The Truth About God's Promise to Provide

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If you’ve ever loved Jesus and still felt stuck in a constant loop of “not enough” time, not enough money, not enough opportunity, not enough confidence, you’re not alone. The real issue often isn’t your talent or your hustle. It’s what you believe about God’s heart as a provider, and whether you secretly assume He’s holding out on you. That single belief can shape how you create, how you price, how you show up, and whether you make art from peace or from panic.

We walk through a set of Bible passages that reframe provision from the ground up: blessing before performance in Genesis, provision prepared before need in Eden, and how scarcity begins when trust breaks in Genesis 3. From there, we talk about Deuteronomy’s “power to create wealth” and why God’s provision for artists often arrives first as ideas, skill, wisdom, relationships, and doors opening long before it becomes income. We also look at promises like “no good thing will He withhold,” the “cup runs over” picture of Psalm 23, and an overlooked creative commissioning moment in Exodus where the people give more than enough to fund a major artistic project.

Then we bring it into the New Covenant: Jesus reveals God as a good Father, not an employer you have to impress. Matthew 6 becomes a practical blueprint for leaving worry behind and living kingdom-first, with provision added in God’s way and timing. We also address the tension head-on: why abundance is not the prosperity gospel, why money is a tool, and how provision is received by grace through faith so you can live with “plenty left over” to share.

If this helps you, subscribe, share it with an artist friend, and leave a review so more Christian creatives can find it. What belief about provision do you need to replace today?

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Transcript

Why Artists Feel Stuck

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Most artists have never actually been taught what the Bible says about God's promise to provide. And because of that, so many artists who love Jesus are living with beliefs about God and money and provision that are keeping them stuck and frustrated and wondering if they'll ever have enough to fulfill what God's called them to do. But listen, when you look at scripture from Genesis all the way through the New Testament, you start discovering a picture of God's provision that's far different and far, far better than most people realize. And so today I want to walk you through 10 Bible verses that will completely change how you understand God's provision as an artist. And it's a whole lot better than you think. And hey, make sure to stay with me to the very end because I want to show you why this isn't the prosperity gospel, why it doesn't mean that you'll never face hardship and why everything changed through Jesus' finished work on the cross. So let's jump in. Well, hey, friend, I'm Matt Tommy. And as a professional artist for over 30 years now and mentor to thousands of artists all over the world who love Jesus, I've seen firsthand how devastating it can be when artists believe that God is holding out on them. I've seen artists, so many artists trapped in fear, artists trapped in scarcity mindsets, artists trapped in a belief that somehow struggle makes them more spiritual. And I've seen the frustration that comes when people are genuinely trying to follow God and all they're doing while secretly wondering underneath if they'll ever have enough, enough time, enough money, enough opportunity, enough connections, enough resources maybe to actually fulfill the dream that God's put on their heart to be an artist. And that's why this conversation is so important today, because what you believe about God and ultimately what you believe about his provision for your life will determine how you live and create and work, how you give and receive and respond to the opportunities that he puts in front of you. And so before we can talk about provision, I believe we've got to actually start where

Blessed Before Assignment

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God starts. We we got to go back to the beginning in Genesis, where in Genesis 128 it says, then God blessed them and God said to him, Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air, and let every living thing that moves over the earth. Now listen, I want you to notice something that so many people completely miss. Did you notice what happened first right there? It says that God blessed them, not after they worked, right? Not after they performed for God, not after they kept all the rules, not after they, after they proved themselves, not after they had even figured everything out, not after they became productive in the garden. God blessed them first, and then he gave them their assignment. Listen, friend, this is so important because so many artists live with exactly the opposite mentality. We think that when I finally get my act together, then God will bless me, or when I finally become successful, then God will bless me. When I finally learn enough or sell enough or produce enough or serve enough, then God will finally bless me. But listen, that is not how the kingdom works. The very first thing that God did with humanity was what? Bless them. And you know why? Because God's blessing flows from relationship, not performance. See, Adam wasn't trying to earn God's favor. He already had it as his son. Adam wasn't trying to earn God's provision. He already had it. Adam wasn't trying to earn God's approval. He already had it as his son, right? As the one that God created. And friend, listen, if you miss this, you'll spend your whole life striving for things that Jesus has already purchased for you. One of the greatest revelations that God ever gave me was that he doesn't bless me because I perform for him. He blesses me because I'm his son. And that's a completely different way of living. Now listen, that that raises an important question, right? If if Adam was already blessed, then what exactly did the blessing

