Right now I'm looking out the window of my Moscow home at the sight of snow-covered trees with branches so laden with snow that they're nearly bent down and touching the ground. The sky is a cold steel-gray, interspersed with touches of bright fuchsia and billowy clouds. The whole scene is reminiscent of Siberia, and reminds me of the kind of winter wonderland an artist might try to reproduce in a painting.

Just a few minutes ago, I took a walk outside. It's so cold here, but it's my favorite time of the year in Russia. But like in the United States, people here are being impacted by the financial crisis that is affecting the entire world. I just read an article in the newspaper yesterday that stated 20 percent of all businesses and companies in Moscow are three months behind in paying their employees.

Of course, this is tragic for so many families, and the greatest impact of this situation is most likely still in front of all of us. Nevertheless, God's promises are true, and His commitment to you and me remains the same, no matter what is happening in the world's economy!

The world's economy is suffering right now, but the truth is, it has no impact on God's promises to us. Your source is not your job—and it never has been. Your source is Heaven, and Heaven never has had and never will have financial problems, shortfalls, or deficits. If you will live according to God's Word—if you will do exactly what He tells you to do and keep on doing it—the laws of Heaven will work in your life, and you'll be blessed and supplied with everything you need, regardless what happens in the world around you.

In Philippians 4:19, Paul wrote, "But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Unfortunately, the deeper meanings of the Greek words in this verse are not conveyed in most translations. Paul was writing to people who were faithful to give even in hard times, and what he said to them in this verse is very important.

First, although everyone seems to claim Philippians 4:19 for themselves, you must understand that this verse does NOT apply to every Christian. Paul was specifically writing to faithful givers. Paul was guaranteeing these believers what God was going to do for them because they had been faithful in their giving to the work of the ministry. So right from the start, let's set the record straight: Only givers can legitimately claim God's promise in Philippians 4:19.

So what does the Bible mean when it says that God will "supply" all your "needs"?

When Paul wrote the word "supply" in this verse, it is the Greek word pleroo—an old Greek word that is loaded with powerful meanings. Because I want you to fully understand this particular promise of God, let me take just a few minutes to explain the meaning of this word and how it applies to you.

The word "supply"—the Greek word pleroo—is used all over the New Testament. It means to fill, to make full, to make up a deficiency, or to completely and totally supply. TIt gives the idea of filling something so totally and completely that it has no more capacity to hold anything else because it is already absolutely full. If this Greek word pleroo was used to depict a glass of water, it would mean that the glass is filled to the brim with water and is even overflowing, with no room for even one more drop of water. That glass of water is completely filled, packed full, overflowing, and spilling over!

Most people who claim Philippians 4:19 think Paul was promising that God would provide enough for them to survive hard times, or enough just to scrape by. They even pray, "Lord, You've promised to supply all my needs, so I'm asking You to please help me somehow 'make it' through these hard times!"

But when you study the word pleroo, which Paul uses in this verse, you discover it emphatically tells us that:

• God isn't promising to help you just "scrape by"!
• He isn't promising to help you "barely survive."
• God is promising to meet every one of your needs so fully and completely that there will be no need left in your life!
• This is not a "barely-get-along" provision, but a promise to supply the needs of givers in a way that is so overwhelming, marvelous, and grand, it baffles the natural mind!

But, wait! What kinds of "needs" is Paul talking about when he writes that God will "supply all your needs"? Often the devil speaks to believers' minds, "God will supply all your spiritual needs, but He isn't interested in your physical, tangible needs. That promise in Philippians 4:19 only pertains to your spiritual life." But that is a lie you need to reject. The Greek word for "needs" in this verse absolutely and emphatically includes your physical and tangible needs, wants, and desires!

That means God cares about your house payments, car payments, credit-card payments, school payments, Christmas gifts, and all the other physical, tangible needs you have in your life right now. Yes, of course, He cares about your spiritual life—but He's also deeply concerned about your physical needs. And if you are a giver, Philippians 4:19 is a divine promise that is yours to claim!

With the meanings of these words in mind, Philippians 4:19 could actually be translated this way:

But my God will supply your needs so completely that He will eliminate all your deficiencies; He will meet all your physical and tangible needs until you are so full, you have no more capacity to hold anything else. He will supply all your needs until you are totally filled, packed full, and overflowing to the point of bursting at the seams and spilling over!

You see, there's a whole lot more in Philippians 4:19 than first meets the eye!

This verse is power-packed; however, this awesome promise belongs only to people who are givers. God promises to richly supply their needs because they gave to the work of the Gospel. It's the law of sowing and reaping: What you sow into the Kingdom will come back to you as an abundant harvest.

So if you are a consistent giver into the work of God's Kingdom, you have every right to lay claim to this promise. Regardless of what is happening in the world economy, God's promise to fully supply all your needs will stand true.

Rick Renner Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.