Dear Partner,

Have you ever heard the phrase, "One word from God can change your life forever?" It is true. I will never forget May 2, 1996. It was mine and Sue's first year of being full time in the ministry. To the best of our knowledge, we were obeying everything that He had told us to do, yet we had been struggling terribly financially. I knew that was not His perfect will for us, yet I could not seem to break out of the "barely surviving stage" when it came to prosperity.

At that time I was "serving" the Lord, but I did not "know" the Lord very well. Consequently, I did not know my heavenly "Father" very well either. My relationship with the Father was still pretty much "performance" centered. Let me say it this way; I only had a relationship by "formula" when it came to my heavenly Father. I felt like, if I did "this," then He would do "that."

Because our financial needs were so great, I was daily in the frame of mind of "how can I get God to meet my needs?" I was following every formula I had ever been taught when it comes to prospering financially in the kingdom. Thank God for the Holy Ghost! He came to my rescue after a season of praying in the spirit and said to me,

"This thought never went through the mind of Jesus; What must I do today to get the Father to meet my needs?"

To me, that was an incredible statement because at the time it seemed that all my waking hours were CONSUMED with thoughts of "what must I do today to get the Father to meet my needs." I asked the Holy Spirit, "Well, if Jesus did not think like that, how did He think?" The Holy Spirit responded,

"He believed that He was His Father's Son, and heir of all that the Father had."

I did not realize at the time that those two short statements from the Holy Spirit would change my life forever. The whole reason for my financial struggles in the kingdom of God were based on this simple fact: I did not have the revelation of "sonship." I still considered myself to be an "outsider," seeking to obtain the blessings of God based on my performance.

Think about it like this. There is a vast difference in the thinking of an employee of a rich man compared to the son of a rich man. The employee's relationship, financially, with the rich man is based on his performance. The son's relationship, financially, with the rich man is based on his "inheritance." The employee is "paid wages" according to his labor. The son receives freely from his inheritance because the rich man IS his Father!

I began to give a lot of time to thinking about how Jesus would think concerning His ministry on the earth and His relationship with the Father. Jesus KNEW He was His Father's Son! His prosperity rested upon His "Sonship." As the true Elder Son, He knew that all that the Father had was His. He was only concerned with being about His Father's business. Whatever He needed, He simply asked the Father, which is precisely what He told us to do in the gospel of John;

John 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

I don't go to God with a tally sheet of my giving anymore. When I give, it is to serve Him, not to get my needs met. Jesus was not concerned with getting His needs met. Although He was a Son, He was only concerned with serving the Father. The difference between Him and us is...He knew the Father. He knew the Father could be trusted. He knew the Father could not lie. He knew that the Father would not fail Him. Sadly, we don't know the Father that well...but we can. That is exactly why the Holy Spirit has been sent to us. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us. And the more we truly see of Jesus, the more we see the Father. That is why praying in the spirit and meditating the Word are so essential.

Does God appreciate our giving into His Kingdom? Absolutely! God loves a "cheerful giver." But our giving should be an outgrowth of the inheritance that He has already provided for us ... not works trying to obtain an inheritance that is already ours. When you know that you are a child of the Father, with access to His unlimited resources, you have truly become free to give.

I have also found that "worship" has more to do with my financial prosperity than even my "giving." As I spend time simply worshipping my Father for His grace that made me His son, fear of lack simply leaves my consciousness. Time spent worshipping Jesus for His great love for me that would not quit until He had made it possible for me to be a "joint-heir" with Him produces an "inheritance" consciousness in me. I AM A SON! I AM AN HEIR! I HAVE AN INHERITANCE! I AM NOT AN EMPLOYEE GETTING "PAID" FOR MY GOOD WORKS!

No matter what your present circumstances are, let me encourage you to spend time worshipping your Father for His abundance of grace toward you. Tell Him how much you appreciate being made His child, heir to His vast wealth. The spirit of "thankfulness" will rise up in you and all fear of lack will leave. Mine and Sue's prayer for you is,

Phil 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Thank you for your gift to GCM. Sue and I love you and appreciate you. We thank God for your generous and giving heart. God bless you!

Your friend and co-laborer,

Gary Carpenter

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