The Misunderstood Scripture
Posted: Thursday, April 24, 2008
by Viktor Saari
Viktor Saari Ministries
Many people have "financial trouble". They say oh, I don't know I just can't save any money and recite how hard it is to make ends meet. The sad part is that we believers have the same actions and talk the same way about are "financial troubles". This is really very sad. But sorry to say the reason why we have financial troubles is because we are ignorant. Understand that our Father in heaven does not deal with ignorance. Why? Because He does not create stupid kids! Harsh, Maybe, but I need you to realise something.
This is how the devil works though! And most of the time we're so dumb we believe it! We take his word for truth, without even seeing what God's word has to say about it! We never find chapter and verse to cover our case or come to the realisation of what Jesus has done for us!
If a fellow believer ever walked up to me and told me that he or she was having financial trouble, I would have to tell them the truth as to what God says. I would tell them that they do not have a financial problem, they have a faith problem! God doesn`t meet financial problems with finances, God meets financial problems with faith! God is a faith God! Hebrews 11.6 says: But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh unto God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Understand that money is a man made thing. Remember when the Pharisees if they should pay tribute to Caesar or not. Jesus responded to render that which are Caesar's to Caesar, and render those things which are God's to God. Faith is the currency God's uses. That's why Job lost it all, he ran out of the currency called faith. How do we know that? Job 3.25 says: For the thing I have greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. Job was dealing with the wrong currency. He was dealing with fear, instead of faith!
Realise that God does not meet according to need, He meets according to faith.
Think about it. Many in the church need healing and many in the church need their financial needs met.
Why is this if Jesus said I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly in John 10.10?
And really now the scripture would read: I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly. The Greek word for life here is zoe, which is the God kind of life.
We know the God kind of life does not have any health or financial issues. So how did we get like this?
How did our faith come to in this state of being in so much lack, that we haven't received what God has given us? The answer is simple and it is where the title comes into play. The problem is we have put God's answer for our financial needs in future tense. We make it seem like He will meet our needs, not He has met our needs.
Understand that when Jesus said it is finished in John 19.30, He meant it was finished. Not only the call on His life, and that He had fulfilled it, but that the devil and all his works are finished, not will be! He has no dominion anymore, he is no longer the god of this world, it is us the believer!
So why do we put God's word on finances in the future? The misunderstood scripture, it is widely renowned amongst believers, and is a scripture we look to when in financial trouble. If you have your Bible close by look up Philippians 4.19, if not just follow along. Paul says this: But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.
First of all I would like to commend Paul on what he says here, he personalises God. He says my God, my God. I think we should take it one step further though. We should call our God, our Father. He is our Dad that is why we can say that we are children of God. Understand that God is our Father, and that He is only God to the unbeliever. How special it is to have a personal relationship with God!
But the personalisation of this scripture does not end here. We can go one step further yet. Paul is talking to the Church of Philippi here. We are linked here, because a Church is Christ's body, and we are of Christ's body. So we can say the scripture like this, that our Father shall supply all our needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.
What are His riches and glory? Well, take a look at the riches of heaven that is the kind of riches He has!
The streets are gold man! Pearls, rubies, jasper, diamond and every other kind beautiful substance is in heaven, and it is far greater than any kind we have here. And it is according to these riches and kind of life that we should have! Do you have anything like this in your life?
Now understand that it is Paul who writes this scripture. I love Paul, and look up to him. I love his boldness, he even tells us to be imitators of him! That's bold! To make a statement like that, you better be able to back it up! So knowing that Paul says this, knowing this man's boldness, it seems like a bit of a soft statement. God will supply all my needs. It seems Paul is saying that God is going to, not has met our needs. It is like you or I saying I hope to accomplish my goals for this year, and someone else saying I will accomplish my goals this year. Which statement sounds more powerful?
Theirs, right? We have misunderstood what Paul is saying here though. See Paul wanted to show that it is by faith that we have our needs met.
It is more like, your faith shall supply all your needs, because He has already met those needs according to His riches and glory!
See Paul is not saying God will meet his needs, he acknowledges and knows what Jesus did for him. Paul knows his needs are already met according to Christ Jesus' riches and glory!
But Paul also knows he is going to go through tests and trials in the natural. He knows he is going to have a need, in the natural. Paul also knows is that it is going to take faith to see that need met. Realise that it takes faith to be led by the Spirit of God. It is not something we "feel", or can comprehend by our natural mind or thinking.
It is only by faith that we realise the leading of the Holy Spirit.
It is only when we walk in the spirit realm, that we can see how God has already met our need. It is like we stand on one side of the Grand Canyon, and on the other side is the situation with the need met already. But the floor of the Canyon is the same situation, but with total lack. You say it cannot be the same situation because it is not in the same spot in life. Well, what do you think life and life more abundantly means? It means not only is our need met, but we are further ahead in life!
When were standing on the one side of the Canyon we see nothing but air with our natural eyes, and the floor of a canyon that is a long ways down. But, by faith we see in the spirit realm we see a rock. Just like how you see the tops of rocks in water. And as soon as we step out on that one, we see another and another and so on.
But the problem for most of us is, we get caught up in the circumstances. Peter got caught up in the circumstances when he was walking on water. Peter started walking on the water by faith, but then started to look at the circumstances. He felt the wind, saw what it was doing to the water, and started to sink. I am sure he told Jesus, I was just walking by faith, but then the wind was just so strong, and Jesus, you saw what the wind did to the water. How was I supposed to walk through that?
And in much the same we cannot be consumed with the circumstances. We can't get caught up with the nice breeze, or how beautiful the canyon looks. We must just keep walking by faith, and living the victorious life. Circumstances may come, but they have already been met by our Father.
But, most of us try to go it on our own. We try to "guess" where those rocks are, or see the first few rocks and begin to get caught up in the scenery. Like those cartoon characters, who run right over the canyon halfway, and then look down. The TV show gives that little whistle sound effect and that sound like a bag of potatoes hitting dirt. This happens to us, and then we wonder, where are you God? Why did you let that happen? But it was really us that let it happen, because we looked with our natural eyes at the circumstances, instead of looking at the rocks by faith. Because remember always look to the rock by faith, because Jesus is that rock!
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