The Healing Word

Pastor Jack Morris: Friend, you want to grow in faith? Who said yes? Obey the Lord and do God's will and watch God's hand move in your direction.

Guest (Male): With world events as they are right now, causing so much fear and uncertainty, worries about money and your financial future are understandable. But God has another way of looking at this all too real situation. Let's join Pastor Jack Morris now for today's healing word message, overcoming financial fear.

Pastor Jack Morris: I I thought of the disciples of the Lord Jesus. Do you know they had bills to pay also? They had families to support. One time Peter said, father Jesus, we have left all and followed you. We have left all. We put you first. Not our wives, not our children, but we put you first. And in putting you first, they were blessed and they came first. You know, I often wonder how we would interpret if if each of us would interpret that scripture, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.

I mean, we can easily quote it, but what does that actually mean to us to put God in a priority position? We will put our careers, our income, um our vacations. When we put it on the calendar, can he he can he interrupt my calendar? Can I reach up and race that off and say Jesus comes first? Now you're seeking first the kingdom of God. And now God is going to open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing on you. The disciples had families. At least I know one had a family, Peter. He had a mother-in-law, so he had to have a wife.

And he followed Jesus and put Jesus first. And then God healed his mother-in-law. God does great things for our families when we put God first, doesn't he? He answers prayer and he moves in their behalf. Jesus was crucified. He was dead. He's already dead. Three times at least, a minimum of three times, two times in the upper room and one time on the Emmaus road, he revealed himself. Or even more than that, he revealed himself to Mary. He revealed himself to all of the women. But do you know they kept believing and acting, the disciples.

They kept believing and acting as though he were still dead and he had revealed himself all those times. Now how many more times did God say, I love you, I want to bless you. But I have something else on the agenda today, Lord. How many times? Now here here's Peter. Jesus is dead. At least he thought he was dead or in his mind he was still dead. Even though he had seen him, he still acted as though he were dead. He had bills to pay. So he says to the disciples, I'm going to go fishing and make some money by selling the fish that I I get.

You see, he had been a fisherman by trade. He was going to go back now to his old trade, do the work that he used to do in order to get some money to pay the bills. Because even though he had seen Jesus, he thought Jesus was still dead. Or at least he acted and behaved. Friend, come on, let's act and behave like he's alive. Like he is really important in my life. And so he influenced about six or seven other disciples to go out there in that boat. It had to be a pretty good size boat.

And to go fishing to make some money to pay family bills. Because they all acting as though Jesus were dead. Friend, how how are you acting? Are you acting as though you are under an assignment from heaven? God has assigned you. Salute him with your praise. Salute him with your obedience. He put you on the firing line, not when it's convenient to get out there. But when there is an opportunity to do his will and to put him first and to do what he has asked us to do. Now the disciples were fishing. They had fished all night and caught nothing.

You know, that's how it is when you labor on your own, by your own desires, by your own thinking, by your own intelligence. And they kept doing the same thing over and over and over again and getting no results whatsoever. They just kept fishing on the wrong side of the boat. You see, Jesus knew where the fish were were. He knew where they were. And he said, fellas, you're busy. You're out there sweating. You're working so hard. And it's a good thing. You're taking care of your family. But you're not getting any results. So Jesus appears on the shore and here he is again.

And still they didn't recognize him. And he called out, friends, have you caught anything? They said, no, haven't caught anything. Wore ourselves out all night fishing. He said, cast the net on the other side of the boat, on the right side of the boat. They did. They caught so many fish. They could haul it in. They had to call neighboring boats come out here and help us. Friend, when you do it God's way and you obey every jot and tittle in the word, the abundance of God's blessings come every time. Every time. Did you hear what I say?

Said every every time. Every time the blessings of of God came. God knows where the fish are. God knows where the money is that you need. God knows the answer, whether it be money or something else, whatever your need. God knows the answer to that need and the answer is always Jesus. And following Jesus and obeying Jesus. You see, God knows where the fish are. God knows where the money is. God knows where the answer is. God knows. When I was in Bible College, that was a long time ago, every every Wednesday an offering was taken in the chapel service.

We went to chapel every morning. After chapel, I would go by the coffee shop and I would buy a donut and coffee. We had about 15-minute break between chapel and our first class. And then I would go by the post office and open the little box, take out the mail, and then I would go on to class. Well, it was Wednesday and they were taking an offering, one offering a week. Some of us would pay our tithe to the institution, to the college that were training ministers and sending out missionaries. Some of us would pay our tithe to the church that we attended.

