Some Things Don't Get Old!

Some things don't get old! For instance, sitting and eating dinner with your family with no TV never gets old.  I've done it all my life as a child and now, as an adult, with my wife and kids!  You'll be amazed at how much your respect level from your kids will rise and how much they will say to you!

We eat together about 3 to 5 times per week.  The only way we don’t eat together is if I’m out of town or we have a function to attend.  I’m really talking about eating together at YOUR home at YOUR table at YOUR pace. I didn’t say that you had to cook dinner, although sometimes it would be good! (LOL)

You will notice 3 things will develop.  I used the word “develop” on purpose.  The three things that you will notice will not happen in eating together once a week and it won’t happen by doing this for two weeks then stopping. It will take effort to start eating dinner together.  Most likely everyone is doing his or her own thing, especially if you have kids in high school with their own schedule.   You must be creative in finding time!  The younger the kids the easier it is to do.  The older the kids the more difficult it will be to start.  BUT IT CAN BE DONE! 

It will be awkward at first, but if you stay persistent, one of the best habits you can ever create will develop!

Immediately you will notice that your other family members are facing issues that are important to them, but might not be important to you.  Your spouse and children are dealing with situations, good and bad, that might not be high on priority list but it’s high on theirs.  You and your family should be the ones to listen to each other.  Cause if you aren’t the one to listen, somebody else will listen!

The second thing you will see develop is a chance to have bible study.  Now hold up before you start bringing your bible to the dinner table!  The Word of God is an instruction book on life.  This is a grand opportunity to weave the Word of God in with real life situations.  You may have been trying to start a bible study in your home but it just hasn’t worked.  The reason why it hasn’t worked is because you are trying to make the word of God separate from life.  Jesus taught to thousands but His most effective ministry was one on one with people who were going through a situation at that moment.  You will find yourself in that same situation with your family at the dinner table.  Now instead of saying, “Turn your bibles to” you’ll be able to quote a scripture with or without reference to them and begin to explain how to handle the situation.  And the best part is that the Holy Spirit will help solve issues that are important to you and that are important to each of your family members.  Now before you know it you have what I’d like to call an “Organic bible Study”.  The bible study happened naturally without all the formalities of church. 

The third thing that will develop is a love for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  As the Word of God is used to resolve situations, your family will gain confidence in the Word of God and will want to know more.  The most important thing you can give to your children is access to is learning how to hear God for themselves.  Once you can hear God, you can’t be stopped!

This has been a public service announcement for a dying world!  But I want you to practice this so that neither our children or we will die with it!  There is life in the Word of God and blood of Jesus!

Releasing the Spirit, Provoking Thought, and Causing Increase,

Leroy Thompson, Jr.

Honor: If You Want It, Give It!

I was meditating I Corinthians 9:1-11.  In that passage, Paul was talking to the Corinthians about, his calling, his personal life, money, and what he should get.  Remember he is also the author of some of your beloved passages in the bible such as I Corinthians 13, Romans 8, Ephesians 1, and many others.  So what Paul says in I Corinthians 9 has accreditation. 

I want to point out one thing he said in that passage.  Actually, I want to point out a couple of things!   It is important that you grab this because this passage has more to do with honor than anything else.  In the world system, honor is a dying word.  Proper civil disobedience, which carried honor, has turned into just blatant disrespect and a lack of honor.  This is why the economy is in the shape that it’s in and our country is headed in the direction it’s headed.  WE CAN’T LET DISHONOR ENTER THE CHURCH!

Paul began by reaffirming his calling to the people of Corinth.  Then he proceeded to talk about the rights that he and Barnabus have. Paul goes on to talk about farm animals.  Read what he said in I Cor 9:9.

For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?

