The Multiplication Factor: Interview with Mark Walker

welcome back to another episode of Christian Natural Health today I'm thrilled to have Mark Walker with us

Mark story is one of humble beginnings and extraordinary success raised in Spokane Washington he pursued his

education at the University of Washington before embarking on a remarkable entrepreneurial journey in

1980 Paul or uh Mark founded Walker's Furniture with a clear purpose to build a successful business that could make a

positive impact on society and Advance the kingdom of God what started as a modest venture has since flourished

pushed into a thriving ENT Enterprise with 13 furniture stores and over 200 employees with annual retail sales

exceeding 70 million Mark's business Acumen and dedication to his vision have made Walker's Furniture a pillar of the

community Beyond his professional Endeavors Mark finds fulfillment in his role as a devoted husband to Pam a

loving father to two daughters a proud grandfather to seven grandchildren together Mark and Pam are passionate

about supporting Ministries that are making a difference both locally and globally as a sought after speak Mark

shares his insights on partnering with God in life and business at conferences Across the Nation and around the world

welcome mark thank you so much for joining us yeah thank you very much thank for having thank you for having me

it's a real honor oh great so please give us the elevator pitch for your most

recent book the multiplication Factor tell us about why what's it about well

great well the multipication factor is really partnering with God and his promises to fulfill your

you know and I was in college and I was trying to figure out what I would could do with my life and I heard a pastor say

that that you know what was holding back the gospel was finances and then he was

he you know he was saying God was going to anoint people in business and and you know like give them new strategies new

inventions new ideas and and give them great jobs and big corporations and he was saying all this stuff that God

wanted to you know anoint them and so they could then Finance the gospel then

the scripture he was using was Deuteronomy 8:18 that it is God who you the power to get wealth to establish his

Covenant so now I I grew up Catholic I had never heard that so it was kind

that's different a new a new thought for me you know but I was say God wanted to partner with me in business so I could

you know buy that's a gospel I was I was all in I was excited at the time I'm in

college had had no money and I had no idea what you know what I would could do

or you know I didn't have a business you know so anyway it was but then you know it started to happen in the next year

God started bringing finances my way I actually two large checks came in the

mail and then and then after college I I I was married to my beautiful wife that

was a real blessing and then you know uh we started to by God even though we

didn't have the money for a down payment we bought one house and then a second house and it was just you know God was

starting to bring finances my way so we could support the gospel and and the

first house we were able to give most of that money to the you know to the church and to Ministries and and and then the

second house when we sold that we turned took that money and opened a very small

2,000 square foot uh furniture store and you know it was you know we were so

small there were large stores all around us 30 60 you know, square feet they were

you know but God loves to take the weak and make them strong you know that's that's his heart so yeah you know you

know 40 years later now you know I just we have like you said intro we have a chain of purch stores are you know doing

so they're very successful and and you know now you know we worked hard and we

made you know a lot of financial sacrifices to grow our business but most importantly what we did is we grabbed

the hold of God's promises and and and believe them to build our business you

know yeah like one of them you know Proverbs 35 you know trust the Lord with all your heart lean not on all your

understanding you know and he will direct your he will direct your paths that that scripture was you know I kept

leaning on that you know and like actually a good example is a very first employee I hired how how God helped us I

mean he became my my general manager and then he became my co-owner and he

actually a year eight months after we opened our first store he helped open our second store so he actually you know

so you know I didn't even hardly know him but here God led me to to hire him

and and he became he helped open all the rest of our stores he was so critical so

you know God gave us great employees and he gave us great you know great

locations you know you know and then when problems came up another promise I would really stand on is like we're in

this together God we're we are in this together you know uh you know like one

at 20 years in business there's a huge store came into our main market and they were you know 10 times bigger than my

main store in in in in Spokane and they they were doing 10 times more aage izing

and all of a sudden you know the one thing all you can do is you start looking at you know God we're in this

together we're Yol together the Matthew 11 the amazing promise you know if you're you know if you're all stressed

out you can picture you know you're Yol together I would picture that we were in this

together and and God was so faithful getting us through different problems different circumstances you know I just

