Matters of the Heart Day 4: Everything I need I have
'May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. ' 2 Peter 1:2-3
Knowing that God is able to change you situation as He has the power to do so indeed gives you peace in your heart when you are going through something difficult as difficult as financial hardship. I mentioned yesterday that the peace came before the situation changed and what great peace I had, however at times i would still panic and have moments of doubt, Yes God was able to change my situation but was it within his will to do so?
The word of God helped me to remain in peace because His word assured me that God is my Father and as the ultimate father He indeed wants the best for me (Luke 11:11 & John 10 10) The word of God helped shape my perspective regarding money and resources but it also gave me perspective regarding the truth.
The greatest moment of truth and shifting my understanding came when God said to me: *I have already given you everything you need to live the life I have blessed you with (2 Peter 1:2-3)
This blew my mind - God has given us everything we need to live a Godly life - Meditating on this scripture opened my eyes anew and gave me the following perspectives:
I was blessed beyond what i was acknowledging - My anxiety and stress were formed around what i did not have and looking at the things i did have made me grateful and more confident in knowing that I am blessed.
I had everything I needed - the things that i was stressing about were actually not needed. As i walked the journey of what i needed versus what I didn't need i found that indeed my income was covering 95% of what i needed.
I am a Steward not an owner - Just because my income was running out at 95% of my needs did not mean that my source had run out of resources.My source is God - he is the owner of everything i have, so when it runs out he makes a plan for me because he owns everything and everyone including me.
This shift in understanding made me open my eyes to many things and gave me even more understanding. It suddenly occurred to me that even though my account was depleted by the 5th of each month, i had never actually lacked anything - I did not go to bed hungry all my bills were paid every month and somehow God sent me the resources i needed at the very moment i needed them. God would send business my way and my side hustles grew more than my regular income. God would send people who did not even know that I had no money in my account with gifts every now and then. On the days that my cupboard would run out of food I would be invited for dinner by friends or church family who did not know that I had run out of food in my cupboard and the following day God would again replenish my cupboard by some miracle.
The truth was these miracles had been happening all the time and i had not noticed until I had peace from God and understanding that he was my source and he had already provided everything I needed. All the time I was paying attention to my bank account as the bottom line when my attention should have been on God - He is the Provider, My source and my Hope.
Scripture Meditation:
'The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.'
On Sunday, Pastor Andre & Leanne Greeff Preached sermons that can be helpful in shifting your understanding of What you have, who you are and who God is. Understanding is an issue that can settle matters in your heart in many way especially when it comes to money matters. Here is the Links to those messages:
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