourself and say, “Perhaps trouble will pass me by. Maybe these really aren’t the last days. Maybe peace and prosperity will continue for many more years.” Did not the inhabitants of Israel and Judah say the same. Yet the Assyrians and Babylonians came and took away their homes, their possessions, and enslaved them all.
The best defense you can have against that which is to come is to be as little invested in this world system and its form of finance as possible. The days are short. The writing is on the wall. Satan’s kingdom is rising. Darkness is falling swiftly over the earth. Let us walk in the light, following our Savior and Lord wherever He would lead.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Joseph Herrin
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