God’s help

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

The majority of all people have experienced lack—needing more resources than were presently available, at some time in their life. What the majority of all people have not done is studied God’s word to learn of His desire to help them. When most people ask God for help, it’s more of a cry of desperation than it is a prayer rooted in the promise of His Word in faith. These cries of desperation often carry about as much faith as the breaking of a wishbone or the security from carrying a rabbit’s foot. Its only when you study God’s character, His covenant, and His promises that you sprout the kind of faith that moves God and builds immovable trust that pleases God. This is the kind of faith described in Hebrews 11:6 (NLT), “And it is impossible
to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that
God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” Jesus taught his 12 disciples the lesson of supernatural provision early on in their walk with Him. .

Jesus was followed by large crowds—5,000 men plus women and children. The people had yearned to hear what Jesus had to teach them and didn’t want to leave. The result of that was, the crowds grew, stayed with Him, and in no time, had exhausted their food supply. Jesus had His disciples look for what food they could find. Their search produced meager results. John 6:9 (NKJV) says, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

You probably know the end of this story. Jesus prayed over that food and it was supernaturally multiplied to feed the multitudes—every last person, and with food left over! In other words, the Lord supernaturally and miraculously increased the meager resources they had available. Can the natural mind ever truly comprehend such a thing?

If you’ve ever been short on resources, you know the pressure that lack can bring. It creates stress, fear, anger, resentment and worse—it’s used by Satan to bring doubt and unbelief. It brings out the worst in people. Couples fight and divorce over it. Our mind screams doubts at levels that drown our ability to ask and believe God in faith for help. That is always Satan’s strategy—from the garden until this very moment. If we let our mind override our faith at times like this, our faith is diminished and unbelief steals the provision of God that could come by faith.

Naturally-minded thinkers have difficulty thinking beyond their logic—measuring all that they believe by what they can take in through their senses. People that think with only their brain, seldom yield to the leading of God’s Spirit within their heart. There is an entire dimension of God they miss out on. They unknowingly cheat themselves of supernatural blessing that manifests only when one lets the Word of God speak faith to their heart.

God gave us minds to be renewed to His Word so that our thinking and faith could be in harmony and agreement with His Word. As Romans 8:14 (NLT) says, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” As believers of Jesus, we can move from natural thinking to faith-filled thinking based on God’s promises and covenant with us.

The Holy Spirit opens they eyes of our heart and mind when we put our faith in what God says rather than the circumstances tormenting us. For example, Proverbs 11:24 says, “One man gives freely (generously,) yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, (is stingy) but comes to poverty.” The man who gives generously trusts that God will bless him in all areas of his life despite what circumstances appear to say. The other man is stingy and believes that unless he holds on to everything, he’ll lose it all. That’s the difference between spiritual thinking and trusting God, and natural thinking and having to make things work on your own.

We can never allow ourselves to think that God wants or is the one that allows lack in our life. Nor can we measure every situation and need by our natural thinking our present circumstance. Abraham declared the Lord to be “Jehovah-Jireh—my God who shows me where my provision is!” (Gen 22:14)

Money and resources aren’t to be desired to consume upon our own lust. God doesn’t want us to grow a love for money. But don’t confuse that with the sincere needs of your day-to-day living and equipping for whatever God has called you to do. And don’t limit your faith, thinking He is unwilling to bless you with good things or good equipping. God does not lack resources. He loves those who have received Jesus as sons and daughters, and He desires to bless and meet our every need, making the impossible possible. It’s up to us to seek God until we become convinced of His goodness—something He is and promises us throughout scripture. We must have the heart revelation that He yearns to care for us through the exercise our faith in prayer.

In the miracle of loaves and fishes, there were 12 baskets left over after everyone was fed. Was God being a little wasteful? Did He get carried away in His provision in this miracle? No He left more than enough for those that wanted or needed more along their way home. He also blessed that little boy back with more than he could probably carry home. That little boy couldn’t possibly know that his little offering to the Lord would result in the provision of everyone. He didn’t need to know. He only needed to respond to the prompting of his heart, sharing what God had given Him with those around him. God will always do the rest. That’s our God. And that is where supernatural provision begins—through faith and unwavering trust in His promises, and generosity in our hearts!

Luke 6:38 (NLT) “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in
full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and
poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get
back.”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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