Word of God #19

[letric]

When you have a dream, there are certain things you must be willing to give up. You can't
keep all your options open; you have to narrow your focus to what's most important.

Many people do the opposite. Rather than focus on their dream and let go of less
important things they want to keep every option open. But when they do, they actually
face more problems because decision-making becomes overly complicated ... at first
it's fun to have so many possibilities ... But as time goes by, you can't make progress
because you spend all your time preserving options rather than moving forward ... When
you expend your time and energy on a few things that make a difference ... tasks that
aren't exciting or immediately rewarding take on added value. Each activity becomes
an important piece in the bigger picture.

When God gives you a vision He doesn't show you the whole picture up front. He does it in stages
so you won't get overwhelmed. For example, when He shared with Moses His vision for delivering
Israel, Moses had to wait for each part to download. By faith he left Egypt. By faith he kept the
Passover so the enemy wouldn't touch the first born of Israel. By faith the Israelites walked through
the Red Sea and their enemies drowned trying to pursue them. By faith he kept the Israelites
moving for 40 years through the wilderness until he stood, an old man , overlooking the Promised Land.
What kept Moses Moses going even after God told him he'd never enter the Promised Land? Simply
this: he stayed focused on doing the will of Him who is invisible.

Stay Focused on What's Important

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Visualise yourself undertaking an important assignment. Things go well and God blesses
your efforts. Then circumstances change, you face difficulties, discouragement set in, those
you counted on start blaming you, and now you wish you'd never undertaken the project.

Welcome to Moses world (vv. 10-20). God told him to lead Israel out of Egyptian slavery into
the land He promised them four hundred years earlier. But faith gave way to fear when they
were stuck between the Red Sea and the pursuing Egyptian army. So they turned on Moses,
blamed him for their dilemma and wanted to return to Egypt. What was Moses reaction?

Whatever he felt, he still still believed what God had promised. So to calm the people he said
to them ,

Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord (v.13 NKJV).

That's good counsel. But God had more to say.

Tell the Israelites to move on .

.

Instead of allowing them to rest, God redirected their energy by calling them to action. Anybody
attempting an assignment for God encounters similar challenges. So what should you do? Ask God
for directions, and don't consult anxiety-driven people. Have you been standing still, waiting for
improved circumstances when God wants you to move on? Get going! While you're walking God
will be working. He will neutralise the enemy without and the fifth column within. Refuse to be
depressed, deflected or derailed. The Red Sea will part, the enemy will be defeated, and you will
sing the new song in the new land. Peace ...

Get Going!

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We like to imagine ourselves a race of rugged individuals. The truth is, we hate to appear different
lest we be ostracised, branded fanatics and rejected. So, we conform. You'll see it in the child eager
to please; the adolescent aligning to peer pressure; the adult breaking their back to keep up with the
Jones.

Just being different for its own sake is likely to be worthless, even counterproductive. What God wants
from us is our willingness to be radically transformed.

Therefore, I urge you ... to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this
is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (vv. 1-2 NIV)

Here are two important observations to help you reach that goal -

Transformation belongs to believers. The unbeliever can't break the world's control over them without Christ, but believers are promised:

... the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world (John 4:4 NLT)

.

God's indwelling Spirit enables you to resist the world's pressure to conform you to its ways.

God's appeal is urgent.

I urge you, brothers.

God is seeking for surrendered vessels that are ready to be transformed for His use. Are you willing to say,

Yes, Lord, use me?

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Until you overcome the fear of failure, you'll be immobilised at the prospect of taking risk. The
important thing to remember when you fail is not to quit. History shows that failure can actually
become a bridge to success. In school, Napoleon was forty-second in a class of forty-three, yet
he went to build an army that conquered much of the world. George Washington lost two-thirds
of his military battles,yet against overwhelming odds he won the Revolutionary War and changed
American history. Albert Einstein was such a slow learner that it was suggested he switch studies
from physics to some other topic, yet he's considered the father of the atomic age. When you recall
these names you don't remember their failures but their contributions to the world. Only when you
consider your failure to be final, are you finally a failure. Failure is not an event, only an opinion,
and as long an it's not your opinion you can come back and succeed.

