Today I would like to share a testimony with you about how I believe God is my Provider. I have not always believed this because I always thought I was my own provider. I have struggled with a stronghold issue of money all of my life and God is teaching me how to depend on Him instead of me depending on myself.
For most of my life I have been influenced by money. I grew up in a small town but one of the riches towns in America. I was influenced by my parents as well as my friends. We were a middle class family but the emphasis was on the need to have things. I was raised to be responsible for myself. To have a nice home, drive a nice car and rely only on self if I were going to make it in THIS world. My dad allowed me to work weekends with him at his store managing the cash register at age 10 and my mom taught me how to run a lemonade stand business to the golfers in my back yard at age 12. I would not change these experiences for anything because they were great lessons learned, however, I had no idea how they would impact me later on in life. Money became an idol for me very early in life.
With all of this, I realized early on, it played a large role in my need for security from anything but the Lord. I worked very long hours in the same dental practice for 17 years because I was afraid that I couldn’t do anything different or find anything better. I did not trust God for anything nor did I look to Him during this time. I was trying to get ahead! I ask myself now what or who was I trying to get ahead of? Mark 8:36 says, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
God began working in my life about 5 years ago. He began changing my heart for my work. (because I asked him to of course!) I didn’t love going anymore. I realized I wanted more in short term mission trips and I couldn’t work like I was and be a servant for Jesus. Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13 says, “No servant can serve two masters, either he will hate the one and LOVE the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. For all those years I finally realized I was serving the wrong master, but I didn’t know how to get away from it.
One Sunday morning while reading our bulletin in Church, the Lord pointed out a Bible Study that I felt called to be in. I talked to Mike about it and we prayed and he agreed it would be good for both of us. Little did I know it would change my life. The name of it was Crown Financial Ministries. It taught Biblical principles about money and how to manage it. One thing that most of us don’t know is that there are over 2350 verses in the Bible about the use of money and or possessions. The only issue talked about more was love. Jesus knew that this topic would be a stronghold for many and that is why we have so much scripture for Guidance. LUCKY FOR YOU GUYS I’M ONLY GOING TO POINT OUT A FEW!
They gave us 1 verse a week to memorize and then the study to go along with it.
LUKE 16:11 “If you have not been faithful in the use of worldly wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?” How we handle our money impacts our relationship with the Lord. If we don’t know how to use God’s money here on earth how can we be trusted to His true riches.
1 Chronicles 29:11-12 Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O’ Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. Riches and Honor come from you alone and you are the Ruler of all mankind. Your hand controls power and might and it is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength. (TLB)
This scripture has spoken to me in so many ways, but the 2 most important things for me were Everything comes from God. Riches come from Him alone and He can give it and He can take it away.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Scripture teaches not that riches themselves are evil but the value we place on them can lead to our undoing.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
Paul tells us in Philippians 4:11-13 “ I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am, I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity… I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
These were powerful scriptures that really spoke to my heart during this time.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
As God slowly revealed these verses to me week by week, I began to understand the need to trust Him for my provisions. I prayed for contentment whatever the circumstances and not long after that I left my job of 17 yrs (my security blanket) and ventured out into the unknown to Trust the Lord with whatever He had in store for me and Mike.
He Provided another job with less hours and more money. I was amazed! However, had a known what would lye ahead I wouldn’t have left. Thank God he doesn’t reveal everything to us. This past September, after I had only been there a year I was fired! This was very humbling to me because there was not just cause. I was bitter and didn’t understand what God had planned but I trusted Him. There wasn’t a job to be had for 3mths and Mike’s Real Estate business was not doing well and God really forced us to reevaluate our lives. Mike and I had been praying for long term mission opportunities but at the time we didn’t see this unfolding. I was on my knees at this point asking God to provide because I couldn’t do it anymore. He asked me this question, “Will you trust me with this journey?” I said yes I will!
Weeks went by and the leader from my financial Bible study e-mailed me one day and said “ Hey just thought I would remind you of your long term prayer request from 2 years ago,” God please use us for your Kingdom building in long term missions.” I knew then God had a plan for us and we were to be obedient to His call. He had to take me to the bottom to get my attention that He will always be my PROVIDER.
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 says, then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during his few days of life God has given him-for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. These verses give me hope! Isn’t it great to know that God isn’t against rich people. Here in these verses we see God actually makes some people rich and says it is proper for man to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun. God tops it all off by enabling them to enjoy it! These people are so busy using God’s money for His Glory that they don’t worry about their provisions.
Matthew 7:11 If the heart is right and we seek it in the manner that he has chosen to give it, “How much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
This gave me a new perspective on working hard and giving from my heart.
Colossians 3:23-24 says, work diligently as unto the Lord whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men. It is the Lord Christ who you serve.
Acts 20:35 says remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
I wanted to close this with a revelation from Debra’s lecture yesterday. She shared about her grief and explained the loss of her expectations of her husband as the provider and that triggered my grief and loss of expectations of the men in my life as being the provider. I had always depended on my earthly father and yearned for my husband’s to be the provider but that was not what God intended for me. He has been trying to get my attention all of my adult life to look to Him for provision and so I turned it over to Him at the cross yesterday.
