Kingdom Provision

1 Kings 17:2-4
“Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

1 Kings 17:8-9
“Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."

There are some observations the Lord quickened to me from these two stories.

1.      It was a time of famine.

2.      God commanded provision.

3.      God revealed the source of provision to His servant.

4.      The provision came from a most unlikely source.

5.      God provided for the provider as well as the servant of God.

I want to encourage you today, that even though we live in times of tremendous financial uncertainty, that God’s kingdom is not dependent on the kingdoms of this world. We need to move our source of confidence and provision from this world system and our system of support and put our confidence completely in God for our provision.

God commanded provision. Commanded is past tense. Even before the need arose and even before he revealed it to his servant, God had already prepared the provision. ( pro vision means seeing something before it happens.)

Hearing God’s voice. This is why it is so important that we put our focus totally on God as our provider. The provision is already there, we just need to hear from God to access it. We need to seek God for our provision and respond to the voice of His Spirit. God may nudge you to send and encouraging email to someone or to maybe contact someone that you have not touched base with in a long time. It is when in the business of our lives we take time to hear and obey those simple little nudges of the Spirit that we open the door for the supernatural.

Unlikely source. Who would have ever thought of depending on ravens and a starving widow for provision? Sometimes we keep dipping into the same wells all the time, when God’s provision is from some new place totally unexpected.

If Elijah had not obeyed the prompting of the Spirit and asked the widow to give him the last little bit of bread she had, she and her son would have starved to death. When we respond to the prompting of the Spirit in presenting our need, it not only brings provision for us but it may be the salvation of the giver, and part of God’s plan for their provision.

Jesus said in Matthew 6 that we should not be concerned about what we are going to eat or wear, “for your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:8

Whatever your need may be, may you discover God’s provision for you and may you be a source of blessing or provision for someone else. Shalom, may the peace of God guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.

Andy Clark

A Perfect Heart

I believe God is calling His people to have a heart after Him. Having a perfect heart has been part of the life of faith from the time God first spoke to Abraham: “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” (Genesis 17:1)

To understand the Biblical concept of perfection, we first must understand that perfection does not mean a sinless, flawless existence. No, perfection in the Lord’s eyes means something entirely different. It means completeness, maturity. It means to finish what has been started, to make a complete performance.

The perfect heart cries out with David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me.” (Psalm 139:23-24).

The perfect heart wants the Holy Spirit to come and search out the innermost man, to shine into all hidden parts, to investigate, expose and dig out all that is unlike Christ. The Lord’s heart-searchings are not vindictive, but redemptive. His purpose is not to catch us in sin or condemn us, but rather to prepare us to come into his holy presence as clean, pure vessels

The perfect heart yearns for more than security or a covering for sin. It seeks to be in God’s presence always, to dwell in communion. Communion means talking with the Lord, sharing sweet fellowship with him, seeking his face and knowing his presence. . “Who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord.” (Psalm 24:3-5).

We so often become busy serving Christ as Martha did, and we fail to sit in communion with him like Lazarus, or to sit at his feet in worship like Mary. John 12:2-3 “Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”

All three things - service, communion and worship are essential in our lives. But like Martha, we can become tired, frustrated and sometimes even bitter in serving because we have lost the joy of a perfect heart that comes out of worship and communion. It is out of this worship and communion that the fragrance of Christ permeates our life and affects our environment and those around us.

May the joy of fellowship with Jesus sustain you, invigorate you, and inspire you as you walk out the call and ministry on your life.

Yours in Christ,

Andy Clark

Hope Givers

Romans 8:18-25

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope , but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”

There is a groaning going on in our world today, a groaning in nature or creation, a groaning in nations as in governments and economies, a groaning in people in general and even a groaning in us as children of God. I was recently in Egypt and saw the great pyramids built with giant stone that were pulled by thousands of slaves. I picture the groaning we hear in our world today as the groaning of these slaves pulling these unimaginable, heavy loads. So also we are pulling the weight of sin, the weight of dysfunctional governments and collapsing economies. We are suffering the consequences of increasing natural disasters in the earth under the curse of sinful man.

However, there is in the midst of the groaning an earnest expectation. Sin and the curse on creation came through us, and redemption of the earth comes through us as we respond to God. So, creation is waiting on us with expectation. Not only is creation waiting, but all mankind is waiting on the revealing of the sons of God. The Hebrew word for creation in this passage is the same one used for creature in Mark 16:15, which tells us to, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” for we who have the firstfruits of the Spirit are the revelation of God on the earth and hope of a future.

Because we have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even though we may suffer, we have a hope in us that the world does not have because of the glory which shall be revealed in us. Our hope is not in what is seen but in what is not seen. Webster defines hope as a desire accompanied by expectation. The word expectation in the Greek means to stick one’s neck out. This exemplifies not only eagerness, but also a willingness to take a risk and step out of our comfort zone and do something that we would not ordinarily do.

This hope in us makes us hope givers in a world that is groaning because of sin and corruption. May your hope, eagerness, and enthusiasm for life in Christ be contagious to those around you. Bring a word of hope to those you meet who may be struggling and discouraged.

Andy Clark

For Me to Live is Christ

As we enter a New Year, allow me to share a devotional from Charles Spurgeon.

"For me to live is Christ."
— Philippians 1:21

“Jesus is to believers the one pearl of great price, for whom we are willing to part with all that we have. He has so completely won our love, that it beats alone for Him; to His glory we would live, and in defence of His gospel we would die; He is the pattern of our life, and the model after which we would sculpture our character. Paul's words mean more than most men think; they imply that the aim and end of his life was Christ—nay, his life itself was Jesus. In the words of an ancient saint, he did eat, and drink, and sleep eternal life. Jesus was his very breath, the soul of his soul, the heart of his heart, the life of his life. Can you say, as a professing Christian, that you live up to this idea? Can you honestly say that for you to live is Christ? Your business—are you doing it for Christ? Is it not done for self- aggrandizement and for family advantage? Do you ask, "Is that a mean reason?" For the Christian it is. He professes to live for Christ; how can he live for another object without committing a spiritual adultery? Many there are who carry out this principle in some measure; but who is there that dare say that he hath lived wholly for Christ as the apostle did? Yet, this alone is the true life of a Christian—its source, its sustenance, its fashion, its end, all gathered up in one word—Christ Jesus. Lord, accept me; I here present myself, praying to live only in Thee and to Thee. Let me be as the bullock which stands between the plough and the altar, to work or to be sacrificed; and let my motto be, "Ready for either."

May this be the passion of our heart as we seek God’s will for the coming year.

Andy Clark