God's economy of faith

Hello Beloved Readers,

It has been a long time since I posted a blog on our website, but I felt the time was right for me to do so. In 2011, God spoke to me that this would be a year where those He has been preparing to be His bride will truly learn to walk by faith and not by sight. He spoke to me, no longer would it be just words we hoped we would do, but they would become our very life's experience.

As most of you know, the economy of the USA is not doing very well. Many Christians are struggling even to make ends meat. The Pastors and Leaders I have spoken to have seen a great decrease in their offerings, and the amount of money sown into their churches and ministries. As the economy gets worse and worse, people are clinging to what they have more and more. There is an attitude in the world and also in the church, that we can't give like we used to. We can't sow into God's Kingdom because "we need it first."

As you can imagine, this has left a shortfall in many ministries and churches. Perhaps ministries grew to big in the blessings times. Perhaps they need to downsize. Perhaps their priorities need to change. All of that may or may not be true. But what is the real issue that God is trying to present to us? It is, "WILL YOU TRUST ME WITH YOUR LIFE!"

Matthew chapter 6 is all about trusting the Lord for our life. Jesus speaks to His disciples and says, "why do you worry about what you are going to eat, drink or wear?" He says, "Take no thought for your life." He then explains why by two beautiful illustrations. The first example are birds of the air. Jesus says, "consider the birds of the air, they neither sow or reap, yet your heavenly father feeds them."

Now when Jesus says consider something perhaps we should consider it. He tells us the birds do not have the ability to sow or reap. They can't plant a crop, they can't gather a crop, but yet they need to be fed and cared for. He really is asking us a question with his statement, do not the birds have everything they need to live? The answer of course is yes. God provides worms, seeds, water,  and even a place to live for them. They are well provided for!

He then gives another example called the lilies of the fields. They don't spin or cause their own existence, yet God's care of the lilies is even greater than the splendor of all Solomon received from the Lord. That is incredible statement, is it not? The lily has received more splendor then Solomon. How? The lily comes into existence by God alone. He makes the seed, He plants the seed, waters the seed, brings sun to seed and makes it grow. The lily is totally dependent upon God alone.

Solomon though made by God as well has the ability in him to "take care of himself" the Lily has no choice. Solomon can make his own provision and not trust God. The lily has no such choice. The lily must be 100% dependent upon God to grow. So its splendor testifies of a greater glory than that of Solomon's. That is a tremendous truth for us to learn. The lily has to be 100% dependent upon God. This is the lesson of Matthew 6, SO MUST WE!

Our Lord instructs to consider these two things when it comes for us to understand the faithfulness of God to provide and care for us. If we are truly going to walk by faith and not by sight, we need to get this truth of God's word burned in us. If we don't we will command stones to be made bread in our time of testing and fail our heavenly calling. We will make our own way and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and perish spiritually. We will not fulfill our divine destiny!

Beloved, ask yourself this important question today? Here is an example. If tomorrow the Anti-Christ was revealed and you were faced with this choice take the mark of the beast or not, would you? What if tomorrow you could no longer buy anything with your money, get gas, food for your children, keep your electric on, pay your mortgage and rent without taking the mark of the beast, would you? Do you have enough of faith in God in you to stand in that hour?

We all would want to say no, we won't take the mark, but when faced with the choice today of not having enough food, a place to live, the money we need, the very essence of your life is tested. Many in the Body of Christ are facing those test now. How are we faring? Are we giving up our calling for a loaf of bread? Are we selling our birthright for a bowl of food? Are we holding on to our lives instead of losing our lives? What choices have we made and how are they effecting our spiritual walk in God?

Beloved, if we are not learning to overcome now in this economic mess, what if the rapture doesn't come first and we are faced with the choice, the mark or trust God, what would we do? I venture to say if we are not passing the tests now in this time of testing, and we are making bread out of stones, or selling our birthright for a bowl of soup, or murmering and complaining against God now, we will sell out later as well.

That is why we must understand the time of "testing" we are in. Another word for testing is "tribulation" or trials. Timothy writes, "In the last days there will come perilous times, hard to deal with and hard to bear." How are we handling the financial pressures that are here at this present moment? Have we shut off our giving, cut back on our giving, are we developing a hoard for ourselves mentality? Are we holding on to what we have for dear life? Are we filled with fear or filled with the faith of the Lord?

Going back to Matthew chapter 6:24, Jesus says, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in). Did you read that? NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS? God in this moment in time in the American Church is allowing us to make a choice, more of God and trust Him, or more of this world and trust our own hands.

Listen to His word: Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?

Beloved reader, why would Jesus say this? Why is it recorded down to this day? Did Jesus know what would happen to the world economies in the last days? Yes, and He gives us divine instruction that we must get burned in our hearts to make it in these days.

