The Equilibrium

The Equilibrium

God's kingdom economic system runs on a balanced premise. God abhors wastes and this is evidenced in the justification behind His creation and distribution of resources. It is still this no-waste principle that is responsible for the various shades and forms of accountability we see scattered all over the pages of scripture.  It is to this end, that God, in practice, introduced the "Economic order quantity" (EOQ). 

Economic order quantity; which is a technique used in inventory management; is the optimal amount of inventory that a company should produce to meet its demand while minimizing its holding and storage costs. That means a company does not go into production because there is an abundance of raw materials that can be converted to finished goods and services, rather it produces because there is a demand for the goods and services it is producing. In order words, demand drives supply. Every profit-driven producer supplies only what is demanded.

When all that is demanded is supplied, then we have a balance, otherwise known as equilibrium. However, there are instances where we have a disequilibrium, where what was demanded was not supplied and what was supplied was not demanded. In either case, the primary factor that bears the brunt of that instability is price. 

Price has and will always remain the measuring parameter for all business transactions consummated. Price in this context is a measure of value. So, goods or services are priced to the extent of the value placed on them. That is why whenever you want to determine the value of a thing, you ask for the price. 

We can summarize thus far, that when we are faced with an excess of supply over demand and vice versa, the ultimate attack is on the value determinant "price".

So more demand means more supply and when the demand drops, wisdom is profitable to reduce the quantity you supply to the market. When there is an excess of demand over supply and that abnormally is not nipped In the bud immediately, the prices go up. This inflationary gap is bridged by increasing supply to meet the demand. The reverse is the case when too much is supplied and very little is demanded. The resultant effect is a waste of scarce resources which could have been channeled to the production of other goods and services. Remember there are many things to produce with the resources at your disposal, so whatever is produced, is produced at the expense of the rest that was not produced. This is the law of opportunity cost.

Now, because God is profit-driven and result-oriented, He is very very prudent, meticulous, and intentional with the use of resources. That goes to say, He never gives what is not asked for, neither does He hold back what is demanded. God is committed to meeting the needs of His children and in doing so, He does it when the needs are most important, and not frivolous. So, you may pray for a car, while your primary need may be a house, but your sensual lust and unbridled desire are tilting you towards a car. God, being a just distributor of resources, will give you the house. The car is good, but not important. If we can understand this, then it becomes very easy for us to comprehend how God meets our needs. This will help us to appreciate Him the more because we can see behind the veil, the many dynamics considered and interplay of forces that happen overhead, before our needs are met. This also will help us learn to take our eyes off our wants and focus more on our needs because God is only committed to supplying all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. I did justice to this subject in my blog on " wants vs needs".

Certain variables bring about this equilibrium we so much admire, desire, and yet are ignorant of how to establish and sustain. On one side of the divide is a God that is willing, eager, ready, and able to grant us our desires and meet our every need. On the other side of the pendulum, we find the recipient of these blessings, though in need of them, yet their bankruptcy of these variables has left them in a disadvantaged position.

The first variable: "Thirst"

In Isaiah 44:3, we see God saying something we should pay attention to. "For I will pour out water on him who is thirsty, And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants;"

Isaiah 44:3 AMP. When David wanted to quantify his desire for God, he used the measure of "thirst". This is how he puts it, "As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks, So my soul pants [longingly] for You, O God.  My soul (my life, my inner self) thirsts for God, for the living God. When will I come and see the face of God? Psalms 42:1‭-‬2 AMP.

Thirst hence is an expression of deep longing. A need that your existence could depend upon. And if God is saying that He will pour out water on him who is thirsty, He is saying that the level of hunger or thirst that can move Him to pour out that water, must be the level of thirst that is equivalent to the desperation with which the deer pants for the water brooks. A panting deer is in desperate need of water, as a gasping man needs breathing. 

God is committed to meeting our needs, but His supply is based on our demand. That He is all-sufficient does not mean He will throw resources around. Even Jesus told the woman with a dying child that it was not meet to cast the children's bread to the dogs. He is our father, no doubt but He is also a just God. 

The imbalance in our understanding of this kingdom truth has, in no small way, limited us. We believe because God is our father, He is bound by fatherly duties and responsibilities to give us whatsoever we desire, but we forget that He is a prudent wealthy God. His compassionate weakness is strengthened by righteousness and justice, which are the foundations of His throne. 

The next variable: "Build Capacity"

Having realized that God wants to meet our needs and that our thirst is what drives His supply of resources, there yet remains a missing link to the equilibrium chain, "our capacity".  Capacity is a major determinant of how much you can drink, irrespective of your level of thirst. No matter how much water is available, you cannot fetch beyond the capacity of the container that you have. When God said He will pour water upon him that is thirsty, He didn't mean He will keep pouring, even though you were full. He was saying, He will pour out to you, as much as you can contain. Remember, God abhors waste.

Beyond the matter of thirst, there is the issue of capacity. You can be thirsty, but you can't outdrink your capacity. Just the same way you can't outgive your pocket. Our capacity plays a major determining role in the flow of God's resources. God is willing to pour that water, but trust me, the tap will be turned off when the container gets full. Rather than waste it, God will stop the flow. Rather than waste what is scarce, He will channel it somewhere else. Rather than allow what is highly prized to be devalued because of availability, He will send it to where it will be appreciated. The capacity of the container will always determine the flow of the resources. 

