The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which th Lord your God is giving you.I'll never forget the first time I really understood that scripture.
(Deut. 28:8 NKJV)
It was years ago, and when I went back and read Deuteronomy 28 from the beginning, I noticed that verse 8 had a word in it that none of the other verses on blessing had—the word command.
"Well," I thought, "if God is going to command a blessing on my storehouses, then I had better have some."
That was it. It wasn't a big deal or a flash of lightning, but at that thought I felt a sudden surge of hope inside of me. I decided at that moment I would start a storehouse for the church I pastored, and one for my wife and me, personally.
It was a simple decision to obey what I had read in the Word of God.
Little did I know that it would also be the seed of revelation that would change the course of our ministry, my opinion of myself, and the way I looked at money for the rest of my life.
The Lord led my wife Judy and me to lay the foundation for our storehouse by first giving things away and making a fresh start. He may lead others in a different way, but the key is to obey Him as He guides us and to put the principles of His Word into effect.
The result in our lives has been abundant blessing, and God has been faithful to enable us to pay all of our bills.
A God Of Tomorrow
It is obvious from this passage that our God is the God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
In other words, God is trying to teach us that we should look "afar off," and not just think for today.
If Christians are going to change the world, we need to learn to think the same way about our futures, the futures of our families, and the impact that we and our churches will have in the times to come.
If my church, Living Stones Church, hadn't at one time purchased a large plot of land several years ago, our Victory Camp would never have happened. That is why Living Stones Church now owns over 280 acres in Alvin. There are no specific plans for all of that land at the present time, but it will be there for the church to use to fulfill its future dreams.
This is just one example of looking "afar off" as it relates to church growth and the future of our ministry.
In 1 Chronicles 22, David prepared for the next generation in his time.
And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight; Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Sidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.David wasn't thinking just about himself. God had told him he would not be allowed to build the Temple. But he did not let that deter him. He knew that one day the Temple would be built, so he was going to prepare for it.
(1 Chron. 22:3-5)
He was seeing afar off and thinking about what he could do today to help someone else tomorrow. This was an example of one of David's Storehouses. He never got to see the magnificence of this house of the Lord, but he knew that it would bless the next generation.
It was this attitude of seeing "afar off" that drove him to prepare so much for the building of this house. David was not only a man after God's own heart, but also a man of vision and faith.
He was willing to invest today for what others would reap tomorrow.
Preparing For The Future
It is this principle that prepared for Victory Camp before it was even imagined, and why Living Stones has a camp to reach youth, a school, and a day-care facility, all of which are designed to minister to the next generation upon a foundation that is built today.
Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, also prepared for the future. For seven years he stored up food for a famine that was about to come to the region where he lived.
Have them gather all the food and grain of these good years into the royal storehouses, and store it away so there will be food in the cities. That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come. Otherwise disaster will surely strike the land, and all the people will die.Joseph's suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his advisers (see Gen. 41:35-37 NIV).
(Genesis 41)
Because of his wisdom and ability to see afar off, Joseph built storehouses and saved the abundance of the present for the scarcity that would come in the future.
He not only saved his own natural family, but in doing so he also secured the future of Israel as a nation because his family was the foundation for that great nation.
Not only that, but he also secured the future of Egypt, which is where he lived at the time of the famine. No wonder Pharaoh (the ruler of Egypt) and all his servants "liked" the idea.
How Are You Doing?
So, what about you? Do you have a storehouse for your kids' college education or for your retirement? Are you looking down the road financially? Or do you have to have the newest model car or the latest high-tech toy today?
Do you always take the money you get from a raise and use it to buy something new rather than investing it for the future? Are you blinded by trying to keep up with what your neighbors have?
It could be that spending what you have in the present will cause you to miss golden opportunities in the future. As Edwin Louis Cole once said, "We sow to the future and reap from the past."
What Do You Have "Planted" for Your Future?
In some nations around the world many people develop savings that are equal to years of their current annual salaries for no other purpose than to have that money set aside as a back-up.
This does not even include the money they have set aside for their children's college, their own retirement, and even for providing for their children's first home when they marry.
Meanwhile, the average American has no more than two months salary in the bank at any one time and often carries more than that in credit card debt alone.
Proverbs 13:22 says, "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children." What do you have that is saved and invested for your grandchildren to inherit?
God wants to expand His kingdom on earth today, and that kingdom includes both the children of God who embrace Him now and also those who will be reached with the Gospel in the future.
A storehouse is a foundation upon which we can establish that kingdom. And it is not just for church congregations and organizations; God wants to establish His kingdom in our personal lives and in the lives of our family members as well.
It is time to stop simply thinking about it and to start building the future by putting the Storehouse Principle to work in your life today.
Excerpt permission granted by CrossStaff Publishing
Al Jandl is known as a pastor's pastor and a visionary leader for the 21st century. From humble beginnings as a store manager for a major grocery chain, Al Jandl has become a nationally known pastor, conference speaker, and leader.
