Trying to Understand God's Provision For Me.

“I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Philippians 4:12 

As a child of God, we must learn that we serve The Sovereign God, The God that does as He chooses in our life. Our destiny is not in our selves, our destiny is in God’s hands. The Psalmist wrote these words, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalms 37:23 The word “ordered means - to be erect or to upright or to appoint – let us liken it to erecting a building, a building does not build itself, but someone makes all the choices for the building. Likewise, is our life, and God is the builder setting our life in place one step at a time all the way to the end. Listen to the Psalmist again, "My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. (3) He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. (8) The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore." Psalms 121:2 - 3, 8 It is only our limited understanding and our limits in life that causes us not to rightly understand this. However, God has no limits, God is Omnipresent and Omniscience and there is nothing He cannot do, all things are absolutely in His Sovereign hands. Sure, we cannot properly understand this, we are limited in everything, therefore understanding God and His ways are impossible. Concluding that our understanding is a gift from God through the power of the Holy Spirit that we have any understanding.

The word “provision” means - the action of providing or supplying something for use – and here it is your life that God is providing or supplying. Sometimes Christians makes the mistake of likening God to man, but God is not a man nor is He anything like a man. God is an eternal Being that was once the only being in existence, and in time He created all things including man. Therefore, God has the right to do as He please with His own creation. We have no rights over God’s ordained will for us because God is the Master Builder of our life. “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Romans 9:16 Therefore, we must learn to accept what God has ordained for our life and continue to ask the Lord for help, mercy, grace, and guidance. Some folks want us to think that in life we have power, that life’s choices are within our own strength, but believe them not, God has ordered our steps in life, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD:”. We live, we move, and we have our being only by His grace and mercy. Acts 17:28 “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” God has made us what we are and we should be content in what our life is in Christ.

God’s provisions for us are His ordained will in our life and sometimes it is hard for the believer to understand what or why God is doing something. Again, this comes down to a revelation from God through the Holy Spirit, we only understand what God allows us too. Our attitude and reactions in life depend on how much God allows us to understand of what is happening. If we understand the word “contentment” we learn through the experience of our biblical studies and life to trust God’s will for us and be content in whatever state God puts us. Paul wrote in verse 12 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Sometimes these things happening in our life brings us high and comfortable and sometimes it puts us in desperate need, but our faith in God’s Sovereignty will allow us to be content. In verse 18 Paul wrote, “But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.” Paul found his contentment in the spiritual resources abundantly provided by Christ. Because Paul knew that whatever he needed, whatever he had, whatever was happening, that God has supplied all his needs. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Verse 19

Folks, it is about understanding God and His way He has elected for each of us, learning to be content in where He puts us, and understanding whether we are up or down in life, God will never leave us or forsake us allowing us to be content. Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” 1 Timothy 6:6 - 8 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. (7) For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. (8) And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."

 

Women are responsible to conduct themselves godly.

“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; (10) But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” 1 Timothy 2:9 – 10.

