Servias Ministries Blog

There has been some focus placed on July 20th as a possible economic/monetary event that might affect us all.  These days, anything could happen.  The complexities that have been created by man have increased to the point where any aspect of the current system could fail, or caused to fail by some nefarious plan implemented in order to bring us into further subjection.  It is my hope that this chatter is simply another mind-generated suspicion without any substance.  However, I would rather be prepared for such an event than be a day late with regret.

The American economy continues to weaken.  Our latest trek to the Alabama coast confirms that belief.  We have been going down South for the past 38 years and have a good feel for the economy based on the crowds or lack thereof.  Restaurants are no longer packed, traffic was not as heavy, and the beach was not overcrowded except for July 3rd and 4th.  People are cutting back in all areas.  Food prices are going through the roof and gasoline prices were in the mid to high $3 range.  We’re growing accustomed to the new price levels.

In the past, the solution to America’s economic woes focused on war.  People are weary about another war at this time.  A false flag event could take place in order to sway the population into yet another major conflict.

Since the 2008 meltdown, the banking system has not improved at all.  On the contrary, it is more fragile today than ever and the big banks have increased in size and concentration.  Their political funding has once again paid off in spades.  At the same time, the middle class is shrinking.  This group was the economic engine to keep the economy growing.  Consumption continues to decline and the true statistics reveal this reality.  This is why one must be aware of the possibility of an act of desperation by those in control.

In such a complex world, what can you and I do?  My long-term solution comes from Above, not here at the worldly level.  In Scripture there were 13 recorded famines.  Mankind brought on these famines.  Our Heavenly Father had the solutions to the famines then as HE does now.  HE knows that a Remnant will intercede for mankind and HE will sustain that Remnant while the rest of the world goes through whatever judgment necessary to once again balance the scales.  Jesus’ ministry occurred during the occupation by Rome yet He had no problem in rallying resources as needed to minister to the hungry.  Should we expect anything less now?

The noise of the current system can be deafening if you let it.  Each of us should enter into our “closet” and focus on hearing Our Father’s Voice.  HE will guide us through whatever lies ahead.  If something major does happen on the 20th, those who rely on Our Father will be the examples for others to see and emulate.  We will be the calm ones in the midst of the storm.

For those who own physical silver and/or silver stocks, the following article makes some notable points about what is going on in the metals markets:

http://blog.milesfranklin.com/its-a-trap

The U.S. continues to alienate the rest of the world with its arrogance.  The bully can only intimidate the rest of the neighborhood for so long before everyone else has finally had enough.  The manipulators of the metal have played on the emotions of the investors, believing they could minimize the demand for silver as well as gold.  Those who believe history must be considered as a strong indicator of the ultimate direction of these metals have taken these times to add to their positions.  Patience rewards those who are not swayed by the tactics of the manipulators.

Inflation in food prices has definitely shown up in our local economy.  Prices are up by at least 10% this year.  Has your paycheck or social security check increased by this amount?  Probably not.  The middle class is shrinking rapidly in the U.S. This is where economic growth has come from in the past.  As baby boomers respond to higher prices, you can be assured that they will begin to cut out any extravagance of the past.  It may take a few quarters to show up in the GDP, but expect to see retail spending weaken.

$45,000 for a new Ford pickup?  You’ve got to be kidding.  $9 for a “pick two” at the local Panera Bread?  Outrageous.  $4+ for a gallon of milk?  I am sounding like my parents now.  Our paper money continues to depreciate in value.  Physical assets are the only true stores of value in the end.  Some of them are even suspect.

Russia’s accumulation of gold:

China has a similar graph.  They see the change coming.  The bully will be overcome and the rest of the neighborhood will go about its business.

One of the more subtle aspects of the ego is how it promotes scarcity.  Your ego would have you chained to the current system under the Economic Law of Scarcity.  Scarcity is the fundamental economic problem of having seemingly unlimited human wants in a world of limited resources.  Man created this definition.  However the definition is restricted to the lower state of existence at the pure physical level without regard to the unlimited resources available to those with greater revelation and understanding.  When people are scarcity-oriented, they will have pressure to walk in a lawless manner.  The current system in oppressive by nature and thus the government creates a notable infrastructure to force compliant behavior in the area of revenue collecting.  It was the same environment during the time Jesus walked the earth.  The following passage is mentioned in Mark and Luke as well (Mark 12:13–17; Luke 20:20–26 ):

Matthew 22:

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. 17 Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? 19 Show Me the tax money.”

So they brought Him a denarius.

20 And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

21 They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”  And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

Jesus is THE Pattern Son and we should take His example as the basis of our behavior.  Inherent in this event is the fact that Jesus said “Pay the tax”.  The Pharisees were subjected to Rome’s authority and were hoping for a conquering Messiah to take control and establish Israel as the authority.  They viewed Rome as lawless to their way of life and rationalized why they shouldn’t be subjected to Rome’s taxation.  Yet they walked the roads that Rome built and used other of Rome’s resources.

