Encountering God's Provision, Part 2

When it will be visiting Dr. Tony Evans is. That's when were most likely to recognize where our help is really coming from because you will be trapped between this is the alternative with Dr. Tony Evans speaker senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the alternative. Can we count on God to provide for our needs absolutely.

Can we count on him to do it on our timetable. Dr. Evans is probably not.

Let's join him as he talks about what often accounts for the delay. The day I want you to experience and God and his provision in first Kings chapter 17 beginning in verse eight. This is what we read the word of the Lord came to him that if you guys are saying arrive there which belongs to Sidon and stay there, behold, I have commanded a widow there by so your Rosalie with desire fast and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks called her and said please give me a little water in a jar that I might drink that she was going to get. He called her and said please give me a piece of bread in your hand, but she said, as the Lord your God lives. I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the job.

Behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die, but Elijah said to her, do not fear. Go do as you have said, but make me a little red cake first and bring it out to me and afterwards you may make one for yourself and for your son.

For the sample Lord God of Israel the bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the job will be empty until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth, so she went and did according to the word of Elijah. She and he and her household ate for many days.

The bowl of flour was not exhausted. The job will become empty. According to the word of the Lord which he spoke to rely here is one of the great stories in Scripture of God's provision. There are number of reasons why God allows his people to be in circumstances where provision is lacking. This particular chapter. It was because of the sin of idolatry. God tells Elijah go to this woman and she's going feature that should have enough to feed herself, but you got to this woman and she's a feature, if I could ever get this principle into my head.

I know you hear me say a lot to say it again today sent a number times the day because if you have a kid. It changes the principle that you've heard a million times is you only have one source and is as simple as that sounds, it is a life transforming but you do not have multiple sources outside of God is a resource, not a source. It's merely a vehicle. The grocery store is not just for its main use is natural.

Natural source is not just it's merely a resource you going to make the food they sell you the food source. It think it's a channel through which you get something. It's not the origination of the something you get over and over again. The Bible declares that God is your only in Psalm 104 versus 10 to 17 God says that animals only the birds only because our freedom and people only God requires your source, your starting point. So what's this when ever you treat a resource as though it is thought source, you have no major resource I God commands Elijah and he tells them now have a widow for you and I want you to go and I have commanded her to feed so you already gone ahead of Elijah and set them up so he could get something to eat. So Elijah goes to surf absolutely just pause there. Just say amen probably praise the Lord God good all the time… He obeyed. See a lot of us want to see God's provision. Without our obedience. We want God to provide first and then we might obey know he wouldn't see the provision until he get the obedience goes to self and not a comfortable place to be was the bail seat seat of idolatry.

But he fulfills God's command and he sees the widow, he tells the widow give me give me some water and a piece of bread stay with me now here's the widow's response in verse 12, but she said that a case of Micah, but she said at the put in everyday English. Let's get real, old man, let's get real.

She says no. Only a hand full of flour in a bowl and a little in the job and I am gathering a few sticks that I might go and prepare for me, my son, that we may even when God wants to provide it will be at a point of your deepest inconvenience at a point where you don't even know you will take this.

It'll all be at a point when you will feel like you caught in a Catch-22. God says, already commanded the widow would always say let's get practical command radio in my circumstances, you will feel trapped between what God says and what you see. He brought the word of God which God already told him that he had given and she now has to make a choice. She has to decide am I going to believe my going to believe circumstances because you will often be trapped between the two, and this leads to a staggering principle when God wants to do something for you. He will ask something from you first. That's what the prophet says to me first why you need something. Would God ask you to give something that you yourself need to meet her own food because God wants to know what you trust his word.

He wants to know or do you really believe that when I say I will do some I'm going to do it, and to demonstrate what you have to say you not just what in talking noise like you have faith.

I am going to ask you to do something and that something I'm going to ask you to do first is in the realm of your own sheet. So what does God have to give up food. This principle is all over in Scripture Proverbs 1125 said that waters will himself be water. The Bible says over and over again. Deuteronomy 2419. God responds to response to Luke 638 and the thing you give will be given back to you press down flowing over a lot of people. Not that those who don't do anything with it.

