Deficit to Surplus
Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:10
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
Deficit to Surplus
Father God, we pray that you will take us from the realm of deficit in any area where we are in deficit to the realm of surplus where we need to be in surplus to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
The Word of God found in 3 John 1:2 states: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” However, many are in deficit now. But Lord we thank you that you are a faithful God. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Your Word works. Your Word is settled. Therefore, it will accomplish for us what you purpose for it to accomplish. Lord, your people need to go from deficit to surplus. Let this happen as we share words of wisdom in Jesus’ name.
A deficit means a lack, an insufficiency, and it means in simple arithmetical terms, a minus. By definition deficit means the amount by which liabilities exceed assets; the amount by which a sum of money falls short of the required amount; a disadvantage or handicap. Surplus is something that remains above what is used or needed, the excess of assets over liabilities. In arithmetical terms it means a plus.
The interesting point about a deficit is that it respects no one. From time to time we all experience deficit, but beautifully there is a solution. We can take that solution and move from deficit to surplus through an example given to us by Jesus. In John 6:5–14 we read about five barley loaves and two small fishes available to feed 5,000 people. That is a deficit. The Bible says Jesus raised up what He had, gave thanks for it, and distributed it. Do you appreciate the little you have? If you need ten pieces of gold and only have one, is your first thought to thank God for the one you have? That is what our Lord Jesus did and it took him from deficit to surplus. After distributing the food there were leftovers; there was surplus, which are blessings.
In Malachi 3:10 God says that He will bless us more than we have room enough to receive. Saying, “more than you have room enough to receive,” means surplus is God’s desire for you. The first area where we need to go from deficit to surplus is in our lives as human beings. You are a spirit; you live in a body and have a soul, so
you need to be in a surplus spiritually. As long as you are alive you either have spirit or flesh in control of you. If the Spirit of God is in control of you, you will manifest experiences of spiritual surplus, and the Lord Jesus through His Holy Spirit will do this for you.
Spiritual blessings are the foundations for physical blessings. When you have the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life you will begin to manifest fruit that will bring about blessings that nothing can stop. Spiritual deficit is the absence or limited operation of the Holy Spirit in your life. If the Holy Spirit lives in your body, He will quicken your mortal body. You will be in health physically; your soul will be saved. The spirit in you is the most crucial determinant of the state of your being, whether you are in deficit or in surplus.
The second area consists of the things you possess outside of you: your physical, financial, and social assets. The truth is that deficit has harassed, annoyed, and limited our ability to operate in our calling. I do not need to give you too many examples about physical or material deficit because our generation lives with credit cards and national debt. If we operate as the world operates we experience deficit. Credit purchase is not the way to go if you want to walk in surplus. We are to lend and not borrow as stated in Deuteronomy 28:12. If you want to go from deficit to surplus in the material realm, be dissatisfied with lack. Take action against your deficit. Work is force in action. Use all your energy to move towards surplus. Pray and work. Do not waste time. Number your days by your years.
Three hundred and sixty five days make a year. How old are you? What have you done with all that time?
Jesus identified the deficit, collected what He had, and gave thanks for it. God asks you to tithe. Today, determine that you are going to have a surplus of the Holy Spirit. Pray, praise, and worship; do what God commands you to do; do what Jesus did. Substantiate and organize your need and give thanks from your heart for what you already have. Now begin to apply the little you have with the surplus of the Holy Spirit in you. Tithe and pray for goodness and joy, for the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and increase will flow naturally to take you from deficit to surplus.
Prayer Points:
Lord I pray that you will give us the grace to assess what we have spiritually and materially, that you will give us the grace to desire a change for the better. Father, hear and respond to our need for Jesus, so that we can walk with the Holy Spirit and begin to go from deficit to surplus in the spiritual and physical for that is your desire for us. Amen.
