believe Archives : Living Success

The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. —Psalm 24:1–2

It is perfectly logical to assume that a wise and competent Creator would provide for the needs of His creatures in their various stages of growth. —Charles Fillmore, Prosperity

Have you ever asked yourself, Who is my source? If not, now is a good time to do so. So, who is my source? Is it my job or business income—or is it God? Money is such a personal thing that we often fail to recognize that the money we hold in our hands is not ours.

Perhaps you work hard and deserve to be paid for your services. However, you may think your education, talent, creativity, good opportunities, or even your good looks brought what you have.

But again, I ask, Who is your source? Being a good Christian, you may likely answer that God is your source, but do you really believe that?

I’ve had to ask myself this question a few times in my life—when money seemed limited, when I had to juggle figures to see how I could best meet my needs when no money seemed to be in sight, yet bills were due. I’ve even asked this question when times were good and I enjoyed abundance.

So who is your source when times are good and all seems well but trouble comes and all your savings and income suddenly dry up? Do you trust God only when you have enough or live in abundance? Or do you trust Him even when you don’t know where the money is coming from?

WHY WE DON’T TRUST GOD AS OUR SOURCE

What causes us not to trust God as our source? What are some of the effects of limiting God and not seeing Him as our source?

We Don’t Think We Will Prosper

Our life’s experiences have affected the way we think about our God, the Creator and our heavenly Father. The distorted thinking of some Christians has caused them to believe they will never prosper. The self talk of many is that nothing will ever work well for them—in their workplace, business, finances, ministry, or personal relationships. Yet the Bible says that whatever we – the blessed people of God – do shall prosper (Ps. 1:3). When nothing works, our faith in God dwindles and sometimes dies completely. We fail to realize that we believed more in our failure than in the Word of God. If our expectation is that nothing we do will prosper, then nothing will. But if our expectation is that we will prosper, then we will. Our faith must match our words and actions. Then God will meet us at the level of our expectations.

We Don’t Believe His Word

Usually the problem is that our talk and actions do match our inward beliefs. Though we say that we trust God to meet all our needs, we don’t really believe this. We don’t think God is able to do what He says in His Word. Our faith in God is fickle when it comes to trusting Him to provide for us, and this fickleness is most evident when we face troubled times. We pray much and say we believe God, but when we leave our closets and go back to the world/reality, we allow the circumstances around us to overwhelm us with defeating thoughts. Our thoughts and actions prove that we don’t trust Him. We take matters into our own hands—which usually results in things getting worse. Part of trusting God as our source means asking Him for direction, but often we go ahead and do what we think is best without consulting God and/or seeking the wise counsel of those He has placed around us.

Worry Is Our Friend

Worry is often the companion of many believers. It’s just proof of our lack of faith in God. Worry shows that we believe more in our circumstances than in our God. We constantly worry about how to meet our obligations or where the next meal will come from—or we create negatives about how hard getting our next job will be. The Lord admonishes us not to worry about anything, but to pray and give thanks to Him (Phil. 4:6–7). But we worry, and as such, we have no peace of mind and become irritable with our loved ones instead of enjoying the blessings we do have. If we took heed to God’s Word, we would have peace in the midst of every storm, whether financial or not. This peace would keep us from being anxious.

TRUST HIM

In this world, relying on ourselves alone is signing up for certain failure. God has promised in His Word that He will meet our needs and provide for us along life’s journey. If we trust Him, He will surely make life good for us. If we trust Him, we will have peace regardless of the turmoil going on around us. When hope fails for others, our trust in God will keep the hope in us alive, and we will see nothing as impossible or hopeless. If we trust Him, we will always remember that He who promised us many blessings is faithful to perform the word He spoke to His people. When we trust God as our source, we will experience not only His peace but also His provision.

Remember, the starting point of all you have, all you need, all you will possess, and all you will be in life is God. He is the stream from which all things flow. Your income is not the starting point of your provision; God is.

This article was excerpted and adapted from Financial Empowerment: Realign Your Finances to God’s Will. Would you like to read more and experience change in your finances as you follow God’s word, then click here to buy your copy of [simpleazon-link asin=”0991785002″ locale=”us”]Financial Empowerment: Realign Your Finances to God’s Will[/simpleazon-link].

[simpleazon-image align=”left” asin=”0991785002″ locale=”us” height=”75″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZMNEdRrLL._SL75_.jpg” width=”47″]

Do you already have a copy? Great! Do you want to go deeper in your commitment to God and strengthen your decision to realign your finances to His will? In the near future, I will be offering a companion book study entitled “Financial Empowerment Workbook: How to Realign Your Finances to God’s Will”. Be sure to keep visiting and sign up for updates to keep you informed of future events, workbooks and coaching programs.

