Our God has a great many names—one of which is Jehovah Jireh which means “The Lord will provide.” But sometimes, it’s a little too easy to get caught up in the limitless provisions of the Father that we forget about the source which we are receiving from. In “The Provision of Prayer,” Tony Evans has three thoughts to share with you regarding our one and only true Source and Provider.
where were you
if you would have been here she said
this thing wouldn’t happen
the blood of christ has given believers
a passport
to enter into a realm
that is closed to the general public
prayer is how you show your passport
god has given so much clout to prayer
that’s relationally driven
to draw heaven in the history that he
will even allow prayer to change his
mind
the disciples never asked jesus to teach
them to preach
to teach them to do miracles the one
thing they did ask him is will you teach
us to pray
if you pursue a relationship and bring
your needs along with that
in your secret place
you will hear from god because god will
hear from you
ask and it will be given to you seek and
you will find knock and it will be open
to you don’t let things that god is
willing to change go unchanged because
we refuse to meet him in a private place
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give us this day our daily bread
now before we go any further i want you
to understand
where it’s positioned
in the prayer
he doesn’t start off the lord doesn’t
tell his disciples to start our praying
give us this day our daily bread
he says where you start is hollowing my
name
submitting yourself to the authority of
my kingdom
and yielding to my will now we can get
to give us this day our daily bread
see a lot of us want to reverse the
order of the prayer
give us
this day our daily prayer
comes after you put god in his proper
place
so that leads to the first of three
thoughts i want to give you from this
line
today the first one is the source
of your provision
god is your only
bonafide source
everything else is a resource
and he can shift resources whenever he
wants
because he is the sole source
your bank is not your source
your money is not your source
your job is not your source your sugar
daddy is not your source
you only have one source
and that source is god
everything else the bank your money the
job the people you know
they are merely a resource or a
mechanism through which god
uses
now the beauty of knowing that you only
have one source
and everything else is a mere
resource
is that now you put
the proper focus on your source knowing
he can shift the resource anytime he
chooses
he can move it about he can flip it he
can change it he can he can destroy it
he can build it up because you weren’t
looking to any of those resources to be
your source
the moment you make a resource job money
bank people the moment you make a
resource a source that’s called idolatry
because idols in the bible were things
people looked at to meet their needs
independently of god
since god is your only source here it is
no resource can own you
if god is your only source no resource
can control you no resource can threaten
you and no resource can ruin you because
your resource was never your source
your source was the living and true god
psalm 104 talks about how god is our
source
and our provider i just read a few of
the verses
beginning with verse 10
of psalm 104 he sends forth springs in
the valley
that flow between the mountains
that give to every beast of the field
and the wild donkeys quench their thirst
besides them the birds of the heaven
dwell
they lift up their voices among the
branches he waters the mountain
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of
his works verse 14 he causes the grass
to grow
for the cattle
and the vegetation for the labor of man
so that he may bring forth food
from the earth and here’s the one many
of you will like verse 15 and wine which
makes man’s hearts glad
he says in verse 27
they all wait for you
to give them their food in due season
you give to them they gather it up you
open your hand they are satisfied with
good but if you hide your face
they are dismayed you take away their
spirit they expire
and return to the dust all of that is
saying is
if it weren’t for god
you couldn’t go to the grocery store
anything in the grocery store
had to be taken from a mill
or from a butcher shop that meant it had
to be raised on a farm
or cattle herded
on a ranch
that only means that there had to be
seeds to be planted
or animals that could reproduce
themselves
the only reason you get to eat cereal
with milk
is because cows feed on grass that
allows the system that god put in them
to produce the milk that allows you to
enjoy your cereal
so you take away god you take away seed
you take away god you take away land you
take away god you take away rain you
take away god you take away sunshine you
take away god you take away the mill you
take away the meal the grocer has
nothing to sell so when you go to the
grocery store it’s god that makes that
possible because the store is a resource
god is the source
and he says he is the only source and
those he says who fear him
psalm 34 verses 8 through 10 understand
that he’s the source
matthew 7 7-11 invites god’s children to
come to him
as a father and recognize that he is
your source
your commitment to the kingdom the rule
of god will affect god’s provision in
your life
in matthew chapter 6
verses 31 to 34
god tells his people don’t worry about
what you’re going to eat
or what you’re going to drink
or what you’re going to wear don’t make
that an obsession he says
he says all these things the gentiles
the non-christians
are all nervous about and and
panic over
he says but your heavenly father
he already knows what you need
and so he says in verse 33
seek ye first the kingdom of god
and his standard his righteousness and
all these things will be added to you
god says i got you
i got your back i know what you need and
if you would focus on my kingdom
then you’ll see me focus on your
provision you’ll see the kind of
provider i can be
for god
wants to be
your provider
the point of that verse of seeky first
is that here it is the spiritual must
precede the physical that’s why i love
deuteronomy 8
verses 11 through 18.
