“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8
Have you ever taken a moment to consider the vastness of God’s resources? In biblical language it says that He “owns the cattle on a thousand hills.” Today, we might say, “He owns the vaults in every bank!” Imagine: In Heaven, the pavement is made of gold! The walls are made of every precious stone, and the gates are made of enormous pearls. Is there any limit to our Heavenly Father’s ability to provide for us?
Yet, so many times we doubt His ability to bring increase into our lives. Imagine you have just been hired in an entry-level position. You are young, and you “know” that you will have to work for years before you are eligible for a promotion. Yet your family needs increase now! You pray, yet you think that the only avenue by which increase can come is through this job. Perhaps, since you do have great favor, you move up the ladder of promotion supernaturally fast. Praise God for His ability to use our jobs to bring abundance!
However, your job is not the only way the Lord can get provision and abundance into your hands. God has endless methods of bringing us increase, but we have to expand our expectations so He can do it!
Creative Ideas
For example: One month, a Terradez Ministries partner needed $1000 extra and his job couldn’t provide it. However, he had been listening to Ashley’s Buy, Sell, Repeat course. He had opened his heart to the Holy Spirit to give him creative ideas on how to earn extra money. One day, while driving home from work, he saw multiple discarded wooden pallets by the road. He collected them and used them to build and sell furniture. That same month, at his job, he was approved to work overtime—a very rare occurrence—due to a large project. By the end of the month, he had well over $1000 extra!
Another one of our partners told us how she had purchased some collectible toys for Christmas. They came in “blind bags,” so they ended up with some duplicates. The Lord showed her how she could sell them online. She even took a leap of faith by purchasing even more, as they were on clearance. She listed them online and within four days had earned back more than double what she had paid for them! Plus, she still had more stock still available for sale.
Expand Your Expectations
Another woman wrote in to the ministry to tell us another story of God’s supply. She owed $2000 in taxes to the IRS, which was an unexpected expense. She thought she would just need to be disciplined and save every week to be able to pay the debt. One day, she was praying and remembered that expense and said, “Okay, Lord. You said in Your Word that you would supply ALL my needs. Now I need $2000 to pay these taxes.” She left for work and forgot all about it. Around noon, a friend she hadn’t heard from in over a year texted her to ask if she was still selling “stuff”. He and a friend came to look and decided to make an offer for the entire lot: $2000!!
When Hannah expanded her expectations, her bean plant went from seed to producing beans in one day! (Read the full story here.) When Ashley expanded his expectations, his $3000 seed produced a $300,000 home! When Carlie expanded her expectations, she got out of her wheelchair and walked! (Read more here.)
Biblical Examples
Those were modern-day examples of what God can do in your life when you expand your expectations, but let’s not forget the many examples in scripture we have as well. Jesus fed 4000 people with only 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish; He also fed 5000 men (plus women and children) with only five loaves and two fish (Mark 8:1-10; Matthew 14:13-21)! A widow whose sons were to be sold into slavery took one little jar of oil and filled pots until they ran out of them! Then the oil stopped flowing, but she was able to pay off her debts and live off of the extra (2 Kings 4:1-7). The widow of Zarephath’s little bit of oil and flour lasted until the famine had ended and rain fell again (1 Kings 17:8-16)! The Lord provided the Israelites fresh manna daily for forty years (Exodus 16:31)!
You can limit God by thinking that your current job is the only way He can get provision to you. He has endless resources and creative ways to get extra finances into your hands. So, expand your expectations! By opening your mind to the possibility that He has ways to answer your prayers beyond your ability to imagine, you are giving Him the room to move in your life in greater and greater ways. He is able to give you so much grace that you always have abundance for every good work!
How to Attack Lack
If you’re experiencing lack, don’t feel condemned. It’s time to attack it! This 20-part series will give you practical and spiritual principles to help you get out of debt and lead a life of abundance with plenty left over to help others.
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