When learning faith becomes a passion, the future will be very bright.  And learning faith for finances will be life changing. By Gary Shotton #000399

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Learning Faith

By Gary Shotton

        Hello, my name is Gary Shotton, and I am here as a part of inspiring better business to talk about learning face.  And in reality, I am going to focus on learning faith for finances because this is a website or business and how money works and how we as Christians can be prosperous. In this day, I am going to tell you the story of my life and how I am continually learning faith so it is never something that you are going to achieve it is a progress that continues on. So, I graduated from college and I was married. Just newlyweds so we went to our first job up in the State of Wyoming and it is kind of a Godforsaken area, not many churches and pretty rough and I. After one year of just really a horrible thought I can not believe I went to college to do what I am doing and was ready to quit. My wife and I together got saved. We became Christians, and we were then involved with a steady pace of Bible and Bible teaching in a great church and as a fundamental church is a small church and, and there is a whole history there.

But, at one point, I concluded that I was not learning, faith learning how the Bible works at a pace that I would be happy with and I talked to my pastor, he was about the same age and it is not what he wanted to hear. Because I did not tell him in a negative way criticizing him. I just said in the environment I was working hard going to church and having my activities I need to accelerate my Bible lessons my Bible, learning, and I knew of this school that would teach how faith works it was known for teaching how faith works. We became familiar with it, we felt the Lord, leading us to that school in Broken Arrow Oklahoma, and again my pastor was not excited because I was the chairman of the board of the small church. I was in charge of the construction I was also the Sunday school superintendent and I was also the trader so in a small church you pretty well do every day. That is the way it works.

And so, I was not in any way critical of what was there I was just looking out for my wife and I is best and my wife agreed, and we moved with three small children some 1200 miles from the north west corner of Wyoming, to the north, east corner of Oklahoma. It is a pretty good trip, and in that process my quest was to learn how to grow up as a Christian, I did not think of it that way but it was truly learning how faith works, how does faith work well be an engineer. I think GOD must be an engineer I mean on partial, but he creates systems and processes and I learned that faith works pretty well the same. I see it in the Word of GOD. I started analyzing it in my mind thinking about it I become convinced that That is right. And then I have to drop down into my heart and I have to act. That is what happened with my salvation I saw it in the Word of GOD, there was no question the path I was on was nit the right path.

I saw that it was wrong, that I needed to go a different path so I became convinced in my mind and I then acted, I sometimes have spoken out. Same thing with healing the same, they want the marriage. I have to see the word of GOD, I have to believe it in my heart I have to do what I need to do, and I need to take some actions to make this come about. So, I am here, I am in the town I am now and I am believing GOD, and working. And I am thinking, oh my goodness I am on the right path, everything ought to be perfect because I am following GOD not, it did not work that way. First of all, I came, believing I was going to have a great job, and I would continue my income at a pretty good level at least a sustainable level because I have, at that time, my house payment back in Wyoming because I did not sell my house at that time was had 14 acres nice little place I am giving that up. And I am learning faith and I have to pay that mortgage payment.

And then I have another payment which is my new rent, utilities and all. And guess what my rent was twice what my mortgage payment was so I was used to a particular payment, and now it is actually tripled. I do not have income, well my point is, I went through this Bible school, and I studied I listened, I took very good notes because I am committed to this, I have made up a sacrifice to get here, and I am learning it, I got my certificate I walked the aisle I got my picture with my graduation gown on. And yet to be really honest with you, all I did learn was basically the end it was needed I learned the foundation I learned in my head, how faith works how the Bible work. And, you know, I mean at some time when that whole process I was pretty diligent and I, I could, I can actually quickly reprove replay review the books of the Bible Matthew Mark Luke john Akoma First Corinthians Second Corinthians all the way through the 26th books.

I mean, I am into this, and I said if I can do that, I can do them backwards I go, revelations June 3 john second john first john and backwards and I could do them as fast forward as backwards. I know the word of GOD, I am learning the Word of GOD never Am I saying I know all about the word of GOD I am just saying I am aggressively learning, but I did not learn faith through that certificate. I learned faith through the problems I had the difficulties ahead. I had to come and apply what I learned to real life situations. Again, I am graduating now after two years of Bible school and my, my fellow graduates are all going out to change the world with Bible, having churches and have evangelistic associations and having Bible teachers and have big visions and, oh Gary over here, he is going to start a business, with a little bitty trailer started with a trailer behind his car. It was kind of it could have been embarrassing.

You know, and then my first truck was a big truck that did not yet was not painted right it looked ugly, and I am out there and here is my fellow graduates, going out to change the world. And I am driving this old truck with a helper loading furniture. Guess what, that is where I learned fate. I learned fate on a daily basis, I learned a, a week by week by week I live had learned how to deal with people. Now, am I done with that, never. It is never going to end. I am going to continue to earn it. I am a continual learner and but the challenges were so hard. And I am thinking, gosh, why would not this be a look, but I knew I was learning how GOD worked. I happen to have a situation. This was back in the 80s and so 1986 was one of the best years. Our my dad had for the farm and I graduated from Bible School in 84 so it was two years later that I am into this, and it is pretty tough, just to be honest, it was real tough, and I was making ends meet, make learning how accounting works, learning the things about business, but I had in my mind you know I think ought to just kind of cash this in.

Because my dad was a mom we are happy if I would move back and be a part of the farm, and then they had this huge crop this huge, and I go back there at harvest time and there is an excitement about it. I am thinking, what am I doing, I need to be back here where there is something happening, I am struggling. I am learning faith, quick story about my youngest son, he, he was a great soccer player, we call it soccer you call it, World Cup football, and he was at the level that he was a captain of the state championship team for many years for me it was 12, through his 15. So, there is four years in a row that three out of those four years. He was the captain of Captain co-captain of the team that was a state champion and played in the regionals trying to go to the national championship. Well, you know, if you are going to be good. You have got to be tested. And so, we as parents would go all over the place, a couple of 100 miles this way, a couple of years, every direction Dallas is 250 miles.

We would go for tournaments there, we would go north to St. Louis. Another 500 400 miles to St. Louis, we would go at one point at a tournament was all the way, almost 1500 miles is a regional tournament in the Carolinas. Why, because if you got a player that is good and you got a team that is good. You got to go get them tested. They can not play little teams around town, and just, they are all slaughter him. That is no test, they had to get up and be willing, and they, they had to be willing to be tested, and they had to want to be tested, and they had to be in the game nobody wants to set on the sidebar right when you are an athlete you want to be in the game. That is the test. That is when you learn it.

So quit bellyache about your situation and learn that the test is what you are wanting you are wanting to be in the test and I will finish with this. First Corinthians 1213 says, GOD is faithful who will not allow you to be tested above that that you are able, but will with the test, make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it is like a perfect parent that will never let their child be overcome with something they could not pass, they would not allow that they are going to protect them GOD will protect you. But, in turn, introduced by your path, you will be tested. but he will always make a way of escape, I use that so many times that I it is tough, but there is a way to get through this. Well I hope you learned something from our lessons that thanks for being a part of Inspiring Better Business.