Dear Partner,

Most believers are not accustomed to going to the Father in prayer to ask Him specifically to provide the material "things" they need in life. They have been taught that it is unspiritual for them to do so. For that reason, most believers turn to the lenders to acquire financing for the things they need in life and wind up selling years of their life into the bondage of debt. Jesus said,

Mat 6:8b ... your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before you ASK HIM.

Most believers think that Jesus was only referring to asking the Father for spiritual things like peace, love, joy, and so forth. A careful reading of Jesus' teaching in Mat 6:5-34 reveals that Jesus was talking about the everyday, practical "things" we all need in life while we sojourn on this planet. Things like our food, water, and clothing:

Mat 6:31-33  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

At this point, let me ask you a question. If you had the choice of acquiring the things you need while living in this world by either selling years of your life into debt to the lenders, or by receiving those same things freely from your heavenly Father ... which would you choose? No doubt you would answer, "Well, Gary, of course I would rather not be in the bondage of debt in order to acquire the things I need to live in this world."

I can assure you, from the Word of God and my own practical experience over many years of living this way ... the choice is yours to make! You can be free from financial bondage to the lenders if you choose to be free! In order to live that way, however, your thinking must become radically different from that of the world. How does the world think? Jesus gave us an important clue when He said,

Mat 6:32a  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)

From birth to the grave, the unbelievers of the world are first and foremost focused on acquiring the things they need in life. This is not only true in America, but in all the world. That sort of thinking makes man little different from animals, whose primary motive every day is to acquire food, water, and shelter. Man is made in the image of God and was created for a much higher purpose than physical "survival" in the world. That's why Jesus said to believers,

Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Isn't our life to be about more than just seeking the material things we need to survive? Are we not higher in purpose than the animal kingdom? Believers are to know WHO WE ARE, WHERE WE ARE FROM, AND WHY WE ARE HERE! Believers are the literal offspring of God, on temporary assignment on earth, for the purpose of bringing as many people into the family of God as possible during our short sojourn on this planet.

Finding our place (our office, our calling, our assignment) in the body of Christ and making full proof of our ministry is to be the number one, most important thing in our life. That's why the Father has given us the freedom to trust Him as our Provider ... so our lives can be fully devoted to "seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." God forbid that we forsake our sacred calling while spending years in bondage to the lenders ... and for what? To acquire the very "things" that the Father has already promised to freely provide for us?

The devil has hoodwinked the body of Christ! Most believers have been tricked into believing that our Father will not supply the things we need in life. Nothing could be further from the truth! The apostle Paul made an astounding statement when writing to Timothy on this very subject. He told Timothy to warn even the very rich that they should never consider money to be their source of provision:

1 Tim 6:17-18  Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, WHO GIVETH US RICHLY ALL THINGS TO ENJOY; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

Said in plain English, "Rich people ... money makes a poor god! Never put your trust in money! Never become confused about Who your provider is. It is our God who provides for us ... richly ... all 'things' to enjoy!" That's taking this whole concept even further ... beyond going into debt to acquire things. Paul is saying that even when you have an abundance of money ... never confuse money with your Father as being your PROVIDER! Notice that Paul is telling them that they are to consider money to be a tool to be used in serving the kingdom. They are to use it to "do good, to be rich in good works, ready to distribute (liberally give), and willing to communicate (to share)."

Sue and I have learned how to trust our Father as our Provider over these many years. We began with a ten-dollar bill and a twenty-year-old tape recorder. Today, as I look around the office, I am awed at His provision for us. I see two computers, a laptop computer, a scanner, a printer, a fax machine, telephones, a Dictaphone machine, several recording devices, a high speed tape duplicator ... on and on it goes.

Those who have been on our mailing list from the beginning know they have never once received an appeal letter from us requesting funds, nor even letting them know what the needs of the ministry are. We have learned to do exactly what Jesus said. Since our Father knows what things we have need of, we simply ASK HIM in the name of Jesus. We have never had to turn to the lenders to supply any of the "things" we needed. What He has done for us, He will do for all.

The Lord promised us that as long as we remained faithful to put first in our lives His kingdom and His righteousness, He gave us His Word … His guarantee … that He would supply all of our needs. In mine and Sue's case, being full time in the ministry, He specifically told us that as long as we made all of the teaching materials available freely to everyone who requests them, He would speak to the hearts of the people He chooses to support us, and the work of the ministry. We thank God that He has spoken to your heart. We thank you for hearing and obeying His voice.

Your friend and co-laborer,

Gary Carpenter

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