When God Stop Speaking to Me

I had this preconceive notion that God continually speaks to us and tells us what to do and where to go. No one ever told me how to deal when God is silent. What am I suppose to do when I stop hearing God speak and I am not given any instructions. Out of all honesty, I heard about situations when God stop talking, but I thought He stop speaking if the person was doing something wrong. Everyday I woke up seeking God and waiting to hear from Him and waiting for the next instruction. The beginning of this year I was hearing so much from Him and I knew what he wanted me to do. I did it. At the beginning of this summer, however, the speaking stopped. I would wake up seeking God and waiting to hear something and I got nothing. There I was sitting praying and seeking God and I got nothing.

I begin to reflect over my life and tried to see if I was doing something wrong. Was I saying the wrong thing? Did I not follow out assignments correctly? I was pretty sure I was doing things right, but it was an overwhelming feeling of insignificance on my part. I was starting to feel like I did something wrong.

Slowly I started doing my own thing...again. I stopped seeking God (He wasn’t speaking to me anyway) and I started doing what I wanted to do. I still prayed, but I did a lot of the talking and stop listening. I read and studied my bible as a routine. Yet, I abandon everything God had originally set up. I got away with that for a good two months. At the end of the second month, nothing was going right. God was still taking care of me, but he was not blessing anything I had started myself.

I set on my bed one morning in the complete in complete silence and I begin to demand to hear from God. I spoke aloud, “God speak to my heart! I need to hear from you! I need to know what to do!” Nothing...

I left that quiet time angry and upset. I said “Fine, you don’t want to talk to me, I won’t speak to you.” I went downstairs of my home and turned on the television and begin watching a movie. In one of the scenes in the movie a father and daughter was driving down the road. The father was instructing the daughter which way to go. The first part of the trip the father was telling the daughter to “turn here, make a right, keep straight for two blocks then turn”. Then they came to an open highway and the father didn’t give anymore instructions. In fact, he fell asleep. The daughter became restless and started asking her dad, “where do I go?”. He remained asleep and mumbled to her “just keep going”. She started to get more restless. After a while she decided that she would exit the highway and find a place to get a map. She got the map and was trying to read it. She started driving again and begin to go the wrong way. Her dad woke up and saw that she was going the wrong way and saw her trying to read the map. The father snatch the map and looked at it and told her the map was outdated and they were going the wrong way. He told her “I know the way why can’t you just trust me?”

She replied, “You went to sleep and didn’t tell me anything else!”

“Well there was nothing else to tell you. Just stay on the highway and keep going!” he replied.

This movie for most was pure entertainment, but for me it was God’s way of letting me see that that this particular situation is a lot like what I was going through. God was giving me directions and when the directions stop I assumed he didn’t care anymore. God’s silence does not mean that he doesn’t care or that he has left you. His silence has different meanings in different situations. For some, like myself, it means that we are to keep doing what we have been doing until God tells us differently. There are those that have prayed for something and you hear no answer, well, perhaps that’s God letting you know you will not be getting that. Or you will not be getting that right now. Regardless, God’s silence is a time for you to exercise faith and to prove you trust God at all times.

I have learned my lesson. I learned to have peace in God’s silence and I know I cannot become anxious and start making my own decisions.

-DJuana “Dfitz” Fitzpatrick
www.jesuscousin.com

Faith and Spiritual Warfare Making a Determined Effort

Faith and Spiritual Warfare

Making a Determined Effort

Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher

I. Introductory Remarks.

In this message I want to talk about the importance of making a determined effort in everything that we are involved in, both spiritual and natural. Determination is a necessary part of our spiritual warfare our walk with the Lord. We will not endure to the end without it.

You can have plenty of vision, insight and purpose, but without determination you will not get the job done. When your vision and purpose fail, your determination must kick in to keep you going in the midst of doubt and uncertainty.

Proverbs 4:23-27 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.

· Determination Definition.

Determination is the inner fortitude and strength of character – being disciplined to remain consistent, strong and diligent regardless of the odds or the demands. It is the act of deciding definitely and firmly, or coming to a resolve. Determination is acting in faith when we temporarily lose sight of where we are going.

Without determination we will find ourselves being tossed here and there and beat to a pulp when the enemy comes against us. When the pressure is on we will find ourselves reacting in a way that is contradictory to what we believe. We must have the inner fortitude and strength of character to remain consistent, strong and diligent regardless of the odds or the demands.

