Daniel C. Okpara
MEMORY VERSE:
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
– Matthew 7:11
It is possible to experience a financial scarcity from time to time. However, instead of worrying and fretting at such times, we can spend time in prayers and the peace of God will rule our hearts. Our heavenly father will make a way for us even where there is no way.
There are several cases of divine intervention in the lives of men and women of God in scriptures that show us that our heavenly Father will always intervene when we call on Him and have faith in our financial situations.
1. CRY OUT. DONT DIE IN SILENCE (THE WIDOW’S OIL)
“The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.
4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring.
6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”
But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” – 2 Kings 4:1-7
This woman would have lost her two sons to creditors due to the family debt. She cried out to Prophet Elisha, who, by the Spirit of God counseled her on what to do.
Like I said earlier, praying for financial breakthrough does not mean that money would fall from the sky. What it means is that we look up to God to show us by some kind of insight and revelation what we should do. This may come through some kind of a business idea, a new job, a new contract, etc. When we get this insight, revelation and opportunity, we must be willing to get out there and do it with commitment.
As soon as this woman prayed, God answered her. But she needed to put in some extra work. First, she would need to borrow some vessels and reproduce the oil in her house. Then she would need to go out and sell the produced oil.
Like this woman, we may need to put in some extra work to manifest the answer to our financial breakthrough prayers. We should not be shy of doing what has to be done. We must remember always that God can bless us from doing the smallest and lowest of jobs and businesses.
2. PETER AND HIS COLLEAGUES
1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.
2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
Every fisherman knows that the best time to go fishing is usually in the night times when the waters are quiet. This is when you can be sure the fishes, the big ones, will show up and you can have a good business the next day. Peter and his colleagues knew this and applied the principle in their business. Unfortunately, after all the hard labor of the night, they caught nothing.
It’s possible for us to have done everything we know we ought to do, following all the principles of success we’ve learned, applying the best skills of the trade, yet experience hardship and setback in business.
Just like Peter and his colleagues, we may be in a situation where we do not know where the next meal will come from. But as we surrender to God in prayers and listen to His voice, the situation will certainly come under control.
If there is anything we must learn from this story, it is to be willing to try again. To be willing and ready to go out and give ourselves the opportunity to explore business and job offerings, even where we have failed in the past. As we try more and more times, not because of what we can see physically, but because we believe God is leading us, we’ll certainly see miraculous interventions.
3. ISAAC AND FAMINE
1 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar.
2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live.
3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.
4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,
5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.”
6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar…
12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.
13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.
14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
The Bible talks about famine during Isaac’s time, besides the famine during His Father, Abraham’s time. This means that Abraham and Isaac came to points in their lives when they experienced hardship. In the case of Isaac above, he wanted to leave town, but God instructed him not to.
I believe it was not easy, but he planted crops that same year. Putting in extra effort, he and his servants dug wells and found water to water their crops. God blessed their efforts so much that while others were complaining of the recession and famine in the land, he grew mightily and became an envy to others.
As children of God, we may experience hardship and scarcity. But as we pray and listen to God’s direction and obey, we are guaranteed of supernatural deliverance.
Yes. I assure you that God will deliver you from any kind of present financial scarcity that you are faced with at the moment. As we spend time and pray, listen, believe and take steps of faith, the God of the widow, Peter, Abraham and Isaac, will surely see you through.
There are many more examples in Scriptures to share. But I believe that the three above are enough to stir your faith to believe that your financial help prayers are not a waste of time. God is answering your prayers.
So how do you pray and be sure you are praying right for financial breakthrough?
To be continued in Part 3
Daniel C. Okpara
Daniel C. Okpara is the author of numerous best-selling books, including, What Do You Have in Your House?, Parable of the Serpent, Pillars of Excellence in Life and Business, Take it By Force, Prayer Wave, and Many others. He is the founder of Better Life World Outreach Center, a non-denominational ministry dedicated to global evangelism and equipping of God's people to live a better life. He is also the founder of Breakthrough Prayers Foundation www.breakthroughprayers.org), an online portal leading people all over the world to encounter God and change their lives through prayer. He has authored over 50 books on business, prayer, relationship, and investment.
What a blessing. Thank you.
I have been blessed strengthened and delivered from my encounter. Please continue to allow God to use you to be an example for others who are going through strange situations that can’t be explain but thank God in your pray points you hit the nail o the head. Thank God for you.
Thank you and all your prayers partners. Thank you for the word that builds faith and teach children of God how to do spiritual warfare. May God continue to bless you all and equip you for such a time as this…