Paul was telling the people at Corinth, who were beginning to experience success in their lives, that it was because of God using them (Paul and Barnabus) to share with them (the Corinthians) spiritual principles and anointing to add to their obedience that was causing the success.  So Paul wanted to know why was it a problem for them to receive HONOR from them.  Paul was letting the people at Corinth know that life is easier because they have someone teaching them how to make life easier.  Of course they (the Corinthians) could have treaded the corn themselves (discover, develop and position plans for success with out any guarantee that they would work), but now all they had to do was follow principles (gather and cook the corn) that were taught and enjoy the fruits of their labor (eat the corn).  I hope you got my illustration.

Your life is made easier because you are being taught principles of life that govern the Kingdom of God and cause you to be successful in a stingy world system. So it’s only right that you HONOR the one that is enlightening you to those principles of the Kingdom of God. 

That leads me to my 2^nd and final point in this passage.  Paul made a statement that  shows more about his trust in God and His word than anything else. In the I Corinthians 9:11, Paul said this:

 ¹¹If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal (natural) things?

That scripture was written in the light that success overtook the Corinthians.  Paul had so much confidence that what God was revealing to the Corinthians through him and Barnabus would produce.  And it was the reason for the Corinthians success! 

In that same manner, what you hear spiritually at your church from your man or woman of God should produce results, fruit, or manifestation in your physical life.  And if it does, then you should show honor to who honor is due!  But sometimes to understand a scripture completely, you need to hear what it means but didn’t say.  Paul was also saying that if what we have taught you spiritually hasn’t produced any natural results then there is nothing for us to reap and we shouldn’t!

It is dishonorable for you to forget about the man and woman of God that made life easier and better for you by praying with you, crying with you, standing with you, counseling you, fighting battles with you, spending time with God so that they could minister to you, constantly searching for more of God to share with you, and most importantly, releasing their anointing on you!

Think about what you would want to happen to you when you were in those positions helping somebody and their life increased because of what you did.  Maybe you’ll take it better if I use bible talk.  Galatians 6:7 reads:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

If you sow honor, you will reap honor.  If you sow dishonor, you will reap dishonor.  The next time you increase don’t forget that if it wasn’t for you spiritual leader saying what “THUS SAITH THE LORD” to you then you wouldn’t have even sniffed increase.  I structure my life on four things, LOVE, HONOR, LOYALTY, AND INTEGRITY.  And I’m reaping all those things in my life as a result!

I leave you with this statement.  If the church you are in is not causing success in your natural life, then the leader, pastor, overseer, bishop, prophet, or apostle of that church should reap anything either!

Releasing the Spirit, Provoking Thought, and Causing Increase,

 Leroy Thompson Jr.

www.ucanbeatdebt.com

The Opportunity that Produce All Other Opportunities!

There was a virus on my twitter account (@leroyjrt).  The virus posted a website about quick money from home.  A young man that is following me on twitter responded to ask me if this was a legit twitter post from me.   I responded to let him know that it wasn’t legit.  But then I heard the Holy Spirit, in my ear, say No Shortcuts! Seedtime and harvest first! Everything else follows!

There are some people that are coming into the church trying to replace God as the source of increase.  Nowhere in the bible did God give up the title as Provider. They are entering the church with “opportunities”.  God is the originator of the greatest opportunity there is, which is seedtime and harvest, giving and receiving, sowing and reaping! EVERYTHING ELSE AND EVERY OTHER OPPORTUNITY IS A RESULT OF THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY EVER GIVEN! 

Until you master sowing and reaping, you will always struggle with money and happiness.  Money and happiness are like salt and pepper.  They don’t control each other. You can have one without the other, BUT together they make food taste so much better.  Proverbs 10:22 says, “ The Blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich and added no sorrow. “  So the blessing from God is the only thing that can make money and happiness cooperate!  You don’t have to choose between one and the other!

I’ve had many people who call and waste my time by telling me they have an opportunity for me that will change my life.  My first response to them always is “My life is constantly being changed by my sowing and reaping”. 