god says i’ll let you go hungry i let
your stuff spill over
let me put it in everyday language
i’ll let you lose your job
i let there be a depression
economically in society
that eroded some of your 401.
i’ll let there be a downturn in your
situation
so god will let you go hungry he comes
in verse 18 and he says
for it is the lord who gives you the
power to make wealth
so why do i have to make this big deal
about god
well let’s start with the fact that
there is no god you don’t get up let’s
start with that
you don’t even get to start your day
if there is no god
if there is no god you don’t have an arm
to guilt the steering wheel or a leg to
press the accelerator and go to the
brake if there is no god you don’t have
a mind to even know whether you’re going
the right way
if there is no god there is nobody to
even get tired and if there’s no god
there’s no home to come home to
see if there is no god there is no job
and there is no job opportunity god says
i even give you the power
to make what you make to provide what
you have so nothing
gets to you that doesn’t come through my
hand first
i am your source my name my kingdom my
will and then you will experience my
provision at a whole another level
he told adam and eve i have an
assignment for you
and i have this assignment for you and
i’m going to make provision for you to
fulfill the assignment every tree of the
garden is going to be full and lush so
you can fulfill the kingdom assignment i
give to you
yes god will allow things to dry up
but he’ll also not only to help us to
remember he’s our source
he will allow us things to dry up in
order to move us to his next
place of provision
in first kings chapter 17.
god led elijah
to the brook
filled with water
he was he was thirsty he got to drink
from the brook but he and then he got
hungry
the bible says god sent a raven
to feed him
some of you didn’t hear that
god sent a raven to feed him
now a raven in the bible
is an unclean bird
that is a forbidden bird they could not
eat ravens for they were unclean
so let me tell you about god
he’ll even use something
unclean
to make provision for you
he’ll use the unrighteous to pay a bill
he’ll use an ungodly opportunity to take
care of it
for just cause you can’t do nothing with
it doesn’t mean he can’t do nothing with
it
so he used the raven
but then something happened the bible
says
it says
in first kings 17
it says the brook dried up no more water
and the ravens stop bringing food
so now he’s thirsty again
he’s hungry again
but then god said i have a widow in
zaraphan
and i have commanded her to provide for
you
so watch this
god provided for him at the brook
but when he got too comfortable at the
brook
and needs were being met at the brook
god dried up the brook
held back the raven because he wanted to
move him to a new opportunity
in zarephath
sometimes god will let a pink slip be
put on your desk
and you’re depressed cause god how could
you make me lose my job when he’s just
moving you on
to the next opportunity
because if you’re submitted to his
kingdom
god is your provider
he is your source some of us are
complaining about went wrong what went
wrong when god is trying to move us to
the next thing that is right that’s why
you got to praise him
when stuff goes bad because god is often
doing something new
when you’re submitted to his kingdom
submitted to his will
and you’re hollowing and praising his
name
and so
the spiritual must come first the first
part of the prayer must proceed give us
this day our daily bread
give us this day our daily bread
is to remind you that the one you’re
asking to give it is the source
everything else
is merely a resource
having established the source
let’s look at the substance
he calls it
daily bread
so when jesus says bread he’s talking
about
provision
that god wants
us to look at him
as his provider
of the necessities of life food clothes
shelter those are the fundamental
provisions those are the needs anything
above that is a want
nothing wrong with getting once but you
must have needs being met for once to be
enjoyed
god says i am the provider of bread
and i am the one who will make sure that
what is needed is provided if i’m
prioritized in the right place
now
to be fair i must tell you a few times
when god will not provide god will stop
providing when it’s time to take you
home
when it’s time to take you home
he will make this earth provision
insufficient
for you
so either you can’t take it you can’t
eat it you can’t buy the medicine you
can’t the medicine won’t help you he