Provision Prepared Before Need

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look like? And that kind of gives us this next verse, which is Genesis 2, 8 through 9. In the New Living, it says, Then the Lord planted for him a garden in the east, and he placed there the man he had made, and the Lord made all sorts of trees come up from the ground, trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. And then verse 15 says, The Lord God placed man in the garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. Now, again, did you catch that? But God prepared the garden before he placed Adam in it. Now think about that. The provision was already there before the need that Adam had showed up. The resources were there before the assignment. The opportunity was there, right? But before the work. The environment was there before Adam even had the responsibility for it. In other words, Adam didn't show up into this barren wasteland and God says, Hey, good luck. Hope you figure it out on your own. No. Listen, God had already provided everything they needed, right? The food, the beauty, the purpose, the opportunity, the relationship with him, the authority, the provision, everything that they needed was already there. And I think this is one of the biggest misunderstandings, probably, that artists have about God. We often think that provision is something that we have to do, that we have to create, but biblically, provision is something that God prepares for us and then invites us to receive and steward. Now listen, that didn't mean that Adam didn't have to work, right? Of course he did, right? The the garden still needed tending. There was responsibility, there was partnership, there was meaningful work that they were engaging in. But listen, Adam was working from abundant provision, not for it, right? That's a huge, huge difference. And honestly, that's the difference between what I would call striving and thriving, right? Thriving in God's kingdom says God has already provided what I need. And now I get to partner with him to go, you know, receive that. Striving says, what? It's all up to me. I gotta do it, right? And that brings us to the moment where I think everything changed in God's word. Because if God's original design was abundance and provision and relationship, why do so many Christians not live that way, right? Why are they living in fear and scarcity? Well, that takes us to the next passage. And friend, this may be the, you know, one of the most important revelations in this whole video because until you understand what happened here, you never really will understand what I think is God's heart for provision.

The Root Of Scarcity Mindset

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Now in Genesis 3:1, it says, Did God really say? Now, I'm not going to read the whole entire scripture account because most of us know the story about how Satan came and tempted Eve to believe something that wasn't true about God. But but I want you to notice something that the enemy didn't start by attacking Adam and Eve's provision. He started by attacking their perception of God. He was essentially trying to convince them about one thing, right? God is holding out on you. God can't really be trusted, right? There's something good that God doesn't want you to have. He's just sowing doubt, right? And that moment that they believe that lie, that's what changed everything about their provision. Friend, everything, everything about scarcity mindset, poverty mentality, about striving, it all begins right there. That starving artist mentality, it all begins right there. Because at its core, scarcity is not a money problem. It's a trust problem. It's believing that God isn't as good as he says he is. It's believing that somehow we're out here on our own, even if we love Jesus. It's believing that something good, you know, if it's going to happen, we got to make it happen ourselves. And the result of that belief is what we see throughout the rest of Genesis. Fear, right? And hiding and shame, feelings of separation, that all this self-effort and toil and painful struggle. Listen, the the curse didn't simply introduce hard work. The curse introduced painful toil and struggle and striving and sweat and frustration and that feeling that no matter how hard you work, it never feels like it's enough. I mean, does that sound familiar? It did for me for a lot of years. And that's where so many artists are living today. That's why this verse that's coming next is so important because even after the fall, God never changed his heart toward his people. In fact, throughout the Old Testament, we see glimpses of God's desire not to merely provide for his people, but to empower them to really flourish and thrive. And the next verse reveals one of the most important principles that every artist needs to understand about provision. See, after the fall, you see humanity struggling with the effects of sin and striving and toiling and separation, right? But what's amazing is that God's heart never changed. Even in the in the middle of a fallen world, God continued revealing his desire to bless and provide for and empower his people.

