Giving Out Of Desperation

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by Richard Gazowsky

People that have walked on the cutting edge of risk are familiar with actions that must be done in desperate times. I personally believe that the moment a person that has destiny upon his life is forced into a position of desperation a spiritual dynamic is released from their spirit. It is almost like an SOS call going out to the supernatural. I don’t know exactly how heaven responds. Is it strictly in a personal, predetermined, angelic response, (which seems most likely), or does the Holy Spirit comes down and move and direct the course of man into an appropriate rescue? Scripture hints that God will give His angels charge over you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

I would like to discuss and hear your reply to an insight into the dynamic of this spiritual occurrence. It appears to me, after experiencing the same aforementioned desperation, that the likelihood of a miracle is increased by my act of giving. The opposite would be my asking for help (which leads to subsequent complaining). This reminds me of a time when I was younger and much more immature. I got into a situation where every single thing I tried to do fell apart. I found myself at church, alone and desperate when someone asked me for a ride home. I rudely said, “No. You can walk.” Not only did God not show up and help me, but I went through a month of the worst guilt and mental anguish that I’ve ever experienced. It was at that point that I realized I was getting it all wrong. When you’re desperate it is not a time to grab and take. It’s a time to give, give, and give.

One of the first times I experienced this was when the Lord asked me to sow my first home to Him. Sandy (my wife) and I gave this home willingly, expecting God to replace the home in a matter of months. Instead of giving us a home, the Lord gave us three of the most awesome children a man and woman have ever been given. At the end of five years of waiting we had finally saved enough money for a down payment to purchase our second home. The home we were about to purchase was a real killer deal, and I was desperate to get it. It was a Friday night, and I was sitting in church. The pastor mentioned that a missionary had asked if anyone wanted to give to build a church in Port Alegre, Brazil. The Lord spoke to me at that moment and said, “I want you and Sandy to pay for the building of that church, right now.” I knew we did not have the total amount for a down payment, and the escrow was to close in twenty days. I realized the situation was so desperate that without a miracle from God there was no way we would be able to purchase our home. What difference did it make to God? He could just as easily supply the entire down payment, as the small amount we were lacking. Maybe if we gave what we had to build this church it would cause a spiritual dynamic to occur in the heavenlies. In faith, we sowed all of the money we had and built the church in Brazil. About nine days later money from the most unusual sources began flowing into our bank account. This was two days before the close of escrow. Not only did we receive the money for the down payment and closing costs, but we had enough leftover to carpet the entire house, to professionally install a new fireplace, and to install a large bay view window that took advantage of our homes view on the side of a San Francisco mountain. These improvements alone increased the value of the home by $100,000 dollars. Sandy and I were overwhelmed by the bounty of release that heaven gave to us from this giving in the face of desperation. Many of the great men in the Bible gave abundantly in desperation.

The apostle Paul showed us that God is using us to teach principalities and powers the manifold wisdom of God. I’m not sure I understand how this heavenly arrangement operates, but from my observation, it appears that there is a calculation that is affected greatly by: risk, time’s available safety net, how many souls are effected by the risk, attitude maintained during risk, and peace of spirit. I know I listed a lot here, but I’ve found each of these factors to be equally important. There is one I failed to mention, but that probably could be elevated to the deciding factor. That determines whether Heaven shows up or not, and that is the temperance of your flesh. In other words, does your flesh save you, or does God?

Nearly every time you are desperate and give, God requires you to do some action in your flesh that results in heaven’s response. But this action does not gratify your flesh, nor do people around you compliment you for your cleverness. Instead, the response is usually, “How stupid are you?” or “Only an idiot would give when what they have isn’t even enough.”

I had an incredible experience years ago when one of the most wealthy women in California was told to give her finances in order to save a Christian Television station. The station needed about four million dollars. She was easily worth $500,000,000. But, she told me that she was not going to give it because it might make others ask her for more money. She felt that God had blessed her with money so that she could show all the Christians what it’s like to be wealthy. She proceeded to remodel her home so it could be shown in prestigious magazine, drive a Mercedes 500 SL, and show me her $30,000 diamond encrusted watch. I loved and enjoyed all of the show. She said to me “This is God’s purpose.” She thought her show of wealth to everybody brought glory to the Lord. Now I must make it plain. I believe God wants us to prosper and have luxury. All these things were possessed by King David and Abraham. It just seems a little odd to me for someone to be interviewed on a Christian television show in a station that is going bankrupt, all the while showing off your thirty thousand dollar watch, saying you are making a show of God’s glory because you have the ability to go to a French watch maker and write a big check. Yet you don’t have the ability to help the station because you’re afraid others might seek your help.

I never have forgotten my interaction with this woman, because one year later, she married an unbeliever and died on her honeymoon. The end of the story is that the state of California ended up getting most of her money. Lest you think I’m just talking about other wealthy people, as many poor people do, I have actually experienced this desperate dynamic myself. I was living in a home worth nearly one million dollars, driving two luxury cars, and had designer furniture from Architectural Digest.

During this time I had an incredible desperate motivation; not because of a financial need, but because of a desperate hunger to go deeper in God and seek his excellence. I was no longer a newlywed, all of my children were of mature age, and my wife of thirty years and I had acquired a lot. At this point God asked, “Will you give it all?” Our family joyfully sowed everything to the Lord, and went from having everything to nothing. We did not even have a car to drive. One night while coming home on a San Francisco street car, my two beautiful daughters were sitting in the only available seats nearby me. Suddenly, two drunks got onto the street car and began fighting, right near my girls. My son and I had to jump in between them and pray. This is a situation most everyone who lives in a big city is fearful of. But the angels of God were there and just as suddenly as the fight had begun, it stopped. Both drunks ran out of the streetcar. As my son and I turned to face the rest of the passengers in the car, many of them were very happy, and some of them even clapped. For a moment, I realized why I was in the streetcar, and why my family was in this beautiful spot of angelic covering. God’s glory is displayed in contrast. Most of the people in that car knew we were wealthy (or at least were dressed that way), but our concern was not just for our own safety, but for the safety of everyone.

God makes us rich for everyone’s sake. David said that He perceived that God had made him king for Israel’s sake. Paul said “I have been abased, and I have abounded, but in every situation, I am content.” I will soon be flying to Hawaii on my own private jet with many of my staff. But I will never forget my rides on the street car.

Richard Gazowsky pastors a church in San Francisco called The Voice of Pentecost, and is also president of Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks. He has directed the films, “Guardians” and “The Roman Trilogy.”

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