Many people have fear in the area of provision and finances. God doesn’t want us to live like this! We need to stop worrying about “will I have enough?” We need to stop having a poverty mindset and start having a prosperous mindset.
Ephesians 1:3 New King James Version (NKJV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
You’re loaded full of the blessing of God in your spirit but what good is it all trapped up in the spirit until you die? God wants you to manifest the blessing in your emotions and in the physical (health, finances, wholeness in every area of your life). God wants you to taste and see that He is good. He wants you to experience His goodness in the land of the living and enjoy the abundant life that Jesus came to give you. One of the keys to experiencing all of this is to let go of fear and start trusting Jesus.
Matthew 6:26 New King James Version (NKJV)
Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Yes, you need to make provision for the future. Yes, you need to plan and be a good steward but provision is not based on your stewardship. Increase is based on stewardship but God’s provision is not based on whether or not you are a good steward, it’s based on your sonship. Are you a child of God? Then provision is available to you independent of your performance.
As a child, do you believe in your Father’s goodness? Are you trusting in your Father’s love for you? Do you feel the freedom to go into the fridge and take what you want because you know that He wants to provide for you? When you’re not confident of His goodness, then you don’t boldly approach Him and get what you need (Hebrews 4:16). When you are confident in His love for you (and not your actions and performance) then you can easily see the provision of God flowing in your life! It’s not based on whether you deserve it or not. It’s by grace, which is undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour. I don’t feed my kids because they deserve it but because they are my sons and I am a good father. God is an infinitely better father than I am!
Matthew 6:31-32 New King James Version (NKJV)
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Unbelievers seek after provision and worry about how are they going to make their ends meet. As a child of God, you should never ever be worried about it! Your Father is the Creator of the universe and He is a good Father. Every time you get tempted with an opportunity to worry, choose not to be like an unbeliever. Remind your self that God is your Father; He’s a good Father and He provides!
There is an element of stewardship which is important. You need to be a good steward of what you have so that you’re not just living from miracle to miracle. God wants to see you looking after the little that you have so that He can entrust you with more. Stewardship is important but trusting God and living by faith when you have a little and when you have a lot, is far more important!
Matthew 6:32-33 Living Bible (TLB) 31-32
“So don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, 33 and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to.
Matthew 6:33 New King James Version (NKJV)
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Many people are seeking provision; they’re worrying about how to make ends meet. But you’re a child of God. Your time, focus and energy shouldn’t be on having your needs met but on seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness. When you prioritize what God’s prioritizes and you put God first, you will see provision flowing in your life. I’ve never seen God fail. He always comes through. He always provides. If you prioritize God and His kingdom; if you seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, then the provision will flow! Verse 34 says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow, will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” We should not be worrying about what’s going to happen tomorrow. Deal with tomorrow’s problems, tomorrow, and while today is today, just focus on seeking first the kingdom of God.