God’s Provision

 

"In the Midst of God’s Provision,

Don't Lose the Vision."

 

Today, I see multitudes of God’s people blinded and distracted from the realities of the glorious riches of our inheritance in Christ by the provision and promises in the Old Covenant. You may wonder, how could God’s provision blind and distract his people? I am compelled by the Spirit of God to write this book and apprise the people of God of this subtle deception to conceal the truth that will keep them from the most sublime experience reserved for them in this age.

Many of God’s provisions in the Old Covenant are still for us today and should be appropriated into our daily living through faith in God and his promises. In spite of that fact, God has given us a New Covenant based upon better promises for us to set our affections upon. In 1 Cor. 10:1-7, Paul warns us not be ignorant of how God made our forefathers safe and guided them by sending a cloud ahead of them as they marched out of Egypt and passed through the Red Sea and were baptized as followers of Moses and did eat supernatural food and did drink from a rock which was Christ, but yet a great majority was overthrown in the wilderness and destroyed by serpents.

Now all these things befell them as shadows to come and were recorded as a warning to serve as a caution to those of us who are heirs of his inheritance in this age for us not to set our affections upon the things of this world. Along with 1 Cor. 10:1-7, take into account Heb. 6:12, that states, "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises," and Isaiah 46:10, that states, "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Through revelation knowledge by the Spirit these scriptures reveal a present day truth for us to embrace.

In 1 Cor. 10:1-7, Paul gives us an account of the children of Israel’s exodus from Egypt and their misfortune in the wilderness on their way to their (end) inheritance. In light of Heb. 6:12, let’s observe Abraham (as one to follow), the father of the children of Israel. Their beginning was not in Egypt, but their beginning began in the loins of Abraham, and if their beginning began in him, then their end was declared in him. Genesis 12:3 says, "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

This is Isaiah 46:10 – declared to Abraham. Genesis 15:12-14 states, "And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And He said unto Abram, ‘Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.’"

Only for the promised seed of the children of Israel (the priesthood to bless the families of the earth) did this prophecy become a beacon light in the time of processing affliction and bountiful provision as we will began to see as the story unfolds. In view of this prophecy, let’s travel a few hundred years into the future, after Abraham’s death, where we find the prophecy being fulfilled.

Genesis 45:8-13 states, "So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt. Come down unto me, tarry not, and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou and thy children and thy children's children and thy flocks and thy herds and all that thou hast. And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou and thy household and all that thou hast, come to poverty. And, behold, your eyes see and the eyes of my brother Benjamin that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my Glory in Egypt and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither."

This is an account of Joseph, Abraham’s grandson, who was once a slave and prisoner. Now he has become the father to the Pharaoh of Egypt. Most of you should be well acquainted with the story of Joseph, but for those of you who may not be, I suggest you read Genesis chapter 37 through chapter 50. Joseph is now ruler and Lord of all the land of Egypt. In Genesis 45:9, Joseph tells his brothers to go up to their father and tell him, "Your son Joseph has been put in charge of all Egypt. Come and live with him in the land of Goshen." Genesis 45:11 says, "And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty."

With reference to the title of this booklet, I would like to refer to Goshen as the land of provision where God’s people lost their vision of destiny. The body of Christ today is blessed with profound revelations of prosperity from anointed men and women of God, more so than any at other time in the history of the church. They have given us nuggets of truth that have opened up the wealth of God’s financial provision for the church. This I do applaud and thank God for, because for many years the church was taught that healing miracles and prosperity passed away with the first apostles and prophets of the Old and New Testaments. Today we are being set free from that mindset of the apostate church.

For many years now we have been taught how to prosper, because it is not a sin to have prosperity and success as long as we don’t allow our financial prosperity to define who we are in Christ. We have discovered that in the Old Testament, God gave the children of Israel power to get wealth to establish His covenant. Their financial success was only one expression of the Glory of God to the other nations.

Through the prophetic eye of God’s purpose, I see Christians (especially in America) in comparison to the children of Israel in Goshen (the land of provision). The world today is threatened with the Y2K fiasco, but at the same time the church is in great expectation of great financial prosperity. Sound familiar? Joseph said to come to Goshen because of the 5-year famine and you will be provided for with more than enough. But at the same time, when experiencing God’s provision, the vision of the Promised Land was lost.

This stands as a warning to us today while we experience the blessings of God’s financial provision not to lose focus on our purpose. We should endeavor to be focused on the vision of destiny, as Joseph did while in his prosperity. Genesis 50:24-26 states, "And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying God will surely visit you and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt."

Joseph’s statement of faith and vision reveals that his heart was not set on provision and his end was not to be the Lord of all the land of Egypt. Many may not agree with me on this point, because in Joseph’s beginning he had a dream of his position in Egypt as his end. Yet in light of God’s eternal purpose, Joseph’s end as a ruler was only conducive to and secondary to the prophecy given to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, "I will show you a land, and in thee all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Joseph said to his brothers, "I’m going to die and God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land to the land he swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so carry my bones from Goshen (the land of provision) to the land of promise." Hallelujah! Praise God! What a statement of faith! What an eye of vision! Joseph knew he was in the place of God’s choosing, but at the same time he knew they were not in the Promised Land of God. I declare that God shall visit a generation of His seed at the close of this age and give to us our inheritance of sonship to be revealed to all nations. I will never forget when the Lord spoke to me and said the church will never do the works Jesus did or greater until we become as mature as Jesus became.

