Hearing God for Financial Provision

March 23, 2009 · Filed Under finances · 1 Comment 

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been speaking with a company about doing a project. It’s a fairly big project, and would require much of my time, so there’s been some hesitancy in taking it on. While I don’t mind the hard work, this is one of many projects that I have planned for the year.

While on vacation for Spring Break, I spent some time praying over the project. I needed to hear some clear direction. Lord, is this what you want me to work on? I asked a few weeks ago, and I sensed my Father saying that it was going to be hard work and that it was also great provision. But still, I wasn’t sure if it’s what he wanted me to work on.

While on vacation in Colorado one afternoon, I was praying for him to make it clear to me if I should work on this project. Again, there was hesitancy because it was a lot of work, and I wasn’t too excited about working hard.

As I was praying, I sensed a scripture come to mind: Proverbs 6:11, or was it 16:11. Not sure. Kept praying. Kept hearing 6:11 and then 16:11. So, I just said myself, Okay, I’ll read both.

First, Proverbs 6:11. I started back at verse 6, because it was the first part of a larger section ending at verse 11:

    Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! Even though they have no prince, governor, or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? I want you to learn this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest– and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. Proverbs 6:6-11, NLT.

Wow, you lazybones. That was me—I was being lazy. I didn’t want to do hard work.

Learn from their ways and be wise! I need to learn something here. They have no prince, no governor or ruler to make them work. Ouch, that’s me. I have no boss or manager to make me work. I work for myself. Busted.

They work hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. Again, that’s me. That’s my situation. It’ll physically be a summer project, wrapping up around Christmas. And, figuratively, this income should provide for us through a winter season of no additional work. The seasons are both physical and figurative.

And then, verse 11 that was spoken to me: “poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.”

If I don’t do this, lazybones, poverty will pounce on me and scaracity will attack me. It was obvious from this scripture that the Lord wants me to work hard during the summer to store of provision for the winter.

Then, I read Proverbs 16:11, The LORD demands fairness in every business deal; he sets the standard.

Now, the Lord says, Do this project, but I demand fairness in this business deal. I will set the standard.

Again, very clearly, the Lord wants me to do this deal for provision for my family and he requires that I do it as a fair business deal. I am now convinced that the Lord wants me to do this project.

I wanted to share this journal entry with you to encourage you. I know there are many of you struggling through this difficult economical situation. The current financial crisis is creating a lot of unemployment, cut backs and lay offs. I want to encourage you in this time of recession that God can help you. If you will listen to him, and let him guide you, he will show you where to look for work, and what to do.

In Psalms 32:8, the Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.

Update – Tuesday, March 31, 2009

I wanted to take a moment and share some interesting news about this post. As you may have read, I prayed and sought the Lord about the potential project, and I interpreted his giving me the two scriptures as, “You need to do this project.” Which, I know now, was interpreted incorrectly. After I made that decision and then met with the client, I had this overwhelming since of uneasiness. There was no peace about this project, only heaviness. I started to lose sleep over the project, knowing it conflict with many other God-given project this year.

After speaking with my wife and some friends, I realized that I had misinterpreted the giving of those two scriptures, and just assumed I was to take the project. I liked the provision aspect of the project, but it would have consumed my time and energy for the whole year, and all my other projects and clients would have taken the hit.

My wife and I decided to completely pass on the project. The decision alone gave me incredible peace. I knew it was what I was supposed to do.

That morning, in my quiet time, I was praying and getting ready to let this client know I couldn’t be a part of the project. I did not like the idea of telling them that, because they really needed a solution, and they were putting their hope in me to deliver this solution. But, I had to let it go. As I was praying over it, I sensed the Lord whisper to me, “There’s a middle ground solution.”  Hmm. Really?

I didn’t put much thought into.  I was honestly just thinking about how to gracefully pass on the project. But, I tucked that thought away in mind and prepared for the meeting. As I was driving to the meeting, I had that thought again, “There’s a middle ground solution.”  Okay. What is it? I didn’t hear anything, but I sensed that my Dad would reveal the solution at the right time.

During the meeting, I told the client that I would have to pass on the project, but that I would help them find someone to take it over. This was very difficult, because they had already built some trust with me, and they really wanted to work with me. But, I just couldn’t.

Then, “out of the blue”, the client asked, “Would you be willing to stay on board for a month or two as a consultant to help us get this project off the ground? We really trust you.” Immediately, when the question was asked, I knew that it was the middle ground solution. I immediately had the thought, “That’s it.”

Sure enough, there was a great middle ground solution! I’m able to stay on track with my current clients and projects, help this new client with the launch of their project and make some money along the way.

I wanted to share this update because of wonderful it was to have God whisper to me this opportunity. When the client made that suggestion, I had no doubt it was God. He had prepared my heart for this meeting, and had given me a great solution for a very difficult situation.

