Expectant Prayers ®

Watching the numbers drop in the stock market yesterday and the proposed bail out fail,  I had to stop and think about the wise words I once heard from the Lord; "Hold Steady".   There may be some things in life that have the potential to shake you, but God is saying to the Christian today... 'Hold Steady'.  He is the rock that will not be moved.  If your foundation is in Him, His Word, and His will, you can stand firm in Him.  That's the first thing I want to encourage you with today... so I'll say it again...hold steady!

God has been preparing us for money crisis for a long time now.  Many godly voices have risen, calling our attention to the need of preparing our households.  This has been happening for over twenty years and the urgency has been steadily increasing for ten years!   David Wilkerson has been one of the leading ministers to shed light on this situation and encourage people to not be taken off guard.  In his September 2008 Newsletter, he was urging people to not buy anything that is not a necessity and to sell every unneeded item.  Financial Christian leaders, such as Dave Ramsey, have been urging people to live debt free lives.  Wilkerson also echoes his sentiments.  Some pastors have condemned such talk, citing Wilkerson as being fascinated with "doomsday" visions of the end of the world and using scare tactics.   Friends, seek the Spirit of God and see if you feel differently.   We have been too self-sufficient instead of God-dependent in this country.  We seem to think we can suffer no disaster too great that we can't fix it or avoid new ones.  After all, we made it through 9-11, right?   To personalize a well known Biblical reference:  Our arrogance and pride goeth before the fall.

Given the nature of prophesy, we know that it's truly only a matter of time that economic systems go bust and we will be ushering in the one world monetary system.   You think this little ripple on Wall Street is the main event?  Wait until you see the world wide tidal wave of financial disaster spreading across the globe.   

If you haven't heard the "wake up call" yet, please listen to the alarm sounding today!  

I don't say these things to scare you (or to some to seem like some Biblical prophesy-crazed kook)- but to remind us that our faith, hope, and trust do not come from financial stability or the power of the dollar.  It comes from the Almighty, All-Powerful, All-Knowing, Ever Present God!   We cannot serve both God and money.  Money is not our provision - HE is the source of all provision.    There are so many (provisional) examples in the Bible, but let me point our Joseph.  Even though his circumstances didn't start out well, he went from the pit to the palace.  God showed him favor until he was Pharaoh's right hand man.  God warned him of the seven fat years and the seven lean years that were to come.  He ordered barns filled with provision during the fat years and stored up great amounts of rations.  When the lean years hit, everyone came to Egypt to get food!  That is what brought the brothers (who sold him into slavery) to the palace and eventually his entire family followed.  He settled them in the land of Goshen.  They were totally provided for.  Even when darkness overtook Egypt, there was still light in the land of Goshen.  God has, does, and WILL provide.

Unlike the frenzy of Y2K, we know that the long term effects that we may face are not something we can "store up" for, but there are things we can do to prepare.  Here are a few:

-Make God #1 in your life.   This is the biggest key to everything.   Grow in faith, trust, and dependency.  Acknowledge Him as the source for all provision and rely on Him to supply your needs.

-Keep your eyes on Him and not the smoke and diversions grabbing for your attention!

-Don't store up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy.  Store up heavenly treasures! These are the only ones that will last.  In other words, quit trying to build your heavenly mansion here on earth and concentrate on what you can do to further the Kingdom of God.

-Live within your means.  Don't charge things you don't have money for.  Make it a goal to live a debt free life (with the exception of maybe your mortgage).  Don't be slave to the lender.

-Pay off debts already acquired in order to become debt free.  Downsize whenever possible if this helps you achieve your goal of being debt free.

-Create a budget and stick to it.  Don't spend where you don't need to.

-Learn to be content and satisfied with what you have.  If you have shelter, food, and clothes - you're doing better than a great majority of those in the world.  Don't fall into the trap of greed.

-Give, give, give... and again I say... GIVE!  I don't care what you have to give... just give something!   Missionaries and ministries all over the world are suffering and need our support to continue taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.  Our local churches need our tithes and offerings.  DO TITHE!  Don't be guilty of robbing God.   Remember, in the same measure you give- it will be given back to you.  You can never out give God.     Giving should also go beyond the monetary, too.  Give your time, your resources, give clothes your kids outgrew to people in need- really bring this down to where you live!  If you see or know of someone who is in need and you have a way to help- do it!

-Don't succumb to fear.  Fear is a power force that works contrary to the nature of God.  If we are in Christ, we can have confidence in the One who is greater than anything we face.  Allow God to give you a sound mind and replace that fear with joy.  The joy of the Lord is our strength!

-Pray.  Then the peace that passes understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus!