THE SECRET STRENGTH AND SUPPLY FACTOR

Hello all of you 98 pound weaklings. Anyone kicked sand in your face lately? Have you had NEED to bulk up and deal with the bullies in your life? Do you find yourself lacking...in areas of finance, peace, confidence, (fill in the blank of what you need)? Well...welcome to my world.

As believers...we know deep down in our gut...and in the back of our minds...that God is in control. The problem is that we can talk the talk...but when it comes time to walk the walk...we tend to stumble. It is EASY (shout out to the Easy Elder)... to trust God...when we do not have any NEEDS...it is easy to be STRONG when there is no opposition...BUT the rubber meets the road...in the face of conflict.

We love a couple of verses found in Philippians chapter 4...verses 13 and 19. They read..."I CAN DO all things through CHRIST who strengthens me."...and "My God SHALL SUPPLY all your NEEDS according to His riches in glory in CHRIST JESUS." Ohhhhh..
yes...and amen...hallelujah!

But...when we CAN'T DO... and we are WEAK as bag of bones in a Charles Atlas ad...and our out go exceeds our income...we tend to weaken in our FAITH...try to do things on our own...get discouraged...lose hope...and quit.

NEVER FEAR....UNDERDOG IS HERE. There is hope...confident expectation...BUT...you have to back up a few verses...before you get to verse 13 and 19.

There is a promise of peace...but again there is a precursor to the PEACE. There is a SECRET...and it is meant to be revealed. Let's check out the SECRET STRENGTH AND SUPPLY FACTOR. Read the entire fourth chapter of Philippians.

KEY PRINCIPLES TO STRENGTH AND SUPPLY

Verse 1: Stand firm in the Lord. Anyone can give up...but you got to persevere....never give up...hang in there like a bitin' sow...take a stand. Notice that you are not standing firm in your own abilities...in your own faith...in the government...in other people...but you are standing FIRM in the Lord.

Verse 2: Live in harmony. If you have something against someone...get it right. As long as you are out of key with someone...as long as you are hitting sour notes....as long as you are walking in bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness...you will not reach verses 13 and 19.

Verse 3: Help others to accomplish verse 2. We are the body of Christ... and we really do need one another. We are not Lone Rangers...we are Multiple Rangers...with Multiple Tontos oh Keemosabe.

Verse 4: Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS (in the good, bad, ugly) and agians I say REJOICE (underscoring the importance). The word rejoice means to be full of CHEER, calmly happy, well off. I have always read this as something focused on MYSELF...but in reading this definition...it states that this is used as a GREETING to others. We are called to speak forth blessings on others...speaking cheer to others...to speak forth being calmly happy or well off to others. As we focous on others we enter in to true JOY. J=Jesus first O=Others second Y=You last. It really is not all about you baby.

Verse 5: Let...or allow (your choice) your forbearing (humble, moderate) spirit BE KNOWN to all men. Let your light shine. Live out your faith in front of others. Yes...your faith is a private intimate affair between you and your God...but you are THE LIGHTS OF THE WORLD. As Jesus taught...LET YOU LIGHTS SHINE BEFORE MEN.

Verse 5: The Lord Is NEAR. As Watchman Nee says...if we really believed that the Lord lives in us...then we might not do and say some of the things we do. Let their be an awareness of His presense...like Brother Lawrence did as he PRACTICED THE PRESENCE OF GOD...in the mundane things of life like...washing pots and pans in a monastary kitchen. Is your life as mundane as a monestary?

Verse 6: BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING. Of course it says BE anxious but what it means is DON'T BE anxious. Again...BE...reflects the ability to choose anxiety...or choose NOT to be anxious. The perameters of our anxiety is NOTHING and EVERYTHING. Take a piece of paper...divide it down the middle...on one side write the word NOTHING...and on the other side write EVERYTHING. Now...on the NOTHING side...list all of your worries, anxieties, fears, cares, doubts, unbeliefs. Be specific... God will not be shocked by what you put down. NOW...take an arrow and transfer all of your NOTHINGS...into the EVERYTHING category. THEY ARE THE SAME THING.