I trust God to show me opportunities.  That’s what He promised in Deuteronomy 8:18.  He gave me the power to get wealth, but if I don’t adhere to Luke 16:11, I will jump for everything that comes to try and help God with my increase.  I Corinthians 3: 6-7 clearly makes it known that GOD is the one that gives the increase, NO ONE ELSE OR ANYTHING ELSE. In other words, God will reveal opportunities to you that will cause increase for EVERYONE (buyer, seller, giver, receiver) involved. His opportunities leave everyone involved whole.

According to Luke 16:11, I must first learn how to handle the opportunities I presently have before I get introduced to bigger opportunities from God.  What most people want is for God to give them an opportunity to handle $1 million and they can’t handle $100.  God will introduce bigger opportunities based on present behavior with present opportunities. In Isaiah 48:17, the bible says that God is willing to teach us how to profit and how we should do it.  Teaching is a main ingredient to growth. When God teaches you how to do something and you follow His directions, no one can stop the results from that opportunity from coming into your life!  So if God teaches and shows you opportunities for increase based on what you have handled already, you can rest assured that nobody can stop you from prospering.

Finally, Luke 16:11 says,

            If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

Why would God (Lord of the Harvest, the Provider, Increase giver) give me more than I have now when I can’t trust His system of seedtime and harvest with what I have now?  Stop helping God with channels and wait on him to reveal opportunities!

Releasing the Spirit, Provoking Thought, Causing Increase

Leroy Thompson Jr.

www.ucanbeatdebt.com

Next U Can Beat Debt webinar sessions begins September 4, 2011.  For more info, go to www.ucanbeatdebt.com.

You are Guaranteed Big Dreams!

You are guaranteed big dreams!

If I show you in the Word of God that you are guaranteed big dreams, will you accept them?  If your answer is yes, then keep reading.  If you answer is no, stop reading because you will be held responsible for reading this.

Jeremiah 29:11 reads,

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

After reading this verse, you can see that you are guaranteed big successful dreams from God.  This is why you must trust God as your source because this scripture is for everyone.  Which means that there can’t be any scarcity in the earth because God had to make plans for everyone to succeed.

Be real with yourself!  You know you have big dreams!  They came from God.  So your question may be “why aren’t my dreams coming to pass?”  I have your answer!

In our dreams, we usually focus on the end of our big dreams or what the results are.  We tend to focus on how much money we will have, what kind of lifestyle we will have, or who we will marry, etc.  But we rarely pay attention to the person we have become in the dream.  Catch this next statement!  You can’t have the results of your dreams until you become the person in the dream! (Yes, you need to read that again!)

Look at Joseph.  He had dreams but he had to develop into the person in the dreams that had the sun, moon, and 11 stars giving obedience to him.  He had to develop into the person that the sheaves bowed down to.

There is a built in governor or safety valve on the dreams that God has for you coming to pass.  That governor is becoming the person of the dream.  I know you think you are the person of the dream.  All it takes is one question to find out if you are the person in the dream.  Have your dreams come to pass?  If not, then you have some more growing to do!  If it has come to pass, then you need to get another dream, because when you stop dreaming, you become useless!

Let’s go through the a few people of character in the bible to see if what I’m saying is true.  We have Moses on the backside of the mountains leading sheep before leading God’s people out of slavery!  We have David tending and protecting sheep from dangerous animals before protecting God’s people from slavery (Goliath)!  Finally we have Jesus in the temple (Luke 2:46-47, 52), 40 days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2), and the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39) preparing for ministry and the cross!

My advice to you is to stop focusing on the results of your dream and focus on becoming the person in the dream! (Matthew 6:33)

Releasing the Spirit, Provoking Thought, Causing Increase,

Leroy Thompson, Jr.

www.ucanbeatdebt.com

Sincerely Money

I’m never given a chance to express my thoughts so here goes.  This letter is meant to let you know what I’m thinking and how I feel!

Are you righteous?  If so, then I was commanded to be in your house (Psalms 112:3).  I don’t like disobeying my creator.  By the way, you do know to enjoy me is a gift from God (Ecclesiastes 5:19)?

