MAKE GOD YOUR SOURCE

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

SEPTEMBER 26, 2021

TOPIC: MAKE GOD YOUR SOURCE

 BY T. O. BANSO

“Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there’” (1 Kings 17:2-4 New King James Version).

Psalm 23 has been attributed to David. He said in verse 1, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (New King James Version). In other words, he would not lack. The New Living Translation says, “The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need.”

David could say that because he knew that it was the responsibility of the shepherd to provide for the sheep. The shepherd would lead the sheep to lie down in green pastures and beside the still waters or peaceful streams. The sheep needed not to worry, as long as they had a shepherd.

Verses 2-3 say, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (New King James Version).

No matter your profession or the type of employment you have, and the salary or income you earn, never make your “source of income” your source! Make God your Source. Consider your job or business as only a channel through which God is blessing you. Make God your Source.

There could be a problem with a channel of income, thus making the provision of money cease or become irregular. In such a circumstance, those who have taken God as their Source will not be badly affected, unlike those whose faith is entirely in their employer and work, as their sources.

Those who have chosen God as their Source know that if one door closes, God will open another one. They know that their Source does not run dry of supply, even when ‘water’ stops running from a ‘tap.’ They know God will open another ‘tap’ for them. But it is not so for those whose source is their employer or job. This is the reason some people commit suicide or take some drastic or extreme actions when they lose their jobs or investment or suffer business failure. This should not be so.

Make God your Source. This starts by giving the control of your life to Him, through faith in Jesus Christ. When you commit your life to Jesus, God takes care of you. More than what human fathers do, God the Father makes plans ahead for you. He knows what you need and takes care of you even in times of crisis, recession, depression, pandemic, or lock-down.

No matter how lucrative your job or business is, never make it your source. Anything can fail, as it is happening in the world today with the current pandemic. Only God cannot fail.

God was Elijah’s Source. He caused him to announce that there shall not be dew or rain for some years, except at his word (1 Kings 17:1).  The implication was that there would be no food and water. Life would be hard for people. Since Elijah was flesh and blood, he would also be affected. How then would he survive this season?

1 Kings 17:2-4  says, “Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. and it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there’” (New King James Version).

God led Elijah to Brook Cherith, where he was fed twice a day by the ravens, and he drank water from the brook until it dried up. Elijah didn’t lack because the LORD was his Source. Even if it would mean sending birds to deliver food to His children, God would do it. He did it for Elijah. He led him to Brook Cherith.

After the brook dried up, Elijah was not left stranded there because the brook was just a channel, not his Source. A door had closed, Elijah’s Source would open another. Never mistake a channel of blessing for your source, no matter how great the blessings you enjoy from it.

The LORD didn’t leave His servant to suffer, as other people in the city. God gave him further instruction for his provision. He sent him to go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there, as He had commanded a widow there to provide for him.

A widow is the most unlikely person to feed one in a time of famine. Nevertheless, God chose her, obviously not only to provide for Elijah but also to provide for her and her son. Elijah never lacked as there was a miracle of provision for the woman through Elijah. This supernatural supply of food met the needs of Elijah and the widow and her son throughout the remaining period of the famine (1 Kings 17:8-16).

Don’t put your trust in any employer, employment or business as your source. See any of these as a channel for God’s blessings. While you must work, because God also works, as Jesus said (John 5:17), you must not make your work your source.

If you do, and any unfortunate thing happens to your work, employment or business, you will have a sense of total loss; you will feel devastated. But if God is your Source, you’ll believe that all is not lost and God will take care of you. He will open another door for you. He will provide for your needs in any way He chooses.

Psalm 34:9-10 says, “Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing” (New King James Version).

Throughout the journey of the Israelites in the wilderness, they never lacked anything because God was their Source. He supplied all they needed, though they kept grumbling and didn’t demonstrate faith in Him. Deuteronomy 2:7 says, “For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing” (New King James Version).

Those who make God their Source will not lack any good thing, even if they suffer a job loss, business failure, or any other adversity. The psalmist says, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread” (Psalm 37:25 New King James Version). God will give them their heart desire that is consistent with His will for them at the right time (Psalms 84:11; 103:5; 104:27-28; 107:9).

They will be like a well-watered garden (Isaiah 58:11) because, as they practise the principle of sowing, especially in His Kingdom, God will supply all their needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). It is not about money alone. God is their Source for everything they need for meaningful life on earth. James 1:17 says every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Those who make God their Source look unto Him for everything. He decides how He will supply what they need. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8 New King James Version). He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20).

Is God your Source? Don’t make your channels of blessings – work, employer, friends, relations, etc. your source. These can fail. Who else or where else will you run to? But if God is your Source, there is no shaking in the event that anything negative happens to your channel of blessings. God will open another channel. He will do a new thing for you (Isaiah 43:19).

Be careful! Don’t make a human being your source. Jeremiah 17:5-6 warns, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited” (New King James Version).

In contrast, verses 7-8 say, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit” (New King James Version).

Make God your Source. If you obey Him, you will receive whatever you ask from Him (1 John 3:22). However, you must ask in faith (Matthew 21:22) and ask in accordance with His will (1 John 5:14-15).

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, You created all things. You are the Source of everything. I confess that You are my Source. I shall not make my work, business, or any other person or thing my source. I know You will take care of me and supply all my needs.

(For over 600 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

 T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
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Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org