Seek First the Kingdom of God for Your Provision
Learning to lean on God for provision is often times much harder than we want it to be. Our worldly understanding, lack of kingdom wisdom, mixed with fear, worry and doubt are all that is needed to shut up all the windows of heaven. For several days now, the Lord has been leading me to write this post. He wants me to teach you how to get anything you need by seeking first the kingdom of God. This should be an easy write, after all we’ve seen miracle after miracle during our time of building out our families refuge in the wilderness. The only problem is that I also have plenty of experiences to say it didn’t work. So which is it? Well the answer to that question, just like every other question, is seek first the kingdom of God!
As I sought out the heart of God, to give me the right words, He reminded me of something that happened several years ago, which really strengthened my faith. However, getting provision from the kingdom revolves around much more than faith. It also hinges on agreement with God, which starts with understanding his desires. In this case, as in most others, he desired to teach me important lessons along the way, that I could repeat what worked and avoid what didn’t.
It was the end of October in 2019. We had purchased many pumpkins to sell at our farm market, but it was nearing Halloween, and they generally don’t sell after that date. So I was concerned we were going to have to take a loss on the 30 or so pumpkins we had left. One day as I walked by the pumpkin displays at the entrance, the Holy Spirit prompted me to pray. I walked down the rows, laying my hands on each and every pumpkin, and simply said, “Lord sell these pumpkins.” That was it, nothing fancy, no begging or pleading with God. Just giving instructions on what we needed to happen.
Waiting on the Lord
Several days go by and I was thinking to myself, “well God hasn’t sold any and I’m running out of time.” But, I kept thinking, just trust and wait. About a week goes by… so I had nearly given up waiting and got the price gun out. Thinking that maybe if I reduced the price it would help sell at least some.
A few hours later, something very strange happened. A man contacts me by phone, asking if he could buy not a few, but all the pumpkins we had left! Keep in mind, we hadn’t sold a single pumpkin in weeks. I was pretty skeptical about whether he would come through, but I asked him why he wanted them. By the way, he offered full price, on what should have been at least a volume discount.
As it turned out, he was a very honorable business man, whose rebellious son had gotten into trouble with friends. Seems they spent an evening smashing pumpkins at a local elementary school. Pumpkins carved by all the school children. The son and his friends got caught in the act, and were required by the police to make it right with the school. The gentleman who called me was very disappointed in his son, but the money wasn’t a problem. His problem was that everyone else was completely sold out of pumpkins!
He drove a pickup over later that day and we filled it up. Honestly, I thought hard about taking the sale tags back off the pumpkins, but that would have been wrong. That was my mistake, and it cost me about $50, simply because I didn’t wait on the Lord! A mistake that I was happy to make, because it taught me a valuable lesson. There was no possible way that this was a coincidence, and I was just praising the Lord for answering the prayer.
Seek First the Kingdom of God
So why did this prayer get answered? It was such an unusual request. It wouldn’t have been the end of the world if it didn’t get answered, just an inconvenience. It wasn’t a need, which seem like prayers that are much harder to get answered. So why did this simple prayer get answered in such an amazing way. I actually felt sorry for the man, having had teenagers myself. But yet the circumstances all fell into place just right. Why?
The secrets to answered prayers
Secret #1 – Stop Begging!
You are your Father’s son or daughter. He doesn’t want you to be a pan- handler. To do so says… I don’t think I’m worthy of God answering my prayers! That lack of faith keeps you from manifesting son-ship in the father’s house. If your faith says, “I’m not a son, worthy of blessing.” Then you are not believing in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ l, and God is not your spiritual father. As such has no obligation to answer that prayer. In fact he is bound not to. Jesus says in John 16:23-24 “Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” The word Name here means nature, character and authority. To ask the father in Jesus Name is to act in his place. Jesus acted on earth as his father’s son, carrying all the authority of God himself. He was in a sense God’s power of attorney. It is not the word Jesus that holds any power. It is our faith in who God says we are, son’s and daughters of the Most High God, that empowers us to walk and carry the same nature, character and authority as Jesus walked in on earth.
Secret #2 – Agreement!
Understanding what I just said, places you into agreement with God. Accepting all Jesus has done for you, and understanding what it means is crucial if you are expecting kingdom answers. Seeking first the Kingdom of God, means looking to the kingdom of God first for the answers. It doesn’t mean avoiding the problem and going to church. Or you doing some other good works to win God’s approval before he can bless you. Agreement means getting to the heart of God on the matter, and getting into agreement with his solution, even if that solution is not what you were hoping for.
Secret #3 – Rest!
Rest is the normal result of faith in action. When we truly believe the Word of God and understand it the way God intended (agreement), rest is the natural result. Whether we are at rest or not, is the clearest sign of where our faith really is. If our trust is completely in God and his word, rest comes naturally. After all why would you have to keep dwelling on something you know is done. If that is lacking in the situation, then simply go back to step 1. In this situation, I simply left it alone, allowing God to do his work. Me marking down the pumpkins was not doubt, but it does show lack of perfect agreement. Foolishness on my part, in not consulting Jesus first, before making the decision. However, that could also have been the leading of the Holy Spirit, in God wanting to help the other person. Sadly, you don’t know unless you ask. Many people lose out on Gods blessing because they fail to ask Jesus what to do.
