Stop Trying to Figure Out How God Will Do It

What Are You Observing?

Faith, Identity, and the Unseen Provision of God

Central Theme

This message centers on the idea that what a believer observes, focuses on, identifies with, and continually gives attention to affects how they respond in faith.

Apostle Marla contrasts two ways of living:

• Observing natural circumstances, past experiences, limitations, fear, and the question of “how?”
• Observing God, His Word, His Kingdom, His promises, His provision, and the believer’s identity in Christ.

What are you observing?

The message teaches that believers are to stop allowing the natural realm and past conditions to define their expectations and instead live from their spiritual identity in Christ, continually hoping, praising, speaking, trusting, and acting upon what God has said.

I. A “Finisher’s Anointing” and Grace to Complete

A. A season of finishing

The message opens by referring to a prophetic word concerning a “finisher’s anointing.”

• Things that have been started will be finished.
• There is acceleration.
• There is grace to bring things to completion.
• What God is doing corporately in the church also applies individually to the people.

The church is described as moving toward completion, rededication, consecration, and renewed commitment to what God has called the house to accomplish.

B. The focus must remain on God

• Do not focus primarily on your resources, job, circumstances, or available options.
• Instead, focus on what God has spoken, what the Holy Spirit is saying, God’s ability to provide, and God’s Kingdom resources.

C. What God does through you, He can also do for you

• As the church prepares for building pledges, believers are encouraged not to look merely at present resources.

The central question is: What is the Holy Spirit telling me to do?

II. Testimony: Standing on a Promise Until It Is Completed

The situation

• There were financial needs connected with the wedding that exceeded what appeared naturally available.

She believed the Holy Spirit instructed her to celebrate the marriage, believe God for provision, and believe that the wedding would ultimately be completed without debt.

Her response

She continually returned to what she believed God had said: “You said You would provide.”

• When some debt remained afterward, she continued standing on the promise.
• Eventually, the remaining balance was paid.

The principle

• When God gives a promise, do not merely wait passively.
• Stand on it.
• Agree with it.
• Continue responding to it.
• Take hold of what God has spoken.
• Many believers wait for something to “land” on them instead of taking hold of what God has provided.

III. “In Him We Live and Move and Have Our Being”

Key Scripture: Acts 17:28

“For in Him we live and move and have our being.”

• The believer’s entire existence is supposed to flow through relationship with God.

The Kingdom life Jesus brought

Apostle Marla connects this with previous teaching concerning new wineskins, new wine, the Kingdom Jesus brought to earth, salvation through His blood, resurrection life, and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

• Jesus defeated death, rose from the grave, brought new life, brought Kingdom life, and gave believers the Holy Spirit.
• God’s grace is present within the believer because His Spirit is present within the believer.

IV. Observe His Life Instead of Your Old Life

Main emphasis

Apostle Marla declares: “I’m going to observe His life. I’m not going to observe mine.”

• Believers should observe His Word, His truth, His Kingdom, His promises, and His testimonies.

Believers should not continually observe painful memories, past disappointments, previous failures, past financial conditions, past opposition, or previous outcomes.

The danger of allowing the past to become a filter

Past experiences can create an expectation that says: “Because it happened that way before, it will happen that way again.”

• The message rejects that reasoning.

Key statement: “My past will not be the filter.”

V. The Holy Spirit Is the Guarantee of What God Is Doing

Core teaching

• The Holy Spirit marks the believer as belonging to God.
• The Holy Spirit is evidence of God’s work within the believer.
• The Holy Spirit gives grace and power to respond to God’s Word.
• The Holy Spirit is connected with receiving the believer’s inheritance.

The believer’s decision

• Option 1: Respond to the Holy Spirit and move toward what God has prepared.
• Option 2: Allow natural outcomes to dictate what happens.
• The message challenges believers not to allow natural circumstances to have the final word.

VI. Put the Word in Front of Every Challenge

The pattern

• Challenge → Word of God → Faith response.
• Rather than: Challenge → Past experience → Fear response.

The believer should

• Declare who they are in Christ.
• Speak God’s life.
• Declare God’s Word over situations.
• Uproot old lifestyles and conditions.
• Replace old patterns with spiritual identity.
• Act upon God’s Word and what Jesus has accomplished.

The result

• This begins changing thinking, behavior, and responses.

