The Lord has been stressing to me recently that he is a God of temporal as well as eternal provision. The Lord knows we have many needs on this earth and he has provided for all of them through the promises in his Word. This is one of the reasons I believe he has been stressing our relationship with him, staying in his Words, seeking his face daily, because we have many needs.
In the days ahead things are going to go from dark to darker, from black to pitch black but what does it matter for us who believe? Are we to lump our thinking in with the pagans and worry like they do about all the terrible things coming on this earth? No, no and more no.........Why not? We have promises, we have the Words of God almighty that stand firm in the heavens for us who believe. Consider this:
Psalm 37:18The days of the blameless are known to the Lord,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
19In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
Do you know what that is? It's a promise. What does it say? It says that for the BLAMELESS, in days of disaster they will not wither and in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. That's a promise but note that its not a promise for everybody. What kinds of days do we see ahead for the world? Days of disaster? Yep. Days of famine? Yep. Do you think its high time to lay hold of our God's promises and pray them back in faith to our Lord over our families, the brothers and ourselves? Yep.
The bible is full of words that address our current temporal needs. Have people forgotten that our God will meet their needs according to his Word or do they know what the bible says and just don't believe it? As things go from bad to worse in this world, I believe the Lord has spoken to me that we are to narrow our focus down to the few things necessary for this life and the next. We are to focus on our relationship with him, keeping our first love first, stay in his Word so our minds are so saturated with the promises that the world seems "unreal" compared to the reality of the Word of our God. We are to walk with him step by step in everything we do in this world, no detail is to small for him to participate in with us as we live on this earth. All of this requires living by faith, not by sight.
The bible tells us that as a man thinks, so is he- Proverbs 23:7. If you are constantly focused on the problems of this world, you will be a problem filled person. If you are constantly focused on the promises of our Lord, you will be a promise filled person. Which do you think will be more beneficial to you and your family in the days ahead? Our God watches over his promises to make sure that he maintains a 100% fulfillment of everything he has said. You can bet on this: nobody will ever be allowed to call our Lord a liar when they stand before him...ever. We inherit the promises through faith and patience. The patience is what shipwrecks most people so they never see the promise. They can believe for awhile but in times of testing they fall away from both the faith and the patience so they never see the promises.
Hebrews 6:12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Luke 8:13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
Notice here ^^^^ in Luke 8:13 it says the time...(patience) of testing (faith) they fall away.
I believe the Lord wants people to open their eyes to just how responsible they are not only for themselves but also for everyone else around them in their prayer life (or lack of it). If you are not believing and praying the promises over your life and the life of others, how many people besides you will suffer for it? Our Lord tells us that in times of famine we who are righteous will have plenty. If don't believe that and you don't pray that because you don't believe it, how many people will suffer needless hunger around you? We are to stay in his word night and day...we are to pray without ceasing with all kinds of prayers and requests...the more the better. Do you think you could ever wear our God out with too many requests? When you are praying your mind and thoughts are heavenward, exactly where they should be..always.
Our answers today and in the future will come from the unseen. So many people today live faithless lives and they as well as their families and communities suffer for it. Our God is not some pie in the sky deity who only promises us heaven after we die. He has given us promises for the days we walk here on earthly promises for earthly provision. He has given us promises to provide for us in the here and now. Yes, we will suffer while we are here but we get his peace and his provision while we suffer, something the pagan and unbeliever have no access to.
I was at the dentist recently and I started thinking of what a good God we serve comparing what he has done for us here on earth to my dental procedure. The dentist was grinding in my mouth with chips and sparks flying out that without a numbing agent would have had me screaming in agony. Yes there was a drill in my mouth but I was numbed to it......Yes we will have trials and tribulations here on earth but we will be numbed to them..Philippians 4:4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Did you read that? The peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds "in Christ Jesus." There are those important words again "in Christ." We are promised this life numbing agent called the peace of God. How many people lie in their beds at night unable to sleep because of worry? What does the Word of God say? Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. When you do that you will receive the heavenly novocaine life numbing agent that will enable you to live through your troubles in peace....
We can live by faith or by sight, its up to us to decide. If you decide to live by your eyes only, living in the flesh and through the flesh only, subject to your animal senses then you and the people around you will suffer for it. If you live by faith and not by what you see with your eyes, then you will 1. glorify the Lord 2. ensure provision for you, your family and maybe even those outside your family in this world. If we do not stand and remain firm in our faith, we will not stand at all. I believe that the Lord has been clear with me that in these last days it will become more and more a witness and a testimony to this faithless world that faced with the exact same circumstances (joblessness, hunger, lack of every kind) his people will be like well watered trees flourishing in a dry and deserted land.
Psalm 1:2But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Isaiah 58:9Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
It is time to get back to the promises to solve your problems. Your eyes tell you of one "reality" and your faith tells you of a different "reality." Which will you give your attention to? What your eyes tell you or what your faith tells you? If your eyes tell you all there is in this world is hunger and death but your faith tells you that there is abundance and life, which will you believe? Yes, people will call you all kinds of names for living your life like this but some of the names should be "fed" and another should be "at peace." Through faith and patience we will lay hold of provision for this life and the next through the promises of our God.
The people of this world are looking to the world for answers. We would be absolute fools to act and think like they do. Get into your bibles today, read the promises, pray the promises, stand on the promises in faith and patience until you see them fulfilled in your own life. The Lord knows what you need and when you need it. He loves you and he wants you to take receipt of every last thing he promised. Its up to you and me to engage our faith and wait in patience for the provision of both our temporary and eternal needs.
These are things the Spirit has spoken to me today. Until later, grace and peace
Be Anxious For Nothing
5 years ago