you know God is faithful to fulfill his promises you know I I guess that's every

chapter in my book that's what I started most of them with a promise that really

transformed my life and then really you know help me build our business so I

guess if I were to say anything that's what I why I wrote the book I'm hoping it will encourage people that that you

know if you partner with God in his promises that really anything's possible all things are possible when you when

you you know walk with God and and partner with him so you know that's that's one I wrote the book and you know

it's there's a lot of testimonies in the book uh encouraging testimonies where other people partnered with God and we

have a lot of quotes and I just the whole goal is to encourage people that you know that with God you know a lot of

things it's right so coming from your background you said Catholic originally

um so from that background into this idea of you can see promises in

scripture in black and white that are for the here and now and you can believe that what was that transition like for

you well it was pretty exciting I actually you know C you know you didn't read the Bible I mean it wasn't really

something in you know um so actually when I got I was 18 I got radically

converted and and actually then I started reading the Bible Non-Stop and and you know so yeah it be it was very

exciting to you know get those promises and and you know how my life changed you

know yeah I but that what that in college when I heard that that was kind of lifechanging I mean what God because

actually my my father and my grandfather were successful business people and I was actually trying to be I was going to

become an occupational therapist I was okay I was in college junior year and but I you're you know you're freshman

sophomore you have to pick a major and I wanted to I thought well now I want to help people I don't I wasn't that

concerned about makinging money because so you know I I wanted to be a physical therapist

and that wasn't available so I signed up you know but I was questioning that major so then it was interesting but

then when I heard this I was okay God that's I knew that was what I was supposed to do right absolutely yeah I

remember when for me when I because I grew up denominational um and there were

so many promises in Scripture that I just skip over like I'd read them but they went in one and out the other

because I thought it can't possibly like I don't think I ever even thought about it so many words but there was so much of in my mind I thought that can't

possibly mean what I think it means it must mean something super spiritual and then I just move on but to recognize

that so far out there right it was so far out there and to actually say no it means what it says that is a complete

transformation absolutely um back to the title of your book the multiplication

Factor can you nail that down for us what does that mean what is the multiplication Factor well really you

know I said it real quickly but it is really partnering with God that you're in this together you know God wants to

you know help you in all the situ actually you know I Isaiah 263 it says

you know if you see that you know you're with God then you have the peace that you can actually go forward and you'll

step into it his promises like you're talking about so I actually just believed that promise that God's GNA

bring finances my way and I wasn't in a hurry I didn't know what it would would look like I just kept believing that

promise so the multiplication factor is knowing that God's with you and he's going to partner with you and whatever

is happening in your life that he wants you to keep moving forward with him and and and to fulfill basically your

purpose I really believe we all have a purpose and you know and a Destiny and

and God wants to help us fulfill that you know so you know that's what it's

all about absolutely and so with this concept of you're partnering with God for multiplication he brings finances to

you so that you can do the work of the Kingdom God's finances flow through your

life yes right yeah absolutely what I imagine you get the protest often that

this sounds like the Prosperity Gospel what would you say to people who make that

AR well it isn't you know the there's warnings All Through the Bible about

storing up wealth and about um you know laying up treasures and there's all

these warnings and and right for soul you want to be you know the concern is

that you don't start trusting in your riches yes so so really the what God is

you know God wants us to prosper but so his so you can be a blessing though God wants to bless you so you can be a

blessing that actually that's been his plan right from the beginning Abraham he

he came to Abraham he said you know I'm if you follow me if you kind of like if you partner if you follow what I say and

if you leave you know go to a different country then I'll bless you and bless your descendants and you will be a

blessing to Nations so that's really been God's plan all along is he wants he

wants people to to have an abundant life to have abundance but so that they then can flow through your life and and

that's you know Pro unfortunately a Prosperity Gospel kind of didn't really you know it just talked it kind of give

you idea you could have you know this and that and all you know that's you really the the key is that God wants his

his love his wisdom his his goodness to flow through people's life and and

however you know he he He blesses you so yeah so there's two pieces potentially

that I see um that could be hitf Falls I guess here so one of them is the idea of the money like that money can be a trap

of trying to gain it for yourself the other might be just the ambition so if somebody has a has their own ideas of

glory and Grandeur how do you mix that with the idea of partnering with God for him to multiply you well the best thing