VII. Renewing the Mind and the Discussion of Neuroplasticity

Teaching emphasis

• Apostle Marla connects the biblical concept of renewing the mind with contemporary discussions of neuroplasticity.
• The emphasis is on the repeated effects of what you think, what you say, what you believe, and what you continually return to mentally.
• If a person continually returns mentally to past conditions, those conditions continue influencing their responses.
• The biblical answer presented is the renewing of the mind.

VIII. Do Not Become Entangled

Key Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:4

“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life…”

• Every distraction we let in is costing us in our outcomes.

Distractions can include

• Fear.
• Comparison.
• Old wounds.
• Old conditions.
• Worry.
• Other people’s opinions.
• Constantly asking what is going to happen.

Return to the main thing

• God.
• His Word.
• His promise.
• His outcome.
• Trust.
• Hope.
• Faith.

IX. Spiritual Identity Must Become the Deepest Identity

Core statement

“You are more spirit than you are natural.”

• The believer’s deepest identity should be their identity in Christ.

As spiritual identity strengthens

• Spiritual truth increasingly influences responses.
• Believers stand more firmly in authority.
• Old conditions have less power to dictate decisions.
• The natural realm has less power to dominate expectations.

The principle

• Revelation must become identity.
• Revelation → Identity → Response → Outcome.

X. Faith Is the Substance of Things Hoped For

Key Scripture: Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Central concept

• God’s provision is not limited to what is currently visible.

Faith deals with what is not yet seen, what God has already prepared, what God has promised, and what God is able to bring into manifestation.

XI. Creation: The Substance Was Present Before It Was Visible

Genesis illustration

• Before visible creation appeared, God had already created.
• The earth was without form.

God spoke: “Let there be light.”

• The message uses this to illustrate that the substance existed before the visible manifestation.

Faith application

• Faith draws.
• Faith acts.
• Faith takes hold.
• Faith continues seeing God’s provision before natural manifestation.

XII. The Invisible Revealed Through the Visible

Key Scripture: Romans 1:20

• Paul describes God’s invisible attributes being revealed through creation.
• The message connects this with the concept that what becomes visible can originate from what was previously invisible.
• The believer should not conclude that something is unavailable simply because it cannot presently be seen.

XIII. “Quantum Faith” and the Illustration From Quantum Physics

Illustration

• Apostle Marla introduces Annette Capps’ booklet Quantum Faith.

She describes quantum physics as dealing with matter and energy at very small scales, including atoms, electrons, and things that cannot be seen naturally.

She uses this material as an illustration for her faith teaching, particularly the idea that reality is not limited to what can presently be observed with the natural eye.

XIV. Continual Hope Is Essential

Key Scripture: Psalm 71:14

“But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.”

• Hope must be continual.

Faith response

• David’s response while hoping was praise.
• Hope → Praise → Continued observation of God.
• Praise becomes a way of keeping attention on God rather than circumstances.
• Believers observe God through thanksgiving, worship, praise, and confidence in His promises.

XV. What Are You Observing?

Natural evidence

• Current conditions.
• Negative reports.
• Past failures.
• Available resources.
• Obstacles.
• Human opinions.

Kingdom evidence

• God’s Word.
• God’s character.
• God’s promises.
• God’s provision.
• Testimonies.
• The finished work of Christ.

Challenge

• Do not allow constant measurement of your circumstances to replace trust.

XVI. The Observer-Effect Illustration

Application

• Apostle Marla describes the double-slit experiment as an illustration.
• She applies the concept spiritually to the believer’s tendency to constantly measure outcomes.
• Faith releases trust.
• Doubt begins measuring.
• Measuring turns attention toward natural evidence.
• Natural evidence then begins dominating the believer’s thinking.

She characterizes doubt as: “An active detector that tries to measure the outcome.”

XVII. Stop Trying to Figure Out “How”

Key Scripture: Mark 4:26–29

• Jesus compares the Kingdom to a man scattering seed.

The farmer plants the seed, sleeps, gets up, watches the seed eventually grow, does not understand the mechanism producing the growth, and harvests when the crop becomes mature.

The crucial phrase is: “He himself does not know how.”

XVIII. Our Obsession With “How” Can Become Striving

Common questions

How will this happen?

How will God provide?

How can this relationship change?

How will this person change?

How could this promise ever become visible?

Kingdom principle

• Trust does not require understanding the mechanism.

The Kingdom principle is not: “Once I know how, I will trust God.”

It is: “I trust God even when I don’t know how.”