A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.

Failure is not fatal; you can begin again . But the fear of failure could prove fatal to your goals by keeping you from trying again. After cataloguing every possible scenario that could come against us, such as tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword,

Paul writes

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37 NKJV).

So the word for you today is - don't be afraid of failure.

[letric]

The Bible says,

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Do you know what God expects of you? Faith! He wants you to trust His Word, His character and His track record of faithfulness. It is impossible to please Him if you don't.

The difficulty you're dealing with right now may have to do with where you are in your faith walk with God. That doesn't mean you're going through trouble, it's the strength of your faith that will bring you through. You may say,

But shouldn't I be rational?

Yes, but don't be so rational you fail to leave room for the supernatural. Narcissism is the worship of one's own intellect. We say,

If I don't understand it, I don't believe it,

Then in essence, you are your own god! You don't really believe in God, you believe in you. What are you going to do when life hands you a problem you can't solve?

Before Christ raised Lazarus from the dead. He asked Mary and Martha to take Him back to the grave, the place where they stopped believing, the point at which they gave up because of human limitation. Why? because only when you reach that point, do you discover that God

[QUOTE] ... is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that [you] ask or think ...
(Ephesians 3:20 NKJV) [/QUOTE]

[letric]

To start the New Year right, you must let go of old grudges, that are weighing you down.
Remember forgiveness is supernatural and requires God's enabling grace.

Jesus said,

If you do not forgive ... your Father will not forgive your sin (Mathew 6:15NIV)

.
Humanly speaking, there's not one single reason God should forgive your sins, yet the
offenses He pardons you for every day, far outweigh anything you will ever be asked to
forgive others for. By forgiving,you change the whole dynamic. You open the door of a
prison where you are both prisoner and jailor, setting yourself and the other person
free. Grudge not only isolate you from people who were once friends, they actually shorten
your life by producing deadly enzymes that contribute to a host of physical ailments. One
man told his counsellor,

I wish my brother could come to my wedding, but we haven't spoken in years.

The counsellor asked,

How come?

Pausing the man replied,

It sounds ridiculous now but I don't remember.

Drifting apart is the natural result of an unforgiving spirit, forgiveness reverses the trend
by restoring and healing broken relationships. It's medical certainty that forgiveness adds
years to your life. As a rule, when you talk to people who have passed the eighty year
mark, you find they are at peace with themselves - because they've learned to forgive
and let go

Peace

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Character and maturity aren't qualities we normally expect to find in our children. We assume
that these things come later - an assumption that hinders their growth potential. God's got
higher expectations for your children! In His Word we read:

1) Our sons ... will be like well-nutured plants. Not in their forties, fifties or sixties but

grown up in their youth(KJV).

They needn't waste; they can grow now. Why does God liken them to plants? Because they have spiritual
roots capable of drawing in His nurture, ways and strength, and are born with the potential for success.

... I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one (1 John 2:14 NIV). Our daughters will be like pillars
carved to adorn a palace.

Why would God equate your daughters with pillars? First, because they're designed to be upright and support-giving, they're indispensable to the building'structural integrity. Second, because they adorn the building's attractiveness, draw attention to it's grandeur and cause us to admire the architect and owner. Palace pillars glorify the King, making Him, and them, look good. Your children need you to believe in their God-given potential. Do you remember Jesus said about our children?

... of such is the kingdom of heaven (Mathew 19:14 NKJV)

His faith in their potential is great. Yours must be too.

Peace

[letric]

In 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested in Alabama for refusing to give her seat on the bus to a white man.
Boycotts and bloodshed followed until the U.S Supreme Court ruled segregation unconstitutional.

Later Rosa wrote

Knowing what must be done does away with fear. When I sat down on the bus that day
I'd had no idea history was being made, I was only thinking about getting home. But I had to
make up my mind. After many years of being a victim ... not giving up my seat, and whatever I
had to face afterwards wasn't important ... I felt the Lord would give me the strength to endure
whatever I had to face. It was time for someone to stand up - or in my case sit down.

