Do You Have a Need?

Philippians 4: 16 - 20, For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. NKJV

In Luke 4, we read that Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread because He had been fasting and was hungry. However, Jesus rejected Satan's offer to use the anointing on His life for the sole purpose of taking care of His personal needs. Instead, Jesus told Satan what the Word said about this particular need. He said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Jesus could have easily used the power of God on His life to turn the stones to bread, but, instead, He chose to allow His faith in God to provide His needs. In other words, He placed the responsibility of His needs being supplied on God, not on Himself. This freed Jesus so that He could focus on other people's needs.

Christians can learn much from the way Jesus responded to His personal needs and the tempter's voice. Nevertheless, our humanity sometimes causes us to put the cart before the horse. This is an old adage I've heard since I was a child. It means we sometimes get in a hurry and rush ahead of God. Since it is human nature to place personal needs before anything else, believers have to work diligently so that they don't fall prey to that mindset of unbelief. 

Jesus didn't place His needs before God's will for His life. Therefore, He didn't have a problem telling Satan the truth or overcoming his seductive lies. Whenever we wait on God to supply our needs, it keeps us from living in bondage to our flesh or to man. It places the burden of provision on God, our heavenly Father and not on us. When we choose to live by faith and wait on God's provision, we are placing a demand on the anointing and favor of God. 

When you have an unmet need, instead of allowing fear to push you into supplying the need in your own strength, stand on the promises of God that speak directly to the issue at hand. As we put this principle into practice, our faith will please God, and He will give us favor with Him and man. Now we're living by faith instead of the demand of our need. Standing on what God has declared from His mouth produces supernatural results. The more we discipline ourselves to trust in the Lord to take care of us, the less we will be dependent on the flesh of man. This will liberate us from the bondage of the flesh nature. The end result will be a blessed life. 

It all begins with a correct decision to trust God and not self. You can do this. Just get out the Word of God and find a promise that speaks to your need. Begin to pray that Word to God and then be still until you see the answer. Let me leave you today with a very powerful verse that I pray when seeking the Lord for the needs of the church to be taken care of.

1 John 5: 14 - 15, Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. NKJV 

Waiting On God's Provision, 

Pastor Asa Dockery