Tapping into God's Supernatural Assistance

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why. This week we have a guest post from Jay Peroni.

Do you believe just because you are a Christian and have a need, God will always intervene supernaturally? If so, this is an incorrect assumption.  Look at the world around us.  Many Christians are in need and go without help every day.  There is a line between what you can do on your own and what God can help you with.

After obeying God's principles and reaching the end of your abilities, God provides supernatural assistance apart from anything you could ever do on your own.  Even when we defy God's Word, He is a loving and graceful God that still intervenes as an act of mercy.  We should not expect this, but know that He is always there.

Are you struggling financially?   Are you finding it difficult to make ends meet in this troubled economy?  Have no fear, rely on God's strength.  His supernatural power can take you places you would never reach on your own.

Supernatural is that which occurs beyond what is natural.  This phenomenon is above natural laws and beyond verifiable measures.   This occurs once we have maximized natural laws - our abilities.  Many Christians pray for financial miracles, but instead should be praying for God to provide opportunities.   Miracles are not necessary in order to achieve natural success.  This form of success comes when you apply God's principles to your finances.   The supernatural is only necessary when you are limited in your natural abilities.  You can do more than you are currently doing.  Don't use God as a crutch, use Him to propel and maximize your strengths and help you overcome your weaknesses.

Remember when Jesus was faced with a dilemma of how to feed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish?  God supernaturally multiplies the loaves and the fish so that not only is everyone fed, but food is left over.  God intervenes when needed.   Is there anything in your financial life where you have done the best you can but your best is not enough and you want God to step in and perform a miracle for you?  This is a good time to trust Him for supernatural assistance.   How do you tap into God's supernatural assistance when it comes to your finances? 

The keys to tapping into God's supernatural assistance are:

1. Maximize your natural ability - Do all that you know to do.  Seek wise counsel when you get stuck.  If you lack knowledge, find someone who has experience and knowledge.  Do the best you can and trust God for what you cannot do.  Need financial help?  Seek a faith-based financial planner.  Go to www.kingdomadvisors.org or www.nacfc.com to find a qualified advisor.  Read The Faith-Based Millionaire.   Learn all you can about finances so you can become a wiser steward.
2. Live a life that glorifies God - How can you expect God to supernaturally assist you when your life contradicts His principles?
3. Obey God's instructions on giving - If you are not tithing and generous with money how do you expect God to show you mercy or bless you?
4. Pray and seek Him always - There are certain walls we hit that cannot be moved without a commitment to prayer and seeking God.  Prayer enables you to release everything to God and tap into His power.  He is able to help you beyond human comprehension.  Seeking Him and communicating with Him is essential.

Are you in need of a financial miracle?  Whatever your circumstances or situation, ensure that you are actively incorporating these four areas into your financial life.   Do all you can, seek wise counsel, and trust God for supernatural assistance to aid you in realizing the goals you trust Him with.

Comments

[Susan Blubaugh]

Your comment concerning praying for strength, wisdom, or, as you put it, opportunities is quite apt. I also be lieve that we pray until we become the prayer and become a force for God's will in the world.

[ignorance_intolerant]

Although I'm for whatever makes people feel good, I highly doubt that having God in your life makes your financial situation better or even helps you make better decisions. It's quite reasonable to say that God actually hurts certain people financially. I'm not advocating atheism, but I'd rather look at money in a much more simpler form that that. As a Carlos Slim has proven, God is not needed to become financially stable. Please do go to church, but don't ask God to help you with your financial situation. In all reality, you have to do that yourself. Simply taking a step back and realizing were the problem really is can make a difference. Rather than trying to fix the problem, but waiting for God to assist. Don't depend on the supernatural to get you out of the hole. Seriously.

[Ben E.]

In response to ignorance_intolerant:

The author did not state that "having God in your life" somehow erases all of one's financial problems. Indeed, he admonishes Christians that financial miracles are not necessary to achieve fiscal success. The author did acknowledge that God is powerful, faithful and capable of lifting anyone out of economic stuggles.

Clearly, people succeed all the time without God, but the implicit conclusion that people do not need God is clearly erroneous. It is expected that we petition God for our needs. God, through the Bible and the principles therein, enables a person to become debt free. Yes, this can be as simple as stepping back and looking at the situation. But just because something can be done without God does somehow render God inapplicable or unneeded.

[anna]

"Pray and seek Him always - There are certain walls we hit that cannot be moved without a commitment to prayer and seeking God."

