Will ‘FINISHED’ Be the Final Word in Your Story?

What did you do for Easter weekend? Yes, Easter. That day of the year when people dress up and put fancy outfits on their kids and head to church to hear about how Jesus died on the cross for our sins. But His death isn’t the most important part of the story. After all, a lot of people die. No, the most powerful message of the Gospel isn’t that Jesus died, it’s that He rose again. Jesus paid for sin. He overcame death. He gave us liberty. He made us sons and daughters of God Almighty. He gave us amazing benefits. There is nothing greater that has happened in the history of the earth.

Last weekend, I was in Texas for a conference with a pastor who had seen us on television in December. He told me how he had heard something different when he watched us. He had heard something that got his attention. So, he got some of our CDs. When he came to pick me up, he was driving this big, beautiful, white Ford Excursion truck. I said, “Man! That’s a nice truck!” He was so excited. He told me how, since December, he had been healed of diabetes, and how he had been believing God for a new vehicle. Then a business friend approached him and told him he had rebuilt a truck and that God had told him to give it to this pastor. Now, that’s not just a great story. Something had changed for my pastor friend.

Jim and Pam had been running a business out of their home for twelve years. They had been blessed over the years, but something was always missing. They were just surviving and they were frustrated. Then they heard some of our teachings on the Kingdom of God and how to live in the Kingdom here on the earth. Five months later, they had gone from barely being able to pay their bills to having five employees and quadrupling their monthly income. What had changed for them? What was the difference?

You may know my story, but years ago, before I was pastoring, Drenda and I were living on commissions and nearly bankrupt. We had 10 maxed out credit cards, three finance company loans, owed family members $26,000, had judgments and liens against us, owed tens of thousands of dollars to the IRS. Pawnshops were a familiar place to us. The mattresses my boys had in their bedroom were thrown out from a nursing home. Who wants to live like that? We were surviving at the lowest level. We lived that way for nine years. The stress was pretty apparent. I began to have panic attacks. I lived in a state of fear. It just kept getting worse. The electric man would come to our house every month to cut off our power and I’d give him a bad check and try to figure out how to cover it. And, by the way, I had one of those little Christian logos on my checks. We were the Christians and we were a mess! I had been raised in the church! I had been to Oral Roberts University! Something was wrong. We were believers, but we didn’t have a clue. One night, in my mind, I heard, “You’re finished.” I lay across the bed weeping and crying out to God and He said Philippians 4:19, “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” God clearly told me, “You don’t know how my Kingdom works. You’ve never taken the time to figure it out.”

And, right then, we were committed. We were seeking the Kingdom of God. We started on the journey and God began to teach me the Kingdom and how it operated. We were able to pay off all of our debt in two and a half years. We had to pinch ourselves every day. We had gotten accustomed to the emotional fires and always wondering where we were going to find the money. Now, we were learning how the Kingdom operated. I was also healed. We were able to build our house. It was like someone had flipped a switch! Everything was working out. I used to dream about having $10 and not owing anyone. I never thought I would be able to save $100,000, or pay cash for a brand new car.

The Kingdom is good. I have plenty of stories to share so that you wouldn’t just have to take my word for it. I get stories all of the time from people who believe in the power of God to change lives.

When Jesus walked this earth, He showed us what God was all about. Jesus gave His life on the cross to buy us back from evil. As He drew His last breath, He spoke: “IT IS FINISHED!” Then, three days later, He kicked the grave wide open. He defeated death. He defeated EVERY work of darkness. See, plenty of people have heard about Easter, but very few people have experienced it.

So, what have you been believing for? Peace? Restoration? Abundance? Healing? Forgiveness? Name it.

“It is FINISHED!”