Our Lord ends this discussion with what it truly means to Walk by Faith and not by sight! He gives us a precious promise and word for us to stand on that is more powerful than anything the enemy can throw against us.

^"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear? For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all.

Did you hear the instruction? Therefore DO NOT WORRY AND BE ANXIOUS ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO EAT, DRINK OR WEAR!  He says to us, "WILL NOT THE FATHER CLOTH YOU?

Jesus now brings us back to the two examples he set forth the birds and flowers. He says to us. If our Heavenly Father takes care of these created things with such love, faithfulness and care, and He is interested in their well being, HOW MUCH MORE WILL THE FATHER TAKE CARE OF US?

Jesus says, "Will not the Father cloth You? But there is one condition for this provision and it is found in the 33rd verse. Jesus says change your eye sight. Don't make your daily living your priority, or taking care of your own needs your first priority, but change your vision.

We in the American church need a vision change from seeking God to bless me, bless me, bless me, to seeking God's will for our lives first. We must seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, not the Kingdom of this world. Not this worlds way of economics? If you follow the world's way you are going to end up with nothing. Even what you are holding on to will come to nothing. God's idea is to "add all these things unto us." Do you truly believe His word? Is God a liar?

In the book of Haggai God had to correct his people for "building their own houses while His house lies in ruin." They took care of their own needs first. They put their families needs before serving God and putting His needs first and rebuilding the Temple as God had asked them to do.

The prophet says to them, "consider you ways at what has become of you." Listen to what happens to the people of God when they put their own financial and personal needs before our Lords. Let's read this together: Haggai Chapter 1:2-11

Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say, The time is not yet come that the Lord's house should be rebuilt [although Cyrus had ordered it done eighteen years before]. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [of the Lord] lies in ruins?

Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways and set your mind on what has come to you. You have sown much, but you have reaped little; you eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you do not have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages has earned them to put them in a bag with holes in it.

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways (your previous and present conduct) and how you have fared.Go up to the hill country and bring lumber and rebuild [My] house, and I will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified, says the Lord [by accepting it as done for My glory and by displaying My glory in it.

You looked for much [harvest], and behold, it came to little; and even when you brought that home, I blew it away. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because of My house, which lies waste while you yourselves run each man to his own house [eager to build and adorn it]. Therefore the heavens above you [for your sake] withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its produce.
  
 And I have called for a drought upon the land and the hill country, upon the grain, the fresh wine, the oil, upon what the ground brings forth, upon men and cattle, and upon all the [wearisome] toil of [men's] hands.

All of this was a result of neglecting of putting the Kingdom of God first! All of this is because they walked by sight and not by faith. All of this happened not because of the economic time they lived in, but because of the sin of neglecting God's will, God's house and His plans. Are you putting God's will first in your life? Have you allowed your financial need to stop you from doing God's will? Are you holding on to your resources as being all that you have? Have you shut off your compassion by sowing into the Kingdom of God the way He would desire you? Are you holding on to your live and losing your spiritual life because of money? These are questions we must ask of ourselves before it gets too late.

Some Christians have already turned away from the faith and their heavenly calling because of the lack money and have chosen not to wait for God but to provide for themselves. They have already commanding stones to be made bread. The very thing Jesus would not do. Perhaps you have failed up to this point and have allowed your financial need to lead you instead of the Spirit of God. It is not to late if you repent now and obey the Word of God. Let us agree with God's word!

"Take no thought for your life, what you are going to eat, drink or wear, your heavenly Father knows you have these needs." "But seek YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS (the right way of doing things in God) and ALL THESE THINGS (taken together) shall be given unto you."

Beloved reader, this is God's economy. An economy that encourages us to "give and it shall be given unto you, shaken down, running over, pressed together, shall man pour into your bossom. A spiritual economy that says, "it is far greater to give then receive." An economy that promise to "give seed to the sower and bread to the eater." An economy where God still knows how to make manna and bring water from a rock? An economy where God loves and cherishes above all things,  a cheerful and prompt to do it giver." An economy where God said His seed will never beg for bread. An economy that says, "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not lack."

You can hold unto what you have if you truly believe it belongs to you alone! Or you can take what you have and put in into the same hands that took five loaves and 2 fish blessed it, broke it and fed 5000 with 12 baskets left over. This is what it will take to walk by faith and not by sight in the economic future ahead.  It will take a deeper sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit to speak to you as what he would desire you to do with your finances. Will you trust His leading? Will you trust Him as you put His Kingdom first and do things His ways, believing "all these things will be added unto you?"

What side will we be found on. The side of faith knowing we are more valuable than a bird, or the side of fear that may harden our heart against God. A heart that will murmer and complain and sell our birthright for a bowl of food. A heart where unbelief and disobedience will shut us out of the Kingdom as it did with Israel in the desert. The choice is before us, what will we do?

God Bless each and everyone of you!