The Word | Daily Bread APR/20/12 |
| Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen |
| Friday, 20 April 2012 17:46 |
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Psalm 44:3 - For they did not gain possession of the land with their swords, and their own arm did not save them; for your right hand and your arm and the light of your face, for you favored them. There are so many people who struggle to get ahead. They are constantly at war with their finances, doing anything to achieve a breakthrough. What many fail to realize is that wealth and success is something that God has purposed for all of His people. However, we must realize that such a blessing only comes to us because we are willing to trust the Lord. We must realize that all of His blessings, provisions, and promises come to us by way of a miracle. God absolutely forbids us to trust in our own ability and to rely upon the arm of flesh. We have to be willing to walk in the day-by-day instructions of His word. God led Israel through the wilderness and fed them manna so that they could learn that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. It was God's desire to give them power to make wealth; but before he could do that, they had to come to a place of obedience to His word - a place of absolute trust in Him (Deuteronomy 8:16-18; Joshua 1:8). So the prophet Jeremiah says, "Blessed it is the man that trusts in the Lord, that makes the Lord the sole object of His trust" (Jeremiah 17:7). Yet, at the same time he says, "Cursed is the man who trusts in the arm of flesh" (Jeremiah 17:5). We have to realize that the promotion that God desires to give us will not come through our own might or power, but by the Spirit of the Lord (Zechariah 4:6). If God sees that we need to go through a fiery trial of faith or through a wilderness place, that we might learn to trust Him and live only in obedience to the dictates of His word, then He knows what is best! However, what happens if we draw back; and instead of trusting God more, we trust Him less? What happens to us if we begin to rely more on what we can do for ourselves than what God can do for us? It is there that we must face our self-reliance and need. We must repent and humbly ourselves under the mighty hand of God; and faithfully do all those things that he has commanded, no matter what the cost may be (1 Peter 5:6). When we step into the promises of God on any level, we have to realize that it was not by our own abilities or through the strength of our own efforts; but it was by the blessing and miracle provision of God that we inherited those things that God freely gave (Proverbs 10:22). Just like Israel, we must come to a place where we are willing to say, "Whatever you command we will do, and wherever you send us we will go" (Joshua 1:16); realizing that those of Israel faced a certain death if somehow God failed to uphold them. Their actions were those of absolute trust, and through their commitment they inherited land and riches that would have otherwise been impossible to obtain. Understand this: God has not planned your failure; He has planned out your success. Though many would make us a defeated people who do not have the ability to live free from sin and walk in the abundance of God's great riches, it does not change the word of God, which is forever settled in heaven. God has put a treasure on the inside of us, so that the excellency of His power might be made manifest in our lives. Therefore let us not draw back - but always press on! |
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