The dawn of 2009 brings with it news of a melting world economy. Job losses. Foreclosures. Bankruptcies. Failures of major financial institutions. Terms once foreign to us such as “economic downturn”, “financial bail-out”, and “stimulus package” have now become commonplace in our vocabularies. We are living in difficult times. However, our country’s current economic challenges may actually be a blessing in disguise. Why? Because these difficult times are compelling many Believers to reassess whether they’re truly trusting in the Lord as their source.

As we embark upon this new year, it has never been more important for God’s people to learn the secrets of coming to Him as Jehovah Jireh – our faithful Provider, even when every human resource seems to be failing us. Instead of trying to find hope in our circumstances, the Lord wants us to look to Him for overflowing abundance that has nothing to do with the economic systems of this world.

In addition to trusting God as our Provider, we must make every effort to keep our focus on the Vision God has given us. Our Vision Theme for 2009, “Connecting For Kingdom Greatness And Increase Through Quality And Excellence” may seem futile to some, as the world system is experiencing decrease instead of increase. And yet, we know that our God “owns the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10), and that the world economy is not the same as the Kingdom economy.

This is not the time to scale back on the Vision God has given us! We must set our minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (Colossians 3;2). No matter what we hear on the evening news or read in the newspapers, we must believe that God is bringing us into a land of overflowing abundance. As we trust Him today with our time, talent, and treasure, we will see Him bring us out of bondage as He did the Israelites into a whole new economy – the land of more than enough!

Agreeing With You In Prayer For Kingdom Increase,
Dr. Joseph E. Simmons