"But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:19
The word "supply" used above means to fill up, cause to abound, to complete, nothing shall be wanting. The root meaning of the word refers to hollow vessels being filled, also to being covered in every part. Of the soul, it pertains to being thoroughly permeated, perfect.
The place of the provision of our Father is found in the Spirit. The source of the provision of God is His glory, which in this case can mean splendour and brightness, but also means, His opinon, His judgment, and that which is pleasing to Him. These blessings, or riches can certainly manifest in the natural circumstances of our lives, but the natural circumstances of our lives is not the source of those riches, nor is it the complete meaning of these riches.
For example, using most of the same words that He uses in the above verse, the LORD addresses a very rich church in a place called Laodicea in Rev. 3:17-18:
"Because you say, "I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing";
and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed;
and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see."
The natural state of this church was abundance and wealth. They thought their safety, esteem, power, and position was in their wealth. They were full of pride and arrogant. Anyone looking at the outward appearance of this church would have said that they were favored and blessed by God, because of their wealth. But the spiritual state of this church, according to the LORD, was extreme poverty and shame. The source of their wealth was not the spiritual place mentioned in the first scripture above, Phil. 4:19, but the source of their wealth was the system of this world. Outwardly blessed, but inwardly bankrupt. They would never be able to accomplish their spiritual purpose, if they remained as they were.
The gold that survives, the gold that remains, that Jesus speaks of according to Rev. 3:18, is gold that has come through the fire of refinement, a place of spiritual cleansing and strengthening. This gold can only be obtained through the LORD, through Christ. The gold that comes from Christ is not from a source that relies upon the worldly systems. The gold that Jesus speaks of has a spiritual source from His Father, and is, therefore, not subject to the eradict conditions of the world. It is from everlasting, and will not pass away. He instructs the church that this is the source upon which they must rely. Even their clothing is first to be spiritual clothing of righteousness (white garments). Our thinking must be in accord with these principles. Our dependence and source must be our Father. If we haven't sought this place in the Father's glory before, the same glory that Jesus has asked us to share with Him, we must begin to turn our hearts towards it. The days of shaking are upon us.
The United States is a very wealthy nation. But if we depend upon our nation, our jobs, our own strengths and talents, our natural inventiveness and ambition to be the source of success, wealth and provision in our lives, we will be like the church of Laodicea.
There is a commercial on television celebrating the State of New Jersey's recovery from the hurricane that caused so much damage to homes and lives. It invites people to come do commerce in the state. The song on the commercial says "We are stronger than the storm".
The source of this outward success, according to their proclamation, is their own strength. They have relied on themselves, the governments of their state and the nation, to rebuild them. In the same way, we also tend to rely on our employers and our government to be the source of our provision. Outwardly we may appear to be successful, but inwardly, we are bankrupt. The fact that we have relied first upon the world economic systems to be our provision, rather than our Father, has left us potentially poor, wretched, blind, naked and miserable, like the church of Laodicea, whether we realize it or not.
We have also judged the calling and success of other people and even other churches by their outward wealth or poverty, which may not be a true indicator of the anointing of God upon them. Many anointed servants of God have been through the place where they have only been able to depend on God for their provision. Man may have abandoned them, or come to them empty-handed. The systems of this world have been of no help. But these servants of God are blazing a trail that many of us may have to walk in the future. We will thank God for these men and women of God who will be able to lead us through in the days ahead where they have already had to travel. If our discernment of the anointing of God is influenced by the outward appearance of wealth, we will be as blind as the Laodicean church. Jesus did not judge a work by its affluence. To the church of Smyna, in Rev. 2:9, the LORD says:
"I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)..."
He is teaching them that they possess the spiritual wealth that comes from relying upon the Father. This is the first place of provision and blessing.
Relying upon the world for economic provision can be undependable, at best. There are those in our nation who refer to the currency of this country as "the almighty dollar". But the dollar is not almighty. In fact, the dollar is facing one of its greatest perils. The world has been turning against the continuing use of the U.S. dollar as its "reserve currency". Reserve currency means that the other nations of the world use the dollar to buy and sell. It has been the universal method of exchange, accepted by all nations in doing business. But times have changed. In the last few years, nations are rejecting the dollar as its reserve currency, and have put in place other currencies to use in buying and selling. The International Monetary Fund is even now recommending that the dollar no longer be used as the reserve currency, and a different currency be put in place. If these events continue, the dollar could become useless against our national debt, and even become devalued here in America. The consequences would be that you would need many more dollars in order to purchase what you used to be able to purchase. Inflation would soar. The U.S. economy could suffer a blow that would be difficult, perhaps impossible to recover from.
The riches and provision of the LORD do not have their source in the dollar, or any other natural riches. The riches of the LORD start in a supernatural place in our Father's glory, immersed in the person of Christ. This is a place where our souls sink into the being of Christ and are filled to overflowing. The spiritual overflowing also manifests in the natural overflowing of all blessings in our lives. We would be making a grave mistake to believe that the source of our provision lies in anyone, or anything other than the glory of God.
Our Father is Provision.
"In You Alone"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hzKK36Ayrs
"God, I Look to You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR5IoWH9OiI
"More Precious Than Silver"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HWf8YpH-3Q
Reference Articles:
"Is the Almighty Doomed?" Time Business
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1889588,00.html
"Dollar Could Be in Danger..." Reuters
http://rt.com/usa/dollar-danger-as-world-currency-977/
As Father's Day approaches, I could tell you many things about my father. I could tell you that his name was Edward. I could tell you the date he was born, and the date he died. I could tell you funny stories, and not so funny stories about him. I could tell you some of the things that were important to him, and some of the things he enjoyed doing for fun.
