My Testimony
Success in business is a dream of many young people graduating from college, and I was no different. After graduating from college and serving in the military, my plan for a business career began in the corporate world. As I began my climb on the corporate ladder, I began to feel the weight of my future. My understanding of God was that He may be up there somewhere, but He was largely disengaged in the affairs of man. I had no desire for a relationship with God, because it was obvious to me and my superiors that I had what was necessary to “make it”. Outwardly I was up to the task, but inwardly, I wasn’t so sure.
As many of my goals were coming into view, I realized they were beginning to taste more like dry sand than the honey I had been expecting. I was in a personal crisis, with no one to talk to. One night, while standing by a river, I told God I didn’t think I could carry the burden of my own future much longer. I wasn’t sure if He was there or if He really cared. I said “OK, God, tonight I acknowledge Your existence. From this moment on, I am going to try to know You. But this Jesus, I cannot and will not acknowledge Him!” Reluctantly, I gave Him my future.
In all my simplicity and skepticism, God somehow honored my quest for Him, and six months later, I had an encounter with God’s Son, Jesus Christ, that transformed my life completely. It was the greatest decision I’ve ever made. At that moment, God imparted into me the knowledge that He had a plan for me. Since that moment, I have focused on discovering His plan and walking it out. He has a plan for all of us, and our greatest fulfillment comes when we walk in His plan, because we have been divinely equipped for that plan.
During my early years as a believer, I thought it would be impossible to serve God and be in business. I mistakenly thought I had to be a pastor or in the “full time ministry” to serve God. After some struggle, I realized that God had equipped me to serve Him “full time” in business. I concluded that, while others may view my work as “secular”, my bible told me in Colossians 2:24 “…it is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” This revelation is a message I now take around the world.
In the mid 90’s, my world began to change, when the Lord said there would be two main assignments for the rest of my life. The first was, “You will change the economies of nations.” and the second was, “I will use you to speak to leaders of nations…” Clearly, I was an unlikely candidate for either task. However, the Lord began showing me that the scripture was filled with economic principles that apply to our daily lives. In fact, we can’t successfully live in the Kingdom unless we operate by the principles of the Kingdom Economy. The Lord began opening up the bible to me in layer after layer. Verses that I had read hundreds of times suddenly exploded off the page with new meaning and understanding about His economy and that continues even today.
Once my cup was filled, so to speak, God began to put me in a position to teach His people. While I was running my business, invitations began to come from other nations. He began to bring strategic alliances to me, so we could encourage and facilitate the call of God on each other. Paul Wilbur (Wilbur Ministries) and Dr. Paul Williams (International HealthCare Network), and Jim Young, of Young Land Group, are just a few.
That God has allowed me to serve Him in this way is a testimony to His grace and mercy. As we travel the nations, bringing the message of the Kingdom to leaders, one of our roles is to build bridges of understanding between ministry and the marketplace. It has been such an honor to speak to pastors' groups around the world about the people in their churches on Sunday morning.
We are in critical days. God is marking the nations that will serve Him. He is preparing to make His economic system the dominant system in the earth. It is imperative that God’s people learn how to live and conduct their lives by His principles. MarketPlace Leadership International is an organization dedicated to helping fulfill that mandate.