Overview
Living generously means partnering with the God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure, and then sharing whatever he has put in your hand the moment he shows you the need. In this teaching Victoria Finley tells how a Christian believer named Ryan refused to accept her polite no over coffee in downtown Sarasota, asked instead what he could pray for, and prayed over a forearm that had been painful and weak for more than a year, which was completely healed by that evening. Working through Philippians 2:13, Proverbs 3, 1 Timothy 6 and Proverbs 11:25, she redefines wealth as love, prayer, time, wisdom and physical plenty, and calls believers to be rich in good works, ready to distribute and willing to share.
Transcript
A Question at Whole Foods That Stopped Me
God bless you and if you would turn with me to Philippians chapter 2, Philippians chapter 2. You know, not long ago a professional friend of mine called and asked if I would meet with some new folks that had come to town. They’re Christian, she said, and they were launching a faith-based agency and she thought that I could help them. I said, sure, I’ll be happy to help.
And so we met up at the Whole Foods dining room in downtown Sarasota and we had a cup of coffee and we chatted together for an hour or so. And when we were just about concluding, one of the men said to me, in his gratitude for my time and my expertise, he asked me, was there anything that they could do for me, Victoria? Is there anything we can do for you? And I said, no, Brian, I’m good. I don’t need anything.
Thanks, though. Thanks for asking. And he got quiet and he sat back and he looked at me and he took a moment and he said, well, is there anything that we can pray for, specifically for you, Victoria? Do you have any need that we can pray for? And I have to tell you, it stopped me.
A Year of Pain in My Left Forearm That I Told No One About
That question just stopped me. For over a year, my left forearm had become quite painful and really weak. And I could hardly, at that point in time, when he asked me that question, I could hardly lift a glass of water without pain.
Interesting thing was, is that I hadn’t told anybody about it. I didn’t tell my husband or anyone. I simply kept it to myself.
And when I was in pain or uncomfortable, I would just thank God for the healing that I really did believe would come. And I believed it. And when Ryan asked me that question, I realized that time had come.
What I Saw While He Prayed Over My Arm
It was right there in that moment in downtown Sarasota, in the dining room of Whole Foods, oddly enough. So I looked at him and I said, well, yeah, Ryan, actually, my arm, my left forearm, it really hurts. And he said to me, okay.
He said, can I touch it and pray? And I said, sure. And so he rested his hand on my forearm. And as he did, he began to pray.
I don’t really remember what he prayed specifically and what he said, because in my mind’s eye, I saw the inside of my forearm being wrapped in a circular motion with what looked like a white type of ribbon. And it was circling the muscles on the inside of my arm. I saw it, but I felt nothing.
Lifting the Cast Iron Pan: Completely and Wholly Healed
He said, amen. We said our goodbyes and I headed home. A little bit later on that evening, I was preparing dinner and hadn’t really thought much about it.
It just afternoon got busy and I got home. And as I was pulling a cast iron pan, and as some of you cooks will know, cast iron is pretty heavy, out of the oven, I was moving pretty quickly and I grabbed it with my left arm, my left hand, and I was able to lift it completely out of the oven with just this one arm, which I hadn’t been able to do for a very long time.
And it was in that moment that I realized that I had been completely miraculously and wholly healed. There wasn’t a bit of weakness or pain left in my arm. Look at Philippians chapter two.
Philippians 2:13: God Works in You Both to Will and to Do
Philippians please, chapter two, verse 13. What a wonderful scripture here. For it is God, verse 13, which worketh in you, me and you, both to will, to earnestly desire, to have that passion and that deep, deep willingness to do, both to will and to do, to actually carry out of his good pleasure.
And in that moment, that man, Ryan, in his gratitude to God, determined to follow through on how Father was working in him. He didn’t take my no for an answer. Somewhere in his mind and in his heart and his soul, in the spirit of God that dwelled in him, he knew God had more for me.
Why Ryan Would Not Take No for an Answer
It wasn’t just a cursory, is there anything we can do for you now? But out of the deep gratitude for what God had put on my heart to share with him liberally and very generously, I was happy to do it. And I genuinely was. And I knew in our meeting before that prayer that the things that I shared with him were what God wanted him and his friends to know as they were branching out on this new venture.
