DeanSweetman.com » Provision http://deansweetman.com Sermons, Podcasts and Teachings to Live Your Best Life Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:55:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Dean Sweetman is Sr Pastor of the C3 Church with a campus in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He also serves as Executive Regional Overseer for C3 Americas. The Sweetmans moved to the USA in 1996 for the sole purpose of planting the Lawrenceville church. C3 Church currently serves the Atlanta community in a unique way through itís technology and charity work. Last year, Dean and Jill planted the C3 Church in Studio City, California. As Sr Pastors of both churches, they split their time between Atlanta and Studio City and have homes in both cities. Dean is a sought-after speaker in both church and business settings and an emerging author. His passionate and uncompromising preaching will inspire the most on-fire believer as challenge those who lack the fervor required to serve God. C3 Church in Lawrenceville, GA USA clean C3 Church in Lawrenceville, GA USA webmaster@christiancitychurch.com webmaster@christiancitychurch.com (C3 Church in Lawrenceville, GA USA) C3 Atlanta Online with Dean Sweetman DeanSweetman.com » Provision http://audio.thec3church.com/podcasticon.jpg http://deansweetman.com/category/provision/ The Four Rivers – The Euphrates http://deansweetman.com/2011/10/30/the-four-rivers-the-euphrates/ http://deansweetman.com/2011/10/30/the-four-rivers-the-euphrates/#comments Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:12:02 +0000 Dean http://deansweetman.com/?p=591 The Euphrates River–the final river in the Four Rivers series–is the river that means to “break forth into fruitfulness.” It is the simplest of the rivers to grasp: God wants us to be fruitful. That is it! So simple! God loves simple things. Humans make things too complicated; God makes it simple. He wants you to be fruitful, and the way to fruitfulness is obedience. Obey God. See? Simple.

Matthew 25 tells the tale of three servants entrusted with their master’s money while he is away on a long journey. It is an accepted fact that the man on the journey is Jesus. He is leaving for a time, and He entrusts His servants with His property. Jesus came to earth to save us and to establish the Kingdom. He got the work started through His death and resurrection. Then, He said, “The rest is up to you.” He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us in our charge to change the world. He trusted us with His resources (money,abilities, etc…) like the man in the parable entrusted his servants.

What happens next is the real gem. The man gives to his servants according to their abilities. Wait a second. That’s not very fair. Why don’t all the servants get an equal share? That’s because “fairness” is no Biblical. God wants us to have more then other people. He wants us to prosper and be fruitful. There is no ceiling or cap to that. It is ongoing. Those who cry over how unfair it is are the ones trapped in the small-mindedness of the world. Very simple. Two servants prospered because they used their resources; one did not. When the master returned, he rewarded those who increased and cursed the one who did not.

So use what God has given you! Sow it! Invest it! And watch the blessing of increase come into your world.

