PARKS BROWN

How do you see and determine God’s presence and favor with people and organizations? The Christianese response is to look for the fruit of the spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” The fruit of the Spirit is the by-product of Christ’s control. Do YOU look for those characteristics and qualities or do you look for something else?

Too many times we look to determine God’s favor and direction by trying to quantify the success of a person or a ministry. When we look to quantify we run into numbers. So, how and what do we quantify? Attendees…Hands raised…heads bowed…tears shed? Can you measure lives changed? How about a balance sheet showing cash? How do we know where He is working without using numbers?

We live in a world that loves numbers. Businesses love numbers. Six straight quarters of falling profits for the companies in the S&P 500, QE4, a 53.3% chance of an interest rate cut by December. Sports love numbers as seen in batting averages, quarterback rankings and contract terms and figures. The educational system focuses on numerical grades to represent material learned and retained. Churches count attendees at an event or people baptized to represent effectiveness of a ministry.

Christ used numbers all the time. In 2016, we swim in a sea of numbers to help us see more clearly, understand, judge and discern. But, when numbers become dollar signs the context can quickly change.

The book of Luke recalls a story Jesus told about the one lost sheep. There was rejoicing over the ONE sheep found in comparison to the 99 who were not lost. That wouldn’t look so good on a spreadsheet would it? The time and energy to save one sheep was encouraged and justified. Was that really a good use of the shepherd’s time? What about the risk of the 99 as opposed to the 1?

Numbers in heavenly terms aren’t the same as worldly terms. In the current day of budget cuts and data driven “evidence based” results, we need to be careful how much emphasis is placed on what kind of numbers. When numbers represent a drive for donations in dollars, things can get even more twisted.

In John 12 Judas chastised Mary for taking a pint of pure nard and pouring it on Jesus’ feet. Judas made the point that the perfume was equal to one year’s wages and a waste to use in that fashion. But, Jesus commended her act, not condemned it. Obviously he didn’t have the same attitude with numbers as Judas. Is that because the numbers were equated to money and not the heart?

What about the time with the fish and loaves and feeding the 10-20 thousand on the hillside? The disciples quantified the need at 8 month’s of wages and quickly recommended sending them away because the numbers didn’t justify the expense. Jesus quickly pointed out that what needed to be done didn’t need a data analysis or a dollar figure. Jesus taught the disciples they were dealing with a spiritual issue that could be solved in another way.

When we try to quantify everything in terms of money it can reveal a heart issue as much or more than a numbers issue. Contributors can get caught up in the effectiveness of their donations as opposed to simply following the lead of the Holy Spirit. So, how do we discern where to allocate our fiscal assets? Prayer is the answer, not the return on your investment by conventional facts and figures.

In the story of a wealthy young guy, Jesus made the point in spades. “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus replied, ‘no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-and with them persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mark 10:29-31.

Christ didn’t say figure out the best rate of return on your assets and give accordingly. In this parable he said to evaluate your heart and not the data. Christ recommended that only following the data could reveal your heart. Jesus taught that if you truly give it up for Him and His gospel, your return will be a hundred fold. You don’t need to see past performance to indicate future returns. Just follow his Spirit and leave the consequences to Him.

In fact with the rich young ruler, Christ taught that money can be an issue even when we don’t think it is. When quantifying becomes money it’s a slippery slope and reveals the heart. Many who are first will be last, and the last first. He reminded us that pride, ego and position can lurk behind our analysis. Can it be behind yours and you don’t even know it? Don’t risk losing the one opportunity He is leading you towards because the 99 is a bigger number.

There are many ministries and people that need your dollars and cents. Wisdom and discernment are necessary. Some of these ministries can show you data more compelling than others. Some people may look and act like Mary and her pint of nard. Be led by the Spirit, not the data. Don’t make the data a litmus test. Pray and follow the Holy Spirit any time money is involved.

Every financial decision is a spiritual decision. Consult the Spirit not just the data.

Change. Change means surrendering the old and embracing the new. We’ve become accustomed to accepting change partly because it is inevitable. We even desire and need change. Our leaders champion change. David Bowie told us to “turn and face the strange, ch ch changes.” But is change always for the best? It depends on where change comes from, what we do with it and what it does to us.

We have talked about the SDR (basket of currencies) being an instrument that has been around for almost 45 years, but is only starting to change the monetary landscape and gain wider visibility. The majority of people don’t know or care about this change, even though they should. If I were to remind you of the changes in control of the internet more ears would perk up because it might impact your daily life.

So, let me remind you that starting October 1, the U.S. administration that has been controlling the internet since it’s inception (reference Al Gore) is being turned over to a new organization. This change will move control of the internet from a group in the United States to a group administered by the United Nations. This change in control and influence is reflective of many changes taking place, most of which are not garnering much press and attention from the average man and woman.

