In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. -- Ephesians 1:7-10 (ESV)
https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/78978-a-prophetic-word-for-those-stressed-out-about-money
Beloved, faith is critical in the life and salvation of all believers. Our faith is in Christ's finished work on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. It is the key to becoming saved. To no longer have faith in this world and its systems but rather in the Son of God and His sacrifice for the reconciliation of our sins to the Father. I only reaffirm this because in Charismaniacal circles faith is misappropriated quite often. We are taught to have faith in our own words instead of the word of God. We are taught to raise our experiences to the level of scripture. Faith also becomes a parlor trick for many as pagan practices infiltrate mainstream Christianity. Happenstance and coincidence are interpreted as God either speaking to us, always seemingly to confirm what we want. Voddie Baucham once preached about a couple who "felt called" to the Marshall Islands as missionaries. Translated out of Charismanic-speak, that means they were interested in it and wanted to feel as if God was the one doing the calling. Turns out that soon after the husband was transferred at his job and his new boss' last name was, wait for it, Marshall. Hallelujah! Book the flight! Baucham went on to say that most congregations would stand and applaud such a testimony but that it is all pagan in nature and he is right. It does not take faith to believe self-delusion. I say this as a backdrop to a short article linked above which highlights this process brilliantly, along with some Class-A bible mangling from Eddie Hyatt. Now, Eddie usually only writes in favor of Christo-feminism or eviscerating American history to pretend we were once under covenant with God, as do most NAR Dominionists. Today's departure from his regular heresies is a brief foray into financial matters. So buckle up and get your bible out.
'During a time of prayer early Tuesday morning, I was reminded of an encounter with the Lord from many years ago, and I knew I was supposed to share it. I knew that God wanted to encourage His people to expect great blessings to come our way--blessings we have not earned. It was a quiet Sunday morning in September of 1991 on the campus of Zion Bible Institute in Barrington, Rhode Island. Students and staff had gone off campus to attend various church services. The campus seemed especially calm and serene that morning, and I decided to take advantage of the tranquil situation by going to the chapel and spending time in prayer. As I lied on the floor, I presented to God my concern about finances. Sue and I had accepted an offer to teach and write at Zion and had just made the move from Tulsa, Oklahoma, the previous month. Being a missionary school, Zion paid us $62.50 each per week and provided housing on campus. We were expected to believe God for everything else we would need. We had been there about a month and it had become obvious that $125 per week did not cover the car payment, car insurance, food, toiletries, clothes and all the necessities of a normal life. It was a stressful situation. But as I lied on the floor lifting my concern to the Lord, the numbers "8/9 and 9/8" were strongly impressed on my mind. I reached for my Bible and noted that it was lying open at 2 Corinthians. I then turned and read 8:9, which says,
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that through His poverty you might be rich" (2 Cor. 8:9).
I then turned to 9:8 and read,
"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, so that you, always having enough of everything, may abound to every good work" (2 Cor. 9:8).
The parallels in the two passages were immediately obvious. Both speak of God's abundant financial provision for His people and both speak of His provision flowing from His grace. It is not something earned. It is blessing flowing from His marvelous grace. I knew God was speaking to me and decided to write the date in the margin of my Bible. I was astounded as I wrote, "9-8-91."' -- Eddie Hyatt
