Why Seeking the Kingdom First Unlocks Supernatural Provision | Part 2

Welcome back to 'Business, Money, and Christianity.' Continuing our series, today’s live segment explores 'Why Seeking the Kingdom First Unlocks Supernatural Provision.' We know this message will bless you—let’s dive in!

But if nothing can separate us from the love of God, then nothing can separate us from the things God has given us. But we can walk away and not trust God in what He’s given to us. And this is where the whole dynamic of manifesting the divine provision—the things that God has for our lives—comes into play. How do I now walk in them?

Somehow, and I’ve been writing notes and studying different things, I’ve started using this phrase in my own study: believing through the brain versus having a reality belief.

And I can see where a lot of Christians believe through their brain. They know the Scripture, they know God said it, they know it’s true because God doesn’t lie, but they can’t get it to manifest in their lives. A reality belief, though, knows that whatever the subject is—and I’m talking about the provision of God, but it really applies to any subject, whether it’s healing in your body or peace in your mind—that I believe what God has said more than I believe what I feel or what I’m going through.

And when I have a reality belief, then I can create what the Bible says I can create. So it doesn’t matter where I live, what the circumstances are, what I’m going through, how people respond to me, or anything else—I can create what was given to me. And in the context of this March subject that I’ve been talking about, that would be the provision for my life.

Now, the problem is that it doesn’t make sense how I can create it, because we’ve been taught by this world how money comes to us. Everybody in here has a source or origin of income. It could be a retirement pension, a job, Social Security, or whatever it may be.

And we know that source of income. So let me ask you a question. Just think about your source of income. What would happen to you right now if it got cut off?

See, you have to know that you know. You have to know that you can create what you need. And if you don’t know how to create it, then how are you ever going to create it?

I didn’t tell the story in the last service about that December when we got our supplemental tax bill. Did I tell that story here recently? I know I’ve told it before, but I don’t think I mentioned it here.

So when we bought our house in December of 2005, we had also closed the restaurant that same month. It was a brand-new house, and anytime you buy a house, the county reassesses it for property tax purposes. So later on you end up getting a supplemental tax bill.

For some reason—probably because we closed in December—we didn’t get the supplemental tax bill until November 2006. Since it was basically a brand-new house, the valuation had gone from dirt to an actual house. So there was a huge jump between the prior valuation and the current one, which resulted in the county kindly sending us a welcome letter asking for several thousand dollars.

So I got our December budget together, and I told Tammy, “After we pay these bills, before we even buy groceries or do anything for Christmas, we’re negative.” I think it was around $1,000 or $1,200.

She said, “Well, what are we going to do?”

I said, “What rises up in my heart is that verse—and I went back to some of Pastor Krause’s teaching—‘I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread.’ So we’re just going to believe God that He’s going to make it work.”

We had made a decision that we don’t borrow money or put things on credit cards. We have Master Jesus, not MasterCard. So I said, “Let’s just use what’s already in the house for food, and let’s believe God to make a way.”

And I think God gave me encouragement that we were doing the right thing.

Back then, we were in the downtown church, for those of you who remember where we used to be. I was sitting at my desk, and I got hungry—which is not unusual for me. I decided that a chili verde burrito from Clemens sounded really good. It was just down Main Street, turn right, and go a block or two.

So I got up from my desk and started walking around it, getting ready to leave. Then I got to the side of my desk and suddenly thought, “Oh, we’re not spending money.”

So I thought, “Well, no lunch for me.”

I went back and sat down. Less than five minutes later—very shortly after I sat down—Jim Davis, if you knew him, walked around the corner and came into my office.

“Hey, Jim.”

“Hey, David, how you doing?”

We talked for a minute, and then he said, “Hey, can I buy you lunch?”

I said, “Sure.”

I was immediately all in. I was ready to get up and go.

So we walked out the side door, and as we were leaving he asked, “Where do you want to go?”

I said, “Man, if you’re buying, I’ll eat anywhere.”

He said, “There’s this Mexican restaurant around the corner—Clemens. You ever eat there? Is that okay?”

I said, “Oh yeah, that’s perfect.”

So I ended up getting my chili verde burrito and some good fellowship. And it was just like, “Wow, God, thank You.”

Around that same time, as we were believing God to make that month work, a couple more things started happening.

Tammy called me and said, “David, you’re not going to believe this.”

I said, “What?”

She said, “I walked into the teacher’s lounge, and there was a stack of brand-new books and brand-new pencils sitting on the table—the exact number of students in my classroom. And there was a sign that said FREE.”

Now it was Christmas time, and she always got her students something small. She had around 25 or 30 kids at the time, and even spending just a few dollars per child adds up quickly.