Where does a shift in control of the internet, which is so integral to our daily lives, even originate? Some might argue that socioeconomic and political change is a result of the adjustment to the control and flow of capital. You may find that a stretch, but entertain the idea. The massive changes taking place within the international monetary system could support that belief. In common language, money makes the world go around. It’s all about the Benjamins. The golden rule is whoever has the gold makes the rules. Change is and has been rampant in these areas if you will notice. If this theory is true, we should expect more changes that affect our everyday lives.

As we have talked about, people rarely discern whats going on and don’t care until it becomes flesh on their bones. If the flow of ideas and information is controlled isn’t your heart and mind affected? In less than two weeks the internet will be governed and controlled by a non-elected body that includes nations like China and Russia. Maybe now you should start to pay attention to changes in interest rates, currency values, reserve currencies and national deficits…maybe not.

Christians in particular need to remember the words of John in 1st John 5;19-20, “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” Hhhhmmmm. The whole world under the control of the evil one?

It’s not popular or comforting to think that the whole world is under the control of the evil one is it? And it’s not popular to point out that man made institutions, sovereign nations and administrative bodies are representatives of the world, not God or his Son. Another thing to remember is that monetary institutions like the Fed (Federal Reserve), the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the BIS (Bank of International Settlements) exist and function to regulate and control the flow of money. And let’s never forget there is nothing more of this world than money.

Money is not bad, evil or wrong. Period. But as Jesus pointed out in Mark 12;16-17, money is of the world and represents worldly kingdoms, not heavenly kingdoms. “They brought the coin and he asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.'”

It is important to notice change, the type of change, where it comes from and therefore understand the intent and nature of the change. When you see changes in monetary policies (interest rate moves, abnormal currency fluctuations, ect..) whose intent is to control the flow of money, understand that’s just the beginning of changes that WILL affect you in some form or fashion. Yesterday’s monetary changes can be today’s political and internet changes. If this is true, what other changes are yet to manifest and hit the headlines?

As many changes take place around us we need to be aware of where it is coming from and the intent of the change we are seeing. Is your change coming from the world around you or from above? It’s a great time to take stock of your head and heart. How HAVE you changed, how do you WANT to change and how are world events changing you?

The seasons are changing. I’ve enjoyed the summer and fall is in the air. Winter is around the corner.

If I were to postulate that we live in a world at war, would anyone disagree with me? Before agreeing or disagreeing, most folks would ask the question “What do you believe we are at war against?” My first answer…pretty much everything it seems.

Central banks around the world are at war against deflation. Their battles are fought with academic policies and monetary experimentation such as negative interest rates. The political headlines question who we are at war against but the injured and dead body count continues to rise. Nations devalue their currencies for competitive purposes and are known as currency wars. There are trade wars, gasoline wars, wars on cash and coal. It’s easy to call this political season a war for your vote as evidenced by the candidates and their supporters. Whether you like it or not, war is raging all around.

Ok, let’s make it personal. Our national debt has the budget war for entitlement services front and center. There is a war for your social security and your retirement funds. Today it’s public pensions, tomorrow it will be your 401k and IRA. There is a war on democracy itself. Say what?

A lot of people are tired of the way the government has been run as evidenced by Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. It was reported in the “July 2011 edition of the Journal of Democracy, 25% of American citizens said that democracy is a “bad way” to run the country and an even larger number would prefer an authoritarian leader who didn’t have to deal with the nuisance of election (WSJ 9-14-16).” A 2015 Rasmussen survey found that 48% of likely voters “think America’s best days are in the past.” The spirit and hope of democracy is under attack.

Still not convinced we live in a world at war? The war for privacy is in your home and on your phone everyday. E-mail phishing, bogus calls from the “IRS”, hacked credit and debit cards. Mark Zuckerberg himself created a stir on Instagram this summer. If you looked at the picture you’ll see tape covering the CEO of Facebook’s laptop camera and microphone jack. The war for privacy does not discriminate and everyone is a target. You may not hear or see the enemy, but let’s PLEASE agree he is out there and battling on many fronts.

War has existed since the beginning of time. Some people don’t relate to being at war because they haven’t served in combat or they haven’t lost someone they know to a direct confrontation and loss of life. But c’mon people, everyone has felt the battle we’re talking about. War is a conflict to control, destroy and change. Everyone has either been personally attacked or knows someone who has been attacked. Regardless of the battlefront, there is a war and you are in it.

OK, now you might start to agree that we live in a world at war and wars, but who and what are we at war against? CAN we, SHOULD we name the enemy? Wake up people!! Absolutely we should name the enemy. But let’s get it right. Let’s dig deeper than the headlines and soundbites.