And God worked in me and I shared liberally. I was glad to do it. And Ryan knew it.
And in his gratitude to God and me, he knew that the job and the meeting wasn’t done. And I have to tell you, Ryan is a generous Christian believer. And he was truly determined to do what God was asking and nudging him to do, even though he didn’t know all the specifics.
He just knew that God saw a need and he was willing to be there and do a good work with God. He is both gracious, but he is spiritually tenacious. And he really inspired me that day.
And as a result of that, his generosity and his obedience to do and be where God wanted him to be, and the same for me, I was healed. And Father received the glory and the praise that is due to our wonderful Father. Please turn with me to Proverbs.
Proverbs 3:5: Trust in the Lord and He Will Direct Your Paths
Proverbs, please, in the middle of your Bibles. You can go about anywhere in Proverbs and pick a verse and it’ll be a good one. Proverbs chapter three.
This wonderful section of scripture. Look at verse five with me, please. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways, think on him, acknowledge him, pay attention to how God is at work in you, Victoria, in all of you, because he works in us, ladies and gentlemen. And he promises when we do that, he will direct our paths because only God truly knows where the need lies. He shows us, he works in us to will to want to do good things with him and how to actually do it.
This would be an entirely different discussion if Ryan took my no for an answer, but he didn’t. God was at work in him and he knows his God and he trusted him and he knew that there was more to be done. Look at verse seven, please.
Honor the Lord With All Thy Substance
Be not wise in thine own eyes, love God and depart, stay far away from evil and it shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones. I’ll tell you that verse lives for me these days, marrow to my bones. Honor the Lord, give him praise, give him love, give him the glory with all thy substance.
Isn’t that a great encouragement? And with the first fruits of all thine increase. All thy substance can be translated, ladies and gentlemen, to the word wealth. The world would have us to think that wealth is equal to what our bank account says or to our real estate holdings or to the cars we drive or the jewels in our jewelry box.
What Our Wealth Really Is: Love, Prayer, Time and Wisdom
Far from it. Our wealth is the love that we carry for him to his people. Our wealth is the deep prayer that we can have and make intercession for the saints.
Our wealth is the time I can share with you and you with me to heal and to make whole and to be there. Our wealth is the wisdom, the knowledge, the understanding, and even some of our life’s experiences that we share liberally with each other. And yes, our wealth is our physical plenty.
Everything We Have Has Been Freely Given
The things that we have, we have been freely given, ladies and gentlemen. None of us came into this earth with anything and it is promised that we will leave with nothing. Our hope in our future is rich in Jesus Christ at the return.
But this life, everything we have, everything we own, everything we have access to has been given to us by our God who loves us so deeply. Look at verse 10. So shall, so shall thy barns be filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
1 Timothy 6:17: Trust the Living God, Not Uncertain Riches
Please turn to 1st Timothy with me. In the back of your Bible, 1st Timothy, this great section of scripture, Paul encouraging the young man Timothy to take charge of his ministry and move out for his God and his father. Look at 1st Timothy chapter 6, 1st Timothy chapter 6, verse 17.
Charge them, Timothy, that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor that they trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God. We just read in Proverbs, we’re to trust in him with all our heart. We are to trust the living God, not our riches, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.
We hear that all the time in exhortation and encouragement that this life is for us to richly enjoy, not to hoard, not to build fences around, but to share generously, to be a partner, a fellow laborer with God Almighty who works in you, who works in me, both to will, the will is to have that deep desire to do for him. Look at the next verse, that they do good, that they, you and me, that’s the they, that they be rich in good works. You know you want to be rich in something? Let’s be rich in good works.
Be Rich in Good Works, Ready to Distribute and Willing to Share
That’s something to be rich in. You know, good works is not what Victoria is able to do, or what Ryan did that day all on his own. He wasn’t a medical doctor and cut open my arm and fixed it all up.
