For some of us, God can't meet the need because we operate in fear and not in faith. Dr. Tony Evans says we need to move on our belief in Christ. And when you start your walk of faith, your fear will be overruled by your action of faith. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr.
Tony Evans. Most of us want God to meet our needs, but we often wait to see His provision before moving on His promise. Today, Dr. Evans tells the powerful story of a widow who experienced God's provision only after stepping out in faith with what little she had. Let's join him in the book of 1 Kings.
We're introduced here to a lady who we've gotten to know, the widow of Zarephath. Elijah the prophet has been serving God, and now he's running from Jezebel. God lets him know he's going to take care of the prophet Elijah. I'm going to take care of you, Elijah. He comes to the lady.
He says in verse 10, may I have some water? She goes get some water and then he says to her. May I have a piece of bread? Out of your hand.
Now look at verse 12. And you can put your name in here. But she said. As the Lord your God lives. I have no bread.
Only a handful of flour in a bowl and a little oil in a jar. And behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, so that we may eat it. And die. Brothers and sisters, what we have here... is a contradiction.
Verse 9 says, I have commanded the widow. to take care of you.
So she already had the message. to take care of Elijah. But when Elijah shows up and push comes the shove. Are you getting closer with me? When it comes time to deliver.
On what God has already told her, which is his word, if he told her, it's his word. He has told her when it comes time to perform it. Practical matters get in the way. She goes practical. On God.
She says Your request is not practical. But She didn't become a pagan. Because she introduces verse 12 with, as the Lord your God lives. Yeah, I believe in God and all that, but let's get. Practical.
She was scared to step out. or what God said. because of the practicality of her situation.
So he says, do not fear. Do as you have said. Go ahead and make your little last cake. Make it, but bring it to me first. The woman has already told him, I only have enough for me and my son.
I can only get two cakes out of this. He said, no, you go make three cakes. Make one for you, one for your son, and bring me mine first. He says. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel.
The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor the jar of oil emptied, until the day the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.
So she went and did according to the word of Elijah. Please notice the shift. In the woman's response. Elijah says, make me some bread. She says, I can't.
Let's get practical. But then the preacher speaks the word of God into her life. And builds up her confidence to help her take a step she was unable to take on her own. That's why you need people to speak the word of God into your life. When the practical conflicts with the biblical.
with what God says and what you see. Are two very opposite things rather than forgetting God, get somebody to speak into your life. Who will reinforce invisible, physical, verifiable ways? What God is, He didn't tell anything different. He just told her: look, God will take care of you.
He commanded her. Watch this now. to meet the need of somebody else. Give the cake to Elijah. When you obey in faith, it knocks down the wall of doubt.
The proof of your faith is your step. Yeah. Thought. Verse 15, so she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household, her son, ate for many days. The bowl of flour was not exhausted, nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord, which is spoken to Elijah.
Now, this is a fast, folks. This is the worst kind of fast. When you're down to your last meal, you fasting. For some of us, God can't meet the need because we operate in fear and not in faith. You say, but I can't stop my fear.
You may not be able to stop your fear, but you can start your walk of faith. And when you start your walk of faith, your fear will be overruled by your action of faith. It is the action. That produces The confidence, not the discussion.
So she has to give up something physical.
Now That's the perspective. The perspective is a faith act.
So in the area of your need, a faith act. It's giving when you can't see how you're going to pay your bills if you give to the Lord. It's addressing some situation that you're impressed upon because you have a special need in your life.
Now let me give you the principle. This story reflects a bigger principle. Turn your Bible to Luke, book of Luke. Chapter 6, verse 38.
Now, watch this principle. Give, and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaking together, running over. They will pour in they will pour into your lap. For by the standard of measure, it will be measured to you in return. Most important word in the verse.
It. Give and it. Give and it. What does the it refer to? The it refers to what you gave.
To put it another way. Give And the thing that you gave will be given back to you. The it. The widow needed food, so what did God ask her to give? Phone!
He asked her to give the it that she needed. Right now, she didn't need friends, she needed food. She didn't even need a job right then in her emergency situation. She needed food. Gil?
And it, the thing you give. will be given back to you. You must be willing to act in faith in the same arena of need. If you have a need right now. And you're fasting and praying.
If there is something in the area of what you're requesting. that you can give to somebody else. God says, give that to somebody else. Help somebody else, like she helped Elijah. And it will be the thing you gave, given back to you, but not like you gave it.
It will be given press down. In good measure. shaking together. And running over.
Now, what does that mean? Everybody quotes that. What does that mean? That referred to grain in the bag. When a farmer put grain in the bag, he would press it down.
Shake it together.
So that all the creases would be covered by the grain, so he could get more grain into the bag. In other words, when you give to somebody else. What you need God to give to you. When God gives to you what you gave to somebody else. And he puts it in his bag.
He's going to shake it. Press it down, cover all the blank spots so he can get as much in your bag as you can handle. Give, and it will be given to you.
