Overcoming Fear of Lack: Embracing God's Abundance
Summary
In today's message, we explored the pervasive fear of lack that many of us experience, whether it be a lack of resources, time, or energy. This fear often partners with the fear of failure, creating a paralyzing effect that keeps us from stepping into the fullness of what God has for us. We examined three key questions to help us break free from this fear: What do you have? Where did you get it? What are you doing with it?
The first question, "What do you have?" challenges us to recognize the resources and abilities we already possess. We often overlook these because we're focused on what we lack. Through the stories of Moses and the widow with the oil, we see that God can perform miracles with what seems ordinary or insufficient. Moses had only a staff, yet God used it to part the Red Sea. The widow had just a jar of oil, but it became the means for her family's survival. These stories remind us that God can do extraordinary things with our seemingly ordinary resources.
The second question, "Where did you get it?" prompts us to acknowledge that everything we have comes from God. Our talents, opportunities, and even the breath in our lungs are gifts from Him. Recognizing God as the source shifts our perspective and helps us to use our resources for His purposes rather than our own. This understanding keeps us humble and focused on serving others.
The third question, "What are you doing with it?" is a call to action. It's not enough to merely possess gifts; we must use them to glorify God and benefit others. The parable of the talents illustrates the importance of investing what we have been given. God calls us to be good stewards, using our time, talents, and resources to advance His kingdom. By doing so, we move from a state of waiting to one of walking in faith.
Key Takeaways:
- The fear of lack often partners with the fear of failure, creating a paralyzing effect that keeps us from stepping into God's plans. Recognizing this fear and confronting it with faith is crucial to living a life of abundance and purpose. [03:13]
- God can perform extraordinary miracles with our ordinary resources. Like Moses' staff and the widow's oil, what we have may seem insignificant, but in God's hands, it becomes powerful. We must learn to see our resources as God sees them. [13:30]
- Everything we have is a gift from God, and acknowledging Him as the source shifts our perspective. This understanding helps us use our resources for His purposes, keeping us humble and focused on serving others. [31:31]
- We are called to be good stewards of what God has given us. The parable of the talents teaches us to invest and multiply our gifts, using them to glorify God and benefit others. This is how we advance His kingdom. [36:12]
- Moving from waiting to walking in faith requires action. We must use what we have, trusting that God will guide and multiply our efforts. By doing so, we align ourselves with His plans and experience His provision. [49:54]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:11] - Opening Prayer
- [00:40] - Introduction to Key Verses
- [02:53] - The Fear of Lack
- [04:30] - Identifying the Fear of Lack
- [06:21] - Beyond Money: The True Nature of Lack
- [08:33] - Breaking Free from Fear
- [09:24] - Question 1: What Do You Have?
- [11:52] - Moses and the Staff
- [16:01] - The Widow's Oil
- [22:22] - Using What You Have
- [26:54] - Question 2: Where Did You Get It?
- [30:13] - Jesus' Experience in Nazareth
- [35:07] - Question 3: What Are You Doing With It?
- [45:25] - Moving from Waiting to Walking
- [52:57] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Philippians 4:19 - "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
2. Matthew 6:31-33 - "Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
3. Luke 12:24 - "Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!"
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Observation Questions:
1. What examples from the sermon illustrate how God can use ordinary resources to perform extraordinary miracles? ([13:30])
2. How does the fear of lack manifest in our lives according to the sermon? ([04:30])
3. What was the significance of the staff in Moses' story, and how did God use it? ([12:57])
4. How did the widow's jar of oil become a means of provision for her family? ([19:13])
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does recognizing God as the source of our resources change our perspective on what we have? ([31:31])
2. In what ways does the fear of lack partner with the fear of failure, and how can this affect our actions? ([03:28])
3. How does the parable of the talents illustrate the importance of using what we have been given? ([36:12])
4. What does it mean to move from waiting to walking in faith, and how is this demonstrated in the sermon? ([49:54])
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt paralyzed by the fear of lack. How did it affect your decisions, and what steps can you take to confront this fear with faith? ([04:30])
2. Identify a resource or talent you currently possess that you have overlooked. How can you begin to use it for God's purposes this week? ([13:30])
3. Consider the question, "Where did you get it?" How does acknowledging God as the source of your abilities and resources influence your daily life and decisions? ([31:31])
4. What is one specific action you can take this week to be a better steward of what God has given you? How can you use it to serve others and glorify God? ([36:12])
5. Think of a situation where you are currently waiting for the "perfect" conditions to act. What small step can you take today to start walking in faith? ([49:54])
6. How can you shift your focus from what you lack to what you have, and how might this change your approach to challenges in your life? ([05:19])
7. Reflect on the story of the widow's oil. What is one "jar of oil" in your life that you can offer to God, trusting Him to multiply it? ([19:13])
Devotional
Day 1: Confronting the Fear of Lack
The fear of lack is a common struggle that many people face, often accompanied by the fear of failure. This combination can create a paralyzing effect, preventing individuals from stepping into the fullness of what God has planned for them. Recognizing and confronting this fear with faith is crucial to living a life of abundance and purpose. By acknowledging these fears, individuals can begin to trust in God's provision and move forward with confidence. [03:13]
"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV)
Reflection: What specific fear of lack is holding you back today, and how can you confront it with faith in God's provision?
