The Secret of Facing Need

My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19)     When you are confronted with special needs for yourself, your family, your job, or your church, what do your do? When Paul wrote his letter to the Phillipians he had some great needs himself. As a servant of Christ, he is a prisoner of Rome.He acknowledges that he is afflicted (4:12) and that he is under pressure (4:14); he refers to his necessity and to their need (4:15-19).     Paul has learned the secret to facing need. This is a key to celebrated christian living. Today we are going to look at some specific ways to deal with our needs.    1. Be Enthusiastic (4:4)   When we have a need, we are not to hide it, or deny it, or disregard it; we are to rejoice in the Lord. The word "rejoice" is an imperative, a command. It is present tense, urging continual action. It is the attitude of life, "always". It is given double emphasis in the light of the Phillipians' difficulties. Our focus is to be on the Lord, not on our need.     It was one of those should- have- never- gotten- out- of- bed days for a certian preacher. He cut his face while shaving. Then he burned his toast for breakfast. After he rushed out the door so he wouldn't be late for an appointment, one of his tires blew out a few miles down the road.     He finally got his car  back on the road and was going a few miles over the speed limit when a police officer stopped him and gave him a ticket for speeding. By that time he was extremely upset, and he made a rather sorry picture as he complained bitterly to the policeman about the kind of day he was having. " I know what you mean," said the officer. "It used to happen to me that way-- before I became a christian!"     2. Be Gentle(4:5)  Christian enthusiasm is not without reason. The word "moderation" means a readiness to listen to reason. It is the attitude of yeilding one's rights, thus showing consideration and gentleness to others.     The tendancy of the world is to become hard and tough, to demand one's rights, but this is not the christian response. We are to be gentle towards people.    3. Be Peaceful.(4:6-7)   The natural tendancy in the time of need is worry. Every night Americans take millions of sleeping pills. Worry is not the answer! We3 can either worry or pray.     God's word says we are to worry about nothing--not even one thing. When we worry we are sinning by showing a lack of trust in God. Instead, we are instructed to commit our requests to God in prayer and allow Him to be Lord in our lives.     Peace comes through prayer as an act of worship, through supplication for our personal needs, and through thankfulness for what is happening in our lives. Peace beyond human understanding keeps guarding our inner life. This is the way to respond to need.     4. Be Positive(4:8)   Think positively not negatively! Think spiritual thoughts. Think high thought, just thoughts, thoughts worthy of respect, living by Gods standard. Think agreeable, loving, and pure thoughts and keep practicing them! This is the way the God of peace will bless.     5. Be Teachable (4:9,11)   " Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it in to practice" (v.9) The Lord has a purpose for the need in your life.  A. The Lord uses a need to develop us.  What happens to us is not as important as how we respond to what happens. The Lord is developing spiriatual qualities in our lives. Her are several of these qualities: gratefulness (v.6), joyfulness (v 10), contentment (v 11), flexabilty (v12), and faith (v 13). What quality is He developing in you?    B.   The Lord needs to improve us.   A need that we have causes us to search our hearts and ask the Lord, " Whats wrong?"    C.  The Lord uses a need to test us.   When we have a need and the funds for it are not available, the Lord may be testing us. Whatever our need , and whatever God's purpose, we are to thank Him!!     6. Be Content. (4:10-12)   Contentment is an attitude that none of us possesses naturally. It is something we have to learn. Paul learned it; he had not always known it. Our natural inclination is not to learn to be contant. Rather, it is to complain of our circumstances or to covet what we do not have. Contentment is realizing that God has provided everything we need for our present happiness. The opposite is covetousness, lustinf for more and more.     7. Be Expectant. (4:13)   " I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." There is no greater verse in the Bible. When we have the right attitude, there is nothing we cannot do! This verse is positive: "I can." It is personal; " I can." It is powerful: ".....do all things." In the face of your need, you can be defeated or you can be expectant of the victory Jesus gives.     8 Be Generous. (4:14-18)  The Phillipian church was a generous church; consquently, Paul's needs were met (vv 14, 16, 18)   In the time of our need, we tend to be stingy; but he key to qualifying for verse 19 is the attitude of generousity within us. If we are in "need," this means we should be giving.     9. Be Fulfilled. (4:19)   All our need is supplied and satisfied. God's treatment of the Pillipians will correspond to their treatment of Paul.    So what about your needs? How are you responding to them? What are you doing with them? We need to take our eyes of the finacial page and put them on God. Paul wrote in God's Word " My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." ( Phil. 4: 19)