I get a bad rap cause sometimes I wind up in the wrong hands!  Do you realize that Jesus never talked negatively about me?  Any negative talk was about the IMPROPER HANDLING of me!  As a matter of fact, Jesus told me to be your friend (Luke 16:9)!  Once again I don’t want to disobey my creator!  And Stop calling me evil.  I haven’t done anything but follow your orders.  I don’t like being called “evil”  behind my back with your friends after all the good I have done for you.  Really, I'm inherently good because my forefather (gold) saw to that (Gen 2:12)! 

God created me for you.  Please don’t reject me cause I have feelings and I know when I’m not wanted!  I only stay where I’m appreciated and used properly.  You and I can make a lot of people happy.  You take the lead.  I want you to tell me what to do, but if you don’t I’m make a decision for you.

God is willing to teach you how to get more of me (Isaiah 48:17).  If I knew your dreams, I could recruit more of my friends to help me bring your dreams to pass.  If you talked to me more often in the right way, I’ll invite more of my friends over. 

If you think there is not enough of me to go around, I will always control you.  When u see me w/someone else, don't be mad.  There's enough of me to go around. I don't die. I multiply!  If you let me, I can enhance your happiness!

Every time you buy something with me, stop saying I’m spent.  Begin to say that you are circulating me and watch I come back.  When you give me away with right intentions, I always return with more friends.

I got a feeling that you are a good boss and more of my friends will be willing to work for you!

I’m glad you read my letter.  Watch how comfortable we get with each other the more we talk.  I bet you didn’t know I had so much to say!  Don’t be a stranger, lets talk again soon.  I’m waiting for your instructions!

Sincerely,

Money

Should I Make Friends with Money?

I finally understand Luke 16:9! It reads:

And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

First, we must at least consider the importance of this scripture because it is spoken from the mouth of Jesus, our Savior!  This scripture has baffled the church for so long because it sounds contradictory.  It sounds like Jesus is telling us to become friends with or come into covenant with money.  So the first scripture pops up in your head, my head, and everyone else’s head is 1Tim 6:10 (the love of money is the root to all evil).

But to understand this scripture, you must read the story of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-8) and realize that Jesus used that parable to illustrate how the children of this world use their (now get this) TWISTED CREATIVITY to make a way for themselves.  Jesus said that in the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

I had the words “twisted creativity and their generation” in bold type because these words are important.  First, Jesus was emphasizing the importance of using your God given creativity or infinite intelligence (1 John 2:20) to make yourself valuable because you can produce and implement ideas that produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).  The children of this world have been using their twisted creativity to make money.  But God wants you to use your righteous creativity to fulfill His will in the earth and the children of this world will pay you for it because to them that’s the most valuable thing they can come up with to exchange for your God given brilliance! 

If you read Luke 16:10-13, you’ll see the word “faithful” used over and over.  Now in order for you to grasp the insight of this parable, you must understand the word “faithful”.  Faithful means to be full of faith or to be full of God’s instructions, which produces consistency.  So if you apply that definition to those verses, then you’ll see that Jesus is pointing our focus on using God’s intelligence on the small assignments. Using God’s intelligence when handling money.  Using God’s intelligence when we are on our jobs!  If we do that, then God will know that we’ll use His intelligence on the big assignments, He’ll give you the wisdom that controls everything, and He’ll cause you to be promoted to own your own!  That sounds like money, riches, wealth chasing you!

The Jesus finally culminates this parable by saying verse 13 of Luke the 16th chapter.

 ¹³No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Jesus was letting us know that, when we perform services or give our labor, that we must give our 100% percent effort by using all that we know and what God knows to accomplish our task, regardless of pay.  When you do that, you are serving God, and He becomes your Rewarder.  Money is no longer a master because you are not working for money rather working to express your creativity. And for that the Greatest Rewarder alive will reward you!

So when Jesus told us to make friend with unrighteous mammon, He was telling us to use our creativity or God infinite intelligence to perform on the earth.  If you need an example of someone making friends with unrighteous mammon, read the story of Joseph (Genesis chapters 37, 39, 40, & 41)

Finally, the children of this world are no longer wiser than us because we are going to begin using God’s intelligence (1 John 2:20) to perform in the earth!

