The Bible is full of financial blessings which we have claimed, and claimed some more over the years. Years down the line, we begin to wonder if God’s word and promises are indeed true. We know God is not a liar, but we wonder what we are doing wrong to end up broke month after month, living from hand to mouth, claiming we shall be the head but feeling like the tail when we look around us. Where are the financial blessings?
Each year, we get a word from the Lord at the beginning of the year – This shall be your year of breakthrough, exploits, flying on eagles wings etc. We have stickers to show for it. They end up on our cars, doors, bibles and what have you. I know a brother whose cars’ rear windscreen was so full of stickers I was concerned if he could see through the rear view mirror. He was literally blinded by God’s promises down the years. If you look at the back of his car, you can trace all the promises down the years. He did not remove any, but simply added to it until he finally ran out of space.
Where is the manifestation of these promises? Has it come? Is it coming? When?
These are all valid questions. We are not bold enough to question God, but we have questions all the same. Whatever happened to Matthew 7: 7-8?
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receive, and he who seeks find, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Not only have we been asking, He by Himself has even gone ahead to promise without us asking – this is your year of financial breakthrough, still nothing. What exactly is going on? Why is there so much need in the house?
Let me tell you my story.
I used to think that after asking, or receiving the yearly promise, all I needed to do was live holy, pray and attend all programs. Then one day, as I was leaving church for home, or as I was getting home from church, someone will run up to me and grab my shoulder:
“Brother, I have been looking for you, where have you been? The Lord laid it on my heart to give you something but you were nowhere to be found. I am so relieved that I finally found you”.
Then he will lead me towards the trunk of his car, open it, lo and behold, a “Ghana Must Go” bag (apologies to my Ghanaian friends) almost bursting at the seams, filled with naira notes – millions upon millions of naira. That was my picture of financial breakthrough.
I have since learned from the school of hard knocks that God does not work that way, except in some instances He sends money through others to pay for what He has specifically ordered, not to pander to my greed and laziness.
Another one was my employer sending me abroad for years on assignment. I will earn dollars while my salary is running back home. I have experienced this severally, but have come to realize that this is not the financial breakthrough I was looking for. I will return home awash with dollars, and six months later, I will be back to being broke again, praying for another assignment.
Yet another way I expected the breakthrough to come was by someone bringing me a very sweet deal, maybe LPO, contract, etc. I actually registered a company to prepare myself for this scenario. I will win a contract, or someone will bring me a contract with such a juicy upfront payment that I will execute it easily and will be rolling in millions afterwards. Of course this never happened.
I have come to realize after wasting more than 15 years wandering in the financial wilderness, that when God gives a promise, it is not time to hope, pray and go to sleep. It is time to hope, pray and go to work. A farmer does not hope for a bumper harvest my praying, fasting and attending night vigils. He hopes for a bumper harvest by praying, fasting, attending night vigils, getting good land and good seed, clearing the land, cultivating it, maintaining it by clearing weeds or using herbicides, applying fertilizers as necessary, hiring labour for the harvest as required and getting a good market for his products. His faith is expressed by working harder than his peers, putting more land under cultivation, doing more because he believes God will answer his prayer for a good harvest rather than cut back due to fears of drought or market slump which means inability to sell his excess produce.
God will not answer his prayer by raining down harvest from the sky. God will answer through a good weather, access to alternatives if the rains are not coming as much required, loyal and committed workers, friendly bankers, access to markets to sell his product etc. Even then, these things will not come by themselves. The farmer has to get up and go knock on doors.
This is when Matthew 7:8 kicks in – For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
A lazy farmer will ask but will not receive, seek and will not find, knock until his knuckles start to bleed and no door will be opened.
Like the story of talents in Matthew 25:14-30, the one who received one talent and buried it can ask all he wants, seek or he wants and knocks all he wants. It is by making what you have profitable that you can ask for more.
What has become of the money God has sent your way since you started working – your salary and bonuses? Can you give account of them? Is any left or you have consumed all? Are you accumulating wealth or you are giving it all away, eating with ten fingers? What business are you doing apart from your job? Which investment do you have that brings returns monthly, annually etc? Where else is money coming from apart from your salary? If you get laid off today, how long will you last before you start begging?
When God created the earth, He came down by himself to fellowship with Adam and Abraham. Then He sent His son Jesus, and when Jesus went back, He sent the Holy Spirit who has been here since. God has given us His all. What more do we want? More blessings? What have we done with what we have?
God has given us more than enough to multiply and have dominion. There is seed time and harvest. It will never cease. Are we planting or are we consuming? A farmer that eats all his seed will watch the next harvest from the sidelines as a spectator. You may be surprised that as you are waiting for God to move, God has been waiting for you to move. Until you move, all you may end up with is promises and stickers.
-Usiere Uko is editor at http://www.financialfreedominspiration.com/