Some of us will see very little of God meeting our needs. You know why? Because we are not a channel. He can't do anything through us, so he won't do anything to us. He can't, everything is for me, myself, and I.
We never have anything that will go to the kingdom, that will go to others, that will go to the poor, that will go to the ministry. It's all me, me, me, me, me. He says it's more blessed to give. How can it be more blessed to give? Because when you give, When he gives to you, it's pressed down, shaken together, running over.
So it's more. Than what you gave out. She gave one meal and she ate for many days. Many days. She fasted.
She gave up something, a craving of the body, her last meal, if you will. And remember, fasting is not only food. Food is the most dominant one. because it's the sustenance of life. All of life depends on food.
but it can be any gratification of the flesh. because you want an exchange. of the spirit. When Dr. Evans returns in a moment, he'll show how fasting positions us to receive what God has already promised.
Don't go away. Brokenness isn't the end of the story. It's where God's work begins. Listen to hip-hop artist Le Crae as he talks with Dr. Tony Evans on the Unbound podcast.
God uses broken things to paint a picture of his glory and his goodness. Hip-hop was this broken thing. Growing up in a broken home was this broken thing. I was fascinated at how God could use something like this. Listen now to the Unbound podcast.
You can find the new Unbound podcast with Tony Evans on his YouTube channel. or on your favorite podcast platform. We'll return to today's message in just a moment, but first I want to let you know that this lesson is part of a powerful series exploring what the Bible teaches about fasting. The complete collection of all 14 full-length messages in this two-volume series is available as our thank-you gift. when you make a contribution to support the alternative ministry.
For a limited time, when you request the Fasting Audio Series, you'll also receive a special bonus, the Hope for the Hurting Leaders Kit. perfect for personal spiritual growth or for leading a small group. In this Bible study, Dr. Evans shares biblical principles for navigating life's pain with peace and renewed hope. The Leader's Kit includes the Hope for the Hurting Book, a study guide, printed materials for six sessions.
teaching videos, session previews, and more. Make your request today at tonyevans.org. Or call 1-800-800-3222. where a team member is ready to help. I'll repeat our contact information after the second part of today's message.
Here's Dr. Evans. Look at Matthew 7. Ask and it will be Gibbon. Seek.
And you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receive. He who seeks, finds. He who knocks, it will be opened.
Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Mitt, do you get the point? If you ask for a loaf, You don't want something other than a loaf. You want a loaf. Bread.
Or if he asks for a fish, he will give him a snake, will he? No, daddy does that. If you then, watch this, being evil. Know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him?
Okay.
Now, we can all relate to that. That's pretty clear, right? But don't stop reading until you get to verse 12. Therefore. Yes.
However you want people to treat you.
So treat them. For this is the law and the prophets. He says in verse 7 to 11, Ask. But then he comes in verse 12 and lets you know something. When you go and ask him.
He's also going to look at how you function in the area of your request to him towards somebody else. And it is more blessed because it's shaken down, it's running over, it's good measure. to give than to receive. Let me show you another passage. Philippians 4.19.
And my God. shall supply All your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. That's a powerful verse. It's power verse because God says he'll meet all your needs. But then he won't meet the needs out of his riches.
He'll meet them according to his riches. That's a big difference. If I give you a dollar out of my riches, that's one thing. But if I give you according to my riches, in other words, I'm taking into consideration how much I have. Before I give to you.
All right. But everybody wants to read and claim verse 19. Without reading. Verse 16, 17, and 18. For even in Thessalonica, you sent a gift more than once to my needs.
Uh-oh. You gotta read the preceding verses, folks. Not that I seek the gift itself, I could have done without the money, but I seek the profit, which increases to your account. Cause I know when you gave to me, God wrote it down. But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance.
I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. You sent it to me, but God recorded it.
Now you can read verse 19. And my God. Shall supply your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. You don't get verse 19 if you're not living verses 16, 18. You with me?
If you're not willing to be a blessing, Then God is not willing to give you his blessing. This woman gave up a cry of the flesh because she had a greater need of the spirit. Turn to one more passage. I discovered this principle is all over. They met Paul's needs, so they're going to get it in kind.
Their needs will be met. Ecclesiastes 11. Cast your bread. On the surface of the waters. And you will find it after many days.
So you put it out. And don't worry, God's not going to lose it. It's coming back. Divide your portion into seven. Or even eight.
For you do not know the misfortune that may occur on the earth. If the clouds are full, they pour out rain on the earth. And whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, when the tree falls, there it lies. He who watches the wind will not sow, and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. In other words, if you focus on circumstances, you'll never see this principle work in your life.
If you say it's too windy to go out and sow, then nothing's going to grow. No sow, no grow. All right. Says, if you're looking at the circumstances, if you're being practical. Then you will not see the hand of God.
Now watch this, verse 5. Just as you do not know the path of the wind or how the bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. In other words, don't try to figure God out. Don't get a headache. God, how are you going to do this?
You just do what he told you to do.
Now, so he says, now look at verse 6.