II. Determination Is An Important Part Of Our Spiritual Warfare.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The thing that we must realize is that the devil is making a determined effort towards us and if he is more determined to keep us from moving forward in God than we are, he will win.

1. The Example of Manasseh and the Canaanites.

God had given all of the tribes of Israel the command to go forth into the promised land and to drive all of its inhabitants out. He not only commanded them, but promised them that He would help them.

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

With this promise the children of Israel were to go forth conquering all of the inhabitants of the Promised Land. We find that this did not happen in all cases, because of the determination of their enemies to continue to dwell in the land.

Joshua 17:12-13 Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. And it happened, when the children of Israel grew strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.

The reason the children of Manasseh were not able to drive the Canaanites completely out of the land was because they lacked the determination to do so. The Canaanites were more determined to stay then the Tribe of Manasseh was to drive them out.

2. Through a Determined Effort, We Are to Drive Out Our Enemies.

How many of us give place to the devil, because we lack the determination to completely drive him out of our lives? God has given us the authority and the power to defeat the enemy.

Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

We all have strongholds in our lives that the enemy is trying to hold on to with a determined effort. The thing that we have to realize is that we must have more of a determined effort than the enemy, realizing that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.

1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

The enemy doesn't give up that easily. He is determined, so therefore you must realize that it takes a determined effort to defeat him. We are wrestling against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12-13 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Many Christians fail in many areas because they fail to make a determined effort. Marriages, children, jobs, business, ministry, bondage to sin, and prayer life are areas that the enemy wants to continue to dwell in. Are you letting him, simply because he is more determined than you are?

Do you have the inner fortitude and strength of character to remain consistent, strong and diligent regardless of the odds or the demands that are being placed upon you in these areas?

Without determination you will find yourselves being tossed to and fro and beat to a pulp when the enemy comes against you. When the pressure is on you will find yourselves reacting in a way that is contradictory to what you really believe.

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

III. The Kingdom Is Extended Through Determination.

1. The Example Of Solomon Being Determined To Build The Temple.

2 Chronicles 2:1 Then Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the LORD, and a royal house for himself.

The kingdom that was established under Solomon's reign was the greatest and most glorious of all the kingdoms of the earth. I'm sure that Solomon had his obstacles that he faced along the way. But he was determined to complete the task he had been given. He had the inner fortitude and strength of character to remain consistent, strong and diligent regardless of the odds or the demands that were placed upon him.

2. We Too Must Be Determined To See The Kingdom Extended.

Matthew 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

We must make a determined effort in establishing the kingdom of God in our midst. We have experienced many defeats, setbacks, discouragements and other hindrances, but we must be like the apostle Paul who said, "none of these things move me."

Acts 20:24 "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

3. Illustrations

A page from John Wesley's Diary reads as follows:

· Sunday morning, May 5, preached in St. Ann's, was asked not to come back anymore.

· Sunday p.m., May 5, preached at St. John's, deacons said, "Get out and stay out."

· Sunday a.m., May 12, preached at St. Jude's, can't go back there either.

· Sunday p.m., May 12, preached at St. George's, kicked out again.

· Sunday a.m., May 19, preached at St. somebody else's, deacons called special meeting and said I couldn't return.

· Sunday p.m., May 19, preached on the street, kicked off the street.

· Sunday a.m., May 26, preached in meadow, chased out of meadow as a bull was turned loose during the services.

· Sunday a.m., June 2, preached out at the edge of town, kicked off the highway.

· Sunday p.m., June 2, afternoon service, preached in a pasture, 10,000 people came to hear me.

Harold Sherman wrote a book entitled, "How To Turn Failure Into Success." In it he gives a code of persistence. He says:

· I will never give up so long as I know I am right.

· I will believe that all things will work out for me if I hang on to the end.

· I will be courageous and undismayed in the face of odds.

· I will not permit anyone to intimidate or deter me from my goals.

· I will fight to overcome all physical handicaps and setbacks.

· I will try again and again and yet again to accomplish what I desire.

· I will take new faith and resolution from the knowledge that all successful men and women have had to fight defeat and adversity.

· I will never surrender to discouragement or despair no matter what seeming obstacles may confront me.