XIX. Trust in the Lord Instead of Your Own Understanding

Core lesson

• The problem occurs when understanding becomes a prerequisite for trust.

Key statement: “We collapse our outcomes by making our understanding the prerequisite for trusting God.”

• The farmer does not continually dig up the seed to determine whether it is working.
• He plants, continues his responsibilities, trusts the life within the seed, and allows the hidden process to occur.

XX. Hidden Does Not Mean Inactive

Progression

• Seed.
• Blade.
• Head.
• Full grain.
• Harvest.

Principle

• An inability to see activity does not mean there is no activity.
• The danger is interfering with the process simply because manifestation has not yet become visible.

XXI. The Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish

What the disciples saw

• Thousands of hungry people.
• Five loaves.
• Two fish.
• Insufficient natural resources.
• Closed shops.
• An impossible situation.

Contrast

• Their observation was entirely natural.
• Jesus observed something different.

XXII. Step One: Jesus Looked Toward Heaven

Luke 9:16

• Before multiplication occurred, Jesus looked up toward heaven.
• Jesus did not allow the need itself to dominate His attention.
• Jesus observed God’s Kingdom, God’s abundance, God’s supply, and God’s provision.
• The disciples saw what they had; Jesus observed what the Kingdom had.

XXIII. Step Two: Jesus Gave Thanks

Faith response

• Jesus blessed the food.
• Jesus gave thanks.
• Jesus agreed with the Father’s provision before multiplication was visible.
• Thanksgiving becomes a faith response before the manifestation appears.

XXIV. Step Three: They Acted on What Jesus Gave Them

Participation

• Jesus gave the bread to the disciples.
• The disciples then distributed it.
• Multiplication happened in their hands as they participated.
• God’s provision requires faithful participation.
• You listen, trust, act, obey, and distribute what is placed in your hands.

XXV. Change What You Are Observing

Do not continually observe

• Previous conditions.
• Natural limitations.
• Old experiences.
• What happened before.

Instead remember

• You are a new creation.
• You have faith.
• You have God’s Word.
• You have the Holy Spirit.
• You have spiritual authority.
• God’s provision is not limited to what is presently visible.

XXVI. Application to Healing, Provision, and Other Needs

Application areas

• Finances.
• Healing.
• Family.
• An unsaved loved one.
• Provision.
• An assignment from God.
• A prophetic promise.

Central question

• “Does your observation collapse what God says is yours?”

XXVII. The Mystery Should Become the Joy of Faith

Core statement

“The mystery isn’t a defect in the farmer’s faith. The mystery should be the joy of your faith.”

Our responsibility

• Believe.
• Hope.
• Speak.
• Obey.
• Participate.
• Praise.
• Act on God’s instruction.

God’s responsibility

• Produce the increase.
• Supply the power.
• Work through the unseen process.

Determine the “how.”

Summary

“Our part is faithful participation. God’s part is the increase.”

XXVIII. Stop Overthinking God’s Instructions

Common response

Sometimes God gives an instruction and believers begin reasoning, analyzing, overthinking, disqualifying themselves, and trying to manufacture the outcome.

Call

• Do what God instructs and allow Him to be responsible for the supply and the outcome.

There is a “mystery in His how.”

• The believer is encouraged to enjoy the mystery rather than fear it.

XXIX. Testimonies Become Evidence for Future Generations

Generational dimension

• Apostle Marla speaks about telling her grandchildren what God has done.
• Believers should teach the next generation to observe the Lord, His faithfulness, His testimonies, His provision, and His promises.

XXX. Continual Hope and Continual Praise

Return to key scriptures

• Hebrews 11:1 — Faith is the substance of things hoped for.

Psalm 71:14 — “I will hope continually…”

The believer should continually hope in

• What God has placed in the heart.
• What God’s promise says.
• Prophetic words received.
• God’s previous faithfulness.
• Praise becomes the believer’s chosen observation.

XXXI. Observe the Testimonies of Others

Purpose of testimony

• Testimonies become reminders that God has acted before and can act again.

Rather than becoming jealous or discouraged by another person’s testimony, believers should see testimony as encouragement concerning God’s character and power.

XXXII. The Final Identity Question

Self-examination

Is your spiritual identity interpreting what is happening?

Or is your natural identity still interpreting everything through disappointment, old conditions, failure, fear, and previous experience?

• The decisive question is: “Where’s your identity?”

XXXIII. God’s Substance Has Always Been Available

Closing teaching emphasis

• God’s provision has been available for what believers need.