Power To Create Wealth

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And that brings us to the fourth verse, which is in Deuteronomy 8.18. And it says in the NASB, but you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who is giving you the power to make wealth that he may confirm his covenant, which he swore to your fathers, as it is to this day. Listen, let me tell you that something that completely changed the way I read this verse. For years, when I heard the word wealth, you know, it kind of makes you nervous a little bit, you immediately think about money, right? Bank accounts and income, you know, sales, maybe revenue. But but here's the deal. Notice what the verse actually says. God doesn't merely promise to give them wealth, he gives them the power to create wealth. I mean, I mean, think about the ability to create wealth comes first, and then the resource follows, right? The capacity to do it comes first, and then the result follows. And listen for artists, I think this is just so incredibly important because so much of God's provision shows up long before it becomes money, right? It shows up as things that we recognize like ideas and creativity, innovation, uh, wisdom in certain situations, relationships and divine appointments that God sets up, uh, new opportunities and fresh inspirations, maybe that new technique that God's showing you, or maybe a new way to do business, a new way of thinking, a new market that you want to go into for your work, or a new relationship, a new door that's opening. Listen, so many things that God can bring. Here's what I want you to get. Provision, I think the way God does it often arrives as a seed before we ever see it as a harvest. And I think one of the mistakes that artists can can make a lot of times is asking God for the harvest while ignoring the seeds that He's already placed in our hands. See, we're praying for provision while overlooking the ideas. We're focused on the income while you know ignoring the opportunities that God's bringing. We may be praying for increase while neglecting the gifts that God's already placed inside of us. And friend, listen, one of the greatest forms of provision that God's ever given you is the creative ability that He's put inside of you. You your creativity is not separate from God's provision. It's a part of it. It's the conduit through which it runs. And again, when you begin seeing it that way, I think everything changes. Now, listen, somebody might be thinking, well, Matt, you know, that's all really great, but if if God is really that generous, then why do I feel like sometimes he's withholding things? Why is it such a struggle? And listen, I get it. That's a great question. And the next verse, I think, directly addresses

No Good Thing Withheld

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this. See, Psalm 84, 11 in the New King James says, For the Lord God is a son and shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly. Listen, I love that verse because it completely destroys one of the biggest lies that artists can believe and the the lie that God is holding out on us. Listen, let's be honest. We've probably all felt that way sometimes. We've we've seen somebody else get the opportunity or what looks like a blessing, right? We've seen somebody else get the commission. We've somebody else seen somebody else get the breakthrough or have the great show or looks like somebody else is walking in favor and we're not. They get the recognition we didn't. And if we're careful, we start wondering, well, listen, God, I mean, why did they get it and not me? Where's my opportunity, right? Why did you forget about me? But you got to look at what the scripture says. The Bible says, what? No good thing will he withhold. That is such a powerful promise and statement. Not, not just some good things, not just a few good things, barely enough. No, no good thing will he withhold. See, that doesn't mean that God gives us everything we want the moment we we want it. No, thank God, right? I mean, there have been so many things that I've prayed for, probably you as well, that that you, you know, you realize, oh gosh, if I'd have gotten that, that'd have been a disaster in my life. But it does mean that God is not reluctant. He's not stingy, he's not trying to keep you small, trying to keep you humble. You know, no, he's he's not trying to keep you struggling. He's not looking for ways to to limit you and keep you in a in a box. That is not his nature. Remember where we started? I mean, again, you got to let that form and frame what we're talking about today. The serpent's lie was what? God is holding out on you. And thousands of years later, it's still the same lie. But listen, the scripture says otherwise, right? The issue isn't God's willingness. The issue is learning to trust his ways and his timing, his wisdom and his goodness. And now, if that's true, then what does provision actually look like when it's coming from God? I mean, does the Bible actually paint a picture of survival, of just barely enough, of just scraping by, or does it actually paint a different picture entirely? Well, listen, the next verse, I believe, answers that question beautifully. You probably know Psalm 23. I grew up saying that as a kid, right? It's one of the most beloved passages in all of Scripture. But I want you to notice one specific phrase in verse 5 in the New King James, it says, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup runneth over. My cup runs over. Not my cup just barely survives, just barely hangs on, just barely has enough in it to keep me barely alive. No, it runs over, right? Abundance, more than enough. David is painting this incredible picture of abundant provision, a picture of a God whose resources are not limited by the circumstances that we're in. And notice something else. The table is not prepared just in the good times. The table is prepared in the presence of enemies, not after the enemies disappear, not all, you know, after all the problems are solved, not after life becomes easy, but in the middle of difficulty and uncertainty and what feels maybe like opposition. What? God still provides abundantly. Friend, that is so important because sometimes we think that provision means the absence of all our problems. But again, that is not the context of God's promise to provide. Biblical provision means God's faithfulness is in the middle of our problems. God's goodness in the middle of the challenges we're walking through. God's presence and promise in the middle of things that feel uncertain, right? The picture here is not a life without opposition. It's a life where opposition does