What are the wars all about and who is the real enemy? Christians will be quick to reference Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” OK. That may explain some things. We don’t always see the enemy, and we know there is a bigger picture. We know there is more than meets the eye and makes the CNN headlines.

You may not agree with all the wars I’ve mentioned, but they DO represent battlefields and attacks on virtually everyone. The wars I’ve mentioned represent a war for control and a struggle for something that you hold dear. There are numerous battlefronts because people have become more divided in their beliefs by false leaders and lies. At first glance the war is for your money, your future security, your identity. But the real battle is much more concentrated than at first glance. The battle is for your life, your spirit, your very soul. That my friends is the origin of the battle and it starts in your mind.

So, whats a person to do? “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:”. The Word is full of good directives, but if we could camp out in one location for just a little while, I would recommend Romans 14:1, “Therefore let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.” Dang. Ceasefire right there.

Individually, let’s recognize the wars we know are battlegrounds for heart and mind. Let’s also respect that there are physical and cultural wars we might not see or agree with…they are wars none-the-less. And, all the wars are similar in nature. Financial and economic wars seek to control the heart, mind and body of ALL people on this planet just like conventional wars.

Let’s also recognize the real enemy is not one we can see. The real enemy is evil and he takes many forms, names, colors and creeds. He fights on many fronts because people are divided in what they believe and care about. Don’t let him take YOUR mind off the truth that Christ won the battle more than 2000 years ago. Be of sober mind, be alert. Stand firm in and for your victory, brothers and sisters.

There is an old Proverb in the Bible that states, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” The definition of humble is pretty simple. Humble is not thinking so highly of yourself, not being proud or arrogant but having a modest opinion of yourself. The definition of pride says it can be a vice or a virtue, but it is a feeling. A feeling that you respect yourself or you are more important or better than other people.

If you look at the headlines or listen to the news channels, do you see a lot of humility with corporations, central bankers, Olympic athletes, politicians, everyday citizens…anyone? Do you see more humility or more pride? What about in the mirror?

Where DO you see pride as you go through each day? When some of us see a lack of humility we just turn our back and ignore it. Sometimes we disconnect with people who are prideful and sometimes we are drawn in closer. Pride can be seen as strength. Pride is a banner people are waving these days and it is being encouraged. Gay pride, racial or ethnic pride, pride in your sports team or your country. But where does legitimate pride start to run outside the lines and divide people and serve as a conduit to think of yourself as better than others and not equal to them? Remember, those are the proud God opposes.

The current parade of pride can also make some people become ambivalent towards others. When pride is displayed in the wrong fashion it can make you disassociate, turn you off and care less. Someone’s pride CAN make you oppose them. Opposition is active, it is resistant. Opposing something gets in its way, hinders and obstructs. How we respond to others pride can reveal our true heart. God opposes the proud, so why shouldn’t we?

Most people don’t care to oppose something unless it affects them. It’s tougher to oppose a thing for very long if you don’t think you can affect it. The election comes first to mind, but what else? Not many Americans give two cents about the Bank of Japan owning 50% of the ETF’s (exchange trade fund) in their country even if it means they may indirectly own 20% of Japanese companies. And why SHOULD anyone oppose this?

Here we go with monetary policies again…but, don’t tune out before the big picture. There is an overdose of pride among corporations, sovereign nations, politicians and everyday people. When a bank opens thousands of fraudulent accounts it is pride and greed that is the impetus. Printing more money and buying financial assets with the proceeds can result in state ownership of production and consumption, and is a way to introduce socialism or communism. Many government policies assuming they can boost growth have proven to be prideful attempts that have failed around the world.

Current fiscal actions are nothing more than pride run amuck. Pride has found a way to go unnoticed because people don’t care about things until it directly hits them. Low and negative interest rates serve to increase unfunded pension liabilities that will need a savior. The removal of cash from the public WILL make you more dependent, all under the guise of rooting out criminal activity? A QE (quantitative easing) induced manipulated stock market that does anything but go down is a prideful attempt to keep the masses complacent and buy time.

The real question is..if pride is at or near the root of what we see from 50,000 feet and God opposes the proud, what’s up?? What are YOU doing about it as well? Keeping your head down? Are you trying to save enough money and get to retirement? Are you hoping it will all just solve itself? Are you waiting until it DOES affect you or your children?

Now, about that mirror. Pride is sooo much easier to see in others than in ourselves. Are you glad or proud you don’t have to understand monetary policy implications? Are you happy or proud so much of the world doesn’t really affect you? Are you content or proud that you are able to live above the noise of these concerns? Are you thankful or proud that you aren’t fighting any real opposition? Personal lives assuming they are beyond the impact of macro induced policies can be havens of veiled pride.