Verses Used:
*Matthew 25: 14-30
*Psalms 1

]]> http://deansweetman.com/2011/10/30/the-four-rivers-the-euphrates/feed/ 0 The Euphrates River--the final river in the Four Rivers series--is the river that means to "break forth into fruitfulness." It is the simplest of the rivers to grasp: God wants us to be fruitful. That is it! So simple! God loves simple things. The Euphrates River--the final river in the Four Rivers series--is the river that means to "break forth into fruitfulness." It is the simplest of the rivers to grasp: God wants us to be fruitful. That is it! So simple! God loves simple things. Humans make things too complicated; God makes it simple. He wants you to be fruitful, and the way to fruitfulness is obedience. Obey God. See? Simple. Matthew 25 tells the tale of three servants entrusted with their master's money while he is away on a long journey. It is an accepted fact that the man on the journey is Jesus. He is leaving for a time, and He entrusts His servants with His property. Jesus came to earth to save us and to establish the Kingdom. He got the work started through His death and resurrection. Then, He said, "The rest is up to you." He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us in our charge to change the world. He trusted us with His resources (money,abilities, etc...) like the man in the parable entrusted his servants. What happens next is the real gem. The man gives to his servants according to their abilities. Wait a second. That's not very fair. Why don't all the servants get an equal share? That's because "fairness" is no Biblical. God wants us to have more then other people. He wants us to prosper and be fruitful. There is no ceiling or cap to that. It is ongoing. Those who cry over how unfair it is are the ones trapped in the small-mindedness of the world. Very simple. Two servants prospered because they used their resources; one did not. When the master returned, he rewarded those who increased and cursed the one who did not. So use what God has given you! Sow it! Invest it! And watch the blessing of increase come into your world. Verses Used: *Matthew 25: 14-30 *Psalms 1 C3 Church in Lawrenceville, GA USA clean 33:41 The Four Rivers – The River of Anointing part 2 http://deansweetman.com/2011/10/02/the-four-rivers-%e2%80%93-the-river-of-anointing-part-2/ http://deansweetman.com/2011/10/02/the-four-rivers-%e2%80%93-the-river-of-anointing-part-2/#comments Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:01:35 +0000 Dean http://deansweetman.com/?p=568 The concept of the Rivers and the Garden continues to unfold the further we go into this series. The garden of the heart is filled with seeds that grow and produce fruit, providing even more seed. But what do we do with this new seed? Do we store it in barns, afraid that we won’t have enough seed in the future? Or do we give the seed to God and let Him scatter it? God can do more with the little seed that we have then we could ever hope to dream of if we keep it stored away. God has promised time and again that whatever we give to Him, He will give back to us. And He has also shown that whatever we hold in our hands, refusing to let go for fear of loss, will be lost through the decay of time and death. No man on his death bed is happy that he clung to all his riches. No, he wishes more than anything that he had done something with that which he had obtained.

The River Gihon, as stated last week, is the River of the Anointing. It means “to burst forth.” When something bursts up, it flows out. God began with the River Pishon (increase) and the moved on to Gihon (anointing or flow). You first receive increase and then you let it go somewhere. There is no use having seed if it is not going to go anywhere. You can have it all–fame, fortune, the praise and accord of others–but it means nothing without the anointing that flows out into the world.

John 9 tells the tale of Jesus healing a blind man by placing mud on his eyes and telling him to “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.” Siloam means “sent.” Siloam is also the spring of the River Gihon. Jesus sent the blind man on a mission to receive his healing. The blind man had to grope about, asking for help to find the spring of the sent. And it was there that he was healed. Gihon and Siloam are the River of the sent: those who are sent out on missions; those who are a part of other people’s miracles. Do you want to be a apart of someone’s miracle? Then GO! You don’t have to (and we strongly advise against this) put mud in people’s eyes. But speak well of them. Tell those in authority that their employees are the best! Help with your words and actions! And through that, people will receive their miracle.