In 1873 D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey sailed to England for a series of evangelistic meetings. But once there they found to their dismay that all three of their prime contacts had died. Meetings had to be hastily arranged. Some of the pastors who had endorsed Moody's ministry turned against him. At Sunderland, a group of pastors covered the public buildings with material warning about the Americans and their "questionable procedure" and probable evil results." Rumors about Moody traveled ahead of him. He and Sankey went to Scotland, only to encounter deep skepticism. But Moody persevered, and revival swept the British Isles. – Moody, 5-10-91

IV. Concluding Remarks.

My prayer is that you would come to the place in your life where you have more determination than the enemy in dealing with your issues and moving forward in faith towards the destiny God has for you.

What it Means to Live By Faith

Video Message By David Wilkerson

Trusting God-exercising faith

By:Eternal Echoes

We went to a prayer partners conference on Saturday for TFM, an evangelistic ministry that Tim and I have worked with and for over the last 17 years. In the morning session Daniel spoke on faith taking Hebrews 11 as his text.

He spoke about our need to be with God, to trust God and the need for God to be able to trust us...he reminded us that God wants us to share our whole lives with him...yes he knows all about them and he knows our needs, but how often are we simply too stubborn or too proud to ask for help.

He went on to say that we should be people who exercise our faith by stepping out in boldness, not ahead of God but having confidence in God, trusting him to meet our needs.

Getting alone with God is key, speaking to him, opening our hearts and lives, disclosing hopes and fears, needs and desires, at the same time having emptied ourselves we should wait on him and allow him to speak to our hearts, allow him to renew our confidence, allow him to equip and inspire us.

He challenged us that the church is in the state it is in today because we have forgotten how to trust God, consequently we do not exercise our faith.

This challenged me deeply, we sang Purify my Heart and tears flowed, but it was not until I got into the swing of this week that the message was really brought home to me. I took a day out yesterday and walked and prayed. During that time God showed me how little I had given myself to him in recent times, how I was trying to hold everything, how I had been struggling through lack of trust, lack of faith. As always though God's desire is to restore and forgive not simply to reveal fault, and I felt myself restored.

This morning when we went to leave to lead a Bible Study the main car would not start, having no time we set off in the smaller one, all the time concern was growing...

As we started to pray about the situation God showed me this;

I often feel like I should have everything under control...budget, cars, housework, family, work;;;everything. When this is not the case I become perplexed and look for blame, often myself! Or I blame others especially Tim (my husband and co-worker), or I blame God, as if he does not care...

Before I could get into the blame loop God stopped me and stepped in, reminding me that we have an enemy the devil who seeks to devour us. When I am angry with myself, or Tim or God, I tend to spiral into a sulky silence...and the prince of this world chalks up another victory!

Don't get me wrong, I am not the kind to find demons behind every bush and blame the devil for every problem, but I don't believe we should ignore his work in the world, and against the purposes of God either.

How do I need to exercise faith then?

First I need to get alone with God, to hear what he has to say about any given situation.

Next I need to act on what I have heard/ received. In boldness !!!

I need to go back and back and back into Gods prescience taking with me concerns difficulties and questions, hearing him again and again.

Lastly I must give him the glory....

My faith is unfit, I need to start exercising it again....small steps will lead to bigger ones, and I hope to be running soon!

Defining Faith

By Amanda Beattie

So… long story, but the commentary is still not done for my study group, even though graduation was about a month ago. I’m still plugging away, and we’re almost done. I just finished writing on Hebrews 11 (which, by the way is an amazing chapter), and thought I’d share some thoughts on the definition of faith in 11:1-2…

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for…” (11:1). In other words, faith demonstrates that the things we hope for are real. “Substance” can also be translated “surety;” our faith is what keeps our hearts steady, believing that the promises of God will surely come to pass in our lives. Without faith, we will be tempted to view the promises of God as nice ideas, pipe dreams that we cross our fingers hoping they will somehow come to pass. Such a vague sense of wishful thinking will not be enough to motivate us to live so as to attain those promises. Without faith, we remain trapped in a desperate sense of self-preservation, not sure whether or not we can count on God to follow through on His word.

With faith, however, we view those promises as a certain fact. There is no question as to whether or not Jesus is coming back for us. There is no uncertainty as to the hope of our resurrection and transformation into His likeness. We can rest assured that meekness in this age translates into glory in the age to come. This confidence and belief in God will fuel our hearts to live in righteousness and hope, joyful in the Lord.