So she took the books and pencils, turned them into gifts for the students, and we didn’t have to spend that extra money.

It was like, “Praise God.”

Then I got invited to preach at a church overseas from ours. I preach out of our church fairly often, but I don’t really travel around much. I’ve ministered a few times in Ohio at Copeland’s church, but I’m not really a traveling minister.

This guy called me and said, “David, I was praying about next year, and I really felt like God put a word in your heart for us. Would you come preach for me?”

And he wanted me there in just a couple of weeks.

I said, “Yeah, I can do that.”

Then another pastor from the same area—not the same town, but nearby—heard I was coming and said, “Hey, I heard you’re preaching for so-and-so. He doesn’t have a Sunday evening service. Do you want to come preach for me Sunday night?”

I said, “Sure. I’ll already be in the area.”

Then we got invited to dinner at Big Bubba’s out on Mooney Boulevard. We were excited because, remember, at that point we were just eating whatever was already in the house.

And while we were there, somebody blessed us with a financial gift. I don’t remember the exact amount, but it was some odd number in the $800 range—something like $833. It was a strange amount.

But that $800 really helped because we were short that month.

After dinner I stopped by the post office. We had a P.O. box at the time. I pulled out the mail, and there was this envelope with sloppy handwriting on it. I didn’t recognize it.

So I opened it, and inside was a money order for $1,000.

Years earlier I had sold an online business, and the woman who bought it had only paid about half of what she owed me. She never paid the rest. I don’t sue people, so I just trusted God that it would come back someday.

And in the exact month we needed it, she suddenly mailed the remaining $1,000. I don’t know if conviction hit her or what happened. She didn’t call me, and I’ve never talked to her since.

But there it was.

So I called Tammy at the school—which I rarely did—and said, “Remember that business deal? She just sent me $1,000.”

We were both just amazed.

Then came the trip where I preached for that pastor. I figured they might give me something to help offset travel expenses, but honestly I wasn’t going there for an offering.

At the end, he handed me an envelope. I thanked him and put it in my suit pocket. Later, when I got alone, I opened it up.

It was $1,200.

I thought, “Oh my goodness.”

So I called Tammy and said, “Our month is turned around. We’re not struggling anymore.”

Then that evening, when I preached at the other church, they also handed me an envelope. I really wasn’t expecting anything.

I opened it later.

Another $1,000.

So $2,200 came in from offerings that day alone.

December 2006 became the best financial month of the entire year. We started the month without enough money to buy groceries, and we ended it with more money than we had seen in any other month that year.

What am I talking about? Manifesting divine provision.

See, all that provision already existed, but it didn’t manifest until someone believed for it and trusted God.

We’ve got to move into this realm where we understand that when we talk about manifestation, there is something already given to us. God has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness, but now I’ve got to bring it into existence.

Go to Romans chapter 8.

The apostle Paul says in verse 38:

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God.”

Now, if nothing can separate us from the love of God, then nothing can separate us from what God has given us, because He gave it to us through love in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God has a system.

But before I get into that system, understand this: God has already created everything you and I will ever need on every level of life. It’s already here.

For example, there was a time when people didn’t have cars. Nehemiah didn’t have a car. The apostle Paul didn’t have a car. But everything needed to make a vehicle was already in the earth. Nothing new had to be created. It simply had to be discovered, developed, arranged, and put into use.

In the same way, God has already provided everything you and I need for life.

People say, “Well, I wish it would get into my bank account.”

I do too. But it’s already here—you just have to get it transferred.

So if we’re talking about money, why isn’t money flowing to you? That’s the bigger question. Because God created it to flow, and it’s flowing all around us. So why doesn’t it flow to us?

Because I’ve got to manifest it.

I’ve got to manifest the love of God. I’ve got to manifest the joy of God. He has already given us all these things, but I’m the one who brings them into manifestation by believing that God has truly given them to me.

So if God made provision for me, and God wants me to have provision, then He also created a system by which I can apprehend what I’m believing for.

Nothing in this natural realm—not the devil, not circumstances, not anything else—can keep away what God has already given us. We can simply fail to understand the system, fail to work the system the way God instructed, or fail to have the faith to bring it in.

And we should get righteously angry when things God has given us are not manifesting in our lives.

Next month I’m going to talk about manifesting healing, because it’s really the same principle, though I’ll approach it differently. I won’t just recycle the same outline and replace “provision” with “healing.” I’ll use different Scriptures.

But go to Romans chapter 12, just a couple of pages over.

It says:

“Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Here’s one thing I am completely convinced of: you and I do not realize how much we have been taught by our environment and our culture. We think according to where we are.