Today, people want to use all of the resources created by their current governments but do not want to fund the creation and maintenance of the infrastructure.  They use the argument that much of the funds are misused, etc., etc. etc.  Stop!  Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.  Pay your taxes and establish yourself above reproach.  In the current system, the gun, the badge, and the prison are the law.  Pay your taxes and sleep peaceful at night, I do.

The error in their lawless approach to evading taxes is that they don’t understand that Our Heavenly Father is greater than the current system.  He has economic solutions that surpass man’s understanding.  You are just one revelation away from having your needs met.  The problem is that you don’t seek Our Heavenly Father’s voice in the area of scarcity.  Instead, you spend much of your time trying to work the current system which is designed to keep you enslaved.  Our Heavenly Father is in the business of setting the captives free.

The Economic Law of Scarcity mentioned above assumes men have unlimited wants.  Not so.  As I spend more time with Our Heavenly Father, my “wants” decline.  Life is about building relationships and ministering to the needs of others.  Love wants to restore and reconcile.  Self-centeredness desires to divide and be condescending toward others in order to exalt itself.  The ego is the source of unlimited “wants”.  As you move toward being led by The Spirit, your needs and wants will decline.  You will desire to simplify your life.

Jesus rallied the resources of Heaven to pay His taxes:

Matthew 17:

24 When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”

25 He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”

26 Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

The fish responded to the words of Jesus.  Peter responded to the words of Jesus.  Are we not also “aliens” in this land?  Let us not offend the tax collectors.  Let us move into the Kingdom of unlimited resources where every need is met, not to supply our old man, but to minister Love and life to all mankind.  The riches in Heaven are reserved and only accessible by those with the revelation of Love.  That is where the real treasury is at.  It will be protected from those with lawless intent.

This is the number to have been recently printed and put in the markets by the central banks.  If ISIS rebels decide to blow up Saudi Arabia’s oil pipelines, a rather easy task I have read, the price of oil could skyrocket above $200 per barrel.  How does $7-$9 gasoline in the U.S. impact the economy?  Catastrophic.  This could be the black swan event no one planned for that could cause a global economic collapse.  Stay nimble.  Keep the tanks and the food pantry full.

After Fed Chairman Yellen’s comments, someone place a half a billion into gold futures:

You don’t put this kind of cash at risk unless you know something.

Here is today’s Gold chart:

Their investment is in the black already.  Hmmm!

One aspect of dying to the flesh and expanding your Love walk is giving.  Our Heavenly Father established this most fundamental truth in the most well known Scripture in the New Testament:

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

The word “so” emphasized the magnitude of HIS Love for mankind.  Our Heavenly Father projected HIS Love by including every person who was ever born and who will be born.  I have found one of the greatest tests to determine how dead to the flesh you really are is whether you can cheerfully give or instead, is that voice inside of you compelling you to hold on to that resource deemed to be scarce. 

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Within this passage is a key to maturing as a Son.  We know that the love of money, also known as greed, is the root of all evil.  Thus the distribution of money or lack thereof is a general indication of your level of spiritual maturity and your revelation of Love.  Jesus’ revelation of Love was so great He gave His life for all mankind, the greatest act of giving.

Have you developed a pattern of giving?  If not, how do you expect to continue to mature when one of the greatest hindrances is not dealt with?  Jesus made the point with the rich young ruler.  Many ministries stay away from this topic in fear they will offend their donors and cut off their own source of payroll.  How can we expect to be fully pleasing when we will not deal with the one area known to be the most subtle issue of “self”?  Your ego would try to convince you that anyone approaching the subject of giving is simply out to extract your money from you.  That is where the real manipulation lies.

Years ago, Our Heavenly Father instructed me that if I give with a pure heart, HE will bless that giving EVEN if the recipient did not use the funds accordingly.  It is all about intent.  At Servias Ministries, we don’t want to pry your money out of your hands.  We simply receive gifts from willing and cheerful givers.  If you are giving nothing into the Kingdom, can you really expect to be chosen for use in the Kingdom?  If you are always receiving and never giving, your state of maturity is in question.

As a practical point, planting good financial seeds will lead to good financial fruit.  My wife and I discovered this reality years ago.  Our Heavenly Father takes pleasure in meeting the needs of those who are cheerful givers.  Giving can take on many different forms: time, possessions, money, words of encouragement, etc.

In the past, ministries used these Spiritual truths for their own agendas, apart from the intent of Love.  Does this mean that the Laws associated with giving no longer apply?  Of course not.  Your ego would convince you to steer clear of any discussion in this area.  Why?  It is one of the last and most subtle areas you must deal with before you have fully matured.