Overflow In Hard Seasons

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not have the final word. And honestly, that's that's been my experience over and over again. Some of the greatest breakthroughs, I think, in my life that I can look at came through seasons that looked really difficult on the outside. And some of the greatest opportunities God ever brought into my life came during seasons when I was tempted to believe that nothing looked like he was happening, right? Because God isn't limited by what we're currently experiencing or even our perception. His provision and his promise to provide is so much bigger than our circumstances. Now, listen, you might be saying, well, man, okay, I can see you know God's heart in Genesis, and I can even see it in Deuteronomy, and maybe I can even see it in the Psalms, but where do we see how this actually shows up in the lives of artists? Well, listen, I'm so glad you asked because the next verse might be the most overlooked artist provision story, I think, in the whole Bible. And honestly, most Christians, especially artists, have never even heard this taught. Listen to what happened during the construction of what we call the tabernacle of Moses. And in Exodus 36, 5 and 7, it says, the people have given more than enough materials to complete the job the Lord has commanded us to do. So Moses, what? He gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp. Now imagine this men and women do not prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough. And so the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings. Their contributions, listen, were more than enough to complete the whole project. In fact, in some translations, if you read it, actually say that they had to restrain the people from giving. I mean, I love that. Think about what's happening here, right? God had called artists and craftsmen and designers and builders and all the creative team, right, to create something beautiful to host his presence in their generation. And the people responded with such generosity that Moses literally had to stop telling, you know, tell the people to stop giving. I mean, can you imagine that? I just love the picture of that. The artists had more than enough, not just barely enough, not just barely enough to get by, but more than enough. And I love this story because it completely shatters the idea that artists are, you know, can somehow expect a lack and just barely getting by as some sort of badge of spirituality, right? I mean, the first major artistic commission was not funded by scarcity. It was funded by generosity, by abundance, by

The Tabernacle Had More Than Enough

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an overflow, by God's provision flowing generously and abundantly through his people. And I just believe that's how God is still working today. I mean, sometimes provision comes directly from God supernaturally. Other times it what? Well, maybe it comes through people or opportunities or through favor or maybe through relationships. Sometimes I've seen God open unexpected doors, but listen, however it comes, you got to realize the source is always the same. It's the goodness of our Father, the goodness of God. Now, before we move into the New Testament, I really want to address something pretty important because somebody watching is probably already thinking, well, Matt, listen, that that's all great, that's all fine, but all those verses are from the Old Testament. And that's exactly, I think, why this next section that I'm going to share with you matters so much, because everything we've talked about so far is pointing to something greater, something that changed everything. See, under the old covenant, blessing was connected, it was tied to obedience. If Israel obeyed God, that's what it says all through Deuteronomy, right? What blessing followed. If they rebelled, then what? Consequences followed. But here's the deal: in the new covenant, through Jesus, something radically changed. It shifted, right? Jesus didn't come to merely improve the old system, he came to fulfill it. And through Jesus' finished work on the cross, he did for us what we could never do for ourselves. He restored to us fully what sin had separated us from. He reconciled us to the Father. He brought us into union with himself. And now, listen, provision isn't something we're trying to earn through our performance on our own. It's something that we receive by grace through faith because of our position in Christ. And listen, once you understand that, these last three verses that I'm going to share will completely transform the way you see God's provision. Now, listen, here's where everything begins to come into focus, I believe, because after showing us God's heart throughout

