Paradigm Shift Required

Fear of loss and fear of less are hindering many a man from multiplying his blessings, from giving to God what is due to God, and from using his blessings in building communities of love.

⁸ The cowardly, the unbelieving… their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the Second Death. REVELATION 21

Fear is of Lucifer. He exposes us to embarrassing and sorry situations to put fear in our hearts. Entertaining fear is like welcoming him into our hearts. Do not give him the satisfaction!

Take the plunge. Fear not.

¹³ Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 1 CORINTHIANS 16

² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. ROMANS 12

Let no situation or problem overwhelm you no matter how big it may seem. God is much bigger than all the problems in the world put together. Do not say, “God, I have a big problem,” but rather, “Hey problem, I have a big God.”

The Christian who harbors fear in his heart is no Christian at all. 

¹ Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, also in Me. JOHN 14 

²⁰ Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. PROVERBS 16

²⁰ [God] is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. EPHESIANS 3 lb

The poor widow at the Temple did not let her poverty—or the threat of her starving to death—daunt her. She went in and dropped into the temple treasury all she had to live on. Rather than yield to fear, she gave God a free hand to overwhelm her situation.

⁴¹ Y’shua sat down opposite where the offerings were put and watched the people putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich men threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. ⁴³ Calling His disciples to Him, Y’shua said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out [offerings of what they could spare] of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything [at her disposal]—all she had to live on.” MARK 12

⁷ Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you. 1 PETER 5 nlt

⁵ Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord. PSALM 4

⁶ Trust the Lord and He will help you. SIRACH 2

The three instructions of God—multiply your blessings, tithes and offerings, build communities of love—task us to swim against the mainstream current. You don’t have to do it alone though (2 Corinthians 1:9b, Proverbs 3:5). God will jump into the water with you if you ask for it. He is an experienced pressure-overcomer. All things are possible with Him (Mark 10:27 tev). Appoint Him to be your Swimming Partner because there is nothing He can’t do for you.

The verse Do not be afraid appears 365 times in the Scripture... enough assurance that for each day of the year, you can rely on Him.

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. PHILIPPIANS 4 nlt 

²⁴ Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive. JOHN 16

¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the Lord? GENESIS 18 tev

²⁶ Things can change in a single day; the Lord can act very quickly. SIRACH 18

²¹ It is very easy for the Lord to make a poor person suddenly rich. SIRACH 11  

You might wonder, what about those who wallow in abject poverty? Millions of Christians in the Philippines are among them. Aren’t they supposed to worry?

Before we answer the question, permit us to clarify one thing. The poor can be classified into three: (1) Those who have willfully embraced poverty in obedience of God (as in the case of those who formed the Messianic community in early Christian days); (2) The Job-look alike who have become poor as part of their baptism of fire; and (3) Those who have put themselves under the curse by allowing Lucifer to influence their thoughts and actions.

The point we are driving at is this: Poverty is a human decision. Poverty is not the Divine Plan; nobody was created to suffer poverty. God created us to celebrate life. Nothing is wrong with the Creator; the problem lies with the creation. In the Philippines only a handful are poor by reason of baptism of fire and obedience to God’s call. The millions of poor Christians wallowing in abject poverty have most likely placed themselves under the curse. Sin is a blessing-hindrance.

Point to ponder: How deep under the curse can one be in a year? Multiply the average number of times one misses the mark in one day by 365 days.  

²³ Everything that does not come from faith is sin. ROMANS 14

⁶ I will destroy those... who do not come to Me or ask Me to guide them. ZEPHANIAH 1 tev

¹¹ How much longer will they refuse to trust Me, even though I have performed so many miracles among them? NUMBERS 14

A poor son of God is a contradiction. God is exceeding abundantly rich, without any tinge of selfishness in Him; He lets His children access His wealth and enjoy them anytime. God is also a God of signs and wonders; He can satisfy the hunger of five thousand people with five barley bread and two small fish (John 6:1-15).

How did Prophet Moses and the Israelites survive forty years in the desert? God split the rocks and gave them water “as abundant as the seas” (Psalm 78:15). He rained down manna from heaven [the bread of angels] for them to eat (verse 24). He also made the birds to land inside their camp, all around their tents, so they could have meat (verses 27, 28).

God permitted Lucifer to strip Job of his wealth but after the prophet passed his hour of testing, God rewarded him by making him richer than before.

⁹ All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant. PSALM 25 

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. PSALM 34

¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. ¹⁹ He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. PSALM 145

¹² He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. ¹⁴ …For precious is their blood in His sight. PSALM 72

¹⁷ The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. PSALM 34

How did the early Christians fare after they pooled their blessings and formed a Messianic community? Did anyone suffer from hunger or thirst? Did anyone lack clothes to wear or a place to live?

³⁴ No one among them was needy. ACTS 4

⁴⁶ They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of the people. ACTS 2

Y’shua sent 72 disciples to do outreach work. Later he asked them:

³⁵ “When I sent you without purse, bag or extra sandals, did you lack anything?” They answered, “Not a thing.” LUKE 22

Take note: Not a thing!

The poor need not stay poor.

⁷ Ask and it will be given you. MATTHEW 7

Another good news is that sin may be undone and God’s curse may be lifted. Therefore, instead of worrying, the poor should ask themselves: “Why is my share of God’s blessings coming in trickles? Am I doing something that is displeasing to God? Am I selfish? A lazy bone? Deficient in faith-knowledge? Am I not 100% obedient?”

⁴ There should be no poor among you, for… the Lord your God will bless you, ⁵ if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful [conscientious] to follow all these commands I am giving you today. DEUTERONOMY 15

²¹ We’re poor now, but don’t worry. If you obey God and avoid sin, He will be pleased with you and make you prosperous. TOBIT 4 tev

³¹ Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need. LUKE 12 nlt

¹⁷ The poor and the needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Isra’el, will not forsake them. ISAIAH 41

³⁷ If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. JOHN 7

¹⁰ Has the Lord ever disappointed anyone who put his hope in Him? Has the Lord ever abandoned anyone who held Him in constant reverence? Has the Lord ever ignored anyone who prayed to Him? SIRACH 2

²⁸ Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. MATTHEW 11