The dividing line between success and mediocrity is courage. That's why David told his son Solomon upon
ascending the throne:

Be strong and of good courage, and do it.

Yes, you can

[letric]

As a boy of twelve, Jesus said,

I must be about my Father's business,

During His ministry He said,

I must work the works of Him who sent me... (John 17:4).

Jesus knew His purpose and priorities, and He lived by them. The question is, do you? You can't have it all. You must understand your God-given purpose and keep it in front of you continually. ?That way you will know what
you must sacrifice, and what you must give yourself to. Only a clear picture of who you are and where you want
to go can help you prioritise what you need to do. We all make choices. The question is are you going to make choices that bring you closer to your goal or take you further away from it? If you don't understand your life's purpose you won't be capable of making the right choices. Clarity of vision creates clarity of priorities.

It is one of the ironies of ministry that the very man who works in God's name is often hardest put to find time for God. The parents of Jesus lost Him in church, and they were not the last ones to lose Him there. We must be fully committed to Christ , then to one another in Christ, and finally to the work of Christ in this world.

The best way to keep your priorities in place is to make prayer and God's Word your top priority.

[letric]

Paul writes:

And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

Understand this: Grace is the power to excel or licence to just get by. Either way, you're accepted and considered righteous in God's eyes the moment you trust in Christ. Why would God arrange it that way? Because the love He gives is unconditional, and only a response of love can satisfy Him. What an amazing truth; God makes Himself vulnerable to the rejection of people like us! Perhaps you're wondering,

How can I prove that I love God?

That's easy: you'll love your brother and sister (1 John4:21).

You'll love God's Word (Psalm 119:97).

You'll love spending time in prayer (Jeremiah 29:12).

Grace, rightly understood, doesn't prevent holiness, it produces it.

The grace of God that brings salvation ... teaches us to say NO to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives (Titus 2: 11-12 NIV)

[letric]

In the wilderness God provided His people with manna so that they wouldn't go hungry. It appeared miraculously each morning:

Everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered ... a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.

Ever notice there are times in life when God's blessings seem to ...

overtake you? (Deuteronomy 28:2).

Your prayers are getting answered, the doctor's report is good, the bills are paid, your job is going great and your children are finally on the right track. When that happens, rejoice and thank God for his goodness. Then there are other times when He gives you just enough light to take one more step. That's when He's teaching you to trust Him on a daily (or sometimes hourly) basis; to test His Word and see for yourself that

... his mercies ... are new every morning ... (Lamentations 3:22-23 NCV).

Bottom line: God never lets us gather tomorrow's manna today.

The Bible says He will ...

supply all your need according to his riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).

He wants you to rely on the Giver and not the gift, to trust Him to meet all your needs, and to expect that He will bring good things out of bad situations. Instead of getting stressed out, he wants you to ...

let [all] your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6 NKJV),

to stop fretting when you're alone because He will ...

never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV),t

to realise that no matter what life throws at you, you never have to question His love because it's everlasting ...
(Jeremiah 31:3)

[letric]

Ruth turned her life around when she was bereaved, broke and barren. How? First:

By choosing the right mentor.

She told|Naomi,

... wherever you go, I will go ... (Ruth 1:16 NKJV)

.

The fact Naomi was a Jew and Ruth a Gentile, or that Ruth was young and Naomi was
older, didn't put Ruth off one bit. Doubtless, there were times they didn't see eye-to-eye
or relate to each other at all. But when God wants to stretch you He will put somebody into
your life with different experiences and insights. Naomi was Ruth's eyes and ears in a world
she didn't know; she was her tutor and guide in getting Ruth to her destiny. God is raising
up leaders with solutions for today's problems. If you hope to be called for duty, recognise
those He sends to prepare you. Whether they come to cheer, comfort, counsel or correct you,
remember the words of Jesus,

... He that receiveth whosoever I send receiveth me (John13:20).

By getting into the right field.

Ruth said

Let me ... glean ... after him in whose sight I may find favour.