Jesus Changes The Whole Framework

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the Old Testament, Jesus comes along and reveals something really a whole lot deeper. He reveals the Father, what God really is like. And I think this is one of the greatest gifts that Jesus ever gave us, right? Not a new religion, not a not a new set of rules, but a new revelation of what God is really like. And so let's look at scripture number eight. It's actually in Matthew chapter seven, verses nine through eleven. And in the New Living, it says this, you parents, if if your children ask you for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask you for fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not. So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more? How much more will your heavenly father give good gifts to those who ask him? Now, friend, listen, I I want to just I want you to notice what Jesus is doing right here. He's not talking about money. He's not talking about business, he's not talking about art necessarily. He's talking about what? Relationship with the Father. And he's asking us a really simple question. So don't complicate this, right? He's saying, what kind of father would give his child a stone if they're asking for bread? And then he says, if imperfect earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more does our heavenly father? Now listen, just stop and think about what Jesus was saying right there. He he could have described God in a thousand different ways, right? Uh a king, uh, a judge, you know, looking at all the rules. Did you do this right? A creator, Almighty God. But here in this story, he's intentionally using the what? The language of a father. You know why? Well, I'll tell you exactly why. Because provision, again, in the kingdom, provision flows from relationship, not from performance. And I think this is where so many Christians get stuck, Christian artists get stuck.

Provision Flows From Fatherhood

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We we approach God like employees, like slaves instead of sons and daughters. See, and employees, and we can often have this mentality, right? We earn, but children inherit. Employees perform for their provision, but children receive. Employees are constantly wondering Did I do enough? Did I did I measure up? Am I gonna get the bonus? But what? Children live from belonging. Now, see, that didn't mean that children don't protect. Participate in the process, right? It doesn't mean that they just sit on the couch waiting for God to do everything. It simply means that they're operating from a place of love and security instead of fear. And friend, if you're constantly afraid and just wondering, is God withholding from me? If you're always wondering, is it all up to me? If you're feeling that pressure, you'll never be able to recognize God's abundant provision that's already around you. You know, one of the biggest shifts in my life happened when I stopped seeing God as someone that I had to convince and started seeing him as my loving father who had already given me everything that I needed for life and godliness. Not because I deserved it, not because I'd earned it, but because that's how good he is. Now listen, if that's true, and I believe it is all through the New Testament, then it really raises a pretty important question. If God is such a good father, then why do so many artists, especially ones that love Jesus, spend their lives worrying about and chasing provision in their life? Why are so many believers exhausted and worried about money and anxious and striving for all that? Well, listen, Jesus answers that in the very next passage. And honestly, this may be probably the most important teaching on provision in the entire Bible. And before I read this, I want you to really get this. This section of scripture, for me, it completely transformed my whole understanding of provision, not just not just financially, but really emotionally and spiritually and creatively, and in a real practical way. I mean, for real, this passage changed everything for me. Because listen, this is red letters, right? This is straight from Jesus. This is this is not interpretation. This is him talking. And so in Matthew 6, 25 through 33, it says, Therefore I say to you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink. Don't don't worry about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Verse 26 says, Look at the birds of the air, for they don't sow or reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. And then Jesus says, Are you not more of more value to them? Which of you can, you know, by worrying, add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? And then he says, What? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don't toil or spin, and yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. And here's the deal: if God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you? What? O you of little faith. Therefore, do not

