Pastor Rick Warren: What to Do When You Doubt God’s Provision

September 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment

By Rick Warren

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”When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2 NLT).

God wants you to be a giving person. That means you sow generosity in your life. You give freely to others in the body of Christ and show God’s love to unbelievers. You look for ways to be generous with the resources that God has generously given you.But sometimes when we focus on giving financially to your church or to others, Satan will try to plant all kinds of seeds of doubt and fear in our minds: “What if you lose your job? What if you get sick? What if you’re incapacitated? What if the economy tanks? How are you going to be able to keep your commitment?”You may be facing some of those same anxieties. When you do face those doubts, you need to remember that God has promised to never abandon you and to always be with you. You don’t have to know what the future holds, because you know who holds the future.

No matter what you face in the future, you’re never going to face it alone. Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (NLT).

This is the key to courage. There is nothing to fear when you know God is near. On your own you might drown, but God has said that he will never leave you or abandon you (go read Hebrews 13:5).

Maybe you feel alone right now. You may feel that way, but it isn’t true. God sees what you’re going through. God cares about what you’re going through. And God will help you out if you trust him.

Your fears and doubts are not from God. When it comes to your giving, you can trust that as God leads you to give, he will stand by you and provide for your needs. The only way to reap generosity is to sow generosity.

Talk It Over

  • How has God been leading you to give?
  • What kinds of doubts or fears do you have about following through with that commitment?
  • God has promised to be with you and take care of you, but sowing generosity can still require sacrifice. What are you not willing to give up in order to be generous? Spend some time praying and asking God to help you release whatever it is that keeps you from trusting fully when it comes to your giving.

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

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