Things were bad in Moab but good in Bethlehem. So Ruth left the comfort of the familiar, stepped out
in faith, and went on to become part of the family of King of David and our Lord Jesus Christ. How's
that for a turnround? God's plan for your future involves connecting with the right people, and being in
the right field. So ask Him to guide you.

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The Bible says,

... The energy is God's energy, and energy deep within you, God himself willing
and working ... (Phillipians 2:13TM)

Often the dream you'll not let go, and the challenge that consumes you willing and working in you.
If you have the faith to answer His call you'll achieve things you never thought possible.

If we did all the things as we were capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves.

Don't let your background, your preconceived ideas, your present difficulties, your past failures, your self-doubt
or the opinions of others keep you from becoming all that God wants you to be

We don't have a clue as to what limits are. All the tests, stopwatches and finish lines in the world can't measure human potential. When someone is pursuing their dream they'll go far beyond what seems to be their limitations. The potential that exists within us is limitless and largely untapped .. When we think of limits we create them.

Israel did , they limited God ... They did not remember His power ... (Psalm 78: 41-42 NKJV)

As a result, they died in the wilderness

The Scripture.

With God nothing will be impossible is not just a nice sentiment, it's the absolute truth.
,

[letric]

God answered Jonathan's maybe with a definitely. That's because his cause was just, his faith was strong, he had a heart to do God's will, glorify His name and bless His people. To step out on a maybe you must know that your motives are right, that you have prayed and searched the Scriptures and you have been willing to listen to godly counsel. A maybe doesn't give you the right to be presumptuous or to rubber-stamp your personal agenda. Sometimes when we want something to happen, we presume God does too. Up until this point Israel went to war based on a plan, a prophecy or a well-thought -out strategy. But sometimes God-given opportunities come to you on the fly, and it takes faith and wisdom to know how to respond to them. In those maybe moments you can't wait for guarantees or sit still and do nothing because your actions involve risks. You can't fear natural circumstances , obstacles or frightening situations. You must take the maybe you've been given and do something with it, for that's when you begin to see God turn your maybe into a miracle. Once you know that your heart is right before God you must be willing to face your fear and seize the moment. When you're in a moment that has the potential to alter your future, trust , step out in faith and move forward. Don't let your dream die inside you because of the risk involved. With God, risk is the bridge that get us to where he wants you to be. Peace.

[letric]

It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of
the living God. (Heb. 10:31. NIV)

The more we resist God's Word and the more
we refuse to do the divine bidding, the
harder and more stubborn our hearts
become. The tragedy is that, when we insist
on having our own way. God may let us have
it.

[letric]

The Psalmist wrote:

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word (Psalm 119:67 NKJV)

By doing it the wrong way, he eventually learned to do it the right way. The truth is, when you fail in one area, it can drive you to explore other areas. Most of life's successes are based on the principle of trial and error. Often failure is not falling short of your goal, it's simply not making the effort. Failure can actually help you discover your area of success. For example, when you hate your job you will likely fail in it. Yet it's losing that hated position that you may be pressed to pursue what you really like to do, and are called to do.

Another benefit of failure is that it makes you less judgemental of others. When you've experienced failure you become more sympathetic. Instead of pointing an accusing finger, you see the need to extend a helping hand. Instead of saying foolish things like

I can't you believe you did that,

you remember the pit God dug you out of and say with gratitude and humility,

Been there, done that ...

You know how it hurts to fail, and you feel their pain because of what you've been through. That makes you a better friend, a better men tor and a better example of grace.

Jesus told Peter:

... satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren
(Luke 22:31-32 NKJV).

.

[letric]

... Is not my word like fire

declares the Lord

and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
(Jer. 23:29, NIV)

Many of God's people are spiritually shipwrecked because they believe that God
will not be as strict as His Word suggests. Adam and Eve failed because of this.
And so so did the people of Israel. Ask yourself: is this same attitude found in
me?

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Here are two more life-changing principles:

1) You must be willing to change unconditionally .

In the early stage of therapy counsellors bump into the change-if syndrome. The client sees
change as a strategy of give-to-get:

I'll change if they are willing to do ... If not, I won't.