When we think of Father's Day, we think of our fathers here on earth. Hopefully, we remember them with admiration for how hard they work and sacrifice to provide for, and care for, their families. Some people may have less positive memories and thoughts of their fathers. The relationship between father and child can be very difficult sometimes for both parties. Some fathers' hearts may be full of regrets. Some children's hearts may be full of hurts or disappointments. There seem to be many things that sometimes try to come between the father and child relationship. These things can also carry over into our spiritual relationship with our Father, God.
In Biblical times, as well, fatherhood was mostly associated with earthly fathers. Family histories, or geneologies, were kept of all generations of fathers, even back to the time of Abraham, and before him back to Adam. When Jesus was teaching the people, He would also talk about fathers. The people around Him declared, "Abraham is our father" (John 8:39). And proud they were of that fact. Because they were descendants of Abraham, they were a covenant people, with an inheritance from God. However, Jesus was telling them about their heavenly Father.
The people knew about God. They worshipped Him. They feared Him. But Jesus wanted to introduce them to their Father, the Father that He knew and loved so much. The Father Who loved Jesus in return. Jesus spoke of God as "My Father". Man did not know God in that manner. Even today, there are religious people who reject the truth of God as a Father to them. Religion separates us from our Father. God has always desired a father-child relationship with us, rather than a religious relationship:
Therefore the LORD said:
"Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught
by the commandment of men.
Therefore behold,
I will again to a marvelous work
Among this people..."
Isa. 29:13-14
It has always been the LORD's desire to be a Father to us, even from the beginning. Adam, from whom we all descended, is referred to not just as a creation of God, but as "the son of God", in Luke 3:38. It was man who rejected God as Father, not the other way around. The LORD says,
"I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good..."
Isa. 65:2
How sad it must be to a father, whether earthly or heavenly, to stretch out his hands to his child, a child for whom he would give his own life, and be rejected. Yet our Father promised in
Isa. 29, that regardless of our rejection of Him, He would yet do a marvelous work among us. He has provided the way for us to come back to Him as our Father. He has opened His arms, and hands to us, always waiting, always ready to receive us back into His love.
Jesus tells a story about a son, who had rejected his father's home, and his father's care, and left. The son, defeated by the harshness of life, decides to return home to his father, even if his father will only let him work as a servant. But the father's heart is revealed in Luke 15:20:
"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."
The father was thrilled to see his son coming home, and had been watching for him. Our Father in heaven is watching for us to come home also. He wants to run to us and hug and kiss us in great joy.
This Father's Day, let us not only honor our earthly fathers, but let's also use the opportunity to return to the house of our heavenly Father, who waits for us with a heart full of compassion.
The LORD is our Father.
"The Prodigal"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyVlF24u5dY
"Draw Me Nearer"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LZfEcIxZgI
"God is Spirit..." John 4:24
Some of the greatest accomplishments in the Kingdom of God, are not seen, nor heard of at the time, by anyone in the flesh, but are done in the realm of the Spirit.
We think that whatever we have been shown by God must require that we strive to bring it forth to crowds and audiences. Sometimes, this IS the case, but great things can be revealed to many by God's sovereign will and power, rather than our own.
The realm of the Spirit of God is filled with His character of omniscience. The dictionary definition of omniscience is: infinite awareness, understanding and insight; possessed of universal or complete knowledge.
From this we know that there is nothing said, done, or revealed in secret, of which our Father is not aware. He creates in Spirit, He speaks in Spirit, He reveals truth in Spirit. Let's look at an example.
Jesus had a disciple named John. As John gave witness throughout his life of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, church history tells us that several attempts were made to kill him, in order to stop his message from reaching people. These attempts upon his life were miraculously not successful. In a last attempt to keep John's eyewitness account from reaching others, John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. Patmos means "my killing", and is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey. At the time of John's exile, it was described as "sterile", or barren, not producing vegetation, nor inhabited by other life. It is rugged terrain and about 30 miles in circumference. John was isolated from all other humans.
We do not know how long John was on this island before he began to hear and see something in the spirit realm. He had no other communication, so it can be assumed that he spent at least part of his time, if not all of it, praying, meditating, and living in that place of communion with our omniscient, omnipresent Father.
John begins his account this way: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last..." (Revelation 1:10) With no other humans around, John supernaturally sees and hears Jesus Christ, Who begins to reveal to him things that are to occur at a future time.
In verse 11 of Revelation chapter 1, John is instructed by Jesus what he must do:
"What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches..."
As John faithfully wrote what he was shown in the Spirit, he must have wondered how anyone else would ever see the book, considering his present circumstances. The things revealed to him were of enormous importance, and he must have felt the need to tell many what the Lord was showing to him. However, being in his position of isolation and exile, his opportunities to do so were non-existent. Perhaps there were occasions when he felt he was even wasting his time writing down this extensive material, which other people may never see, but he was obedient to his instructions from Jesus.
But our Father is able, regardless of the hindrances, obstacles, or circumstances, to overcome all physical conditions, because He is Spirit. All mankind now has the opportunity to read and wonder in amazement at the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, found in scripture, faithfully reported by John on the Isle of Patmos.
Sometimes the greatest things in the Kingdom, are not accomplished by our own efforts, nor through human understanding and expectations, but by the power of God in the Spirit.
Our Father is Spirit.
"In the Spirit" - instrumental
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s52o9_2pi1U
Excerpt from "Patmos"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoN-iMIOFlY