There are those who are faithful givers, some who occasionally give, and those who simply receive and never give.  Those are all indications of levels of maturity.  If you never give, I would suspect that you really question Our Heavenly Father’s ability to rally resources on your behalf.  Your eyes are on your situation and your faith has not matured to the point of believing every Word HE has spoken.  When your eyes are finally opened to the reality of how Our Heavenly Father responds to a cheerful giver, you will understand Paul’s words:

Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

As of last week, the European Central Bank is now in the midst of implementing negative interest on deposits.  Why?  To force depositors to seek a return on their money elsewhere… mainly the stock market.  This will not end well.

The U.S. stock market is already excessively high by historic standards and into bubble territory.  Zero interest rate policies by the central banks forced investors to move their money elsewhere for a return:  a move from zero risk to a greater level of risk.  They believe they can keep the perception of “wealth effect” going by this latest move.  The problem is that the average middle class investor is moving toward safety versus risk.  In addition to that position, baby boomers are beginning to cash in their portfolios to position themselves for monthly distributions to live on.  Many of them know the risk of the market having seen past meltdowns disintegrate their principal in a matter of hours.

How long can the charade last?  Only Our Heavenly Father knows.  After all , HE is the One who blinds the eyes so people can’t see the obvious.  This allows the maturing process to occur for the vessels of dishonor.  Fortunately, the vessels of honor are also moving toward full maturity.

There has been a “dearth” in the land, possibly for the past 21 years.  There has been a famine of “power from On High”.  What happened to the major ministries where masses of people were healed and restored?  There still may be “pockets” of success, but for the most part, there has been a vacuum of the “anointing”.  This appears to have been another time of compression, or preparation.  Compression occurs before expansion.  The maturing process of Jacob lasted 21 years before he finally had a change of character.

I believe our honoring the Feast of Pentecost was a necessary step for the next phase of expanding the Kingdom on earth.  It is all about getting our hearts right and in one accord.  The Body of Christ needs to be in unity before the next expansion.  There will be a Remnant rising to leaven the whole lump:

Luke 13:20 And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”  NKJV

The vessels of dishonor are preparing the way by moving the globe toward financial distress.  Their greed (love of money) will be their downfall.  The reliance on money rather than Our Heavenly Father will evaporate.  Men will turn from the wicked ways when their houses built on sand are demolished under the weight of the coming judgment of all the lawlessness.  There will be a gathering and a dividing.  The tares will be burned up.

The following article emphasizes the need to take possession of hard assets where practical:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-04/china-scrambling-after-discovering-thousands-tons-rehypothecated-copper-aluminum-mis

When men stand between you and your investment, there is an inherent risk of fraud and theft.

August 21st, 2011:   Venezuela’s central bank has requested its 99 tons of gold holdings from the Bank of England, according to a bank statement sent by e-mail, citing the institution’s president Nelson Merentes.  “We’ve contacted the Bank of England and the corresponding protocols have been initiated to complete this operation as soon as possible,” Merentes said, according to the statement. “Once that’s done, the shipments will begin by sea.”  Chavez ordered the central bank Aug. 17 to repatriate $11 billion of gold reserves held in developed nations’ institutions. Venezuela holds 211 tons of its 365 tons of gold reserves in U.S., European, Canadian and Swiss Banks.

Then Germany: specifically, the Bundesbank will be bringing to Frankfurt all of its 374 metric tons stored at the Banque de France (11% of its total reserves), and 300 metric tons held in the vault of the New York Fed, reducing its share in the U.S. from 45% to 37%.  At market prices, that’s about €27-billion ($36 billion) worth of physical gold bars.

In October of 2012 the Netherlands asked for their gold back.

Over the past few years, Libya and Iran have also repatriated their gold holdings.

Now Austria wants to audit its gold at the Bank of England.

There is a breakdown in trust among those who have gold held in New York and London.  It may be gone.

It has been alleged that there is no gold left in the U.S. Official Reserves.  Requests for audits have been denied.  If there was no issue, you would not deny the requests.  If it is found that the reserves are gone, you will see gold skyrocket.  Gold bars held by a custodian have serial numbers and have a chain of custody.  It would be interesting to find out where all those bars are at.  Gold Bars get shipped to Switzerland to be melted down and recast for new buyers.  That may eliminate the ability to track the origin of some gold.  Food for thought.

From John Williams at www.shadowstats.com:

> – It’s the Consumer, Not the Weather!
> – Weakening Economy Should Hit U.S. Dollar Hard, Boost Gold
> – First-Quarter Gross Domestic Product Fell by 1.0%;Gross National Product Tumbled by 2.1%; Gross Domestic Income Dropped by 2.3%
> – Before Inflation Adjustment, Nominal First-Quarter GDP Gained Just 0.3%
> – Pending Trade Data and Revisions Should Help to Set Negative Tone for Second-Quarter GDP and the GDP Benchmark Revision

The government publishes revised numbers long after the initial hoopla has past.  Most investors pay little attention to the revisions… which happen to be more accurate than the initial estimates.  John is our watchman.  To subscribe to his newsletter, go to: www.shadowstats.com