I've never liked statements like this. It's like a wierd combination of The Secret and confirmation bias, but I'm not at all happy with the theological implications. To me, this implies that a person, if they're still hitting that wall, deserves it because they weren't prayerful/trusting enough. This (IMO)promotes the idea that God is there for Man's glory (not the other way around) and it removes the fact that there are other situations influencing these events, and that the world is sometimes deeply, deeply unfair. The righteous suffer, just like the wicked. And sometimes the answer to prayers is "no."

It just really bothers me. It's like people think that God is this giant vending machine: you insert prayer and get back goodies. But the benefit of God's glory (at least to my understanding) was a deeper relationship with the Lord. That spiritual knowledge and love -- not a bigger wallet or nicer house. The blessing is the knowledge that you are living your life (to the best of your ability) in alignment with what God wants you to do. But sometimes, that may involve poverty (think of the people who sacrifice and scrape by to support their families, or their communities, or who have health burdens that restrict upward mobility).

Jesus said: blessed are the poor, blessed are the meek, etc., because even then, people had this idea that if you had problems or were suffering, it was because you were cursed by God or not holy enough. Jesus's words were to show that suffering in this world is part of this world. Even in his own life, he suffered (even after praying to be spared that suffering) despite his divinity and holy state, and we were not ever told that he, or his followers were repaid for it by earthly treasures.

[mysticaltyger]

I think what's missing in this discussion is the idea that we are all co-creators with God. Almost all of us create what we do in our lives out of ignorance (in varying degrees). Some people might have emotional/psychological blocks to money/abundance that they have to clean up before they can have abundance (Live a life that glorifies God...that statement touches on this concept).

Other people might get abundance or a lot of money, but find that it doesn't bring them the satisfaction they expected because they don't live God-centered lives.

Here's a good post on the subject:

http://www.askrealjesus.com/K_JESUS_ANSWERS/W_PRACTICAL_LIVING/abundancepray.html

[Michael]

"God intervenes when needed."

Well, yes and no. Yes because He can and does intervene when He deems appropriate, but no, because when we think it's needed can often be different than what He thinks.

As an extreme example to illustrate the point, aren't there faithful Christians who's kids have died of cancer? Yes, just as much as there are those who's cancer has been inexplicably cured. Isn't it likely that in the eyes of the dying parent, wasn't intervention needed?

I believe that God sent us here to Earth to grow, and we often grow through challenges. God will intervene when he sees that it is needed, but it may be that a financial challenge is what is needed in our lives to humble us, to make us more compassionate or to force us to be in a different place at a different time (eg. force us to move so we can help someone else in future years).

I do pray that our family will be ok financially, and I do all I can to ensure that that is the case. If someday I am in a financial pickle, I don't assume that God will supernaturally extract me from the situation just because of prayer and faith.

[anna]

I just want to clarify: when I said "sometimes that involves poverty," I didn't mean that we're destined to be poor to support God's plan. I don't personally believe in destiny (I do believe in free will) and I don't think that "things happen for a reason". I think things happen. Good things and bad things. We can learn from them if we choose (and are emotionally able to do so.) In all, we keep our faith and strengthen our relationship with God, but I disagree with looking for supernatural patterns in the events of our everyday lives.

[jane]

Wow, thank you for this post, I was planning to subscribe and instead saw this just in time. What anyone's - yours or anyone's - cult membership has to do with money, is beyond me, it just cut down any believability in your writing. But thanks for putting it out there so I can go elsewhere!

[dp]

In the Old Testament (KJV) it states that God took the children of Israel through the wilderness to humble them. A short journey became 40 years because of disobediance, and lack of faith. I believe that some people experience financial lack as the result of disobediance and lack of faith. Complete obediance to God is essential for us to succeed and experience the life that God ordained for us to have!

[fathersez]

The very same principles also apply for Muslims. Do all you can and then leave it in God's hands. Many a time, I have received that unknown, unexpected help, which I can only attribute to the All Mighty.

Looks more and more like we are not that different after all.

[Ronnica]

I'm constantly having to surrender my financial situation to the Lord. If I'm not careful, my concern will turn into worry which will turn into idolatry.

I wanted to let you know that I've received your submission and this post will be included in Wednesday's Christian Carnival on my blog.

[Darlington kenechukwu omerakwa]

Actaully i will like to comment on you people, you are just doing a fine job there, so keep it up. you see i have be wishing to have a manitor. but i dont know if you guys can help me out. that's all i will comment for now. thanks and god bless you............