With God your reward for changing is intrinsic. You get the joy of His approval, plus all the benefits
that follow from a changed person. This included God's gift of

... salve to put on your eyes, so you can see (Revelation 3:18 NIV).

The ability to see things clearly will enable you to understand the problem and deal with it effectively,
regardless of what someone else does or doesn't do.


2) You must accept the truth that change means letting go of the past.

Whatever you cling to ultimately controls you. If the offence resulted from your actions, or your loss from
poor judgement, confess it to God, receive forgiveness and leave it at the cross. If it was the other person's
fault but you've held on to it because you think you're the innocent party and

deserve your pound of flesh,

the freedom you forfeit and the options you miss are too high a price for the false comfort of being right.

... forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgive you (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).

will release you from the chains of resentment, giving you back your future. If you bound by chains of
regret over coulda, woulda, shoulda, God stands ready to make your future better than your past could
ever have been (Joel 2:25)/

[letric]

When someone comes to you with a personal problem, ask them the following questions:
What do you think caused the problem? What have you done about it? What do you think
I might be able to do, that you have not already done? These questions will help you weed
out those who genuinely want help, from those who only want attention. Some people see
prayer as a magic wand; they think you can wave it over them and their problem will just
go away, and they can go back to living their lives the way they please.

Here's another situation. Someone may say,

The doctor has suggested surgery. What should I do?

Unless you're a doctor, be very careful what you advise. If God has spoken to someone and
they have the faith that He will heal them, don't throw cold water on them. Jesus said,

...if two of you agree on earth concerning anything they ask, it will be done for them
by my Father in heaven (Mathew 18:19 NKJV)

.

The real question is, are they standing on their faith or yours? You can teach people God's Word,
but can't force them to come up to your level of faith until they're ready. Sometimes people may
be ready and all they're seeking is confirmation.

The Bible say:

You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things (1 John 2:29 NKJV)

.
But unless God has let you know, be careful what you advised!

[letric]

Saying the right thing the wrong way usually backfires. So here is a word to the wise. If you cannot
receive constructive criticism, don't try to give it. Before you criticise, ask yourself:

1) Am I interested in this person's good?

Or do you just need to look good, to have all the answers, to control people, and to gain acceptance and
prestige? You can't help others while you're focused on your own ego needs.

2) Am I blame-oriented and judgemental?

If so, you'll come across that way to others ...

Let us stop passing judgemement on one another ... (Romans 14:13 NIV).

To avoid blaming and judging you have to stop talking about why they did it, or who is to blame, or how
or how stupid and selfish and crazy it was, or what's wrong with them, etc. That's problem-focused and
polarising, and doesn't help.

3) Am I pointing the person the person toward solutions. God is a God of solutions. When He
found us lost in sin He didn't give us a critical reminder of our weakness. Instead,

When we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (Roman 5:6 NIV)

He didn't giver us an analysis of our problem, but a remedy. So prayerfully suggest,

I wonder if you might not get a more satisfying result by ... then let God drive it
home!

4) Am I speaking the truth in love?

Even your sincerest ideas need to reflect that you care.

Speaking truth in love ... (Ephesians 4:15 NKJV)

opens their heart and prepares them to trust you. Love says,

Because I value you. I'd like to offer a suggestion, Would that be all right?

[letric]

To fulfil your dream you must know how to share it with others. And to do that successfully you must be able to connect with them. First, you must connect with them logically. Whatpeople don't believe,
they don't buy into. So your first step is to gain credibility. If you don't, you will not be able to proceed any further. How do you do that? By communicating a realistic understanding of the situation as it is today. Every time you share your vision, one of the first things people will ask is But what about ...? If they don't ask it out loud, they say it to themselves. And they will keep asking it until you have addressed all their concerns. This requires being extremely thorough when sharing your dream,
and not dwelling on its positive benefits to the exclusion of the challenges.

Second, you must provide a sound strategy they can believe in. If a dream seems too large and unattainable, people will become discouraged and lose interest. When big dreams are broken down into smaller pieces and different pieces are given to talented individuals, the task seems more attainable and each person involves has an increased sense of personal ownership and involvement. There is a real art to communicating all this effectively, without getting bogged down in details or boring people. You have enough information to satisfy most people, but not so much that you lose them. All this takes skill, practice and God's help. But to share your dream with others, you must learn to do it.
Peace

[letric]

Stop condemning yourself! God says,

I, even I, am He that blotteth out transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins (Isaiah 43:25).

