You know the story of Joseph in Egypt and the seven years of feast and seven years of famine he led the Egyptians through. God revealed to Joseph the meaning of Pharoah’s dream. Pharoah had dreamed that he saw seven fat and healthy cows who were consumed by seven skinny and weak cows.
Seven years of feast would be consumed by seven years of famine. The famine would be so great that the people would forget the seven years of feast they had enjoyed before. We are in some tough times today. Whether it is a time of feast or a time of famine I don’t know, but I believe soon we will forget many of our blessings because our trials will be so great.
It doesn’t matter if it is feast or famine, it is present throughout all the land. And we live in the land, so we will not be able to escape it. But like Joseph, we can be ready to get through it if we listen to God’s way for us.
But what is God’s way and how do we follow it when we are subject to things outside of our control? In Ephesians 3:20, scripture says, “Now unto Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Unto Him what? Scripture says unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus.
No matter what is going on around us. No matter what is happening with us. Things may be outside of our control, but nothing is outside of God’s control especially when we offer Him the glory He is due. It is difficult for us to glorify God because we want so much for ourselves. That is the big reason we are living in a time of famine. We don’t have enough to satisfy the desires we have for ourselves.
Wanting less so we can have more probably makes no sense to many of us. But this is exactly the way God wants us to live. The less we want, the less likely we will want to live by our own strength. The less we want, the more likely we will depend on the Lord to sustain the little we desire. Learning to glorify God in the good times is one of the ways we move Him to favor us.
God’s ways are different from our ways. Things are bad now, and they will get tougher for us and our children. Some people will come after us, and they will not know anything but a famine of desire because the need will be so great. God does not keep us in the feast, nor does He stop the famine from coming. He keeps waiting for us to change our desires.
What He does is show us the way to feast in the middle of the famine and to conserve in the middle of the feast. So here are seven practical ways we can live now that will help us to feast in the middle of the famine we face and to conserve in the feast we enjoy.
Learn to want less than what the people around you want. When you restrain your desires, you will achieve more of your desires. Want less and have more.
Learn to want what produces the things others want. Let people have what is new and unaffordable; you have what is affordable and satisfactory.
Learn to give more of what you have. People who keep all that they have will ultimately be indebted to those who will want little of what you have.
Learn to be satisfied with what you have. The glass that God’s gives us is neither half full nor half empty, but it is just right for those who look to Him to provide for their needs.
Learn to save for your family and for others. When you save for others, others will learn to live for you.
Learn to live so dependent on God that you can put the lives of people who depend on you ahead of your own. Let the Lord use you to fulfill someone else’s prayers.
Learn that when we consume everything around us, what we feast on will not be a filling. A famine is only one credit card transaction away when we live by our own means.
When we learn to want less, God will step in and give us more. So, lets learn to temper what we want. Whether it is food, shelter, friendship, work, play, love, even health. When we learn to want less of what the flesh desires, God will help us to have more of what the Spirit can provide.
Now unto Him who can do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can think or ask, to Him we give the glory of our desires. Whether feast to famine or famine to feast, we learn to want less so He can give us more.
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