The invitation is to develop a greater understanding of how to participate, how to think, how to observe, how to respond, and how to act in faith.

Key declaration: “Pick up the truth and make a decision that my outcomes are going to change from this day forward.”

The believer’s identity must stand in Christ rather than in the “old man.”

XXXIV. “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done”

Kingdom reference point

The believer’s perspective should increasingly become: What does God’s Kingdom say about this?

Rather than: What do my circumstances say about this?

• This transitions the service into communion.

XXXV. Communion: Re-consecrating Your Identity

Identity examination

• People may identify themselves as business owners, parents, fathers or mothers, professionals, and other natural roles.
• Those identities are legitimate, but the believer’s first identity must be spiritual.
• From that spiritual identity, everything else is supposed to flow.

XXXVI. Communion Represents Redemption and New Identity

Communion emphasis

• The bread represents Christ’s body.
• The cup represents the new covenant in His blood.
• Communion becomes an opportunity for consecration, recommitment, identity renewal, refocusing, and remembering redemption.
• The believer is encouraged to bring focus back to who God is, what He has given, and what He has provided.

XXXVII. Closing Prayer: Stop Measuring With Doubt

Prayer focus

• Healing.
• Unsaved loved ones.
• Financial breakthrough.
• Faith promises.
• God’s direction.

Central prayer

• Believers are to stop allowing doubt to measure where they are.
• Observation should remain on what God has spoken, what God has promised, continual hope, God’s provision, and His instruction.

XXXVIII. Altar Call: Break Agreement With Old Conditions

Invitation

The altar call focuses on believers who recognize: “I keep going back to who the old man has been.”

Or: “I keep going back to what those old conditions have been.”

• The invitation is to break that pattern.

There is also an invitation for those who need to recommit themselves to Christ, have known God previously but have stopped following Him, or are tired of doing life on their own.

XXXIX. Final Prayer and Commission

1. God is greater than surrounding circumstances

• Believers must look toward Him rather than being dominated by conditions.

2. God’s “how” is His responsibility

• The believer does not need to understand everything before obeying.

3. Lay your hand to the assignment

• Faith is not inactivity.
• Act upon God’s Word, His instruction, what He is speaking, and what He is leading you to do.

4. Stand in spiritual authority

• Come against whatever obstructs what God has spoken.

5. Identity in Christ comes first

• That identity should then influence every other area of life.

6. Remember the “finishing anointing”

• The service ends where it began: finishing, acceleration, hope, God’s faithfulness, and living and moving in what He has spoken.

Core Teaching Flow

1. God speaks a promise or gives an instruction.
2. Faith receives what God has spoken.
3. Identity must remain rooted in Christ rather than past experience.
4. Refuse to become entangled with fear, circumstances, opinions, and “how.”
5. Observe God’s Word and Kingdom rather than natural limitations.
6. Hope continually.
7. Praise and thank God before the manifestation.
8. Speak and act upon what God has instructed.
9. Allow God to be responsible for the unseen process and increase.
10. Continue until what was unseen becomes visible.

Major Scriptures Used in the Message

• Acts 17:28 — In Him we live, move, and have our being.
• 2 Timothy 2:4 — Do not become entangled with the affairs of this life.
• Hebrews 11:1 — Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
• Genesis 1 — God spoke creation into visible manifestation.
• Romans 1:20–21 — God’s invisible attributes are revealed through creation.
• Psalm 71:14 — Hope continually and praise more and more.
• Mark 4:26–29 — The farmer plants while not knowing how growth happens.
• Proverbs 3:5–6 — Trust in the Lord rather than your own understanding.
• Luke 9:16 — Jesus looks toward heaven, gives thanks, and distributes the loaves and fish.
• Isaiah 53 — Referenced in connection with healing and Christ bearing pain and sickness.
• 1 Corinthians 11 — Communion and the new covenant.

Primary Takeaway

Stop allowing what you can presently see, what happened previously, or your need to understand “how” to determine what you believe.

• Observe God.
• Observe His Word.
• Observe His Kingdom.
• Observe His promises.
• Observe His testimonies.
• Know your identity in Christ.
• Hope continually.
• Praise before you see the outcome.
• Act on what God tells you to do.
• Leave the “how” and the increase to Him.

The message ultimately calls the believer to shift their dominant observation from the natural realm to their spiritual identity and God’s promises, and then faithfully participate in whatever God is instructing them to do.