I can say is you know Jesus came to serve not to be

served he didn't come to build his own kingdom so you know the best thing you can do is surrender and say God I want

your will I want you know you know when you're off on your own ambition you it's so easy there is a trap there you can

get caught up you know going too far and then making the wrong

going too you know making the mistake of building your own kingdom and then you make make some mistakes and so the that

that is the key is really just surrendering and saying God I want your will I want you know and I so I never

really did try to decide how many stores you know I never even started about that

whole I just kept you know actually you know opportunities come our way and I'd really pray about it and I turned down a

lot of opportunities to have more stores because I didn't you know I really wanted to make sure that they it was

God's plan and that they benefit me I just didn't want to build a Empire right

for the yeah for doing great right it would have been right yeah so and it sounds like as

far as the nitty-gritty of what this looks like from day to day you would have you know a business opportunity and

you would just sit down and pray about it and then you know use your mind and ask for advice and feel peace and was it

was that about right or well sure I I mean you know a lot of times opportunity you'd look at the pros and cons and but

then I would actually I'd spend a lot of time with the Lord uh at home when I

wake up you know you know I an hour or two I would spend time reading in praying and when I had a big decision

like that I sometimes i' at home you You' just present and and ask God for

him Direction a lot of times I would get directed by his peace until I had a real peace I wouldn't do it of course I talk

to my wife a lot too she your wife is you know helps a lot you know making big

decisions you know but you wanted both of it us to kind of have a piece about it and and just you know and and so

spending time with God and just getting his Direction was really a a key so yeah

absolutely and so when God began to multiply you and bring the finances to you how do you build in the idea of

generosity into like your budget how how did that what did that look like well you know and I don't think

there's any formula you know um and the key is I just wanted to always be able

to give cheerfully and willingly but actually from the beginning I it just

was put in my heart to to to personally I to give

try to give 30% 20 to 30% so I just and I don't know I mean I'm not saying

there's no form but that's what we did we right away we started I started giving 20 and up to 30% and you know I

never even kept track of it but I was always looking for how God would prompt me for different things you know where

to give or if there's a need here and and you know it just it you know there's

a scripture in second uh Corinthians 9ine really I think that's a whole

chapter but it's talk God loves a cheerful Giver so my goal was just really to give cheerfully and willingly

and not not out of necessity or obligation you know and and then because

God it's God who gives you the seed to seow and then it says he in in verse 10

it says he multiplies the seed that you s and I so that's really even you know

just goes along with our title God God gives you the soul and then he the soul the seed the soul and then he multiplies

the seed that you do so that's even in that scripture it talks about when you sold bountifully you reap bountifully so

you know God just loves a cheerful giver and that's really the key to me I think is it really it's not so much the amount

I mean you know I don't know if you you remember the story in in uh the Old

Testament where Elijah is sent to a widow who

she's has a son and she's she's you know they're in a famine and a drought and

God sends Elijah and he goes and he ask her he says will you make a a cake for

me and and and you know lot she says well I'm about ready to to to die you

know I'm G was going to make my last meal and then my son and I we're just going to die and Elijah turns to her and

he says well just go make the cake and then he promises she says you know or he

asked her for a cup of water and then you go make a cake and then your food will not run out so he makes a promise

but she willingly went and did it she she served Elijah and then God's promise

came true you know so it's you see she just had a a heart she didn't you know she had a good heart she did it and then