I recently heard a well known minister that stands in the office of a prophet, one of the five-fold ministry gifts to the church, give a prophecy about the abundance of finances that is going to be released to those in the body of Christ that have given faithfully to God. I have heard many proclaiming that this year and the year 2000 are the year of jubilee. A time of great financial prosperity shall come into our lives, freedom from sins that have beset so many. This is a season of God’s grace to all that are bound and in despair, they declare.

Now please don’t misunderstand this trumpet call. By no means am I suggesting that we disregard God’s promises of financial provision, and we are not denouncing nor refuting those prophecies. In fact, I personally embrace them on one hand, but with my right hand I hold the beacon of God’s eternal vision that has been held throughout centuries by God’s promised seed, enabling men and women to endure difficult and adverse situations and abject poverty. The vision that was written on their hearts was so profound that even when they had much, they did not compromise, nor were they blinded by the pleasures of provision.

The Old Covenant promise in Deuteronomy says that God gave the children of Israel power to get wealth to establish His covenant. Jesus said in the New Covenant, "I give you power to become sons of God and I will establish my covenant by writing my laws in your heart." Sure it takes money to publish and preach the gospel, especially with all the high tech communication systems we have in the 20th century. Yet Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world," and He had legions of angels and messengers at His command. If we focus only on the wealth used to publish the gospel, we can be distracted from our true inheritance of sonship (unlimited and creative power).

Do you know, once God reveals the Glory that He has hidden in earthen vessels (the full authority as joint heirs with Jesus), our ability will not be limited to money or transportation. Our ministry will not be limited to the written word, but we shall be read as living epistles by all men, and what they have read and heard of Jesus they will see and experience with us. We get a glimpse of this glorious power when we read of Jesus creating money and Philip being translated from one city to another. How about that for an airplane ride! We won't need to raise money to buy jets to go preach the gospel when this Glory is revealed. This is something that eyes haven’t seen, ears haven’t heard, nor entered into man’s carnal mind, but God has revealed to us by His Spirit what He has prepared for those who are called according to the purpose of all nations being blessed.

I am convinced that we can perish without this vision, and if it were possible, the elect would be fooled also, but thank God it is not possible. Jesus came and has given us a life far above our natural life in quality and essence. We have a divine nature. He came to give us an abundant life, not just an abundance of things in this life. I have enjoyed and yet enjoy the provision of the gifts of the Spirit of God that are in the part realm, but my eyes and affections are set on the fullness of God’s Glory in us to be revealed for the restoration of God’s creation. Yes, the best is yet to come, so don’t leave my bones in Egypt!

Let me remind you again I thank God for His provisions in Goshen (America – the world). I bless the Lord for allowing us to enjoy some limited pleasures of this world. But saints, we must wear this world like a loose garment, ready to release it at any time. I’m not coming to you with enticing words of man’s vision and intellect. I simply come with simple words, declaring the power of the gospel of the kingdom from the mouth of God. The spoken word is the only power that can cause us to be able to set our affections on spiritual blessings that are in Christ. The word is quick and powerful enough to divide the soulish desire from that which is spirit, and discern the intents of our hearts. For this cause, God is speaking to us through His anointed voice messengers to be on guard against the deception that can distract us from receiving all of our Spiritual Inheritance in this life.

When we take a closer look at what happened to Joseph’s brothers and their families after his death in Exodus chapter 1, the next generation was very fruitful and increased abundantly so that the land was filled with them. I believe they continued to enjoy the provision of God until another king arose that knew not Joseph. The scripture says this Pharaoh feared the children of Israel, for they were mighty in number. Now all this time the children of Israel were so occupied with the provision, they forgot to be concerned with the place of promise that God said He would bring them to. In the meantime, the king enslaved them and placed them under hard taskmasters.

My God, what a revelation of comparison to us today! For many, the American dream has become their worst nightmare. It seems the more you get, the more you need to keep up with the cost of living. We continue to bombard heaven for a financial breakthrough. The land of Egypt has become a burden. Husbands and wives are working to make ends meet, while children are being raised by taskmasters and kings that know not our Lord and Savior. Worse than that (and every one of us is a victim to this), our water is poisonous, our food cancerous, and the air we breath is polluted. Oh, but thank God for Christ in us, our hope of Glory, the life that is not sustained by natural substance, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Yes, I believe there's a generation that will not be harmed by the poisonous water, cancerous food, polluted air and any other danger to come in this age or the next, for this hope in us is set before us as our vision in the midst of God’s provision.

 

For additional information and materials, write to:

Richard Knox Ministries

2101 Woodburn Corners

Plano, Texas 75075

E-mail: csyas@ti.com