Verses Used:
*Genesis 2: 13
*John 9:6 & 7
*I Kings 1: 32-35

]]> http://deansweetman.com/2011/10/02/the-four-rivers-%e2%80%93-the-river-of-anointing-part-2/feed/ 0 The concept of the Rivers and the Garden continues to unfold the further we go into this series. The garden of the heart is filled with seeds that grow and produce fruit, providing even more seed. But what do we do with this new seed? The concept of the Rivers and the Garden continues to unfold the further we go into this series. The garden of the heart is filled with seeds that grow and produce fruit, providing even more seed. But what do we do with this new seed? Do we store it in barns, afraid that we won't have enough seed in the future? Or do we give the seed to God and let Him scatter it? God can do more with the little seed that we have then we could ever hope to dream of if we keep it stored away. God has promised time and again that whatever we give to Him, He will give back to us. And He has also shown that whatever we hold in our hands, refusing to let go for fear of loss, will be lost through the decay of time and death. No man on his death bed is happy that he clung to all his riches. No, he wishes more than anything that he had done something with that which he had obtained. The River Gihon, as stated last week, is the River of the Anointing. It means "to burst forth." When something bursts up, it flows out. God began with the River Pishon (increase) and the moved on to Gihon (anointing or flow). You first receive increase and then you let it go somewhere. There is no use having seed if it is not going to go anywhere. You can have it all--fame, fortune, the praise and accord of others--but it means nothing without the anointing that flows out into the world. John 9 tells the tale of Jesus healing a blind man by placing mud on his eyes and telling him to “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.” Siloam means "sent." Siloam is also the spring of the River Gihon. Jesus sent the blind man on a mission to receive his healing. The blind man had to grope about, asking for help to find the spring of the sent. And it was there that he was healed. Gihon and Siloam are the River of the sent: those who are sent out on missions; those who are a part of other people's miracles. Do you want to be a apart of someone's miracle? Then GO! You don't have to (and we strongly advise against this) put mud in people's eyes. But speak well of them. Tell those in authority that their employees are the best! Help with your words and actions! And through that, people will receive their miracle. Verses Used: *Genesis 2: 13 *John 9:6 & 7 *I Kings 1: 32-35 C3 Church in Lawrenceville, GA USA clean 29:21 The Four Rivers – River of Increase http://deansweetman.com/2011/09/18/the-four-rivers-river-of-increase/ http://deansweetman.com/2011/09/18/the-four-rivers-river-of-increase/#comments Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:49:04 +0000 Dean http://deansweetman.com/?p=560 In Genesis 2, we get our first view of the garden God planted as the dwelling place for man. He called it “Eden,” meaning “paradise” or “place of delight.” Verse 10 tells us that the garden was watered by a river that flowed through and out of the garden, then dividing into four branches. Those four rivers were named Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates.

While we believe that Eden was a real place, it is also representative of the human heart. Each of us has the responsibility to tend the garden of our heart – the garden of who we are. The four rivers represent principles that God has given to help us cultivate good fruit in the garden of our lives. The first river, Pishon, represents increase and expansion, a principal that Jesus taught repeatedly. To experience increase in our own lives we must believe that God is our source of all things, learn how to get into God’s flow, and avoid the things that cause us to get out of the flow.

Today we live in a society filled with self-help gurus. As a result, we often think we can will ourselves to success if we just find the right book to read. But the river comes from God and we can’t will or self-help ourselves into the life He brings. If we try to make it in our own strength, there will come a point when our human strength will fail us. When difficulties come, when we can’t take one more step, we must look to the God of the River of Increase to be the source of whatever it is we need. Whether it’s strength, peace, joy, forgiveness, grace, patience, wisdom….whatever it is you think you’re out of, God has it and wants to give it to you. We only need to plant our lives by His river and let Him be our source.

We all know that water is an incredibly powerful thing. Rowing against a strong current will quickly tire you out and make it virtually impossible to reach your destination. But, as humans, we often seem bent on rowing against God’s flow – trying to get to our destiny under our own power. The Holy Spirit is God’s river. He flows into our hearts and wants to branch out into every area of our lives and spill over onto others. But we have to get into the flow.

You don’t need to look hard to find examples of people who have fought their way to the top but have not found happiness. Rowing against the river of God will never get you to a place of contentment. We each must decide to turn our boat and stop fighting God’s flow. The river may take us to places we don’t understand, but we will find ourselves in a place of unending increase that will spill over and grow the Kingdom of God. So come on and jump in, the water’s fine.