Until some of these issues come home to roost in your house there is only one way to find out where you have a pride issue. The Psalmist wrote in 139:23-24… “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Believers need to know and live out what God taught and revealed through His son, Jesus Christ. If there was ever ONE word to describe Jesus, humble comes close. The other word is love. Jesus didn’t teach us to oppose pride, in fact often to the contrary. He and His disciples remind us to have nothing to do with prideful people. He didn’t say to oppose them, but He did say to be “devoted to one another in love”, “in humility consider others better than yourself” and to “pray for each other so you may be healed.”

Don’t know what’s going on anymore…don’t care? Prideful that you aren’t affected and don’t have to care? Turned off by all the pride you see? Get on your knees and humble yourself by asking the Holy Spirit to show you where HE sees pride. God gives grace to the humble…and opposition to the proud. Make sure your heart and actions are rightly aligned.

Grace or opposition? Which do you want? Which do you need? Which are you receiving?

Have you noticed any recent changes in your thoughts, attitudes and actions? More importantly, what type of change have you noticed in your thought life and is it concentrated in any particular area or is it widespread? Are you starting to think differently or less about politics, money, religion, family, friends, current events? Give that enough thought to come up with an answer. Take a minute to quantify and qualify these changes in your thoughts.

It’s a given that we constantly change. In fact, its a good thing…right? We SHOULD keep striving to be better, care more, think more clearly, understand more completely and love more deeply. But is that the type of change you’re experiencing? Are you more passionate about our country and it’s future? Are you more or LESS concerned with people other than yourself? Do you believe the future is brighter than the past? Or, are you becoming more apathetic with each passing day? Is your thought life producing greater and more positive results every day..or not?

I had a friend once tell me he didn’t care about apathy. So, what IS apathy. According to Wikipedia. which is in the business of change and will constantly change a definition if need be, apathy is…”a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, and concern.” HHMMM. Have you felt any of that lately? In fact, is apathy a result of the intensity and rapidity of change we are living through? Is our world changing so radically and so rapidly that we are beginning to become insensitive and indifferent? And, how is that affecting a change in YOU??

Apathy can be a disease. If you don’t know and watch for the symptoms, you can become insensitive, indifferent, passive, and disinterested in one news cycle. Elie Wisel, an American novelist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 once said, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” Apathy is the result of futile thinking.

In the New Testament, Paul put it a little more bluntly. Paul wrote a letter to a group of his buddies in Ephesus. Paul made the point that when your thinking became futile, it darkened your understanding, your heart hardened, you lost sensitivity and this could lead to separation from God. By the way, don’t look to Wikipedia for a definition of futile, they don’t have one. Webster defines it as… “having no result or effect : pointless or useless”.

In 1950, US novelist John Dos Passos wrote: “Apathy is one of the characteristic responses of any living organism when it is subjected to stimuli too intense or too complicated to cope with. The cure for apathy is comprehension.” So, let me ask. Do you comprehend whats going on in Washington these days? Does the stock market seem too complicated and provide stimuli that is too intense? Can you comprehend why you have to elect a candidate to know where they stand on an issue? Let me pose, the cure for apathy is not just comprehension, it is wisdom and revelation. Look up the definition of those words and tell me we can’t use more of them.

So where and how do you get wisdom? The book of James 1:5-8 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord: he is a double-minded man unstable in all he does.” To fight apathy, we need to start with prayer and end with faith.

How do you start to care about that family member that hasn’t spoken to you in two years? When do you start to care about a candidates health? Do you care if we discriminate against an immigrants religious faith? Where do you go to start understanding the difference between the truth and the lies you are being told every minute of every day? Maybe you HAVE noticed the changes in your heart and mind lately. Are you becoming MORE apathetic about MORE issues than ever before. I’m not asking why, I’m just asking if you are changing that way?

The book of Revelation (13:16-17) tells of a world ruler who forces “everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.” Most people have heard this story or heard about the story. The mark refers to as much a heart condition as a physical mark or economic issue. The mark of the beast refers to a willingness to operate within the economic system the ruler promotes. Can apathy lead to the taking of this mark? In what direction is your current state of apathy leading you in your relational, economic and spiritual life?

Can apathy make a believer passive at an inopportune time? Is apathy so dangerous it could make you unconcerned about a silly mark and indifferent to what the scripture teaches? Is your apathy lying dormant for just the wrong time or is it building to a crescendo? Is your apathy revealing the spiritual condition of your heart?

Let apathy be the new red flag. Whenever you see it, call it out. Whenever you ARE apathetic, get on your knees. You play the way you practice. Don’t be apathetic about being apathetic.