This particular morning, they were taking the offering. I had 30 cents in my pocket. That 's all. No dollars in my wallet. I had 30 cents and the Holy Spirit impressed upon me to put 25 cents in the offering. That would leave me how much? A nickel. I can't buy a cup of coffee with a nickel. I can't buy a donut with a nickel. So the offering plate came by and I was urged by the Holy Spirit. You know, you know the voice of God. Everyone here today, for the most part, we know what we ought to be doing.

I reached in my pocket. You know, the God loves a cheerful giver. I don't know how cheerful I was. But I put that quarter in. And then I walked on my way to class. By the coffee shop, all the guys and gals were going in laughing, get their milk, coffee, donut, whatever. I remember turning and looking at the coffee shop and feeling sorry for myself. I had a nickel. I it was worth nothing as far as helping me at the moment. So I went on to the post office, opened the box on my way to class, pulled out a letter from a man in Baltimore.

And the man in Baltimore that wrote that letter had been the best man in our wedding. And I opened it up and I pulled out a check for $125. You see, friend, God knows where the fish are. Now he knew a long time ago that I or at least about three or four days before that that I was going to obey him. God knows those who are his. He knew I was going to obey him and so he put it on that man's heart and that man man man never gave me a dime, not a dollar since that day to this day.

But God knew. And God was growing me in the faith. Friend, you want to grow in faith? Who said yes? Obey the Lord and do God's will and watch God hand move in your direction. Cast the net on the other side of the boat. God's never going to ask you to do something that you can't do. And obviously when he asks you to do, it's usually something very simple. But we try to reason it out. I can't do that. I can't afford that. On and on goes our thinking and we wait and we wait and we wait.

And the blessing of God waits and waits and waits also. God blesses us. He helps us. He ministers to us. Well, the the time came for Jesus and the apostles to pay the temple tax. Once a year they would have to pay the temple tax. That was to keep the building, the temple keep it up. And Peter didn't have any money. And Jesus didn't carry a wallet. He didn't have any money. And so Peter goes and tells Jesus, the temple tax is due and we don't have the money to pay the temple tax. That was put in the form of a question.

So Jesus told him, no, you go take your fishing rod, go down to the bridge. No no bridge. Go down to the water, cast it into the sea. And the fish that you bring up, open its mouth and there will be the money to pay the taxes. Now my tax man just wrote to me and he told me he said, Jack, get ready. Ready for what? He said, get get everything all those papers together. He said, don't let it don't let happen this year what happened to you last year. My, I had to work hard to get it all together.

Says, get ready. It's soon going to be time. I'm going to look at it with you very closely. I'm going to help you out. Well, friend, if you start across the Bay Bridge and you see me there with my fishing rod, you see God knows where the fish are. God knows where the answer to your request is. Obey him. Put him first. And you know how to do it. Give him priority and watch the blessing of God come. You know, I I suspect that God smiled during the Gold Rush. Remember the Gold Rush in California?

Well, let me tell you about a Gold Rush prior to California, a Gold Rush 20 years before California. It happened in Delanica, Georgia where my daughter lives. It happened in 1829. It was the the most significant gold deposit east of the Mississippi in 1829. The word went out, there's gold in them thar hills. Delanica is a beautiful little town, a little city. Part of the campus of the University of Georgia is there also. Little town of Rolling Hills and beautiful streams. You can just look through the water, crystal clear, beautiful place. Well, the Gold Rush was on and people were going digging for gold and panning for gold.

I I could just imagine how God must have smiled when he saw them digging and he was thinking, you know, just a little further north over to the right. God knows where the gold is. God knows where the fish are. God knows where the answer to your request is, whatever the answer is. God knows it and he's going to give it to you. Just do what God wants you to do and he will bless abundantly. Even to this day down in Delanica, there's a lot of tourist. And they have what they call recreational gold panning.

People have their pans and they're panning for gold out of the stream. And sometimes people find a little speck of gold, but no one has ever found enough more than a a few cents. And there's pictures of the people who are panning for gold. So God knows where the fish are. He knows where the money is. He knows what our needs are. And God blesses and he meets our needs. You see, he's God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. There's nothing impossible with God, not even what you're asking of him. There's nothing impossible with God and God is ready.

God is ready. God is ready. Can you turn to your neighbor and say God's ready to bless? He's ready to bless. Now notice, this is what we're to do. Follow his instructions. Number one, say those words. Follow Follow his instructions. Just do it. Let me put it this way. Try it once and try it. Just follow his instructions. Secondly, seek God first. Now I am going to read Matthew chapter 6 verse 33 out of the New Living Translation. Now most of all of us can say, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.