God regularly require a wisp of faith in the very of what you believe Dalmatian 68 so you only reap what you sell your plan. According to potatoes God wants to be demonstrated, not just to be discussed and he often will allow you to get to the one meal left one day left before he comes through when Dr. Evans continues her message in just a moment he'll tell us about a crisis point of his own and how the Lord God and through it first though check into getting a copy of Tony's brand-new book called kingdom encounters. It builds on what he's been teaching us recently giving your new insights into how to take your relationship with God from something you know to something you experience. You learn how unfired Christians get lit up in the first place and how they keep burning even during hard times for limited time where making this life-changing book available along with CDs and instant digital downloads of all eight full-length messages in Tony's current teaching series divine encounters. They're both yours with our thanks when you make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching on the station.

We don't want you to miss out so contact us right away to get the details and make the arrangements by visiting Tony Evans.org or call us day or night at 1-800-800-3222 and get some in person help from one of our resource team members all have her contact information for you again after part two of today's lesson and this linear facing indecision or laminates not to ask what would Jesus do. First you have to know what Jesus did and what God has to say about the situation you face while building your biblical foundation is your goal to help you need is as close as your computer or mobile device. Thanks to Tony Evans training center is packed with online courses covering core concepts of faith and in that scripture studies you can work through anytime you want and anyplace you want along the way you'll explore key teachings and learn how to apply them in real world situations.

There's lots of exclusive content interested and motivated in an online form. We can ask questions and answers and collaborate with other students. It's almost like having a seminary on your smart phone. Tony Evans.org today and connect with Tony Evans training center we can explore the kingdom anytime, anywhere. When I was in seminary we got to a point where it didn't look like we were going to make it financially. I work part-time and going to school we made a commitment for sister happens to be at home to be with the kids doing that early childhood season and it just wasn't working.

So we got to the point where I had to decide whether I would drop out of school and get a full-time job because supporting the family comes first. So we sat down at the table and I said if this doesn't get reversed by Friday and I'll drop out of school, get a job and maybe we can pick it up later because first things first. We got to front. Then I asked step of the said what would you ask God for for him to do for us to keep moving forward in school. What would you ask him to do. She said we would desperately need right now $500 if God we got $500 the week we can negative in the month we can maybe then move from there. But right now we in such a crisis. We desperately $500 so that was the situation I go to class. Then I go to my mailbox in the mailbox is an envelope. I pulled the envelope out of the mailbox. There is no name on the envelope, but my name to Leah.

I opened the envelope and inside the envelope of five $100 bills and no note simply said God told me to give you this with no name. I do know who it was below and I know God told me on Friday. It was put in the back door to my mailbox on Thursday so it was put in on Friday for Friday when I brought it home that was broke out in tears. She just started crying on that second of the last day when there were no options left. God showed me what he can do so because of that memory. I can face this new challenge because I remember that he is not many of us are below what God wants to do because either worshiping resource which is not Dollar Tree not passing the test thing that God has told you to do that you don't think you can do. I'm at the gas station was on Windows hold is freezing. This is homeless gentleman and he looked really sincerely homeless I try to get those things because of the games out there to so so he said please sir, for a few dollars to get something to eat and drink something hot to drink and so I'm pumping gas wanting asking me this assignment. Okay Israel you not just talking because you want some drugs you want to know some with you. That is, oh no no no and that I have a little test I do.