Sow your seed in the morning. Early. And do not be idle in the evening. For you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed or whether both of them alike will be good. You don't know what God's gonna do.
You don't know how he's going to do it.
So you just sow your seed and you trust God. You go into your fasting and prayer, however you've structured it. You sow your seed. And you say, God, I don't know how you're going to do it, but I'm not going to worry about it. It leads to a final principle, and that's the power.
The power is in the prayer when the prayer is connected with the right heart attitude and the right action.
Some people tell me they've been praying for stuff for years and seen nothing. And so they conclude maybe the Lord doesn't want to have it. Or maybe it's not that the Lord doesn't want to have it. But your prayer is not mixed with anything. That is, faith has not been connected with the prayer.
And if faith, that is the act of faith, not the discussion about faith, when the act of faith is not there. When you act. And when you pray and you are serious about the action and the prayer, he says, you will see the hand of God. Fasting and prayer. That is giving up of something for the benefit of another, even though it makes you awkward.
It's like priming a pump to get water. You have to put a little bit in to get a lot out. Come on, some of you from the country, you know what that's like. You go to the well, you start doing that out of nowhere, nothing happens. But you pour a little water in there, it expands the leather.
The leather gets expanded, it catches on. When it catches on, it pulls up the water. When it pulls up the water, the water keeps on coming. How long does it keep coming? As long as there is water supply.
And I want to tell you, God's got enough for everybody. He's got enough for everybody, but you don't prime the punk. You don't want to put in to get more out.
Somebody else has been there before and see what God can do. Oh, and there's so many stories of it in the New Testament and the Bible. Hannah couldn't get pregnant.
So, guess what she did? She went before the Lord, fasted and prayed and told God, if you give me a baby, get this now, I'm going to give the baby back to you to serve you.
So if you give me something physical in my belly, when it comes out of my belly, I'm going to give it back to you so he can use the physical life that you put in my belly to serve you. And the Bible says, and when God heard her prayer, he put something in her belly. And when it came out of her belly, she gave it back to God and he became known as the prophet Samuel. There's a widow woman in the book of Luke, the Bible says, who gave her last pennies that she had. She gave all she had.
Why didn't she stay home and eat a last piece of bread? Because the last piece of bread would only last one day. She figured, if I give it to God and prime this punk, he will do a lot more for me than I can do with two pennies that I keep to myself. Oh, there's so many stories. Ruth wanted a husband.
She wanted a husband. What she did was gave herself to a relationship because she wanted a relationship.
So she became to Naomi fully a relational servant to her mother-in-law. Her former husband had died. And when she gave herself to a relationship, she got a relationship. Andrew found the young boy who had the two fish and five barley loaves. He said, Jesus would like you to fast, to give up your lunch and turn it over to him.
He turned his lunch, which means he had nothing to eat. That's a fast. He turned it over to Jesus. Jesus prayed over it. And now 5,000 men and women ate off of his one lunch.
But that's not the good news. Let me tell you the good news as far as the kid is concerned. He gave up two fish. And barley loads. But the Bible says when Jesus Christ prayed over it and it became enough to feed 5,000, watch this.
Everybody ate until they were full and there was stuff left over. Which means that if the boy would have kept his lunch, he would have only had lunch. But because he gave it to Jesus, fasted over it, and turned it over to Jesus Christ. He ate more than the lunch would have given him and had something to take home for dinner as well because he gave himself to the Lord. Over and over again, the principle is clear.
If you want something from God, give the thing you want to God. and believe that if you give it. The thing you gave. will be given back to you. But when it comes back.
Press down. Good measure. shaking together. Running over. exceedingly abundantly above.
All you can ask or think. To God be the glory. Don't give up, church. Don't quit. Don't become frustrated.
He's able. to meet your deepest need. Dr. Tony Evans, wrapping up a message on fasting for needs. Part of his current 14-part series that examines the benefits of biblical fasting.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, today's lesson is just one installment in a series from Tony simply called Fasting. Don't forget, when you help support the Alternative Ministry with a contribution, we'll say thanks by sending you all 14 full-length lessons in this powerful series, along with the Hope for the Hurting leader kit. including the book, study guide, study session materials, teaching videos, and more. But this is a special limited time offer, so don't wait. Drop by our website, tonyevans.org.
Let us know you'd like to take advantage of this exclusive deal. Or give us a call at 1-800-800-3222-8222. where the friendly people on our resource team are ready twenty four seven to help you. Again, that's 1-800-800-3222-0. or online at tonyevans.org.
And while you're on the website, be sure to register your interest in A Journey Through Israel with Tony Evans this October. From Jerusalem to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, You'll explore Scripture in its original setting with teaching from Dr. Evans along the way. Visit Tony Evans dot org to find out more. A person's character impacts so many important aspects of life.
and Dr. Evans says it's the ultimate requirement for a prospective mate. On Monday, he'll talk about the dangers of lowering your standards. Describe how God can guide you toward the love of your life. I hope you'll join us.