Sometimes it is difficult to talk about certain subjects in the churches and among other believers. The worldly assemblies that call themselves churches do not have a godly mentality about themselves. They allow the secular world’s thinking into their congregations and biblical laws and commandments suffer; they suffer to the point of non-existence. Therefore, the thinking of a satanic controlled world system becomes the thinking of their assemblies for the sake of growth. As Christians and especially as church members we all should have standards in the Lords churches. Men and women are not equal in the house of God, in our services there is a difference. God said for men to, “pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” God did not include the women because He told the women “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. (12) But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” Therefore, women can not say public prayer in the Lords churches. This is not up for debate or argument, and those that reject this teaching also rejects God’s word. But women do have their responsibility to the Lord, His word, and the churches. We will either obey God or man’s thinking that is controlled by Satan! Do we stand for God’s standards or mans standards that are controlled by Satan? As time moves on more and more people, assemblies and even believers will spit on the word of God, even with detest and anger. Pastors and churches must require accountability of their membership that refuses to accept God’s godly biblical standards. Women are to dress like godly women, it is improper to dress like promiscuous women in God’s house or any other time. I see women after church in restaurants who has been to church dress like they have been to a night club rather than the house of God. Church is not a place to advertise “look at me”. Church is a place of worshiping God and His Beloved Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ, and nothing should belittle that worship. The Lord speaks of “shamefacedness” means - a sense of shame or honor, modesty, bashfulness, reverence, regard for others, it is called respect- A lack of reverence for God in His house. Next is “with broided hair” which means – a plait of hair - The thought here is that Christian females are not to imitate those of the world in their careful attention to the accessories of their hair. It cannot be supposed that the mere braiding of the hair is forbidden, but only that careful attention to the manner of doing it. Next is “gold, or pearls, or costly array. This means – expensively eye drawing jewelry - This is not to wear any jewelry at all but things that are modest. The reason for all this is found in verse 10 “But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works” Women are required to dress modestly in the house of God, church is not about showing off their beauty, or their treasures in God’s house. If a woman cannot humble herself in God’s house, then God’s house is not a place for her. Most assemblies are more secular loose in their laws and standards; therefore, they are not real churches but meeting places. If a church cannot have decency and order, then how can you resemble a church of God? I know what I write in this article is not worldly popular, and lots of people will hate me for writing it. However, the truth about God, Jesus, and the bible is not popular and they hate them also, even places of worship calling themselves churches. The bible is to be read, studies, preached, and believed, not insulted, or ignored. Ladies, if your appearance or actions draws attention from the worship service of God, then you are not proper. The word “modest” means - orderly, that is, decorous: - of good behaviour, - tight clothing, short dresses, loud jewelry, or hair, is simply not modest and is insulting to a church service. Both men and women have godly standards in God’s house and we all must conduct ourselves modestly.   

God is Sovereign in salvation.

“For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. (6) Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.” Psalms 135:5 – 6

It matters not what man may believe, think, or say, God is Sovereign in all His knowledge, words, and ways. People that have a hard time believing that God is absolute in His Sovereign Being have never been blessed by the Holy Spirt with this understanding. Most pastors will tell you that “God cannot change mans will, man is free to choose their own destination” and this sounds good to the millions upon millions that pack their assemblies every Sunday, but it could not be farther from the biblical facts. Saving faith comes from God thru the Holy Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” Galatians 5:22 Now some will say this is the ability to be faithful to God, but our faithfulness to God starts with saving faith because we do not have one faith without the other. The truth is that mankind has no desire nor ability to be saved, mankind is born as an enemy of God. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”  Romans 8:7 The word “enmity” means – hatred – therefore the carnal soul will never choose to come to Christ, it would violate their natural hatred for God. Jesus Christ is the only one who can breakdown that wall that separates us from our enmity with God. "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; (15) Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (16) And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:" Ephesians 2:14 – 16. This is all accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit, man has no ability to change their natural being. The spirit in all mankind is dead at birth preventing a relationship with God of any sort. This is that “middle wall of partition between us” that separates God and man, all that is saved must be saved by and thru Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is God that make the vessels, both honorable and dis-honorable we are not self-made children of God. God proves this in Ephesians 1:11 when He states this fact, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:” We cannot obtain this eternal inheritance any other way, especially by self-will. Only God by the powerful work of the Holy Spirit can save a lost soul, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14 Two facts are found in this scripture, all that are led by the Holy Spirit are children of God, and no one can be a child of God without being led by the Holy Spirit. God never depends on man for anything, God works through man as He (God) choses. Therefore, every time you hear a preacher make a statement that “God cannot change your will”, believe him not, because if God does not change a person’s will then that person will never be saved. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 This is why we are to always thank God for our salvation. God is Sovereign in everything, not just in salvation but in every area of creation. No one has a right to question God’s power and Sovereign Authority, especially because they refuse to believe the truth about God. “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?” Romans 9:20 God will do as He pleases, and nothing God does relies on human will, NOTHING! If it did then that would violate the entire writings of the scriptures. “Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.” Psalms 135:6 Therefore, it must be concluded that if God elects to save one soul and not another, He has that right. God has no obligation to save anyone, nor is God under any obligation to make salvation an equal opportunity for everyone. Not one single person deserves to have God’s salvation therefore it is by mercy and grace. “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Romans 9:16