God multiplied her her food did run out until it rain so you know that's actually you know God's heart all

through to multiply what you distribute think about how the the um disciples

felt when Jesus told them you know hey there's 5,000 people go feed those

people and they you say what you know but you know he says well what do you have and they had just a little bit he

blessed as they started to distribute it what happened it multiplied you know so

you know think about and they had 12 baskets left over so God's heart is to

multiply what you distribute so you know I that really is to me a key right there

so yeah for sure so when somebody is just getting started with giving like they haven't really tried it before and

they're battling the fear that's associated with it what would you say to them well that's what I say I say just

you know God will prompt you if you you know see a need just Just go with it and and

and step out in faith and and meet that need and and and uh you know whatever it

is and you know giving to a church or Ministry or just to someone you know God

God loves that when you just give out of your heart and then he wants to uh bless people that have that heart so yeah so

can you tell us a couple of stories of maybe when you trusted God you had a need and God TR God multiplied things

back to you something from your business experience well I you know that that's

happened over and over you know that just right even at the very beginning when we got those checks you know I

those first checks when I was in college we you know we I just was so excited God was partnering with me we we you know I

I gave him gave them away but you know I guess there's another story that you

know I was after we were in business for 20 years that we um uh I'm in a meeting

and there's a the minister was he was always ministering on the Jewish calendar year and he said this year is

is 5765 and so he was talking he was saying this is you know there's two FES in this

Jewish calendar year so this is a year of double Grace and and and I'm sitting

there and I've been you know in 2 Corinthians 98 talks about God's God's grace and how God is able to make all

grace abound toward you and I was studying I think God so this is a year of double Grace

I said you know I would like to double my giving I was saying God I want to D

and we were giving pretty substantially back then but I want to dble I want to double it and uh so you know it was just

um you know it was a big step for me and I'm thinking you know but I want to do

it I said well this time I better talk to my wife again before you know so I went to Pam and you know it's just it

was so uh exciting to me that you know I said I want to give this much this year

you know doubled my giving and she looked at me said I just was praying about it a couple weeks ago that I I

told the Lord that I would like to give this much money sometime you know and so we were actually we were both thinking

along the same line so you know there's another example I just kind of God kind of had put it on both of our hearts it

was something we I you know there was no special need you know I didn't do it out of obligation and just I just I we

wanted to increase our giving and cheerfully and and you know I would you know I we just started doing it and as

we did it then actually our business you know increased we had some breakthrough

in different areas and and we were able to do it and and actually looking back at the history

that set our company on a a whole new plateau and for years to come we kept

growing and it was you know you know I I didn't you never do to to see get see

what the results are but you just you know we were just excited to give and and God was always faithful so right

absolutely so I might I might be hitting you slightly out of left left field with this one but can you think of a time in

your business when there was a crisis of some kind and it looked scary and you trusted God because it was his business

and you were partnering with him and then something awesome came out of it and it all worked

out well that happened um a lot you know things

you know come there was a time when uh

all of a sudden I we had expanded quite a bit and all of a sudden the uh you

know we had to move into a bigger Warehouse uhuh so we had moved

warehouses before so we're moving into a bigger Warehouse all of a sudden you know

critical all of a sudden we're talking about the move and at first I thought it would be fairly you know we could just

do it you know but everything started to be more critical that at all we had to move everything in a week because you're

stopping we had we've gotten so big we got you know three to four to five

containers coming all the time we have all these these things we had to coordinate it just right to stop our

business and so we could move from one location to another and all of a sudden all these things are coming up my

warehouse manager said we have to get racks and and all these things and then the other big thing we were going to do

a new computer system and we were going to do barcoding and so all of a sudden

you know my but all of a sudden the my controller comes to me and

says well we don't know that we're going to have the one we planned it all to happen on a certain date in this one

week that all these shipments wouldn't come all of a sudden we won't know if our computer wiring will be there to run

to do all the what we need to do and says I'm calling them they won't guarantee that we'll be be there on that

time you know and they won't you know there's no guarantee so we'll just have to see and then about a week after that

she comes to me and she says well I'm I you know I'm gonna give you my notice my my controller That was

supposed to be doing all our oh no was in charge of everything

all of a sudden she got a job and not only she would wouldn't you know she had to leave to take this job but she was

the one I was depending on to do all this computer stuff and to to to make this transfer Works go so here we're not

sure if we're going to have the ability to do it and then she was the one and and actually I was she was only 40 years

old I was actually part of my reason I was growing our business because I thought she would be part of the team

with my son-in-law that when I retired that so I all of a sudden she's leaving

I'm thinking I really it was a tough time for me because I thought I had missed it with God I thought I you know