And then walk out and and then check our calendar and do our own thing and go our own way. We know how to say it, but do we know how to do it? Okay. There it is on the screen. Come on, let's read it together. We can quote it. Come on. Seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. What are all these things? Everything that you need for body, soul and spirit. But let me read it out of the New Living Translation. Your heavenly father already knows all your needs.

And he will give you all you need from day to day if you will live for him and make the kingdom of God your primary concern. Do you have any idea what the word primary means? What this scripture says, put God first on the throne of your heart. Put God first. There was a time I was just starting out in the ministry and I the churches I pastored one one one church I pastored where they would pass the offering plates on a Sunday morning, I would get whatever came in. And I think one Sunday morning or I think I we averaged about $30 $35.

But one Sunday I had about $19 to live live on. And I needed a new suit. I didn't wear a clerical robe. I was pastoring a country church. And I needed a new suit. How am I going to get a new suit? Well, I I was at another church. And here is a lady in Baltimore. You know, Baltimore's been good to me. Gave me Karin. Both of my children were born in Baltimore. Baltimore's been good to me. Well, there was a lady in Baltimore whose son was pastoring a small church also, just about the same size of the church I was pastoring, with about the same amount of money salary wise.

And the lady decided she's going to buy her son his first name was Cyril. We all called him Cy. He was my best friend. We were miles and miles apart, but we would write, we'd visit each other, do some vacation time together. He's my best friend. And she felt that the Lord told her to put aside $50 for Cy, her son, for a new suit. And she had a little stack of money and she said every week she'd put a couple of dollars or a $5 on that stack. She said when she started the stack, the Lord spoke to her and said, Jack Morris needs a suit also.

You know, it's it's easy to do for our kids, is it? But I was somebody else's kid. And so she said she started two stacks, one for Cy, one for Jack. And she built it up until it was $50. Well, back then $50 you could I could buy the best suit in town. But you know, God knows what we need. God knows how to answer prayer. God sees where you are and where I am. He's God Almighty. And Jesus taught us to call him Abba Father. He is a wonderful wonderful daddy to all who will believe and seek him and do his will.

I don't know whether you know it or not, but I think when I tell you, you will agree that God created everything, all the universe, all the planets, Earth, all vegetation, all animal life and human life. Here it is. You listening? The only part of God's creation that worries people. Seek first the kingdom of God, simply meaning this. God's kingdom is where Jesus is king. And you bow and you submit to the king. He's king. You obey him. And it says kingdom, where Jesus is king. There it is. And we submit to his will. That's the kingdom of God.

That's putting God first. And it says and his righteousness. Righteousness means right standing with God. When you put God first and you make sure your life is lined up with the word of God, meaning that you have a right relationship with God. Friend, if you're not obeying what you already know to do, you do not have a right relationship with God. You might have a relationship, but it is a distant relationship. But when you seek God's kingdom first, you put Jesus first and you make sure that relationship is right. And the way to make sure the relationship is right is to obey him and to do his will, then God's kingdom and God's blessings and God opens the treasures of heaven, blesses you spiritually, emotionally, blesses your children.

Do you have some children that need to be saved? Have you prayed for them? Do you have any any idea why they're not inclined? Friend, we're praying for things and asking him. He's talking to us and asking us. Are we doing what he's asking us? He'll then do what we're asking him. Seek first the kingdom. Get actively involved seeking God and the blessing of God will come on you and your family and your needs will be met. Amen. Amen. Overcoming financial fear or any other fear or any other worry. God will bless and minister and you will be blessed abundantly more than you could possibly ask or think.

You see, God is still God. He wasn't just God back there. He's God right now. The God that was back there is the God that is here now. Come on. God knows where the fish are. Everybody say that. God knows where the fish are. You're working and trying to make ends meet and your life is slipping by. And you're wondering when you're going to make it. God knows where the fish are. Just cast your net where he says. Cast your obedience, cast your love, cast your worship. And God will bring in an abundance more than you could ask or think.

They couldn't hardly draw the fish in. They had caught so much. Ready to go fishing? Are you ready to get on your knees? When I said, are you ready to go fishing, I mean, are you ready to obey the Lord and get the harvest?

Guest (Male): The blessings God provides are too numerous to count. Do you feel his hand on your life today? If so, rejoice in knowing that he loves you and what's the best for you. And don't forget his best may not always align with our thinking or desires. But knowing he is in control brings peace and hope for tomorrow. Trust God today. Start your week with encouragement from God's word. Sign up today for the healing word weekly devotional, delivered every Monday morning right to your inbox. It's a powerful way to begin your week with hope, scripture and inspiration for your daily walk.

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