When Abundance Meets Resistance: Learning to Receive From the Lord
When Abundance Meets Resistance: Learning to Receive From the Lord
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:19
For years I kept this verse at arm’s length. I had been discipled to steer clear of every whiff of the prosperity gospel—those slick pitches that say, “Sow a seed of faith (preferably into my ministry) and God will shower you with mansions, cars, and maybe even a private jet.” In my zeal to avoid that error, I over-corrected.
My inner dialogue went like this: Brian, Jesus already bought your salvation. That is perfect and enough. Don’t expect more. It was the spiritual equivalent of the Pharisees’ “fence around the Law”—adding a cautionary rule so I wouldn’t break the real one. The unintended result? A quiet cynicism that whispered, God might not always be good, and there’s no real good to be enjoyed in this life.
That mindset produced two rotten fruits:
Ingratitude. God was blessing me constantly, but my cynical lens made it hard to see or receive His gifts.
Shriveled shepherding. I found myself telling struggling believers, “You’re saved—what more do you want?” That’s hardly the full counsel of Scripture.
Then the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant jolted me awake. The servant’s inability to receive the master’s generosity led straight to his abuse of others. I saw the parallel: when I refuse to accept God’s daily mercies, I’m more likely to be harsh, anxious, or withholding with the people I’m called to love.
By God’s grace, I’m growing out of that cramped view. Learning to expect—and humbly receive—my Father’s everyday kindness has softened my soul and enlarged my ministry. Now I can help others discern what God is offering, receive it with gratitude, and pass it on in love.
With that backdrop, let’s revisit the parable and explore the roadblocks that keep abundance from flowing through our lives.
1. A Parable That Mirrors Our Hearts
Jesus’ Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matt 18:21-35) opens with a master who erases an impossible debt. Moments later that same servant throttles a fellow slave for a pocket-change obligation. Why the contradiction?
He heard the words of pardon but never fully received them.
Because grace hadn’t penetrated his heart, it couldn’t flow through his hands.
Our struggle is similar. God lavishes (Eph 1:7-8) grace, wisdom, and every spiritual blessing, yet interior roadblocks keep that abundance dammed up instead of poured out.
2. Common Roadblocks to Receiving
The image highlights six (of many) obstacles—unforgiveness, pride, scarcity mindset, shame, disordered desires, and persisting in sin—each with its biblical antidote. One roadblock deserves a closer look:
A Living Example: Nicholas & the “Mason-Jar Marriage”
Nicholas served on the church security team, paid every bill, and led weekly prayer time with grace—but at home Emma felt like background noise. Sarcasm, eye-rolls, and phone-distracted listening bruised her spirit.
A sermon on 1 Peter 3:7 hit home: “Husbands…show honor to the woman as the weaker vessel.” The pastor explained “weaker vessel” as a priceless Ming vase—delicate and worthy of honor—not a mason jar to bang around a garage shelf. Convicted, Nicholas confessed specific sins to Emma and set three practices:
Phone-free listening—ten undivided minutes nightly.
Public praise—one honest affirmation whenever friends or family are present.
Gift of rest—guard Saturday morning so Emma can read or sleep while he handles breakfast.
Nothing magical happened at work, and the mortgage rate didn’t drop. Yet the home softened; prayer felt less like talking to brass and more like clear conversation. Their taste of abundance wasn’t a prosperity windfall—it was the rich, ordinary grace of restored fellowship (Jn 15:10-11). Obedience didn’t buy blessing; it simply removed the barricade blocking joy.
3. Steps Toward the Father’s Table
Here is a list of steps we can take and begin using today:
Pause & Name the Blockage
Pray Psalm 139:23-24, asking the Spirit to spotlight what’s clogging the pipeline.
Journal one sentence: “Lord, I am withholding __________.”
Psalm 139:23–24
[23] Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
[24] And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! (ESV)
Confess & Release
Bring the blockage into the light (1 Jn 1:9).
If it’s unforgiveness, pray a release; if it’s pride, surrender control aloud.
1 John 1:9
[9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (ESV)
Adopt a “Kingdom Economy” Budget
List time, talents, treasures. Ask, Am I steward or owner?
Re-allocate one resource this week toward generosity (2 Cor 9:6-11).
Practice Daily Reception
Morning palms-up prayer: “Father, I receive Your love and assignment for today.”
Evening examen: Note God’s provision, give thanks, release tomorrow’s needs (Lam 3:22-23).
Engage the Means of Grace
Word: Meditate on passages of abundance—Jn 10:10; Ps 23; Eph 3:20-21.
Prayer: Shift from “Help me get” to “Help me receive.”
Community: Invite believers to pray over you; gifts often arrive through God’s people (1 Pet 4:10).
Serve From the Overflow
After receiving, immediately give something away; grace multiplies in motion (Acts 20:35).
4. Growing Affection—Receiving So We Can Give
The cure for clenched fists isn’t gritting our teeth to be generous; it’s deepening our love for the Giver who’s already given us everything (Rom 8:32).
Taste and See
“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good” (Ps 34:8).
“He daily loads us with benefits” (Ps 68:19).
Practice: each morning record two fresh evidences of God’s goodness—no requests, just gratitude.
Sit in the Truth
“In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins…which He lavished upon us” (Eph 1:7-8).
“His compassions never fail; they are new every morning” (Lam 3:22-23).
Let these verses migrate from polite nods to settled rest; picture yourself at the King’s banquet, not begging outside.
Cherish and Take Possession
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are” (1 Jn 3:1).
Memorize this line; whisper it whenever shame or scarcity speaks. Children don’t pay rent at their Father’s table—they receive, enjoy, trust.
Overflow in Love
Jesus yokes love for God with love for neighbor (Matt 22:37-39).
“Whoever believes in Me…‘rivers of living water will flow from within’” (Jn 7:38).
Ask the Spirit daily, “Who can taste Your goodness through me today?”—a text, a meal, a listening ear.
Growing affection for God because of what he does for us, is not prosperity doctrine; it’s receiving riches secured in Christ so that, compelled by love (2 Cor 5:14), we open our hands to a thirsty world.
A Glimpse Ahead
On the new Coffee and Counseling Podcast, we sip Montreal-roasted brews while diving into soul care. A forthcoming episode will revisit receiving from God—including listeners’ stories of dismantling their dams of resistance. Subscribe on your favorite platform so you don’t miss it! Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify via RSS Feed
Takeaway
The Master’s storehouse is open. Step toward Him, drop what you’re gripping, and stretch out empty hands—because every good gift is already waiting in Christ.