God did I expand too fast am I thinking you know did I really mess up and I was

wondering are you still you know did did Pride did Pride inent her in you know and so I had a hard time sleeping I had

a hard time you know it was it was a rough time in my life you know put but

actually fortunately you know at the same time you know God came through and

and and you know our business survived that and things worked out and actually the

the the lady that was our assistant manager of the our office she

came in and she ended up doing better than the other controller that left you know you know you know I never would

have thought that but you know it worked if God just was there in in the right you know she was she was actually the

everything worked out great you know and I but you know you I would was looking at the circumstances that's the problem

when there certain times you looking at all these circumstances and I couldn't control any of

it yeah you know I had no control so you know yeah that was pretty interesting

time for me oh my goodness and the computers all worked we move to the new place yes the wire came in and the

computers work and and actually and re actually they got most of the almost the

whole thing uh going because you know back going transfer in in a week we had

to hire a lot of trucks and do a lot of stuff but yeah it it worked out yeah so

um would you agree with the idea that in the faith walk you kind of grow in what

you can handle like when you're small you can you can handle this much faith and then as you get bigger you can grow

more well yes it definitely you know that is the process you keep well what

helps is you look back and you remember what God did amen you you got to keep remembering actually in Deuteronomy

where you know 8:18 where God says I'll give you the right before that but he

says remember you I want you to remember what I've done that I've given you these

I've given you these caters you got so these cities so God wants you to remember what you know how he's taken

you from really we were nothing and then you the different process and that always helps that you remember that uh

all the wonderful things that God done in your walk and and you know not look

you know not look at the circumstances currently that you're in and you have to see that God's with you still and and

that that was that was really the lie you don't want to believe the lie that he's not with you and I kind of fell

into that trap to kind of think did I blow it God's not in this move and you know so you know you really have to

remember how much God is for you even if I had made a mistake God still

all things work to the good to those are called according to your his purposes so you know you just had I should have you

know you know that's when you want to go back to his promises and just you know

just remind yourself of how faithful God is and that he'll you know a lot of

times it doesn't always work out the way you want or you the way you pictured it but it always works out or it doesn't

work out always in the timing you want but you yeah you know we always kind of you

start praying for things but you know God God is faithful yes absolutely and

as you were talking so I was thinking of the story of God delivering the Israelites out of Egypt and initially he

says he didn't take them directly there because they would have faced war and they would have wanted to turn back because they weren't there yet they

didn't have that mentality but eventually when he brought them into the promised land they had to disinherit the

people little by little because if he gave it to them all at once they wouldn't have been able to occupy so it sounds kind of similar the idea of you

grow according to what God knows you can handle at the time yeah so what yeah go ahead no

that's right yeah okay um what advice would you have for somebody who is interested in starting a business

today well you know I would really say you know uh the first thing is you know

part you're partnering with God but then to ask God to be your CEO you actually you know think God we're in this

together but I I didn't want to do things my way my ideas my my plans you

know because I I said God if this is going to work you know I want your idea I really waited it took three or four

years until I I didn't know you know I I was working other jobs and all of a

sudden you know I actually started one of the jobs I was working was for an

finished furniture store and they were that was in Seattle and so at some point all of a sudden you know we moved to

spoke I was visiting Spokan where I lived I grew up and and all of a sudden

God I visited their store there and God said hey this is what I want you to do so you know it's all starts with that I

was waiting for God to tell me what kind of business to open and I and then how and you

know his timing was you know amazing for when we opened you know and how we

opened to open that small actually opening that small was a godsend because you know if I had borrowed a lot of

money and tried to open the bigger like most stores a year 81 and 82 I don't

remember that's when interest rates went up to 12 to 133% so had I had a loan it

could have been you know so God's timing was worked out you know he you know he

uh you just want that's what I would say the best decision I made if you're uh to

ask God to be your CEO I meant to take time with him like and for me that time

was in the morning before I went to work I would take time praying and and reading and journaling and trying to you

know get his mind you know a lot of times you know then even at work all of a sudden he Pro you know things I prayed