Seek First And Stop Worrying

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worry, saying, What are we going to eat? Or what should we drink, or what should we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But what? Here's the linchpin. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and what? All these things will be added unto you. See, most people just read this passage and think Jesus is talking about not worrying, right? And he is, right? But he's talking about so much more than that. He's revealing how life in the kingdom is designed to actually work. And notice he points out two examples that I just love: birds and flowers, right? See, the birds don't stress, and the flowers are not out there striving, trying to make it happen on their own. And yet what? They're both cared for beautifully. Listen, let's be clear. Birds are not passive. Birds are out there building nests, birds are gathering food, that birds work. They don't live with anxiety, though. They don't wake up every morning wondering if God has forgotten about them. And flowers, listen, they don't struggle to become flowers. They simply do what God's called them to do where they've been planted. They they simply express the life that God's already put inside of them. And I think that's one of the most profound pictures of creativity in all of scripture. Flowers are not performing, they just bloom. And artists, listen, artists weren't created to perform for acceptance. We were created to express the life of God that's already within us. And listen, also notice provision is different for the bird than it is for the flowers, right? I mean, birds eat seeds and worms, and uh, you know, birds don't receive through sunlight and roots. That's what lilies do. And here's the big takeaway, I think, that that Jesus is teaching here. God's promise of provision is unique to each of us based on our unique design. And listen, and the realm in which we've been designed for. I mean, come on, this is so huge. Whatever God's designed for you, and for that's for us, you know, that's being artists, he's got unique provision for you that exactly fits who you are and what you're called to do. And again, then Jesus gives the lynchpin, right, in 633, the verse that changes everything for me. And I think it will for you too. It says, What? Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things, right, the physical things of life, will be added unto you. Friend, notice what Jesus did not say. Jesus did not say, get out there and seek provision, get out there and seek money and opportunities and sales and make it happen and get a 10-point plan for success and go out there and seek security and amass all these followers and influence and try to do all this stuff and seek validation. No, he says what? Seek first the kingdom. And if you do that, what? All these things, the physical needs of your life, will be added unto you. In other words, again, provision is a byproduct of relationship. Provision follows alignment. Provision follows relationship with the Father. Provision follows trust. It's the fruit of our trust in him. This is why I often tell artists that provision is not a reward for performance, it's a promise connected to our sonship. And listen, that changes everything. See, that's why Jesus could say, don't worry, because your father already knows what you need, not your boss, not your employer, not the economy, not the latest art market or Instagram algorithm, but no, your heavenly father. And listen, once you get that revelation down deep inside of you, I promise everything starts to change. You can stop striving and chasing and worrying and living in fear, and you actually start partnering with the Holy Spirit and trusting. You start creating from a place of peace instead of panic, just creating things that you think will sell. And honestly, listen, I think that's one of the greatest gifts that God wants to restore to you and I as artists today. Now, listen, after everything we've seen so far, from Eden through Psalms through Exodus through the teachings of Jesus, I think we come now to the verse that again ties it all together in such a beautiful way. This final verse, I think, is one of the clearest pictures of kingdom provision in the New Testament, and it's 2 Corinthians 9, 8. Now, listen, I want you to listen to this carefully because this verse is one that I wish every Christian artist could understand. And it says it this way in the New Living Translation. It says, And God will generously provide all you need, and then you will always have everything you need, and get this, and plenty left over to share with others. Now I'm gonna read that again. Plenty left over to share with others. Not just barely enough, plenty left over. Not just scraping by, not just survival mode, plenty left over, not just enough to gather, you know, get through another month hand to mouth. No, plenty left over. See, this is where people get nervous. I've seen it. I see it all the time on this channel because they've seen extremes, right? We've all seen that. We've seen people get greedy, we've seen weird biblical manipulation, we've seen people abuse scripture. But listen, stay with what the text says. Why does God provide abundantly for us? Why does God provide more than enough? You know why? So that we can share it with others, so that we can become a blessing, so that we can abound, we can flourish in every good work that God's called us to. That's the purpose. Kingdom provision is never about us just accumulating and mounding up. It's about a life of overflow. It's about becoming a conduit for blessing rather than a reservoir that just thinks about ourselves. I mean, think about Jesus. Everywhere he went, there was more than enough.