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Overcome or Be Overcome

March 9, 2009 · Filed Under renewing our mind, spiritual hearing · 2 Comments 

This morning, I couldn’t sleep. I kept waking up throughout the night. 3am. 4am. 4:30am. 5am. 5:30am. Finally, the alarm went off at 6am.

I didn’t need it. I was wide awake.

Each time I would awake from this trance-like state, I had this thought, “Overcome. Or, be overcome.” Hmm, that’s odd. Back to sleep.

Again, I’d awake. “Overcome. Or, be overcome.” I kept hearing it again and again this morning. I must have heard it a dozen times.

Immediately, I thought of Romans 6:16 which says, “Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master?”

Read the entire verse in context:

    “Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God’s grace. So since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does this mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you have obeyed with all your heart the new teaching God has given you. Now you are free from sin, your old master, and you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness.” Romans 6:14-18, NLT.

Sin is no longer your master. You do not have to obey it anymore. I get this. I understand this. I do not have to obey sin anymore. I have the power of Christ in me to choose right. I used to be enslaved to sin, but now, I am enslaved to Christ. My new master is righteousness. I am righteous in Christ. It’s not anything I can do.

I remembered another scripture as well from 2 Peter 2:19 that says very simply, “You are a slave to whatever controls you.”

So, my heavenly challenge this morning was simply this instruction: Overcome or be overcome. This was obviously a warning from my Father. Either I overcome or I will be overcome. Either I will master my flesh, or my flesh will master me.

I think the key to overcoming anything in your life is found in Galatians 4:

    “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:16-23, NKJV.

The flesh and spirit are contrary. They don’t agree. They are always at opposite ends of the battle, “so that you do not do the things you wish”.

The answer is to be “led by the Spirit”. What does that mean? How do you do that?

I’m still not sure. I’m working this one out as I go. But, here’s where I’ve landed. Sin no longer is an issue for us as believers. Sin was dealt with on the cross. We are free from yesterday’s sins, today’s sins and tomorrow’s sins. We are free.

But, this war we wage against doing the things we know are wrong is a battle of our flesh, not our spirit. Our flesh, like a computer, is programmed and wired to respond a certain way. As a kid (and a non-believer), we were wired to process information incorrectly, through our flesh (our feelings, our emotions, our memories).

As believers we must “repent”, we must “meta-noeo”, or “change the way we think”. We must reprogram our flesh to respond to our spirit. Our spirit, upon rebirth, is new again. We have “new hearts” and new desires. But, our flesh fights against those spiritual desires.

Listen carefully to how Paul describes this battle between flesh and spirit in Romans 7:18-19, “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing.”

Later on in versus 23 and 24, Paul talks clearly about this war in our members (flesh) and then he cried out for deliverance from his “body of death” (flesh).

My steps from here on out are simple–walk in the Spirit. Try to make decisions based on the Spirit. I need to focus on the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”.

I need to filter my decisions through those nine fruits. Do my decisions produce love? Joy? Peace? Longsuffering? Kindness? Goodness? Faithfulness? Gentleness? Self Control?

That’s where I’ll start this week–memorizing those 9 spirit fruits.

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Does God really love me and accept me?

March 3, 2009 · Filed Under accepted by God · Comment 

This question is so key to our walk with God. I believe it’s a question we ask ourselves constantly. But, it’s not a question we ask out loud or even think about directly. Rather, it’s a question that looms deep in our soul, deep in those sub-conscious regions of our mind. It’s the filter in which we perceive God.

Yesterday, I was having an interesting dialogue with my Father. And, it started with a question. While the question may sound condemning at first, it was not at all. But, it was very engaging.

    Son, why do you hold back and choose not to spend time with me in the morning?

    I guess many times I feel like you don’t have anything new to say to me. Or, I don’t trust that I’m hearing you or obeying you.

    I know you love me. I know that. I guess I just don’t feel worthy, because I make so many mistakes.

    Son, do you really think your performance, your ability to be good enough counts for anything?

    It’s got to count for something. The whole law of sowing and reaping.

    Son, there is nothing you can do that can sway my love for you. The reason I don’t like sin is that, in your mind, you think it pushes me away. Guilt, shame, condemnation—those never come from me, son. Never.

    I see you perfect. I see you as Christ.

I realized yesterday morning that I am way too hard on myself. I try to determine God’s feelings towards based on my feelings towards myself. If I’m mad at myself, then surely God is mad at me. But, he’s not.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8, 9).

In the mornings, when I start to feel condemned for making mistakes or discouraged for failing in some area of my life, I immediately think of Lamentations 3:23,

“The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day” (Lamentations 3:22, 23).

His mercies begin afresh each day, each morning. His love is unfailing. It never ends. His mercy keeps us from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness. Great!

I can’t even begin to describe what this means to me spiritually. His mercy is new every morning. Every morning, I am given the opportunity to succeed. Even if I fail the day before, his mercy is new every morning.

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