]]> http://deansweetman.com/2011/09/18/the-four-rivers-river-of-increase/feed/ 1 In Genesis 2, we get our first view of the garden God planted as the dwelling place for man. He called it “Eden,” meaning “paradise” or “place of delight.” Verse 10 tells us that the garden was watered by a river that flowed through and o... In Genesis 2, we get our first view of the garden God planted as the dwelling place for man. He called it “Eden,” meaning “paradise” or “place of delight.” Verse 10 tells us that the garden was watered by a river that flowed through and out of the garden, then dividing into four branches. Those four rivers were named Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. While we believe that Eden was a real place, it is also representative of the human heart. Each of us has the responsibility to tend the garden of our heart – the garden of who we are. The four rivers represent principles that God has given to help us cultivate good fruit in the garden of our lives. The first river, Pishon, represents increase and expansion, a principal that Jesus taught repeatedly. To experience increase in our own lives we must believe that God is our source of all things, learn how to get into God’s flow, and avoid the things that cause us to get out of the flow. Today we live in a society filled with self-help gurus. As a result, we often think we can will ourselves to success if we just find the right book to read. But the river comes from God and we can’t will or self-help ourselves into the life He brings. If we try to make it in our own strength, there will come a point when our human strength will fail us. When difficulties come, when we can’t take one more step, we must look to the God of the River of Increase to be the source of whatever it is we need. Whether it’s strength, peace, joy, forgiveness, grace, patience, wisdom….whatever it is you think you’re out of, God has it and wants to give it to you. We only need to plant our lives by His river and let Him be our source. We all know that water is an incredibly powerful thing. Rowing against a strong current will quickly tire you out and make it virtually impossible to reach your destination. But, as humans, we often seem bent on rowing against God’s flow – trying to get to our destiny under our own power. The Holy Spirit is God’s river. He flows into our hearts and wants to branch out into every area of our lives and spill over onto others. But we have to get into the flow. You don’t need to look hard to find examples of people who have fought their way to the top but have not found happiness. Rowing against the river of God will never get you to a place of contentment. We each must decide to turn our boat and stop fighting God’s flow. The river may take us to places we don’t understand, but we will find ourselves in a place of unending increase that will spill over and grow the Kingdom of God. So come on and jump in, the water’s fine. C3 Church in Lawrenceville, GA USA clean 35:48 First Fruits http://deansweetman.com/2011/02/23/first-fruits/ http://deansweetman.com/2011/02/23/first-fruits/#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 01:55:33 +0000 Dean http://deansweetman.com/?p=410 Leviticus 23:9-11 (NLT): Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you enter the land I am giving you and you harvest its first crops, bring the priest a bundle of grain from the first cutting of your grain harvest. On the day after the Sabbath, the priest will lift it up before the Lord so it may be accepted on your behalf. On that same day you must sacrifice a one-year-old male lamb with no defects as a burnt offering to the Lord.

The First Fruits, though mentioned seven times in the New Testament, is an Old Testament concept. Before we move forward into this essential truth, we must understand that the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, or the Law is still important to us of the New Covenant. Why? Because, though the Law presents itself as a long list of rules, it is, in reality, God establishing truth. Yes, the Law without its fulfillment (JESUS!) is a curse (as Paul says) upon life, making things so very hard. But, after Jesus came and fulfilled the law with His death and resurrection, we became free to look at the Law as God’s truths, and it is from this platform that we proceed into the First Fruits.

The First Fruits came out of a festival where the Hebrews would bring their first cut of grain and a one year old male lamb to be sacrificed before God. The offerings were presented to the Priests (thank God we no long need a priest to mediate for us; we have Jesus, the High Priest) on the day after the Sabbath. The priests would prepare the sacrifices and place them on the burning alter. God would smell the smoke and accept the offerings. Very simple. So, how does that apply to us now? Seeing as this is Atlanta, there is an obvious lack of sheep. And, as stated before, we live in the New Covenant where Jesus fulfilled the Law, so…do we need lambs?

No. But the principle is still the same. You see, the First Fruits is not about giving God a lamb-burger. It is about remembering what God has done for us. If you believe as I do, you know that Jesus died on a Friday; was in the grave through Saturday (the Sabbath); and rose again on Sunday (the day after Sabbath). Think that over for a minute. Jesus was presented as the perfect replacement on the day after Sabbath! Jesus is God’s First Fruit. When Jesus was crucified before a blood thirsty crowd whose only goal was to silence Him forever, His blood became the First Fruit–the Fulfillment of the Law. God wanted Jesus’ blood more than the crowds screaming “Crucify Him!” He wanted it so much because He knew that when the blood and water hit the ground that it was a seed being planted. And that when Jesus rose again on the third day, He became the fulfillment of First Fruits Law, and from that moment on, the Harvesting of the NATIONS would begin!