Plenty Left Over To Share

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More than enough wine, right? More than enough bread, more than enough fish, right? In the feeding of the 5,000, more than enough healing for every disease, more than enough grace for every person, more than enough mercy, more than enough provision. Why? Why? Why would Jesus be about more than enough? Because the kingdom, the nature of God always operates from abundance, not from fear and scarcity and lack and performance, but from abundance. And listen, here's what I just think you got to understand. This doesn't mean that every Christian is designed to be wealthy, that we're all going to be driving Rolls-Royces. It doesn't mean that every artist is going to become famous. It doesn't mean that you'll never walk through a difficulty. I mean, surely not. But it does mean that God's nature is generosity. His heart is generosity. His kingdom is about generosity and abundance. And his desire is that you and I would have everything we need to fulfill everything that he's called us to do. And I believe enjoy the desires of our heart, just like it says in Psalms, as we what? As we delight ourselves in him. Now, listen, before I finish, I want to address something that's really, really important because anytime, you know, Christians start talking about provision, abundance, and blessing and prosperity, somebody inevitably raises their hand and says, Man, this sounds like the prosperity gospel. Well, listen, first of all, I want to say unequivocally, you know, no question, this is not the prosperity gospel. And here's why. When you read the gospels, Jesus never treated money as the enemy. He treated money as a tool. Money can do what? Build businesses, bless people, feed families, fund ministries. It can, it can help the poor, it can create opportunities, it can allow artists just like you and me to steward our gifts and calling in the world. So Jesus was not about condemning money or even condemning wealth. What he consistently addressed, though, was the condition of the human heart around money. In fact, in Matthew 6, 24, Jesus said, no one can serve two masters. Why? Because you're going to hate one and love another. You will be devoted to one and despise another. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. Now listen, notice what he didn't say in that. He didn't say you can't have money. He did say though, what? You can't love money. You can't serve money. That's a completely different issue. The problem is not having money. The problem is when money has you. The problem is when money becomes your source, when it becomes your security, when it becomes your identity, when it becomes, you know, the thing you're focused on,

Why This Is Not Prosperity Gospel

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your master, the lens through which you're making decisions and seeing life through, right? That's exactly what happened, I believe, in the story of the rich young ruler. Jesus wasn't exposing wealth in that situation. He was exposing the issue of where his heart was, right? About lordship. Money that had become the thing that occupied his heart instead of allowing your heart to be the thing that God occupied. And that's what Jesus confronts about money every single time. Not just the money itself, but idolatry, right? Not provision, but misplaced trust. Not abundance that he wants to flow in our life, but the wrong allegiance. Listen, I don't believe that God has any money, any issue with his children having money and growing money and enjoying the fruits of our labor and building businesses and lives and creating wealth, or even leaving an inheritance for our future generations. The issue that Jesus talks about is always this. Does money have your heart, or does God have your heart? Because when God has your heart, listen, money always becomes what it was intended to be, which is a tool and a resource and a servant to us in our hands, something that can be that can be used to bless others and used as a tool for his kingdom purposes, something that can bless your family, something that can be, you know, used to bless others generously, something that can be used to fund the calling that God's placed on your life. And see, here's the beautiful thing. When God knows that money isn't your master, I don't think God is worried about provision becoming your idol because he knows that your trust isn't in the provision. Your trust is in him as the provider. Your confidence is not in the resources that he's put in your hands. He can see that your confidence is in him as the source. And that's why I believe God can entrust and will entrust greater provision to sons and daughters whose hearts are fully surrendered to him. Not because he's trying to make us rich just for being rich and show off and all that. No, because he knows that when we're sons and daughters, we can become faithful stewards and generous conduits of his goodness in the earth. That is the difference. See, prosperity gospel, you know, all that kind of weird stuff, that treats God like some kind of slot machine, right? But the kingdom says, trust God and love God and follow God and let money just become a tool like any other tool that God has entrusted to you. And use your relationship with the Lord as the thing that anchors you to his heart. Let that be the center. And that's what this whole video has been about. Not the money, the goodness of God, not accumulating stuff, right? But trust. Not not about getting rich, but but learning to live as a son and as a daughter who believes that our father really is that good. Now, maybe you're sitting there thinking, well, Matt, okay, I believe God's good. This has all been great. I believe he's a provider. I believe he's not, you know, holding out on me, but how do I actually receive what you're talking about as God's provision in my life? And listen, that is a really, really important question because the answer is actually the same way that we receive everything in the kingdom, right? By God's grace through faith. I mean, think about it. You know, when you got saved, you didn't earn your salvation, right? You what? You received it. You didn't earn your righteousness in Christ. What? You received it. You didn't earn God's God's love because you performed for it. What? You received it as a free gift of grace, and provision works the same exact way. God's grace is his part, right? But faith is our response to God's grace. God provides and then we trust, right? God speaks and then we get to respond to what he said. God reveals things through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, and what? We follow. That's the pattern throughout scripture, right? In every situation. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes I think that artists can make is waiting until we actually see provision before we believe that it's available. But listen, faith, you know, works the opposite way, right? Faith believes and sees before it can touch it and feel it in the natural. Faith agrees with God in our heart before the circumstances actually show up in the natural. Faith, you know, begins making plans based on what God has said and what he's promised rather than what fear is saying. Faith starts to take steps. Faith starts preparing. Faith starts expecting and believing,