Day 2: Seeing the Extraordinary in the Ordinary
God has the power to perform extraordinary miracles with our ordinary resources. The stories of Moses' staff and the widow's oil illustrate that what we have may seem insignificant, but in God's hands, it becomes powerful. By learning to see our resources as God sees them, we can trust that He will use them for His purposes. This perspective shift allows us to recognize the potential in what we already possess and to step out in faith, knowing that God can do great things through us. [13:30]
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20, ESV)
Reflection: What ordinary resource or ability do you have that you can offer to God today, trusting Him to use it for extraordinary purposes?
Day 3: Acknowledging God as the Source
Everything we have is a gift from God, and acknowledging Him as the source shifts our perspective. This understanding helps us use our resources for His purposes, keeping us humble and focused on serving others. By recognizing that our talents, opportunities, and even the breath in our lungs are gifts from God, we can align our actions with His will and serve others with a heart of gratitude. This perspective fosters humility and a desire to glorify God in all that we do. [31:31]
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:17, ESV)
Reflection: How can you acknowledge God as the source of your gifts today, and in what ways can you use them to serve others?
Day 4: Stewardship and the Call to Action
We are called to be good stewards of what God has given us. The parable of the talents teaches us to invest and multiply our gifts, using them to glorify God and benefit others. This is how we advance His kingdom. By taking action and using our gifts, we move from a state of waiting to one of walking in faith. This active stewardship requires intentionality and a willingness to step out in faith, trusting that God will guide and multiply our efforts. [36:12]
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." (1 Peter 4:10, ESV)
Reflection: What specific gift or resource can you invest in today to glorify God and benefit others, and what steps will you take to do so?
Day 5: From Waiting to Walking in Faith
Moving from waiting to walking in faith requires action. We must use what we have, trusting that God will guide and multiply our efforts. By doing so, we align ourselves with His plans and experience His provision. This transition from passivity to active faith involves taking concrete steps to use our resources and abilities for God's purposes. As we walk in faith, we open ourselves to experiencing God's provision and guidance in new and powerful ways. [49:54]
"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." (Proverbs 16:3, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to move from waiting to walking in faith, and what action can you take today to begin that journey?
Quotes
The fear of lack is a gripping kind of a fear that revolves around the belief that there's never going to be enough. Think about that—never going to be enough. There'll never be enough resources, there'll never be enough provision, there'll never be enough security. [00:03:47]
You can quickly tell if you're operating in the fear of lack if you constantly feel like no matter what you do, there's never going to be enough. There's never going to be enough money, there's never going to be enough time, there's never going to be enough energy to accomplish the thing that God put in your heart to do. [00:04:35]
God never, he never ever has been in the business of asking you to do something that you can do on your own. God wants faith to be involved with what you do. He operates by faith, he does things by faith, he accomplishes things by faith. [00:11:05]
When God asks you, "What do you have?" you have to understand it's a rhetorical question. In fact, every question that God has asked or ever will ask is rhetorical. He's not asking because he doesn't know; he's asking because he's trying to include you in something supernatural. [00:14:24]
The things that we have very well may seem very ordinary, very basic, not much to it. But when we surrender those things to God, extraordinary things can then happen. [00:15:42]
You will never have what you need until you use what you have. Did you hear me? You will never have what you need until you use what you have. [00:22:28]
Everything we have ultimately comes from God—our abilities, our possessions, our money, our time, our opportunities, and right now even the breath in your lungs right now. All of it is from him, all of it is his. [00:31:59]
When you submit yourself to the Lord, you start realizing he's the source of all of it. He's the one that's given you anything you have. And here's the key: when we do that and we entrust those things to God, we understand that those resources are to fulfill his purposes. [00:32:44]
We're called to be good stewards of all that God has given us, which includes our time, talent, resources, opportunities—all those things. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us this: we are God's workmanship, created for good works. [00:36:38]
If you continuously wait until you have enough information, all of the supernatural ability, all the strength of God, all the finances, the perfect opportunities, all the perfect circumstances, you will just remain in a continuous stagnant position. [00:43:12]
Every single day you can choose to do something that moves you forward and honors the Lord or not. You have a choice to see things God's way or the world's way. The world has this selfish mentality about it, and it's always going to limit you and hold you back. [00:45:25]
When you choose to do what you can with what you have, you move from waiting to walking. [00:49:54]
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