When God says He forgets your sin and you insists on remembering it, it's like saying your standards
are higher than His. That's akin to idolatry! The Bible says,

... God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32)

In the Old Testament when someone sinned they brought a lamb to the priest and he would shed its
blood on the altar as payment for their sin. Once that was done the record was expunged and the issue
was settled. You say, But I don't feel forgiven. Forgiveness comes with faith, not feelings. As long as
you live by feelings satan has a weapon he can use against you at every turn. You say, But what I did
was so wrong. As long as you truly repent whatever you have done is pardonable. You say,
But satan keeps bringing it up. That's because he is called the accuser (Revelation 12:10) . But notice
how you can overcome satan the accuser. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony ... (v.11). Next time satan accuses you, say, I'm glad you brought that up.
Then tell him what the blood of Jesus has accomplished on your behalf. If you do that he will flee. Learn
from your failure, grow stronger through it, use it to bless others, move on with your life ande stop
condemning yourself! Peace ...

[letric]

There is a strong relationship between our movement toward our dreams, and the resources we need
becoming available to us. Too often we want to see the resources, or have them in hand before we
start moving forward. When we do that, we have neither the resources or the movement. We need to
be like the snail that started climbing up the apple tree one cold day in February. As he inched his way
forward, a worm stuck his head out from the crevice in the tree and said,

You're are wasting your energy. There isn't a single apple up there.

The snail kept climbing, and replied,

No, but there will be by the time I get up there!

Over and over in Scripture God sent people ouit with what seemed like little, or inadequate resources.
But when they got to where God wanted them to be, the resources needed to get the job done were in
place waiting for them. Vision doesn't follow resources, it happens the other way around. First we have
a dream, then we have to move forward. Then - only then - do people and resources follow. Then the
plan God has given to us begins to fall into place. A wise man once said,

Effort only releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.

People who succeed see what others don't. It's what keeps them moving forward.

It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king's anger. He kept
on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.

[letric]

Even in a bad economy most of us are still batter than others, and better off than we have been. We may lack the latest, the biggest, the best and the fastest , but we seldom lack the necessary, right? Now God doesn't build guilt-trip us, but He does want us to

Consider the poor.

The Bible says

He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered (Proverbs 21:13 NAS)

.

Could this be a key to you prayers getting answered? To be comfortably provided for is a blessing, but you must not forget tnhose in need. What is God's attitude toward the poor? And what does He expect of us.

If there uis a poor man among youir brothers ... do not be hardheaded or tight-fisted toward him ... and give him nothing ... you will be found guilty of sin (Deuteronomy 15:7-9 NIV)

.

Helping others is an obligation, not an option. In Scripture the tithe took care of God's work and God's servants, but it was also to be shared with ...

the alien, the fatherless and the widow so that they may they may eat ... and be satisfied (Deuteronomy 26:12 NIV).
God said:

If one of your countrymen becomes poor ... unable to support himself ... help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you (Leviticus 25:35 NIV)

The truth is, we've been called to feed, shelter and clothe the needy (Isaiah 58:5-12).

God is compassionate and generous to the poor, and He promises us His blessing for following His example.

[letric]

What wall stands between you and God's blessings? Limited resources? Past failures?
Does the job look too big and you feel too small? Rise up and say, For by you I can
run against a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall. Instead of accepting what your
sight and senses tell you, stand on the promises God has given you in His Word. On
the other side of the wall there is a victory.

You will never learn faith in comfortable circumstances.

It was after the disciples came through the storm that they asked,

What manner of man is this, that even the wind and sea obey Him?
(Mathew 8:27).

The One who commanded them to get into the boat knew there would be be a storm,
yet He sent them into it. Why? To develop their faith!

Rejoice, you will make it through this storm and get to the other side. God
has promised it. Start saying,

By my God I can.