Receiving Provision By Grace Through Faith

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not because we're trying to force something to happen, but because we're convinced and we're learning to agree with what God has already provided for us in Christ. And friend, here's another thing that I've learned after walking with the Lord for many, many years. Provision that we're looking for is often hidden in places that you and I would never expect. I mean, sometimes it's hidden in a relationship, sometimes it's hidden in an idea that God gives you. Maybe it's hidden in a in a conversation, which is this moment of like, oh, like revelation. Sometimes it's hidden in a skill that you've overlooked or an experience. Sometimes it's hidden in an opportunity that's already sitting right in front of you. And so that's why walking by the Spirit, by revelation is so important because the Holy Spirit is not just our comforter. He's the one that guides us, right? He's the one that's revealing all things. He's opening our eyes. He's he's showing us where the provision is and he leads us into opportunities that we could never have discovered on our own. That's why, you know, kingdom provision is never just about money, it's about living in partnership with the Lord, learning to hear his voice and trust his voice and follow his leading, learning to step out on faith and recognize the resources that he's already placed in us and around us. And as we do, we begin to discover something really, really incredible. The provision that we've been praying for all along was never absent. We just couldn't see it yet. And that's one of the things I believe that is the is the greatest prayer that an artist can pray. It's not, oh God, please provide, I need this, I'm in lack, I don't have anything. No, it's Father, show me what you've already provided so that I can I can harvest it, I can intersect it, I can steward it well. Because listen, when grace and faith come together, that's where provision begins to flow. Friend, I know this has been a lot, but here's really what I want you to take away from this video. From Genesis all the way through the New Testament, God is never showing up as a God of barely enough. He is not the God of scarcity and lack. He's not the God of fear. He's not the God who's who's holding out on you. He is the God who blessed Adam before performance, prepared provision before there was ever in need. He's a God who empowered people to create wealth. He's a God who refused to hold, to withhold good things from his children. He's a God who causes cups to overflow. He's a God who provides more than enough for artists back then and even today, who revealed himself as a loving father, who taught us to seek first the kingdom and is a God that promised that in Christ we would have everything that we need with plenty left over to be a blessing to others. That is the God that we see in Scripture. And friend, that's the God I want you to know too. Hey, now listen, if this message has been a blessing to you and it's helping you to kind of rethink God's whole understanding, your old understanding of God's provision and his promise and his goodness, I would love to hear from you in the comments. I read every one, and uh you guys just bless the socks off of each other when you when you post and you let me know what God's showing you. So definitely do that. Definitely make sure you're subscribed to the channel. And hey, listen, if you want to learn more about actually becoming the artist that God created you to be and how to walk in God's abundance and provision in every area, spiritually, artistically, maybe even in starting uh your own art business, either part-time or full-time, I want to invite you to check out the Thriving Christian Artist Pathway and Coaching Community. It's the exact roadmap that I've been teaching artists for uh almost two decades now of how to actually thrive as the artist that God created you to be. It's an incredible community of artists that love Jesus and that are on this journey. We're we're encouraging each other, asking questions every week. And it's my great joy, along with my team, to encourage you and to equip you in every good thing that God's called you to. So you can check out the link that's right here uh under this video. And

Final Recap And Encouragement

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I hope you'll consider becoming a part of that community and grabbing the pathway for yourself. All right. Listen, I love you, friend. Thanks so much for being with me today. Um, again, be sure to subscribe, leave me a comment, all the stuff. And uh remember till next time, you were created to thrive. Bye.