Secret #4 – Wait!
Be patient, as the Lord works the situation in your favor. On the day I prayed, that boy had not yet committed the crime. We don’t often know all the variables which God knows need to fall into place. Perhaps several prayers got answered at the same time. Perhaps God was just testing (and building) my faith. Writing this, I’m reminded of the countless times I blamed God for not answering, yet it was I who failed in steps 1,2,or 3 not him.
Secret #5 – Get out of sin!
Any known sin in your life causes separation between you and God. Separation cause you to be out of agreement, out of agreement means you are out of the blessing flow. You will never see the fullness of Gods kingdom manifested in your life if you continue in known sin. Make a choice… blessing or cursing. The blood of Jesus may wash you from the spiritual death it brings, but it doesn’t spare you the penalty of that sin here on earth. That may disagree with the religious doctrine you’ve heard, but ask yourself this… “how many of these religious experts are walking in enough agreement with God, that all their prayers are answered?” Are they walking in God’s blessing flow as Peter, James and John did, or are they reaping the fruit of sowing only mammon? Anyone can sow mammon and get more mammon. That’s earthly business not kingdom business. Be careful who you listen to and follow. Anything which is not of faith is sin. That means fear, doubt and unbelief just as much as adultery, hatred and murder. Take it from someone who knows very well. If you try to walk in holiness and sin at the same time… sowing to both light and darkness, each in their own season, then praying God overlooks the sin… well you will receive the fruit of what you sowed! But that fruit will look exactly like what you sowed… a lot of blessing in some areas and a lot of cursing in others. Any seed sown will always produce more of the same. If you sow any weed seed, you are never going to get good fruit from that seed. So if you want a harvest of fruit from the kingdom of God, you better stop sowing into the kingdom of darkness. Every seasoned gardener knows that weeds will always choke out the good seeds. Get the weeds out of your garden!
Secret #6 – The Blessed and the Blessing!
The blessing of God follows those who are blessed by him. To have his blessing upon your life you must be in agreement with him. I can’t say this enough… if you want answered prayers you need his blessing working on your behalf. To have the blessing, you must be in agreement with him. Much prayer is hindered by someone being out of agreement with God, or being out of agreement with someone who is in agreement with God. To be in agreement you must follow the crucial points of this lesson, and… if you are doing all that… know that you are in fact blessed! You must carry the authority, character and nature of Christ with you. Wherever and whenever you go. You are the blessing manifested in the earth. The kingdom of God brought down out of heaven. Here, just as Jesus was, to act on the Father’s behalf, as his power of attorney, a member of his own household, a true son or daughter of the most high God! Only when you absolutely believe that always and without question, will you be walking, acting, and praying in the name of Jesus. Anything less will always produce mixed fruit. God is seeing you as the prodigal son, simply believe him and rest in it. Then the windows of heaven will open abundantly and nothing will be out of reach. That is mountain moving faith!
You may have heard me speak of having “Faith like Potatoes!” That’s a quote from one of my mentors, Evangelist Angus Buchan. It implies our faith needs to have substance, be real and tangible. Other people should be able to see, touch and feel the fruits of our faith. If not, then anyone has serious reason to question whether our faith is even faith at all. Ask yourself this… “How many pumpkin stories do I have, where God moved in my life tangibly?” Then ask how many time God didn’t move? Some of those may be things that you are still holding in faith for. But if the cursing is outweighing the blessing in your life. Or if you are having a hard time deciding which way it’s leaning, let me say that the curse is the curse and the blessing is the blessing. The blessing is never a curse and the curse is never a blessing, just as an apple seed is never going to produce a grapefruit. God may use all the things which happen in our lives for good, but don’t be confused about calling what is good evil or evil good. The shepherd’s staff is used for correction, leading to closer agreement, never for destruction. If we are constantly swerving in the ditches right and left, like a drunken pirate, as we run our race; then you can bet that you are out of agreement in some way. It’s easy to feel as though the good shepherd is punishing you, when in reality it is you sowing weeds in the mix. A sprinkle of good with a sprinkle of bad. The straight and narrow is where Jesus is at. A mixture simply won’t get you where you need to go. Being out of agreement in any way the Holy Spirit is leading puts you on the wrong path.
This is what seeking the kingdom first really means. Seeking God’s answer to each and every need and trusting him in it. Seeking his wisdom when things are unclear or not going as expected. Seeking to understand his heart and enter into agreement, or covenant, with him and his will.
None of these things are easy to do in our own strength (flesh). Yet, when we are pressing into the kingdom with all our might, fighting toward the victory, taking the kingdom of God by force each and every day, then the very power of Christ will manifest in us, and through us. Enabling us to do as God instructs, even if it sounds completely impossible. Believe God… Have faith like pumpkins!