will keep provision away when he’s
transitioning you
to your eternal provision as a child of
god so that’s a time he may not or will
not provide
a second time he will not provide which
i’ve already headed to
is when he’s trying to grow us
spiritually
so in order to grow us spiritually he’ll
let the brook dry up he’ll let the raven
stop he’ll let you lose the job he’ll
let the money run low he will allow that
that’s what he says in james one i want
you to praise me when things are going
so why because when things are going
south it forces you to look up
when things are up you may no longer
feel the need to look up
now the final reason why god may delay
provision is because of disobedience or
carnality
that is you’re living in rebellion so he
stops providing he stops
meeting the need or
he allows the need that’s being met to
be destructive to you
see god will even over-bless you
he will over-bless you
so that the stuff that’s coming in see
because now that you can afford a house
it may no longer be a home
you may have a place you don’t even want
to go to anymore because it’s a
miserable place you may be able to have
a car but now you have nowhere to take
it because your health can’t even get in
it so god will allow you to get
provision independent of him but you’ll
have a hole so big in your soul you’ll
drive a mack truck through it because
you wanted it independently of god so
he’ll either keep it or he’ll let you
have more of it than you can handle
until you learn man does not live by
bread alone
but he lives by every word that comes
out of the mouth of god you see god
wants to provide the provision
now
there’s somebody else who wants to
provide for you
he says give us this daily bread
so let me tell you somebody else who
wants to provide for you the devil wants
to cook for you
you didn’t know that the devil wants to
cook for you he’s got a
culinary cuisine program
with your name on it
how do i know that because in matthew
chapter 4 verse 4 the devil told jesus
turn these stones in the bread
jesus you’ve been fasting 40 days and 40
nights you know you’re hungry i know
you’re hungry and i have an operation
bread basket food program with your name
on it now if the devil will do that to
the sinless son of god
jesus christ you know he’s got a meal
plan for you
he says turn these stones in the bread
since you are the son of god so he’s
saying to you and me since you are a
child of god i have i have a i have a
job for you i have a way you can make
money i have a way you can get some
bread i have a way you can get this
thing that that that is not in god’s
will but i can work it out for you if
you just hook up with me and my posse i
can work it out for you if you hang with
me if you just disregard god for a
moment and just do it my way i can work
this thing out for you there are a lot
of people here who have been tempted to
follow the devil in order to get the
money to follow the devil in order to be
accepted by the folks at work to follow
the devil in order to get the
opportunity because he can guarantee you
that if you do it his way he’s got the
bread to offer you like he offered it to
jesus but what did jesus say
man shall not live by bread alone but by
every word that proceeds out of the
mouth of god what does it mean
he’s saying you don’t only go for the
bread you go for the source that
provided it
just because it’s money doesn’t mean
it’s money that you should be handling
just because it’s a job doesn’t mean
it’s the opportunity for you to take
advantage of is the devil providing it
or is the god providing it because if
the devil provides it then he can lay
claim on what happens to it
he wants to be the provider by the way
the bible talks about this
in first timothy 4
1-5 it talks about the doctrine of
demons
says demons have teaching
and their teaching involves food
what you eat and what you don’t eat and
the devil has a cuisine program
so what does god say in verse 5 of first
timothy 4 he says sanctify your food
with the word of god in prayer
ooh wait amen
set your food apart sanctify
set it apart to god
by
the word of god and prayer because the
devil has a feeding program
he calls it a doctrine of demons let me
tell you another reason why you got to
sanctify your food
because the devil wants to contaminate
it
so you better recognize god when you sit
down to eat because you be could be
sitting down eating carcinogenics
that can do havoc with your body so you
better set that meal apart to god and
let god know he’s your source and if
anything is in these potatoes if