I said so you willing for me to take you to get something to eat and not just give humanity that way you can tell whether it really into issues food and not chasing okay you contact me so I said okay what at the pump gas pump gas I look in my wallet and is $100 bill is $100, while like I could change so follow this mantra story, given to $15 look like it was often hungry. It's freezing out there you know some of heart goes out this one thing you look for the glove to situation is aplenty in these you can't take him a while but my heart went out that this was real, so I go to the store. The gas station really interesting. I going I said sir would you give me to get my receipt for the gas I said would you give me change 100 is never happened before. He pulled on his cash register any since I am so sorry I don't have any change you got to be kidding me. JD says I can't break I can know just the way things been going. I don't have any change so that in God we got have a little discussion about this is you as you. I will miss you but also so I'm debating I walked back out is freezing outside and walked back out, that's okay, God is obvious is what you want me to do so I gave the guy and I want you to. I want you to use this for what you said you going. At first glance he only saw 102 evidently thought we had a 10 and then it dawned on him that the two zeros because of the way you look.

Take a look and turned away. Said thanks and they look that I think cannot pray for you is a job all day and fast and pray today.

It was serious and pump for the young man he was really expressing himself. Yeah.

Pray for me. I pray for you witness but the experience I got out of it was God allow that thing that happened a week because he wanted me to do something more than I had originally intended, and what I'm trying to say to us is God has a ways of creating encounter so that we become vehicles blessing. He feels more comfortable blessing. That's what it means when the Scripture says it is more blessed to give than to receive only read the reason why it's more blessed is the conduit you become the bigger container you able to receive the largest after verse 13 do not be afraid, because when you're in a situation where you need God to provide. And then he's asking you to do something that you will understand. You gets heard. He says don't be afraid.

He knew the woman was afraid to do what God said. Duke didn't make sense to do it. You need somebody in your life who's going to move you to God when you don't feel like going that way. Getting somebody in your life with spiritual enough to know what God is doing with you can see, even though they can show you from the Bible because it said getting somebody in your life and unfortunately today Christians themselves to their five senses so they don't live in the spiritual. They only live in the visible and the physical. So they never get the see what it meant.

God feels like, and it says when she overcome her feeling she did verse 15 according to the word of Elijah, which was based on the word of God and she told for many days. The ball was not exhausted nor did the job will become empty. According to the word of the Lord which he spoke to Elijah and the Lord God stretched that was there and he stretched it until the natural could take over again until it rained again. God knows you got grandmothers who knew how to stretch how to take a little and stretch it make it go further and further and further and further all Bible Belt stories of God stretching and water from that wouldn't stop until enough water for the people came out God, stretching stretch and stretch it until the natural inclinations begin the setting. The point of this passage is for you to experience God will provide. But before you can experience him as provider. The Bible says it's vital for you to experience him as Savior. The first step in the process is to realize there's no way you can be good enough to make it to heaven on your own and that Jesus sacrifice on the cross is the only way to bridge the gap between human failure and divine forgiveness. If you never made that connection, visit Tony Evans.org today and follow the link that says Jesus, Mary, Tony will explain everything you need to know about what it means to be a real Christian, and how to start a brand-new life. That's Tony Evans.org Tony Evans.org is also the place to go to take advantage of the special resource package I mentioned earlier in the program. All eight lessons in Tony's current series divine encounters. Plus his brand-new book kingdom encounters which takes even deeper into how you can have a real life experience with the Lord.

Even when he feels far away. This double resource bundle is our gift to you. When you make a contribution to help keep this listener supported program coming your way. Just visit Tony Evans.org today to get the details and make the arrangements. And while you're there, take a moment to browse through our huge collection of resources sign up for Tony's free weekly email devotional again that's Tony Evans.org or call her 24 hour resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 that's 1-800-800-3222 hostility toward Christians is becoming more and more common in our society that supposedly values tolerance what tomorrow. Dr. Evans will tell us a Bible story that has some uncomfortable similarities to our shifting culture. But right now he's back to boil down today's lesson to one vital principle to keep in mind you will have one source.

Everything else is a resource if you die you roll. If you have a right this way, you are free because when a race all stalls left on you, you say okay God was mad because you must use the one taking care of some. You just what resources operating the day. Praise God's praise God for the job. But today my thought is for God to be so and let him choose what resource he wants to use God help you individually in your family and us coming to have one source so that we can encounter and the challenges of the alternative with Dr. Tony is made possible by the generous country fusion