Living by faith in the time of economic downturn I

Kenneth Copeland said that the man or woman who lives by faith never has to change their life style because of the times. Our economy is powered by heaven and not by the economy of our geographic location. God wants you and I to succeed despite adversity. God’s promises can be found in various passages […]

Kenneth Copeland said that the man or woman who lives by faith never has to change their life style because of the times. Our economy is powered by heaven and not by the economy of our geographic location.
God wants you and I to succeed despite adversity. God’s promises can be found in various passages in the Bible.
Job 5:20 “20 In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.”
Job 5:22 “22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.”
Psalm 33:18-19 “18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”
It even gets better, he will not only deliver you but he will make sure you are satisfied.
Psalm 37:18-19 “18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. 19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.”

He did it before
Deuteronomy 2:7:  “7 For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.”
Let us look at the examples of people who survived economic downturn.
• The widow woman: 1 Kings 17:1-16
• Isaac: Genesis 26:1, 12-14
• Peter and the net-breaking boat-sinking catch: Luke 5:1-9
7 Things to do to stay afloat
5 things authorize by God to intervene in your situation: Your faith, obedience, confession, prayer and your seed.
1.  Put the word of God in you; put fear and doubt away. What is doubt? It is believing an opinion that is contrary to the Word of God. You are not sustained by the economy of the nation. You are a citizen of heaven and your supply comes from God. Turn off the news. All you hear these days is the exchange rate, this job cut, that job cut and so on and so forth. Even if you lost your job you have not lost your source.
Every fear originates in unbelief. Fear is the manifestation of unbelief. For instance, you are afraid that if you plant all that you have, you may not receive the hundredfold harvest. You doubt the Word of God. You don’t believe that He will do what He promised so you give what you are comfortable with; what you can afford to lose. Jesus said, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” They believed; they had reservations, but they did not surrender to them. They said, “We have toiled all night and taken nothing, NEVERTHELESS, at Your Word!”
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Deal with your doubts and your fears and never express them. Believe the anointing to get wealth. Trust God to sustain you. In his classic book “Think and Grow Rich,” Napoleon Hill wrote,” You have ABSOLUTE CONTROL over but one thing, and that is your thoughts. If you fail to control your own mind, you may be sure you will control nothing else.” Change your mind set. Deconstruct and reconstruct your mind. Israel had a mind set of ‘we can’t’. Israelites thought and behaved like grasshoppers. They fell and wasted like grasshoppers. Rebuke and flush out every demon of impossibility. Flush out every thought of impossibility in Jesus name. God did not create you to remain stagnant. You can be better than this. You can rise higher than this. You can grow bigger than this. You can achieve more than this. Fill yourself with the knowledge of the word of God. Ignorance is one of the greatest causes of bondage. God’s people perish for lack of knowledge. Isaiah 5:13 “13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.” The people that know their God shall be strong and they shall do exploits-Daniel 11:32. Get to know who you are in Christ. Get to know how protected and blessed you are in Christ. Get to know that the enemy has been defeated and that you are above him. Stop being afraid of the devil; know that He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. The truth will set you free. John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  Spend quality time in the word of God daily. Deliverance comes through the truth of the word of God. “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.”
2. Perform the word of God. Joshua 1:8 says, “8…that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Deuteronomy 29:9 “9 KEEP therefore the words of this covenant, AND DO THEM, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.” To remain in the poverty-free zone, you must keep the words of the covenant. You cannot permit everything in your life if you want to remain in the garden of divine provision. 
Job 36:11 says, “11 If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.” I believe you will like to spend your days in prosperity and your years in pleasure. Do everything He says to you. Your greatest breakthrough will come from your greatest obedience. After you have given your boat to Jesus, or sown your seed, listen for divine direction. The Lord will be speaking to you to do something and whatever He says to you, do it! They obeyed the Word of Jesus. It is the word you obey that produces in your life.
God will schedule seasons of opportunities for you. He will gather the fish for you at a specific time in a specific place and tell you to cast your net. It will not be wise to cast your net when the fishes have dispersed. It is best to strike the iron while it is hot.
3. Pay your tithe always. Leave the tree in the middle of the Garden alone. It belongs to God. Your tithe keeps you in. When you pay your tithe, you prove your obedience to God. At the same time, you prove that He can trust you with more; that you are a faithful steward. You also acknowledge Him as your source. Those who fail to pay their tithe, violate the first principle of a sweat-less life and they are chased out of God’s provision to sweat for everything they have. They toil and till the ground for food rather than enjoy the abundant provisions of Almighty God. When you take what God has not given you, He withdraws what He has given you. Stay away from anything that can cast you out of the Garden of divine provision. Stay away from sin and negative people. When you pay your tithe, instead of angels keeping you out of the Garden of divine provision, they keep away intruders from your garden. God rebukes the devourer for your sake.
Bishop Dr. Charles Olowojoba is the General Overseer  of Dayspring Bible Church Worldwide with HQ in Abuja, Nigeria & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l. Website: www.dayspringcmi.org. e.mail: [email protected] Help lines: 08035150515, 08054224779, 08036387989