anything is in this vegetable if
anything is in this meat that’s going to
mess me up then i want to set it apart
to you so that you use it for my body
finally
let’s look at the schedule
give us this day our
daily bread
give us this day our
daily bread
he used daily twice give us this day
this
daily bread that’s two times in a short
phrase he says
today
matthew sixty first the kingdom of god
is righteousness
and all these things will be granted to
you
and then he says
don’t worry about tomorrow
for today has enough trouble of its own
today
here’s our problem
if you live in the west
and even in the second world
where it’s more socialistic
and there’s a third world where it’s
more
emerging civilizations when you live in
the west this world that we live in
we technically don’t have to pray for
daily food
because of refrigeration
we already have tomorrow’s food
when the bible was written that was not
an option
didn’t have refrigeration like we have
it today
you know how they ate
one day at a time
so it forced you to have to be dependent
on other systems to be at work for you
to even eat today
daily bread now changes because i need
today’s bread to work for me
now
the reason he says daily bread follow
this now
is because of the purpose of bread
the purpose of provision
comes underneath god’s kingdom
when god gave adam and eve food
it was because he gave them a physical
body
that physical body needed nutrients in
order to function
the first reason why god gave to adam
and eve
food was to fuel them
fuel them to provide them the
nourishment and the nutrients why did
they need the nourishments and nutrients
to carry out the kingdom assignment that
had been given to them god gave them an
assignment to fuel you
to produce the results of the assignment
i’m going to give you food that your
body needs to be fueled in order to
fulfill the assignment i gave you and oh
by the way i’m going to make it
entertaining i’m going to make it juicy
and enjoyable we all love a good cook
but the goal is to fuel you for kingdom
purposes
the daily bread was to give you enough
today
in order for you to be fueled over the
next 24 hours to carry forth the
hollowing of my name the submitting to
my kingdom and the accomplishing of my
will
not just so you could develop a disease
after you eat and go to sleep it was to
fuel you to carry out my purposes so if
you eat good enjoy good but never are
carrying out god’s purposes you are
fueled as a fool because the fuel is not
being used for the kingdom purpose for
which it has been a sign it has only
been used for your personal fulfillment
and enjoyment you turn your daily bread
into daily fuel to carry out god’s
kingdom purposes and his will for your
life god is very motivated to give you
this day the daily food and the
protection of that food because he knows
you’re going to do his program with it
you’re now fulfilling his will his
purpose in relationship to him
so the context of daily food is to
recognize god as your source
on a daily basis i want you to move into
gratitude while you make your request
made known unto him
and i want you to know that your god and
my god is a providing god
when he led israel in exodus 15 he led
them by the by the waters of myra they
started to drink and they said ah we
can’t drink this this thing is bitter
it’s not gonna work and the bible said
they grumbled but then god told moses go
get a stick go get a piece of wood he
took the piece of wood and put it in the
waters of myra and the bible says and
the bitterness left and the water became
sweet god is so good at provision he can
take inanimate objects and turn a
situation around
if you let god be the provider
his sufficiency tell him what you want
be grateful for what you have and put it
in the priority of his name and his
kingdom you will see how much of a
provider god can be
god is more than enough
for whatever your situation happens to
be
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how does god know that you know
that all the good things you get to
enjoy come from him
your king
and from his kingdom
or do you we take it for granted it’s
just supposed to happen
god wants to know
that we value his provision and that we
recognize him as our provider
that we only have one source
and he may use a multiplicity of
resources
but we recognize that if it wasn’t for
a loving father who rules a kingdom who
provides good things for his children if
it wasn’t for him the good things could
never be enjoyed
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you