Why Most People Miss the Supernatural

When interest rates are high and housing markets slow, many people start worrying about their jobs, savings, and providing for their families. Seasons of financial uncertainty can feel just like a famine. But your circumstances do not limit God. Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Notice, He supplies according to His riches—not according to your economy, your job, or the financial trends of your country. Yet far too many Christians adjust their faith to fit the world system. That’s a mistake—and it limits God’s power in their lives.

When Isaac planted seed during that famine, most people left the land, heading toward Egypt or wherever water and resources were available. But God spoke to Isaac and told him to stay. He obeyed, even though the natural circumstances made no sense. God established the natural law of sowing and reaping, and Isaac acted on it in faith.

What I Learned the Hard Way

I can tell you from personal experience that learning this balance is not easy. When Jamie and I were first married, we had very little money. I thought God would provide supernaturally, so I gave nearly everything I had away—$5,000 in one day. My heart was right, but boy, that was dumber than a bag of rocks. We went weeks without proper meals, faced eviction, and nearly starved to death.

I learned that while God is our source, He expects us to act in alignment with the natural laws He has set in place. I found out later that 1 Corinthians 9:14 says that those who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel. The Lord showed me it’s proportional. I was only preaching to about four or five people in a Bible study that we were holding, and I shouldn’t have expected to live full-time off that Gospel. I should’ve worked like Paul did. He built tents to supplement his income.

I actually heard a man one time who said that he was selling green strings, and if you would put this green string in your wallet, then you’d never be without money again—God would just create it. Now, that’s nothing but a scam. God does not counterfeit United States currency or the currency of the country you live in. God is not going to give you money directly.

Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.” It doesn’t say that God gives you wealth. He doesn’t just hand out money. He gives you the power, wisdom, and ability to work.

Why Faith Alone Isn’t Enough

Most people miss this balance. They either try to manipulate the natural system without God, relying on loans or schemes, or they wait passively for miracles, expecting money to drop from heaven without doing anything. Isaac shows us that God’s blessings often come through the combination of God’s guidance and practical action. Very seldom do people combine the two.

Isaac didn’t just sit and wait for rain; he planted in faith. And God watered that seed supernaturally, producing a harvest far beyond what the natural world could account for.

Lessons from the Great Recession

I’ve seen this principle work repeatedly in my own life and ministry. During the so-called Great Recession of 2008–2009, the stock market dropped around 50 percent, and many people—some of them ministry leaders—experienced major financial setbacks. Yet in the midst of that famine, God led me to begin the largest expansion in the history of our ministry—over $160 million in buildings, land, and resources, all debt-free in nine and a half years. We were operating counter to the world system, not by ignoring reality, but by combining God’s Word with practical action.

The world will tell you that when times are difficult, you need to cut back and play it safe. And sad to say, many Christians adjust their giving, their sowing, and even their vision for the future based on what the economy is doing. That kind of thinking limits God.

A scripture that the Lord used in my life is Psalm 78:41, where it says, “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” When we let our faith be governed by the world system, we restrict His power from flowing through us. Many people believe that God is just almighty, and He does whatever He wants. That is not what the Word of God teaches. God flows through people.

Obedience Leads to Opportunity

Isaac also teaches us another critical lesson: obedience to God’s Word positions us for blessings even when circumstances look bleak. God didn’t tell Isaac to plant. He told him to stay. It was Isaac’s choice to act in faith by planting seed. And God honored that obedience.

In Genesis 8:22 it says, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” He didn’t say, “except during famines.” God created a natural order. There are principles at work—laws of sowing and reaping, seasons and harvests. Faith is not passive; it’s active, and it operates within the parameters God has set.

Why God’s Provision Still Needs Your Action

True prosperity works the same way today. God supplies our need, but He expects us to do what we can in the natural. That might be sowing financially, building a business, working a job, or using your talents to create. It requires wisdom, planning, and initiative—combined with faith. Most people go to one extreme or the other: they either ignore the natural or expect God to ignore it. Isaac shows us that both realms must work together.

I don’t have space to say all I want to here, so I encourage you to get the materials available on this teaching. They’ll really help you understand why you don’t have to let any famine season limit your faith.

Just like Isaac, you can sow in faith even when the world is in famine. Let God show you how to prosper beyond what you see in the natural and bring a harvest that goes far beyond what you can imagine.