If this is true, that the capacity of the container will always determine the flow of resources, how then do we generate sufficient capacity to ensure the constant and consistent flow of these resources?

1. Prayer:

Jude 20 assured us that so long as we pray, we are building. "But you, beloved, build yourselves up on [the foundation of] your most holy faith [continually progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], pray in the Holy Spirit", Jude 1:20 AMP. Prayer is a builder. You can pray yourself into a superior version of what you are seeing now. You can pray your way into deeper realms of intimacy and possibilities in the Spirit.  Prayer, like a programmer, can control and adjust the scenes in your future. Prayer should not just be and stop as an act, it should become a lifestyle, a way of living, a pattern of existence. So whenever you pray in the Holy Spirit, you are building capacity. You are not just expending energy, rather, you are gaining statue in the spirit.

2. Word study:

"And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed." Joshua 1:18 MSG. This was the recommendation by God Himself in an inaugural speech to a new leader, after the demise of his predecessor. And in the new testament, we see Apostle Paul give a similar instruction to his son, Timothy, "Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 AMP. 

There is something, the study does to your mind, it broadens your mind, perspective, vision, etc. Studying gives meaning to your experiences. It explains your encounters and helps you make meanings out of them.  Study 

3. Excellence.

"Observe people who are good at their work— skilled workers are always in demand and admired; they don’t take a backseat to anyone." Proverbs 22:29 MSG 

And

"Practice and work hard on these things; be absorbed in them [completely occupied in your ministry], so that your progress will be evident to all". 1 Timothy 4:15 AMP. 

Both scriptures show us that there is a reward to diligence. When you become good at what you do, there is no way you will be ignored. Your profiting will appear to all. Your progress will be visible to all. This was what stood David out when Goliath came calling.

The last variable: "Become a Channel".

Have you wondered why stagnant waters stink after a while? because they become a breeding ground for insects. This is what happens when you hoard resources, you begin to attract negative attributes to your life.  Pride becomes easy to manifest. Jealousy finds perfect expression. Anger, strife, and bitterness become second nature. Before you realize it, resentment and discrimination get a firm grip on your heart. Why? You are keeping to yourself what was meant to flow to others. The original design was for us to be channels, rather than containers. God intended for us to be mediums through which He could reach the world. God wanted our lives to become the conveyor of His message of undying, unfailing, and unending love to create. That in and through our lives, the world will be reassured that God still loves and cares for her. The goal has always been to make you a blessing, not just to bless you. Always remember that whatever comes into your life is supposed to flow to others, not to be trapped in your life.

The linkage.

Few profitable and enviable secrets about the flowing stream are;

1. The water is always fresh: The water in a flowing river never stays in the same place. The water in a particular location is always fresh. Never stale. Never stinking. Never conducive for negativities. Never accommodating to pests and rodents. In the same breath, as long as resources are flowing in and out of your life, you remain fresh. It is therefore an aberration, for you to become a dumping ground for all kinds of garbage. Your character should not reflect negativity. Your speaking souls bring Glory to the Father. Your dressing should honor Jesus. Your life should be an expression of His love, beauty, mercy, and grace. Never should it be said that you are a stream emitting both sweet and sour water.

2. The stream never leaves the channel dry: The channel does nothing special, other than conveying the water from the point of surplus to the point of deficit. The channel doesn't increase or reduce the quantity neither does it improve the quality of the water. But one fact remains that the stream never leaves a dry channel dry. God will never pass resources through your life and you will not benefit from the resources. Now, this is not a license to steal, divert or temper with what God sends through you, but it's to tell you that if God passed it through you, He knows you have needs as well and He will sort you out.

3. The channel becomes indispensable in the administration of that water to desired regions and locations: As long as the water wants to remain in one location, a channel or conductor is not needed, but if that same water was to be conveyed to another location, then the channel becomes inevitable. The hose, in and by itself is useless, but if that water must get to its desired destination, then that hose must be employed. God has many locations He desires to get His resources to, but He is limited by the unavailability of vessels. The blessings are ready, but they need to be conveyed to their needed locations. 

This has always been the longing of the Father, a man. God was not ashamed to declare His vulnerability to Ezekiel when He told him that He sought for a man. God still seeks for men, men who will not hoard the blessing He will want to send through their lives. Men who will trust Him enough to give their all, no matter the obvious consequence starring them in the face.

The Father has more than enough resources to give and He is ever willing to release them, but the only trigger is our hunger, which is determined by our capacity, and our ability to let flow what God wants to do through us, knowing fully well that He that watereth shall also be watered, as the laborer is worthy of his wages and shall be the first partaker of the vine.

This is the balance, until He sees hunger He won't release the blessing; the quantity He releases is hinged on our capacity to receive and our willingness to become channels to make sure this blessing gets to God's desired destination.

Grace and Mercy!!!

Amb. Emmanuel Etukudo

Kingdom Wealth Ambassador