For the purpose of this discussion, there are three levels of understanding in the universe-
1. Cause (highest level of understanding, divine understanding)
2. Cause and effect (structural understanding or men’s understanding)
3. Effect (survival- without understanding)
Effect-
When we are born into this world we have little or no understanding of cause and effect. We simply respond to stimuli. When we are hungry, we cry. When we have soiled diapers, we cry. When those issues are removed, we quit crying… usually. As we grow, we begin to understand the significance of "cause and effect" in some areas. In the areas of immaturity, adults still only understand effect. In the financial realm, 50 year old couples will make poor financial decisions because they don’t understand "cause and effect". They are still in the "effect" category. Investors in this category are gambling. Effect is "time bound".
Cause and Effect-
Most adults understand the structure of the universe which operates in the "cause and effect" realm. Physical laws are in place to assure us that the same effect happens each time certain events occur. Chemical reactions occur consistently throughout the earth. The seasons occur each and every year without man’s intervention. Structure is persistent in maintaining the "cause and effect" dynamic. However, structure decays but its building blocks do not. Most men spend their lives within the level of understanding. Most investors invest their money based on "cause and effect" understanding. This is where risk resides. "Cause and effect" are time bound.
Cause-
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. "Cause" resides with Our Heavenly Father. HE created structure and "cause and effect". HE created the laws of physics, the mathematical truths, and the consistent responses of all "God particles", the building blocks of atoms. Men are just now beginning to comprehend the subatomic structures of atoms. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_boson) This highest realm of cause supercedes the realm of "cause and effect". It is above men’s understanding and we only gain understanding by revelation from Our Heavenly Father. "Cause" works outside the limitation of time.
Jesus pointed us to this realm of "Cause". He gave us a critical commandment: Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. God is love. That is the highest realm we can live in. Love defies cause and effect. It is a higher level than "cause and effect". This is where GOD’S grace and mercy reside. HIS grace and mercy supercede the "effect". How many times has His mercy pulled us from the deserved "effect" of our actions?
We have a tendency to only structurally define GOD and HIS actions. We consistently look for formulas to predict what HE will do next. If we could only find the Holy Grail formula to predict the future. This is EXACTLY what investors are searching for. There are countless technical indicators and formulas used by the investment population today. With the advent of PC’s and computing power, technical analysis of the stock market is a huge industry and preferred methodology. The demise of the current environment is being facilitated by man’s attempt to find the master formula of successful investing.
Warren Buffet is called "The Oracle of Omaha". People flock to Buffet hoping to get a revelation of the perfect investment. An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion; an infallible authority, usually spiritual in nature. Men know there is a higher power. If only they could tap into that higher power for the next stock tip.
At 5:00 A.M Friday, October 16th, 1987, The LORD awakened me and told me to buy $25,000 of IBM Puts (a time-sensitive, leveraged derivative of the stock with the expectation of the stock value declining). We had the cash but not much more. I thought it was the devil attempting to extract what funds we did have. I was 36 years old at the time. HE had done the same thing a few months earlier but only $2,000 was involved and it was successful. I did not have the confidence that I had "heard" the LORD. I did nothing. Black Monday is the name given to Monday, October 19, 1987, when stock markets around the world crashed, shedding a huge value in a very short period. That night on CNN Lou Dobbs commented with the following example, "if you had invested $25,000 in IBM Puts on Friday the 16th, they would be worth $1.2 million tonight. What a lesson!
Mat 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Jesus was redirecting our focus to being in Our Heavenly Father’s presence and love, that is where the revelation is. Entering our prayer closets is where each of our gifts and callings will flourish. When we hear The Father’s voice, we will recognize it and respond accordingly. Our investment in time, money, or any other resource will be guided by revelation and not by risk. We will be given the tools to carry out our calling… simply!