DynaMOMENTS – The 5 P’s of God’s Provision
My Friends,
Let me remind you again to check out my book HEALTH THROUGH THE PSALMS: To Do God’s Will which you can find on Amazon. It is a simple jump start to help you get rid of clutter and seek peace. But today, let’s hear some good stuff from my pastor.
Philippians 4:19:
“And my God shall supply all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”
As usual, my pastor recently gave another very good sermon. This is information from his sermon based on Philippians 4:19. He entitled this The 5 P’s of God’s Provision. After listening, I realized that many other P’s exist that we could tie into our health. His 5 were for spiritual health, to encourage us in our faith, to trust our Lord no matter what, to cease from worrying and fretting, to relinquish control to God and to have peace in our lives. This is our goal for health: to have peace in our lives, in our brains and bodies and beliefs. We need spiritual peace to combat stressors in our lives. This leads to more peace.
Here is a synopsis of his 5 P’s.
NUMBER 1: PROVIDER – God is our provider. The Apostle Paul didn’t just call God, “God”: He actually called him, “my God.” This puts a very personal touch on the message. This should infuse us with confidence. Yes, my God. MY God will supply all of my need. MY God. Maybe we should say these with the emphasis on “MY” so that we realize again that He is MY God; He isn’t just out there like an 800 number. He is our God. MY God. He has a personal interest in you and me. He is MY GOD.
NUMBER 2: PROMISE – Promise stems from the word used for future tense. The word here is “shall.” This enables us to “trust” God for tomorrow no matter what that may bring. We do not need to worry about anything. So, what might you or I worry about? Is it family? Money? Health? Relationships? Academics? An interview? An intimidating person? Not having enough? All of this worry causes stress. No matter what, we are able to trust Him for tomorrow because He SHALL supply what we need.
NUMBER 3: PROVISION – God will supply ALL of your needs, not just some of them, but all of them. God is ABLE. He knows where the resources are even before you realize you need them. He prepares them in advance. So, we are able to ask ourselves – What are we hungry for? This is sure to bring us peace no matter what we hunger for. I might add, be careful that you do not confuse your needs with your desires. The two are entirely different and actually oppose the importance of the provision. God is able to supply both, but your needs, not your wants are primary.
NUMBER 4: PURSE – My pastor admitted he used this word because he wanted to keep the alliteration going. His point is that God’s purse holds the riches of His kingdom, of His glory, of His all. This is beyond our comprehension and our ability to even desire. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him. He knows where the resources are. He placed them there. He equipped others with what you might need. Truly, his purse is quite an enormous pocketbook. He won’t run out of resources to satisfy your needs.
NUMBER 5: PERSON – The key phrase here: “in Christ Jesus.” Our Lord paid the price for our freedom, for our standing with God to approach His throne boldly. This is important to note. Are you in Christ Jesus or do you just approach God when you realize you have need? God wants more from us than this. Don’t you think He is worthy of your attention both in need and in plenty. Too often, we get distracted from God when we do not have needs; in other words, when things are going smoothly and we have plenty. Having need is a place of humility and trust. Embrace this safe place with trust and confidence in our Lord who is able and who never runs low on the resources of love, of blessing, of mercy, of grace, of the desire to embrace you.
NOW, let’s look at the 5 P’s of health that I glean from this.
NUMBER 1: PEACE – You got it. Seek peace and pursue it my friends. Seek peace in relationships. Seek peace in your mind (take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ; think on what is pure, lovely and just). Seek peace in your body. Get enough sleep. Get away from sugar. Get away from people who cause you stress even if it is just intimidation which will lead to stress in your body. Get away from bags and boxes which contain addicted types of “food stuff” but no nutrition. Get away from the IB’s, the “idiot boxes” of technology that cause you to surf and waste time with mindless wandering which might tantalize your time and entice you away from God. Yes, seek peace.
NUMBER 2: PERSEVERANCE – Do NOT give up. No matter what your goals are, no matter how difficult something is, no matter how frustrated and disheartened you are, remember that nothing is too difficult for God, absolutely nothing. If He called you to do a work, He will make it happen. He has called us to be healthy in our brains, bodies and beliefs so trust Him for this. Persevere with the habit of avoiding the toxins of sugar and junk food and let God purify you from the inside out as you continue to confess your sins, eat real food (no bags or boxes) and live according to habits that promote peace and health.
NUMBER 3: PATIENCE – Yes, be patient. You might not see the changes in your body that you want to see right away, but believe me, every step you take in the direction of good health will cause improvements. Continue to get adequate sleep. Continue to avoid sugar. Continue to eat fiber and the colors of the rainbow. Continue to get enough protein for your body’s needs. Continue to forgive and encourage others. Yes, press on with patient trust, obedience, and diligence. Be patient and you will see and embrace the peace that God has for you. He is faithful.
NUMBER 4: PRUDENCE – Listen to the wise words of Proverbs: The prudent see danger ahead and take another path. The pursuit of peace in your brain, body and beliefs requires some prudent decisions which will omit temptations. You might need to avoid certain people who tempt you to ingest toxins and non-nutritious items. You might need to turn and walk away from toxic and dangerous relationships and conversations as well as gossip and complaining. You might need to take a different drive to work to avoid the donuts or coffee that you like to grab along the way. You might need to avoid your phone, so it doesn’t keep you from adequate sleep or from productive efforts. Only you know. Be prudent in little decisions. These add up to a successful day, a day that chases after and rests in peace.
NUMBER 5: PURPOSE – God made you for a purpose. This purpose was not for you or me to be stressed, unhealthy, depressed, exhausted, lonely, unfulfilled, angry, oppressed, intimidated, overworked, or fearful. He made you and me to do good works for Him. These include actually doing the good work by being energetic and loving enough to do them. He created you and me with full intention to follow the path of peace HE has for us. This includes making healthy choices. Our health matters not just to you and me but to others; to the church, our families, our neighbors, our employers, and coworkers and indeed the whole world. Yes, little ol’ you and me have a grand purpose that might seem small, but in reality, it is big in God’s eyes because they were made by HIM for us to do.
So, my friends, seek peace and pursue it with perseverance, patience, prudence and the purpose that HE gives you. Be blameless, my friends, with these 5 P’s today. Thanks, Pastor!
And by the way, don’t forget about my book HEALTH THROUGH THE PSALMS: To Do God’s Will. This outlines a 12 week program using the Psalms to help you with all of the peace inviting action we can take to do God’s will. Go to www.amazon.com to find a copy.
