Jesus is our Provider for every area of our lives, i.e. healing and health; walking in freedom from bondage and addiction; in our relationships, marriages and families; in our finances (increase and prosperity); in our jobs and work (i.e. promotion); etc. Whatever you need, He will provide for you as you look to Him to meet your needs. You don’t need things; you need Jesus! We will be looking at financial provision through key principles of receiving from God i.e. sowing and reaping (2 Corinthians 9:6); the laws of increase (2 Corinthians 9:10; Mark 4:24; Psalm 115:14-15); reciprocity (Galatians 6:7; Matthew 7:1, 12); multiplication (Genesis 1:28; Matthew 15:32-39; Acts 9:31) and harvest (Genesis 1:11; 8:22; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; John 4:35-38; Galatians 6:7-9); etc. However, the principles and spiritual laws that we will be learning from His Word can be applied to every part of our lives.
God has been a giver from the very beginning. His original plan for man was increase (Psalm 115:14-16). The first thing God did after He created man was to bless him (Genesis 1:26 – 28). After man sinned and relationship with God the Father was broken (Romans 3:23), He had a plan of salvation to give Jesus Christ as His gift so that we could be restored back to our relationship with Him through Jesus Christ finished works on the cross (John 3:16; Romans 5:1; 6:23).
When we get Jesus as Savior, we get Him and everything He is and came to provide for us (Genesis 22:8; 13-14; Isaiah 53:4, 5; Luke 4:18, 19). God the Father sent His Son Jesus to earth to represent Him because Jesus is just like Him. Jesus said “he who has seen Me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9). God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1:3; Romans 8:32).
Because Jesus took the wrath of God upon Himself at the cross, shed His blood and redeemed us, (which means to ransom, rescue from loss, or pay the price), from the curse of the law i.e. sin, sickness, disease, death, poverty, debt, etc. and gave us in its place His righteousness (we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus; 2 Corinthians 5:21), we can receive all of the blessings and inheritance of the righteous (See blog https://alexiscarucci.com/2019/08/26/jesus-our-righteousness/
It is clear according to the Bible that the righteous are supposed to be blessed and reign in life (Psalm 84:11). Having credit card debt, inability to pay your bills and struggling to provide for your family are not signs of reigning in life. Jesus came to give abundant life! We must look to Jesus and receive the abundance of grace and the gift of His righteousness daily (1 John 1:9). His grace and wisdom will help turn our negative financial situation around as we stand on His Word and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. You can provide for your family and also be a provider or blessing for others too.
When we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, we become the seed of Abraham. We are not under the curse of the law any longer. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:10 – 14)! Because of God’s grace we can have all the blessings (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) without any of the curses (Deuteronomy 28:15 – 68) Praise God!
Now, to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. And this I say that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3: 16-18; 29 (NKJV)
God’s plan for the body of Christ, His church, is to pass this blessing on to others. The following verses show God’s blessing upon Abraham and his descendants: Genesis 12:1 – 3; 13:2, 5 – 6; 22:15 – 17; 26:3-5; 12 – 14; 28:20 – 22; 35:9-12; Numbers 6:24 – 27; Hebrews 6:13 – 15.
Because Israel was God’s chosen people, He established for them, a Jubilee or a supernatural cycle that provided liberating events for them financially (see Leviticus 25). These same promises that God gave to Abraham and the children of Israel are ours because we are the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:29) or spiritual Israel.
We have an even greater covenant than Abraham or Moses through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Therefore, we should be walking in a greater degree of the Spirit of Increase because of this better covenant (Hebrews 8:6).
Key Principles for Receiving from God
1) We must recognize that God is our source. Everything belongs to Him and He is our Provider. Because we are His children, we don’t have to live like the prodigal or elder son in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). We are always with the Father and all that He has is ours!
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 (NKJV)
The earth is the LORD’s and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. Psalm 24:1 (NKJV)
“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV)
Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 1 Chronicles 29:12 (NKJV)
2) We must know it is God’s will to prosper us and meet our needs. Jesus came to give us liberty in every area of our lives i.e. physically, mentally, spiritually, relationally and financially (Ephesians 1:3). The gospel is a gospel of abundance and provision (John 10:10). We need to teach the gospel to the poor just as Jesus was anointed to preach the gospel to the poor (Luke 4:18). Poverty leads to corruption, sickness and disease, hopelessness, etc.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NKJV)
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2 (NKJV)
He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap, that He may seat him with princes-with the princes of His people. Psalm 113:7, 8
May the LORD give you increase more and more, you and your children. Psalm 115:14
3) We receive from the Lord by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8, 9; Romans 4:16). He gives us His grace, His favor. We receive what His grace has provided by faith, trusting in what He has said and who He is. Giving God’s Word priority in our lives by studying, meditating, believing, speaking and acting on the Word of God gives us good success (Joshua 1:8). Spending time in God’s Word daily will give us godly wisdom (Proverbs 4:5-9) to make the proper choices in life.
4) Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first, and He will take care of everything else. What we do with our money and possessions reveals our real priorities and what’s going on in our heart with God.
“Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘what shall we eat?’ Or ‘what shall we drink’ or ‘what shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:25 – 33 (NKJV)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19 – 21 (NKJV)
When Jesus counseled the rich young ruler, who came to Him asking what good thing he could do so that he could have eternal life, Jesus responded to him declaring what the law said because that is how he approached Jesus. He came to find out what he could do to earn eternal life. Jesus discussed with him what the law reveals through the commandments which he was well aware of and said that he had kept all of them. He asked Jesus what He lacked. He went away sorrowful when Jesus said in order to be perfect, he needed to go sell what he has and give to the poor and then he would have treasure in heaven then to come follow Him. This was to point out to him that no one can perfectly keep the law. And when you put riches above God, they have become an idol. And that’s why Jesus went on to say that it’s difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven when money has become an idol (See Matthew 19:16-26).
Stay tuned for Part Two where we will look at how to manage our finances by being a good steward of what God has given us.
Living the Abundant Life 