“WHY WOULD GOD LET ME GO WITHOUT?” The Crisis of Scarcity Deuteronomy 8:3 — “He let you hunger…” “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna… to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” — Deuteronomy 8:3 POINT 1: SCARCITY REVEALS WHAT YOU REALLY TRUST Key Idea: Before God gives you more, He tests what you depend on. Proverbs 11:28 – “Those who trust in riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.” Psalm 20:7 – “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” POINT 2: SCARCITY RESETS YOUR SPIRITUAL METABOLISM Key Idea: Scarcity changes your appetite. It reveals what you’ve been feeding on and what actually sustains you. “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna…” Deuteronomy 8:3 Matthew 4:4 – “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Psalm 34:10 – “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” POINT 3: SCARCITY PREPARES YOU TO HANDLE MORE — WITHOUT FORGETTING GOD Key Idea: If you can’t honor God with little, you won’t be able to handle a lot. Scarcity is not punishment. It’s preparation. “He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness… to humble you and test you so that in the end it might go well with you.” Deuteronomy 8:15–16 Luke 16:10 –“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…” Proverbs 30:8–9 –“…give me neither poverty nor riches… or I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’” 1 Corinthians 4:2 –“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” God Uses Lean Seasons to: Teach you how to live below your means. Show you how to find joy without material things. Help you build rhythms of generosity even when you’re pinching pennies. Reveal idols you’ve leaned on — like money, status, or control. Develop humility, so promotion won’t go to your head. “Lord, I don’t want to miss the lesson in the lack. Teach me to trust You — even here. Even now. Amen.”