He simply moved where God directed his path to go, and together, together, they did a good work that I get to share with you today, and encourage you that God is ready, willing, and able to work with us to be rich in these good works. All we have to be is what the rest of the verse says, ready to distribute, to be generous, and willing to share, to communicate. Why? Because God sees the needs that none of us will ever see.
He sees into a man, into a woman’s heart like nobody else can, and we get to go places with him and meet need that could go unmet if we were not willing and able to respond to his great work in our life. Look at Proverbs chapter 3 with me please. Back to Proverbs chapter 3. You can’t go to Proverbs 3 and not hit verse 27.
Withhold Not Good When It Is in the Power of Thine Hand
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. I have love for you. I have time for you.
I have prayer for you. I have wisdom and knowledge and understanding to share with you and you with me, and yes, at times I have physical plenty to do it. Look at verse 28.
Say not unto thy neighbor, go, come back again another day, and tomorrow I will give you whatever it is that you need when thou hast it by thee. You know what? I don’t want to miss another opportunity in my life to do for him what he has called me to do and be rich in good works. When I live generously and abundantly and looking for God to direct my paths and show me which way to go, man, what a life to live.
What great signs, miracles, and wonders will follow us when we do that. Let’s look at Proverbs please. Just a couple of chapters over.
Proverbs 11:25: The Liberal Soul Shall Be Made Fat
Proverbs chapter 11. Proverbs chapter 11 in this wonderful verse 25. The liberal soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
The English Standard Version says this. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched and one who waters will himself be watered. Our God has provided a life in partnership with him that is rich and richly to be enjoyed and we have the privilege to be a fellow laborer with him living generously.
Amen.
Key Takeaways
- Philippians 2:13 is the engine of a generous life: it is God which worketh in you both to will, the earnest desire and deep willingness, and to do, actually carrying it out, of his good pleasure.
- Ryan did not take a polite no for an answer. He asked what he could pray for instead, and a forearm that had been painful and weak for over a year was completely healed that same evening.
- Proverbs 3:5 and 3:6 are the pattern: trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not unto thine own understanding, acknowledge him in all thy ways, and he will direct our paths, because only God truly knows where the need lies.
- All thy substance in Proverbs 3:9 can be translated wealth, and wealth is not the bank account, the real estate, the cars or the jewels. It is love, prayer, time, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, life experience, and yes, physical plenty.
- 1 Timothy 6:17 and 6:18 say to trust the living God rather than uncertain riches, and to be rich in good works, ready to distribute and willing to share.
- Proverbs 3:27 and 3:28 make it immediate: withhold not good when it is in the power of thine hand, and do not tell your neighbor to come back another day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean that God works in you both to will and to do?
Philippians 2:13 says it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Victoria Finley explains the will as an earnest desire, a passion and a deep, deep willingness, and the do as actually carrying it out. Ryan followed through on how Father was working in him, refused to take her no for an answer, and asked what he could pray for instead, and her forearm was healed that evening.
What does the Bible mean by wealth in Proverbs 3:9?
All thy substance in Proverbs 3:9 can be translated to the word wealth, and Victoria Finley says it is far more than what our bank account says, our real estate holdings, the cars we drive or the jewels in our jewelry box. Our wealth is the love we carry for him to his people, the deep prayer and intercession we make for the saints, the time we share to heal and to make whole, the wisdom, knowledge, understanding and life experience we share liberally, and yes, our physical plenty.
What does it mean to be rich in good works?
1 Timothy 6:18 says that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute and willing to share. Victoria Finley points out that good works are not what she is able to do, or what Ryan did all on his own. He was not a medical doctor who cut open her arm and fixed it all up. He simply moved where God directed his path to go, and together they did a good work, because God sees the needs that none of us will ever see.
Scripture References
Philippians 2:13; Proverbs 3:5; Proverbs 3:6; Proverbs 3:7; Proverbs 3:8; Proverbs 3:9; Proverbs 3:10; 1 Timothy 6:17; 1 Timothy 6:18; Proverbs 3:27; Proverbs 3:28; Proverbs 11:25
This text was prepared from the teaching audio. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