Verse 6: Now...we deal with the NOTHINGS AND EVERYTHINGS.

a. Prayer: Conversation with God. Talk to Him. Open up the lines of communication. Let it be a dialouge not a monolouge.

b. Supplication: A specific list. Not shotgun prayers. If you need your electric bill paid...tell Him..and how much you need down to the penny. Do it with a humble attitude. Remember also that He will meet your needs not your greeds. If you are lonely...tell Him. If you are sick and need a healing, tell Him. BE SPECIFIC.

c. With Thanksgiving: You pray..you supplicate...and while you DO NOT see or feel an answer...you begin to THANK HIM before you see anything happen. This is praying in faith. Act as if it is true. The difference between someone praying for rain is one person prays for rain...the other person carries an umbrella with confident expectation that it will rain. It's like a movie I saw last night at our karate school..FACING THE GIANTS. The farmer that plants his field and does not prepare for the harvest...is not really expecting a crop. Thanksgiving before anything changes...is an indicator of trusting God.

Verse 7: The cause and effect of doing these things...is PEACE that PASSESS ALL UNDERSTANDING AND COMPREHENSION. The type of peace that we understand...is when there is an absence of conflict. We understand that when there is no war...there is peace...BUT...God wants us to have peace in the middle of the whirlwind...when things are not resolved...when the electric bill is not paid...when the doctor's report is bad. This can ONLY COME...when we are practicing verses 1-6 at this point....and to enter into a place where we know that God will meet our needs and give us strenght definitely must come by this way.

Verse 7: This PEACE...acts as a GUARD...much like the elite Roman Garrisons (The Green Beret and Navy Seals combined) who would surround a city. This peace will surround our hearts and our minds (the place of warfare and conflict)...and set guard...in CHRIST (The anointing that lifts burdens, destroys yokes) Jesus.


Verse 8: The question is...where is your MIND DWELLING? What's on your noodle? Is your thinkin'...stinkin'? Where you're dwellin'...will be tellin'...on you lips. Your mouth is the spout that reveals your heart and who or what you are really trusting when the pressure is on. Here are a list of the WHATEVERS that we need to be letting our MINDS DWELL ON:

a. Whatever is TRUE: "Sanctify them by thy Word...thy Word is TRUTH." John 17:17

b. Whatever is HONORABLE: Venerable, honest, grave. Walk in the light as He is in the light...and not a lie.

c. Whatever is LOVLEY: How lovely is your dwelling place...oh Lord of host. Get in His Presence

d. Whatever is of GOOD REPORT: Whose report are you going to believe...I will believe the REPORT of the Lord. 12 spys went in to spy out the promised land...2 came back with a GOOD REPORT...10 logged in a BAD REPORT.

e. If there is any EXCELLENCE: Get your mind of the mediocre and focus on His excellence.

f. If there is anything WORTHY OF PRAISE: What worth do you put in God moving in your life...the GET YOUR PRAISE ON.

Verse 9: The ball is in your court. Paul says that what you have:

a. learned
b. received
c. heard
d. seen

then...PRACTICE THESE THINGS. Practice means do them...mess up... get up and do it again until they become second nature. You only fail...when you don't get up again.

Verses 10-12 lays out THE SECRET of having and not having...THE SECRET of living in prosperity...and getting along with humble means...THE SECRET of being filled...and going hungry... THE SECRET of any and every circumstance...THE SECRET of having abundance and suffering need. This SECRET is the KEY to STRENTH AND SUPPLY that you have been preparing for from verse 1 of Philippians 4.

The SECRET is found in verse 11...not that I SPEAK from want. Again... your lips reveal your heart. Pauls condition was not based on his circumstance or his checking account. Paul learned the SECRET to SPEAK from a position of CONTENTMENT versus SPEAKING from a position of want, need, weakness, fear, anxiety, bitterness, etc. He spoke from a position on what his MIND had been DWELLING ON found in verse 8.

Now you are ready for STRENGTH AND SUPPLY.

Stand firm in the Lord...live in harmony in the Lord...help those who share the struggle...Rejoice in the Lord always as you speak forth blessing to others...allow people to see your humble spirit...realize the Lord is near...choose not to be anxious for anything...pray, supplicate and thank Him before you see an answer...live with a guarded heart and mind, and let you mind dwell on Him...and speak from a place of hope.

Thanks for hanging in there as you read this. If you did you are truly a Ruminator.

Love and Long Winded Kisses
Rodney "Supplied and Strong In Him" Boyd