Be Blessed.

Reading the Bible

But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. Deuteronomy 30:14

The Bible is a wonderful gift from God to us, yet we hardly make use of it. Although we claim to be Disciples of Christ, we can find ourselves more inclined to read everything else except the Word of God or be involved other activities that occupy our time leaving us with little or no time for the word of God. But this Word is really special.

The Word of God is …

Alive, full of power, effective, energizing and knows the condition (thoughts and purposes) of man’s heart. Heb. 4:12
Everlasting. There is no time limit on it. Matt. 24:35 & Isaiah 40:8
Sure. God holds His Word in high regard. He stakes His integrity on it. Isaiah 55:11
Full of truth and life. We can live abundantly by the Word of God. John 6:63 & John 6:63 (GW)
To be desired more than riches and is sweeter than the sweetest thing every tasted! Furthermore, the Word rewards the one who obeys it. Psalm 19:10-11 (AMP)

The word of God is so very relevant to our present and future but yet we take light of its importance. If you need direction or guidance on anything in your life – spiritual, financial, relationships, career, health or wellness, emotional, professional – you can look in God’s word for help. There are so many ways to feed ourselves with the word that we have no excuses for not knowing what God says in about specific aspects of our lives or for not living it out daily.

Read the Word daily. Read it like a book – from cover to cover – and gain insight into life through the accounts of God relating to man. I try to read it through at least once a year. If I don’t succeed the challenge of finishing it by the end of January, I try to continue until I’ve reached the end.
Pray the Word. Remind God what His word (His promise) is concerning you. However, you can only do this if you know what the word says about that area of your life.
Speak the Word. I am not talking about praying here but about making God’s word a part of your everyday conversation with friends, family, work colleagues, and whoever you interact with in your day.
Study the Word. If you want to know how to manage your money, how to raise your child, how to related to your family and friends and about anything pertaining to your life and your relationship with God; the answers are in the word of God. You can research specific passages, people, topics, etc. You can also adopt certain methods of study like in the inductive or manuscript method and others that would help you gain a better understanding of God’s word.
Teach the Word. God commands us to teach our children His word. Through family devotions and classes at church we can teach them. But of importance is to teach them through our lives – what we say and do have great impact on how they view God. Therefore we must aim to live God-honoring lives and as we do God promises that training our child in His ways will help them to remain in Him.
Memorize the Word. I never really took much effort in memorizing though it is highly recommended. I realize that the more you study the Word, you will remember it and the Holy Spirit will remind you of specific scriptures when you need encouragement and guidance.
Meditate on the Word. In the Hebrew language “meditate” means to speak or to mutter repeatedly. When I read and I find a scripture that stands out, I would personalize that verse or passage and speak it out. I would put it on a cue card to visualize it throughout the day or I would do further study on it and write it out in a personalize way. I recently shared Psalm 91 with you.
Believe the Word. If you claim that the Bible is written by men who were inspired by God to pen this message to us, then believe it. If you choose to become a disciple of Christ, take God at His word.
Share the Word. God’s word is good news that isn’t for one but for all. Share with those who believe to encourage, exhort or even reprove. Share with those who don’t believe that they might come to believe and accept Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
Apply the Word to you. The Word is not just for the purpose of gaining knowledge but it’s meant to change man to become like Christ. The Word is like a mirror but searches deeper the surface. It shows you who you in your heart are and gives you the insight on how you can change. Let the word enter your heart and bring the life transformation your need.

Once during Bible reading month challenge this verse above (Deuteronomy 30:14) really stood out for me. As I thought about it I realized that when this was said to Israel the Word (then the Law) was read to them on occasionally. Yet God said the Word is in their mouths, and their hearts and they should live it out.

What about us today? We have access to the wonderful gift 24/7 in hard-copy form in various translations, on our cell phones, on e-readers, in CD or audio format, in DVD format, on television and there are even programs that would help you by sending reminders to read the Word. Check out: Bible Gateway, You Version, Faith Comes by Hearing, and The Word of Promise. We can read, we can listen, we can watch the Word anytime.

God promises that His word will bring you all-round and ongoing success when rightly applied (or lived out) – Joshua 1:8-9. I encourage you to intentionally spend time in the Word of God and apply the methods above to make it a part of your daily living.

How near is the Word of God to you? This week, make a plan to study specific areas of the Bible outside of your daily devotional time. It will bless your life.