by Cris Corzine-McCloskey

This week we are using Philippians 4:19 and Psalm 23:1 as our focal verses. Nearly everyone knows Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in need.” Philippians 4:19 is it’s New Testament counterpart, “God is supplying all your needs according to His riches.” Beautiful verses, but how much do we believe them?

Part of my job is to minister to the brokenhearted, and often our hearts are broken by our ‘need’. Lonely singles feel they ‘need’ to be married to be happy. Disillusioned marrieds feel they ‘need’ to be single. We often feel we are missing some crucial ingredient in our lives. We believe that element is essential to our emotional well-being. When we don’t have the coveted thing, we go through life feeling cheated and bereft. I see it daily. People cry out to me with broken hearts,”if my family would come back to me I could live again,” or “I am so lonely that I cannot make it.”

Ephesians 1:3 declares that God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms…” That means now, not in the sweet by and by. Our spiritual blessings are in part the same things David was talking about in Psalm 23. We are never alone; we are divinely led, protected, given rest, peace, anointed and loved beyond our wildest dreams. Part of that protection is protection against emotional vulnerability to the wrong things (i.e., needing something or someone in your life to be okay).

When I was a drug addict, I felt I needed my drug to be okay. When I didn’t have it, I would go through withdrawal. The withdrawal was very real, but the thing I felt I needed was a lie. What I really needed was Jesus and sobriety. It took me losing everything to discover that you will never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have. He did not die a horrific death, rise from the grave, and put His spirit inside you to leave you vulnerable and needy to anything other than Him!

Not only do you have everything you need inside your born again spirit, but you also have what the world needs; Jesus. We are so consumed by thinking we are not okay and thinking of all the things we think we need that we forget we have the answer. If you feel lonely, encourage others and love them, even if they aren’t who you are aching for. If you feel you are missing something in your marriage, quit looking to your spouse to fill you. They were not designed to be your source. Look to Jesus, and receive from Him the love you need. If you start renewing your mind to this truth, you will begin to realize you don’t need anything other than what you have, but there is a broken, dying world that needs what you have. Freely you receive, freely give.

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