about at home all of a sudden ideas would come to me or strategies and you know time you know it just just be to be

expected to that God would I guess when I made him my CE I was always expected

that some way he he would prompt me or put ideas or thoughts in my mind that that would tell me what to do or give me

a piece you know when I so I know what to do absolutely yeah so many so many people say that they can't hear God uh

but what you're describing is absolutely dependent upon that and I I love the the journaling concept can you tell us what

that actually looks like like what is what is prayer journaling for you

well I wish it was more precise but basically I I just had a notebook and I

would you know sometimes I'd wake up and the scripture would be on my mind and I'd go

read it and then i' go to other scriptures i' follow it or sometimes I you know just a thought would come to my

mind and I'd start going and I'd look up scriptures for that or you know I just would try to get direction and and so

then I'd be journaling what God showed me and it was just a way to kind of help

me uh picture and see what what was happening and and you know it was as

you're opening yourself up to that it was it was great I you know I actually have probably 20 to 30 Old journals of

of these different times although I don't don't go back to them that much but it does it it it puts them in your

heart you know that was really the idea is you're journaling and as you write it you're writing it you're putting it

establishing it more in your heart than just thinking that you know a lot of times you just read and you read a bunch

of scriptures exactly you know it's more it's taking the time to kind of more uh

meditate on and kindy of establish it in your heart to to get it to be more you know okay how do you walk in it what's

this mean what am I how am I going to change my life or how am I you know what's this gonna do so yeah absolutely

and I also find at least for me personally that when I write stuff down it focuses my thoughts if I'm just

thinking and there's not a single there's not something that's forcing me to pay attention to one stream of

thought then I'll just be all over the place but there's something about that that tends to help in on an issue yeah

so and sort of similar to this but when you're deciding where you're gonna give the money like if you've already settled

in your heart you're going to give money but you're G to give it to some Ministry or some cause or some person is it the

same process you just go to God and say where do I give this well that when year

in when we get you know a bigger distribution I'm always praying you know this exciting

time for me to pray about we have Ministries involved in but I'm always asking which ones or is there a new one

and I really I'm asking God to prompt me to kind of to tell me which you know which ones are this year you know I'm

look one of the key things I'm always looking for is how they're you know what who's having an impact or who might if I

give to them might be able to go to the next level of impact you know um you know so you know there's so many there

are a lot of amazing Ministry a lot of amazing churches that are having a lot of impact and you know unfortunately I

go to a church it's it's very that has a lot of impact you know so it's it's just

a you know it's just a looking for that listening asking you know but all

through the year I'm always also at the same time A lot of times God would prompt me uh you hear of a need and and

then or you see something and you say oh there's there's something I'm always kind of looking for that you know a

connection from God to say okay you know this would be a great ministry so awesome very cool what have I not asked

you that you want to make sure you leave with our audience you're asking a lot of great

questions um yeah you

know just I guess one of the key things is to stay focused on God and and and

looking uh you know I I wrote this in the book but you know car car drivers you know

you know how they racing racing cars and how they go through those small openings

they're going 100 miles an hour and they're going through this they they focus on where they're going they don't

look at the walls they don't look at the cars they they train themselves

specifically to focus on where they're going and so that's the things that I

really want to encourage people is don't you know there's so much there's so much news there's so much uh you know in

business bad e comedy year old different different things that can happen this and that and I guess that's

a can be a you know a real distraction it can hold you back and really the you

know train yourself to just look at that I'm partnering with God where look where you're going stay focused on where

you're going and and uh you know it just really makes a big difference you know

to to keep your eyes on God and and where you're going that we're in this together and so amen absolutely where

can people go to learn more about you and to pick up your book well the the

book is on Amazon uh and so and and then also sometimes if they say they're out

but you know you know they'll put it on order but also it's available on restor

7.org which is a Ministry that helped us publish a book and so so encouraged me

along the whole process so there's two places they can go and so and then I will link to that in the show notes

awesome and thank you Mark this has been very inspiring I appreciate your time well I appreciate it it was great thank

you very much it was it was real

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