You see, in this, the New Covenant, the First Fruits is about PEOPLE. All throughout His ministry, Jesus used the image of grain and wheat to represent people. (“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”) The New Covenant First Fruit Sacrifice is all about People (wheat/grain), Jesus (the lamb), and the holy Spirit (the wine–wine was also part of the sacrifice). So, when you give in the First Fruits Offering, you are giving to the empowerment of the House to reap the harvest. You are giving to the changing of people’s lives. It is always about the people.

]]> http://deansweetman.com/2011/02/23/first-fruits/feed/ 0 Leviticus 23:9-11 (NLT): Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you enter the land I am giving you and you harvest its first crops, bring the priest a bundle of grain from the first cutting of your... Leviticus 23:9-11 (NLT): Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you enter the land I am giving you and you harvest its first crops, bring the priest a bundle of grain from the first cutting of your grain harvest. On the day after the Sabbath, the priest will lift it up before the Lord so it may be accepted on your behalf. On that same day you must sacrifice a one-year-old male lamb with no defects as a burnt offering to the Lord. The First Fruits, though mentioned seven times in the New Testament, is an Old Testament concept. Before we move forward into this essential truth, we must understand that the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, or the Law is still important to us of the New Covenant. Why? Because, though the Law presents itself as a long list of rules, it is, in reality, God establishing truth. Yes, the Law without its fulfillment (JESUS!) is a curse (as Paul says) upon life, making things so very hard. But, after Jesus came and fulfilled the law with His death and resurrection, we became free to look at the Law as God's truths, and it is from this platform that we proceed into the First Fruits. The First Fruits came out of a festival where the Hebrews would bring their first cut of grain and a one year old male lamb to be sacrificed before God. The offerings were presented to the Priests (thank God we no long need a priest to mediate for us; we have Jesus, the High Priest) on the day after the Sabbath. The priests would prepare the sacrifices and place them on the burning alter. God would smell the smoke and accept the offerings. Very simple. So, how does that apply to us now? Seeing as this is Atlanta, there is an obvious lack of sheep. And, as stated before, we live in the New Covenant where Jesus fulfilled the Law, so...do we need lambs? No. But the principle is still the same. You see, the First Fruits is not about giving God a lamb-burger. It is about remembering what God has done for us. If you believe as I do, you know that Jesus died on a Friday; was in the grave through Saturday (the Sabbath); and rose again on Sunday (the day after Sabbath). Think that over for a minute. Jesus was presented as the perfect replacement on the day after Sabbath! Jesus is God's First Fruit. When Jesus was crucified before a blood thirsty crowd whose only goal was to silence Him forever, His blood became the First Fruit--the Fulfillment of the Law. God wanted Jesus' blood more than the crowds screaming "Crucify Him!" He wanted it so much because He knew that when the blood and water hit the ground that it was a seed being planted. And that when Jesus rose again on the third day, He became the fulfillment of First Fruits Law, and from that moment on, the Harvesting of the NATIONS would begin! You see, in this, the New Covenant, the First Fruits is about PEOPLE. All throughout His ministry, Jesus used the image of grain and wheat to represent people. (“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.") The New Covenant First Fruit Sacrifice is all about People (wheat/grain), Jesus (the lamb), and the holy Spirit (the wine--wine was also part of the sacrifice). So, when you give in the First Fruits Offering, you are giving to the empowerment of the House to reap the harvest. You are giving to the changing of people's lives. It is always about the people. C3 Church in Lawrenceville, GA USA clean 22:24 The Response http://deansweetman.com/2010/09/12/the-response/ http://deansweetman.com/2010/09/12/the-response/#comments Sun, 12 Sep 2010 20:38:23 +0000 Dean http://deansweetman.com/?p=320 Genesis 14:17-20 (NLT): After Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.

Psalms 110: 4 (NLT): The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 6:19-20 (NLT): This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. (con. in chp. 7)

Money is a real thing. It is easy for Christians to have faith in eternity. Eternity is unseen. We can hope for something unseen and seemingly far off. That’s simple. But money is right in front of us. Day and night, it is on our minds. Do we have enough? How can we get more? It plagues relationships and destroys marriages. There is no freedom in money….UNLESS it is used to the glory of God.

