Your Financial Revolution:
The Power of Rest
Copyright © 2018 by Gary Keesee
Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are from the New International Version® (NIV)® of the Holy Bible. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version® of the Holy Bible. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-945930-03-4
Published by Free Indeed Publishers.
Distributed by Faith Life Now.
Faith Life Now
P.O. Box 779
New Albany, OH 43054
1-(888)-391-LIFE
You can reach Faith Life Now Ministries on the Internet at www.faithlifenow.com.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: Rest - The Basics
CHAPTER 2: Legal Rights
CHAPTER 3: The Kingdom Is Your Answer
CHAPTER 4: I Found a Major Key of the Kingdom!
CHAPTER 5: Flying Is Better Than Walking
CHAPTER 6: There Is More to Life Than Paying the Bills!
CHAPTER 7: This Is Impossible!
CHAPTER 8: The Double Portion
CHAPTER 9: More Than Enough!
CHAPTER 10: The Mystery of the Double Portion
INTRODUCTION
The day we left the farmhouse was a bittersweet kind of day. We had lived in that old, tiny, run-down farmhouse for nearly nine years, and now I was carrying the last load of boxes out to our van. I was heading to our new home we had built ourselves, a 7,700 square foot, Georgian home that sat on 55 acres of beautiful Ohio farmland, with 20 acres of woods and marshes. It was a dream that would have been hard to imagine just a few years earlier.
Even though we were leaving the farmhouse, I loved that old house. Yes, even with its broken windowpanes, its dirt cellar, and the constant bee attacks we endured while we lived there. So many memories came to mind. Two of my five children were actually born there in the family room.
We had many good times there but also many times of financial stress and hopelessness. There were so many things we had to learn. Although hard to imagine now, when we moved into that old farmhouse nine years earlier, we could barely pay the $300 a month rent. Both of our cars were very old, with hundreds of thousands of miles on them, and yet they still had liens against them. At that time, it seemed we owed everyone money. We had ten maxed out and canceled credit cards; two finance company loans; of course, our two car payments; IRS liens; the tens of thousands we owed our relatives; and the list goes on. We lived a life of financial survival, pawning most everything we owned sometimes just to buy groceries. The things we owned were very old and broken things we had purchased very old to begin with.
Our dire financial situation at the time held little hope for a bright future. Quite frankly, I did not see much hope things could change. I loved my family, I had a beautiful wife, but I was dragging them through financial hell!
I was on antidepressants, dealing with panic attacks, and fear consumed my daily life. Let’s just say I wasn’t the happiest person to be around. I was selling life insurance, living on commissions, and going nowhere fast, except further into a financial abyss. Slowly, we were getting further and further in debt until there were no more debt options left. It was at this point I crashed emotionally. Panic and fear overtook my mind. I was even afraid of leaving my house, which by the way is not good for commission sales.
My wife thought she was going to lose her husband, and the fear of raising the four children we had at the time alone haunted her. But she is a strong believer in the power of prayer and did not give up on me. Together, we prayed and then set out to discover the principles of God’s Kingdom. As we began to seek God for answers and principles, hope began to rise in our hearts as we saw one miracle after another when we applied what God showed us.
A defining moment occurred one night as God showed me that I was to start my own company in the financial field helping people get out of debt and teaching them the principles He was showing me. At the time, starting a company showing people how to get out of debt seemed rather strange as we still had a lot of debt ourselves. We prayed about this, but the Lord told us that as we stepped out and began teaching His principles, we would find our freedom as well. Starting the company was a walk of faith since we had no clue how to do that, but we persevered at it. The company grew, and the money it brought in brought our family completely out of debt in two and half years. I will talk a bit more on our company in the next chapter, but for now, just know that our lives changed drastically! There is no way I can explain how we felt to be free, how it felt to walk into a car dealership and pay cash for a new car. How it felt to design, build, and pay for our new home. What we were enjoying was beyond anything we could have imagined.
Yes, the farmhouse held quite a few memories. As I went to grab the last box from the house, I passed my wife as she stood in the little dining room. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. They were not sad tears; they were tears of joy and also tears of emotion, as she remembered all that God had taught us there. I fought back tears also as I took one last look through the rooms, remembering with mixed emotions everything that had taken place there. We were closing a chapter in our lives and going on to new territory. What was before us now? The journey had taken us from depression, with no hope, to a future full of hope. As I went outside with the last box, I stopped and looked back at the house with a smile. “No, I will not miss you. I have a better place now.”
AS WE BEGAN TO SEEK GOD FOR ANSWERS AND PRINCIPLES, HOPE BEGAN TO RISE IN OUR HEARTS AS WE SAW ONE MIRACLE AFTER ANOTHER WHEN WE APPLIED WHAT GOD SHOWED US.
It was thrilling to be moving to our new home for sure. But the best thing about our journey was there was finally rest! I could think about my future and not just about paying the bills. Over the years, living in His rest has been an absolute dream! Having our cars paid for is rest. Being debt free is rest. Having my dream home on 55 acres paid for is rest. Seeing the smile on my wife’s face when she goes shopping and doesn’t have to worry about money is rest. Beyond having all that we need, having enough money to be able to give hundreds of thousands of dollars to others and to support the Gospel is rest. But probably the greatest change in my life was not waking up every day to the pressure and fear that surrounded my life all those early years. Being able to dream again of good things instead of dreaming of just surviving one more week is rest.
WHAT DRENDA AND I DISCOVERED IS JUST AS MUCH AVAILABLE TO YOU AS IT WAS TO US.
Yes, the day I was packing the last boxes into the van to take the trip to our new home was bittersweet. But trust me, the sweetness of the rest that Drenda and I discovered so overpowered the bitter thoughts of leaving those memories behind that we felt like two little school-age kids again, laughing and dreaming together.
I know what you are thinking. I wish I had that. I wish I could have that experience and laugh, dream, and be able to focus on something other than just paying the bills. Although you may find it hard to believe at this point in the book, I assure you that what Drenda and I discovered is just as much available to you as it was to us. My prayer is as we share our story, you will be encouraged to apply God’s laws and principles to your own life as well.
It really is not that hard; you simply need to discover the power of rest!
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
— Matthew 11:28-30