Releasing the Spirit, Provoking Thought, and Causing Increase,

Leroy Thompson Jr.

www.ucanbeatdebt.com

Don't Be Deterred!

If God is your father, then when He speaks, His words should have an affect on you!  It’s amazing to me how some people like to pick the bible apart to fit their idea of who God is and how He feels towards certain subjects.  I’m so glad that we have the Bible, which is a record of God speaking or words inspired by God.  The words in the bible that are inspired by God really means the idea originated from Him.

If God is your father, then you know the words that He speaks and inspire is THE TRUTH.  You can’t pick and choose what part of the bible you will receive and what part you will reject and still call God your father!  Of course you can choose not to walk in certain truth, but you can’t deny that it’s TRUTH.  God and His word are the same so you can’t get part of God. Either you take all of Him or leave all of Him.  You can’t take half of your wife or husband.  You can’t take half of your children. In the human experience, you have to take the shortcomings of your family along with the strengths.   So in your spiritual experience, you have to take all of God’s goodness, which is redemption!  If I find something in the bible that doesn’t fit my religion (man made ideas of who God is), then my idea of who God is must conform to what God says about Himself.

If God has given me the power to get wealth, then who has the authority to say that I’m not supposed to be wealthy (Deuteronomy 8:18).  If Jesus became poor that I might become rich, then who has the authority to say the being rich is evil (2 Corinthians 8:9).  I can go on and on with God speaking and inspiring words about wealth.

Don’t let the frustration of others that can’t manipulate God into making them rich stop you from allowing God to make you rich.  You can always tell when someone is trying to manipulate God because they get frustrated after sowing seed and not receiving a harvest on their timeline.  So they resort in finding scriptures to prove that they nor you are not supposed to be rich or wealthy, which within itself provides a contradiction.  How can you believe John 3:16 and not Deuteronomy 8:18?  How can you believe Romans 10:8-10 and not believe Psalms 112:3?  Same bible and Same God.

Read this next statement carefully!  Even if you have to read it over, DO SO!  The bible never talks negatively about money.  It talks negatively about money being handled or obtained improperly!  Filthy lucre, root of evil, and every other negative reference to money is pointing to the improper gain or handling of money!  Every time money is referred to negatively, the bible showed how money was being chased or was the center of attention.

Thank God that He made it clear that there is a proper way to handle and obtain money, the law of seedtime and harvest.  In the same bible, I read Matthew 6:32-33 that says If I seek first God’s ways of doing things and doing them the way He wants, he will add everything the Gentiles are seeking to me.  That sounds like money is chasing those obedient to what God wants.  Isaiah 1:19 goes on to read that if I am willing and obedient, I will eat the good of the land!  That sounds like the good of the land being provided because I’m willing and obedient to what God wants.  Once again, provisions are the chaser and whoever was willing and obedient is being chased by provisions.  Hebrews 11:6 (one of religions favorite faith scriptures) reads, But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a REWARDER of those who diligently seek Him.  This sounds like God is rewarding those that puts His priorities first.  In other words, all those verses that we just went over, looks like God and what He wants is the center of the person’s attention, and the person, who prioritized God’s will first is the center of money’s attention! (You need to read that statement again and it will sink in!)  After reading that statement again, you’ll realize that money in your hands assists you in fulfilling God’s will on earth.  Now tell me again, How can that be evil?

Finally, You will always have someone that doesn’t properly work the law of seedtime and harvest because of trying to manipulate God and getting no results. Then try to get you to debate the TRUTH OF WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY SAID ABOUT YOU, WEALTH RICHES, AND MONEY!  Don’t let them deter you from working God’s principles correctly and being rewarded!

RECEIVE YOUR MONEY, MAN!!!!

Releasing the Spirit, Provoking Thought, and Causing Increase,

Leroy Thompson Jr.

www.ucanbeatdebt.com