And Your Provider Is?

Philippians 4:19 AMP - And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

When it comes to spiritual provision, most Christ-followers are quick to admit their provision comes from God. But when it comes to material provision, especially financial, many are quick to take the credit.

It's common to hear believers brag about their material possessions declaring, "We've worked hard and earned what we have!" And while it might be true they've worked hard, scripture says what they have comes from God.

1 Corinthians 4:7 NIV - For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

And while many might agree with this biblical truth, down deep they feel self-made and are guilty of worshiping their creator — themselves. It's like a rich kid bragging as though they are responsible for the family wealth. Perhaps a bit nauseating.

The trouble with this thinking is they most likely look to their employer, clients, government, or investment fund as their provider. This thinking is limited and they'll miss out on one of the greatest promises in the Bible ... God promises to be our abundant provider.

Philippians 4:19 AMP - And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

I love how the Message translation lays out God's guarantee to provide.

Matthew 6:30-33 MSG - “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

So here's my question to you. Who's your provider? Your employer, your clients, the government, your investment portfolio? Or God?

Here's why this is so important. Lose your job, a big client, your government benefits, or your savings and you can easily feel devastated or wiped-out.

But allow me to give you a more truthful and comforting view of your financial provision. When you look to God as your spiritual AND financial provider, He never stops being your provider no matter what happens to your job, clients or anything else.

- you can lose your job but you didn't lose your financial provision

- you can lose your biggest client but you still didn't lose your greatest provider

- you can lose all of your government benefits, but the Kingdom of God still provides

- the stock market could crash, but your provider is still on the throne

The truth is God is our provider. He is generous and it is His will to give us all of Himself. This includes material provision. As you read through the Bible, the message of God providing for us is inescapable. And more importantly, God wants us to trust Him for everything … both spiritual and material. If we do trust Him, He promises to provide. Again, God wants to be our source for everything. He is our provider. This is His will. Our will must be to trust God completely for all provision.

You see, though God is our provider, He doesn’t want us to be preoccupied with “getting.” We should focus on building our relationship with the giver instead of focusing on getting what we want when we want it. As a father I am the provider and the giver of gifts. I love giving to my children, but I want my children to love me for me, not for the gifts they may get from me. If I sensed they only wanted the gifts, the gifts would stop; the provision would not, though the level of provision might. They have to eat, right? But perhaps no steak tonight. This is about our attitude toward our relationship with God.

One thing is for sure: it’s impossible to be in God’s will and not receive God’s provision. God always provides, no matter what. But God’s promises come with a big IF. If we do, He will provide. We must trust Him for His HOW and WHEN.

If God is our provider, what about seasons of want or lack? Most of us will experience these seasons. And we can be walking right in His will when we do. This is when God doesn’t give us what we want when we want it or when He allows what we have to be taken away from us. Though these seasons can be extremely painful and confusing, notice how you didn’t die of starvation during the temporary season of lack. God still provides, just not to our level of want. He sometimes withholds material provision for a season to grow us so we can trust Him and so He can trust us with both blessings and trials.

God uses these seasons to draw us closer to Him and prepare our hearts for the great things He has for us. His will for us during these incredibly tough seasons is to stretch our trust and faith in Him. This is a painful process of very personal and spiritual growth. If we’ll trust Him, we’ll experience God’s miracles. It is not possible for God to fail someone who puts his or her complete trust in Him. During these tough times, and despite our circumstances, we learn that God is in control and can make ANYTHING happen, especially when it defies all logic.

When God takes all you have from you, it’s only to make room for Him to fill us with EVERYTHING He wants us to have. When He does this, He is dealing with our hearts. God builds a relationship with us first, and out of that will come His FULL PROVISION. There are about 6,000 promises in the Bible and God’s Word is His will. It’s His will to make good on every promise.

Don’t forget about the “ifs.” Some will manifest this side of Heaven; others will be on the other side. Remember, this part of our lives is very temporary and momentary compared to the eternal life we will have. Just remember, God is our provider. When it’s His will, He pays the bill. We might have to march around Jericho a bunch of times, and He may ask you do something that seems illogical, but God is the one who directs our steps, so trust Him completely and step forward into your destiny.

-Gerald