Now, in order to use money for God’s purposes, you need to know the TRUTH about the tithe. The Tithe is not a “give God lots of money and He will give you ever more money!” (Though, it is 100% Biblically true that blessing is on your life if you tithe). I cannot prove the “give money and God gives more money” ideology Biblically at all. I prefer to teach the Bible, so the Bible I will teach. In regards to the tithe, here is what I have found.

The Genesis account of Abram and Melchizedek is the first ever mention of the tithe. It happened long before the early church sold all their things (homes and fields included) in order to provide for the poor, long before Jesus said for us to give him everything, and long before the Law dictated that the Hebrews tithe. This event happened at the very start of God’s redemptive plans for the earth.

God chooses Abram as the vessel to begin the plans of redemption for earth. When God wants to move on earth, He chooses one person to use. He is preparing Abram. During this time of preparation, Abram achieves a great victory through the Lord. He gains massive wealth! Immediately, the world comes in to make a deal. The King of Sodom represents the world. He is hoping to trick Abram into a deal. (Even now, the world is trying to strike a deal for your money: “Buy this or that or wear this or eat that, and you will feel good about yourself!”) But God intervenes.

Enter Melchizedek: a man with no family, no lineage, and no point of origin. He simple appears. This is odd, for everything and everyone in the Old Testament has some sort of origin in the form of “Such and such begot from such and such and so on.” There is nothing like that for Melchizedek. But we do know one thing about him: He is the King of Justice and Peace (“Melchizedek” means Justice; “Salem” means Peace).

He and Abram meet at a table where He, Melchizedek, produces bread and wine. Together, they break the bread and eat. Then, Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth of his spoils. Such a strange response! Completely against human nature or will. Abram gives it without prodding. Melchizedek does not ask or demand it of him. Abram simply gives it as a response. What is it to which he is responding? God.

Melchizedek–it is believed by many scholars including myself–is actually Jesus. There are several points in the Old Testament where Jesus came before His time to encourage His people. These events are known as Theophany. Jesus came in the midst of chaos, and Abram responded to Him. You see, even here, before Law or Salvation, God was establishing structured principles into the earth; He was sending truth in the chaos. The bread and wine were not by accident. Jesus was sharing the covenant with Abram. And Abram’s heart responded to God by giving ten percent of what he had.

God was not after Abram’s stuff. God is not anti-stuff. He is not out to steal all your stuff. God truly is not concerned with your stuff. He says it plainly in His Word that if you put HIM first, then you can have all your heart desires (Matthew 6:33). Stuff is not the issue. God wants your heart. It was Abram’s heart that responded to Melchizedek. It was his heart that drove him to give. And that is the truth of the tithe. Yes, we could study the laws that dictate tithe; yes, we could look at Jesus and see what He asked for (and 10% looks mighty nice next to the 100% Jesus requires); and yes, we can even preach on how the early church gave up everything. But God is interested in the response of the heart. How does your heart respond?

]]> http://deansweetman.com/2010/09/12/the-response/feed/ 1 Genesis 14:17-20 (NLT): After Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek, Genesis 14:17-20 (NLT): After Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Mos... C3 Church in Lawrenceville, GA USA clean 36:43 The Provision of God http://deansweetman.com/2009/01/20/the-provision-of-god/ http://deansweetman.com/2009/01/20/the-provision-of-god/#comments Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:31:22 +0000 Dean http://deanandjill.com/2009/01/20/the-provision-of-god/ Matthew 6:25-31 (NLT) 25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

On the issue of priorities, we need to understand that God cares about our lives. In the Christian world, people go to extremes. Some people believe everything will drop out of thin air if they put enough faith into the moment. Other people will fall to the influence of the world and spend beyond their means in order to impress the world. Suddenly, people are in trouble financially because they chased after the wants and needs of the world. Then their is the crowd of people who believe it is pious to live a life of poverty. They don’t want anything. All of these mindsets are very, very human. But you see, we are trying to move out of the human mindset and move to the God mindset.

