Protection, Provision, Prosperity

Matthew 6:31-33 - Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?” or "What shall we drink?” or "What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

To continue with Monday's blog on knowing we are protected, provided for and prospered (not necessarily with riches), came an article by David Wilkerson (May 19, 1931- April 27, 2011) that a friend had to show me since we had discussed this.

I truly know that He wants us to remember what He does for His people, Who He is for us, how He will provide...because His Word proclaims these things. Remember is the key word! Like Israel on a sort of different level, we forget, as I mentioned yesterday.

Wilkerson's message was called God is Going to See You Through Hard Times. It was written in the 1990's.

It may have answered the question about how He will do this. In a nutshell, the answer is, any way He needs to. Not quite the answer we would like to hear...no specifics. But it's His answer.

As Wilkerson pointed out, It's not always about food. It's about His words being ours by faith! He went on to say that when Israel began their journey in the wilderness (remember this is where my first answer all began!) all God had to do was speak, like He did to create the world, and the people were given manna from heaven. Manna was a form of sweet, coriander-like tasting seed that came down from the sky. It sustained them just fine. When questioned what it was, Moses told the people: This is the bread which the LORD has given you (Exodus 16:15).

Like the manna, Jesus is the Word of God come down from Heaven. He is to be our daily bread. His Word, within our hearts and souls, as we also discussed in Sunday school, is what will sustain us. That means Jesus must be in our lives, hearts and the depths of our souls. Jesus is the Bread which God has given us!

Wilkerson wrote: Do you want to know how God is going to preserve you in all your hard times? YES!! The answer, please! He will do it by speaking a new word, if necessary--by creating all you need by the power of His Word. All God had to do was speak the word "manna" and an entire generation of Israelites was preserved. So, whatever our need will be at the time, He will provide.

If He did it then, He will do it again. Jesus knew only to listen for His Father's voice and then obey. He did absolutely NOTHING on His own, under His own power. He waited on the LORD. If He didn't have to know until the just the right time, neither do we...or I! When He sees our need, He will provide. This is something some of us have not had to do in huge ways and probably why it's hard to comprehend.

God has known since the foundation of time what our needs would/will be. We are to seek Him first and all our needs are handled.

I had that moment of anxiety about how God would provide and would I have enough faith...and look at the words He has given me! Isn't that provision of sorts? They are the very manna from Heaven for this soul! As Wilkerson went on to write: It is to bestow on us an unshakable conviction that he is going to keep us from the power of the wicked one. It is His Word tucked away in our spirits and hearts that give us this consolation. That's why it is so important to have it engrained in our spirits. So that we will know...or we can be easily reminded.

It's still all about Jesus, the Word, our Manna, our Sustainer in all things. He is the Word we are to keep hidden within our heart.  Jesus, the Son of God, the Word that became flesh...His Word in our hearts and lives. Do you see? Know Him comes first...so you can keep Him in your heart and when you know Him, His Word comes alive and can also be planted deep within your heart. The same word that will keep us then (in heaven) is the word that is sustaining us now, Wilkerson wrote.

He went on to say The overcomers ... triumphed in the worst of times because the whole Word of God came alive...  The Word became flesh. Jesus, our Word made flesh, who saves us from all unrighteousness by the power of His Word when we receive Him.

Psalm 119:49-50 - Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This  is  my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.

A Way of Escape

1Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

I attended a Bible study last week. It was with a group of women of various denominations all seeking God in their lives. That in itself is wonderful! Most are looking for some guidance on how to do it, how to read their Bible, how to hear from the Lord. My prayer is they don't give up seeking and that they seek the truth of His Word.

There was a comment made that God never gives us more than we can handle. This was said in response to one woman sharing about a friend's (I'm assuming teenage) son who committed suicide. The explanation one of the women gave was that she believed God knew this boy would not be able to handle life's challenges and allowed him to do this. A huge catch came into my spirit. I had to respond. I did not have adequate answers and time to do that then and there, but I did take the time to respond in writing. All that kept going through my mind was, this is not true. God would not do that.

We were all in agreement that God does not cause problems in our lives, but allows them to happen. However, God will not take us out of a situation by means of death because He knows we cannot or will not be able to handle life's situations. Taking a life whether it be our own or someone else's is a sin in God's eyes. 

An NIV study Bible I have says this in response to the scripture: The Holy Spirit explicitly affirms that God provides His children with adequate grace to overcome every temptation...He will not allow us to be tempted above that which we can bear, and He will with each temptation provide a way by which we can endure the temptation. We can bear every temptation and find a way out if we sincerely desire to and if we depend on God's power and faithfulness. So it boils down to temptation....and we have the choice whether to fall into it or not. Temptation is not a sin, but giving in to it is. 

Jesus loves us so much! He does not want anyone to perish but to have everlasting life. This is His nature. God created human beings in His image and each of us carries within us the potential to overcome the evil in this world. He wants us to rule and reign with Him. It breaks His heart to see us harm ourselves because it is the devil who comes to steal, kill and destroy. It is the enemy who brings temptation into our lives. It is up to us, however, to choose right or wrong. God does not force us to do one or the other. He has given us free will.

I did other research to make sure I was not missing something or missing the point. Here is a quote from an Oswald Chambers devotion book I have: A man’s disposition on the inside, i.e., what he possesses in his personality, determines what he is tempted by on the outside. The temptation fits the nature of the one tempted, and reveals the possibilities of the nature. 

Later Chambers finished with this: Temptation is not something we may escape, it is essential to the full-orbed life of a man. Beware lest you think you are tempted as no one else is tempted; what you go through is the common inheritance of the race, not something no one ever went through before. God does not save us from temptations; He helps us in the midst of them (Hebrews 2:18).

I don't remember anything being said about what caused this boy to choose to take his life. There were things said or the sort of life he lived that could have planted the seed. What's important to realize is that God does not take us out of this world to avoid the difficulties life brings us or temptation. It came with the territory back when Adam and Eve ate of the apple...and we are all subject to it. God asks us to go through the troubles with His help. He is more than able to provide that plan of escape if we desire His help. It's all about Him!

These women are seeking God. I pray they seek until they find. I pray that the truth of His Word is revealed to them, as difficult as it might seem at times. Sometimes we want to justify what we do or what someone else does and search for a comfortable scripture to ease that burden…to the point where we take it out of context and the meaning gets lost. 

We all want to believe we are basically good people. The fact is, we are ALL sinners in need of a Savior and Jesus is that Man. He is our hope if we seek Him and learn about Him and His ways of truth. He is the Truth, the Way and the Life. The words written in His Word are true...and just...and sometimes hard to listen to. Sometimes the meaning of the words can be difficult to comprehend too. But if we seek Jesus and ask Him to reveal His Word to us, He will. He will help us when we are tempted and He will deliver us out of that temptation.

Matthew 6:13 - And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.