Here is the truth. God doesn’t care about your stuff. He is concerned about your heart. When Jesus spoke these words, He was addressing a group of people who were more concerned with the outward appearance that they forgot the heart. They strove for the praise and acceptance of the world by getting all the right stuff. Jesus was saying that He did not care about all your stuff. If you want that stuff, He can get it for you–He will provide all you need–but it is not important to Him. The only thing He is concerned with is your heart.

The end of the passage says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” God doesn’t mind you wanting things. He wants to be the one to GIVE IT to you. He wants you to give Him everything first, and then He will give it back. But what if God doesn’t give you the thing you want? What if He doesn’t give you the big house or the fancy car or the designer clothes? Will you give up? Or will you serve? When God gives you the thing you want, it is way different than what you thought you wanted. When we scheme to get things, it gets complicated. We try to make things happen. God says, “Na ah. You, sit down. I’ll do it.”

This is a passage about losing control. God wants you to relinquish control of your life. That is a frightening thing! God wants you to trust Him and to let go of control. God knows better than we do what is best for us. We give our lives to Him, and He will add stuff back to us. This is one of the things that separate the fans of God from the friends of God. Jesus said, “You are no longer my servants, you are my friends.” God wants friends. The fans keep their stuff together on the outside. Jesus said, “Let’s forget about the outside and get things right on the inside.” Friends of God allow Him in. If you have to keep doing things on the outside to prove your righteousness to the world, you missed it.

Let’s prioritize. On the first Sunday of the year, let’s put God first. At the beginning of the year, people come back to God. They’ve lived a rough life or have gone through a tough time, and they cry out to God for help. He sends people to help and bring these people into the House. Sometimes it takes a crisis to come to Christ. So, these people come into the House and like it, but it is hard for them to get into the grove of putting God first. It is not a habit for them…yet. Now, your salvation does not depend on your church attendance, but your spiritual growth absolutely depends on your church attendance. It is the first day of the week. You put God first in your week by coming to church. Sunday represents new life and a refreshing of your world that trickles down through the week. The fact that we give it to God is an incredible habit to incorporate into your life.

You can put God first in your finances by giving ten percent of your income in tithe. You can put God first in your relationships by having God’s love in the midst of every relationship you have. Both of these are habits you develop. Love casts out fear; fear manifests in bitterness or (to an extreme) hatred. With love in your heart, these things cannot creep in or rob you. Putting God first by loving people and telling them “I love you!” will make your life thrive. Life is dependent on the people we love and are connected to and who we allow to speak into our lives. When your heart connects to someone, there is a transaction. A connection is made, a powerful one, that will change your life. Connect to people who are going the same way as you, who are Kingdom people, and who share your vision. No one can be super-Christian on their own. Heart connections give strength and support. The Bible says to guard your heart, for out of it flow the issues of the world. Heart connections influence everything for good or ill. All relationships are a heart connection.

Putting God first might mean you prioritizing your heart connections, which ultimately comes back to connecting to God’s House. The world is not the primary source for relationship–though we love the world and strive to reach it. Fellowship and connection are key in our church. It is too easy to get connected in this place. Who you connect with matters. Make God a priority in the people you share a heart connection with.

John 4:35 (NLT) 35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.

What a powerful principle; what an amazing truth. Jesus alludes to the possibility that the way you see things in a natural sense don’t have to be that way. Don’t say that their is a specific time to go out and work. Now is the time. The thing that you can see with your natural eyes does not have to be that way. We can look at the circumstances and live differently; circumstances don’t have to dictate our world. Do not say recession equals poverty. Do not say the market’s bad. Do not say that there is four months and then the harvest. Lift up your eyes. There is another place to look–other than your bank account, paycheck, or job–for provision. Look up and see something different. Look up to God and see the possibilities. Shield your heart with faith and lift up your eyes and see that it is ripe for harvest. In the natural, there is no provision; in God’s world, there is more than enough. By putting God first and making Jesus the preeminent power in your life, your world will change this year. You will begin to see what God sees. Put God first and see the possibilities.

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