Faith is also “the evidence of things unseen,” or to put it another way, the evidence of the supernatural activity in our lives. True faith, the kind of faith to which the author refers, is not something we can conjure up by our own imagination or desire. Rather, it comes only by divine enablement (see Eph 2:8). Once we receive faith, we must make effort to remain in it, but we first must humble ourselves and ask God to increase our faith and help us overcome our unbelief.

By faith the elders obtained a good testimony, both in the annals of history and before the throne of God. While it is impressive that their names and stories have lived on through generations of history, far more amazing is that their names are honored in heaven. The Lord’s heart is profoundly moved when His people live in steadfast faith and love. This is the God who orders a book of remembrance written for those who fear the Lord (Mal 3:16) and who stores up the tears of His loved ones in a bottle (Ps 56:8). He places a high value on a heart which responds well to Him.

The Power of Faith

When I stop and look at my achievements, many times I'm left wondering, 'Wow, I did that?". Some of the things I achieved I can't begin to tell you how I even did it. What I can tell you is that I didn't do it on my own. From a very young age my parents taught me about faith and the important role it would play in my life if I wished to accomplish anything. Their teaching proved to be corrected.
I can remember a time in 2009 when I was at one of my lowest points. God took me to a place in my life where the only thing I really had was his love and protection. It seemed like the walls were closing in on me and nothing was going right. Yet through it all, I still sought the Lord and I continued to have faith and trust and believe He would get me through my dark times. One day I stood in the shower thinking about all the bills I had to pay and going over in my head what I needed to have in order to get out the financial "hole" I was in. I can recall saying "Lord, if anyone can bring me out of this you can."
My total exceeded $1,000, but I had immediate needs that were smaller than $1000. I then said to God, "I know asking for over $1,000 is too much, but maybe you can take care of these small bills for me."
Well, after that shower, I continued on with my day trying not to allow my financial situation get me down. Around four o'clock that day my father called me and told me a check came in the mail for me. The check was well over $1,000. When he told me that, I must have shouted as loud as I could not caring who was watching.
That day God showed me just how awesome He is. I also had the opportunity to see the power of faith. Lastly, I say how important it is not to put God in a box. This week on Jesus C.O.U.sin, we will dissect what faith is, its importance, and how to apply it to our christian walk. If you lack faith now, make it a point to read this week's daily post. By the end of this week you will be educated on what faith is and you will exercise it in you life.
Having faith in the Lord got me through many situations good and trying. If you would like to read some background on what faith is read Hebrews 11. It has often been considered the "Faith Book".
Until Next Time...

5 Reasons to Tithe

5 Reasons Why Christians Should Tithe

The practice of Tithing has been the subject of much controversy in recent times.There are Christians who do not Tithe and for various reasons. Some do not understand the practice. Some understand but disagree with it. Some understand, agree but lack the discipline. Still others understand, agree, but make a lot of excuses not to give to the church.

So why then should Christians today maintain this practice?

The sole reason for the Church’s existence is fulfilling the Mission of God. There is no other reason why we are brought together. Congregations in various places use a variety of methods, which we call ministries, to give expression to their understanding of God’s Mission. In most cases these ministries require some kind of financial support for them to be implemented. The purpose of every ministry should be toward the transformation of lives and community.

It is on this that I premise the need for the continued financial support of the mission of God. Christian giving comes out of an understanding that all of our financial resources like everything else that we have, comes from God. It is a gift, not for hoarding, but for continued use in building up the Kingdom of God. When viewed like this, giving is not seen as a burden. You will give joyously because you know you are only managing what God has entrusted you with.

So here are the 5 Reasons I believe Christians should Tithe.

1. To advance, through financial support, the Mission of God. The church needs financial resources to fund its mission. We who are members of the church must give this support, to the best of our ability.

2. To foster fellowship this is not readily obvious. But the church that has a lot of members giving financially and the burden isn’t only on a smaller group, enjoys much better fellowship. It is the freedom people experience when they know they are part of something. There is no guilt for not giving, or resentment for carrying all the weight.

3. To respond in obedience to God that you will give back to God (which is what you do when you contribute in church, contribute to various ministries, make donations to various organizations, help those who are in need and so on) what God has

4. Develop the discipline of self-denial and rise above selfishness, greed and sheer meanness or lack of generosity. The world has grown heavily skewed toward selfishness. Christians should struggle against becoming like this. When you give, you are becoming more and more unlike the world.

5. To experience personal blessings. Don’t get hung up on this but it does give a heady feeling to know that what you have given has made a lasting difference in the life of someone else. So much so that that person whose life was touched is moved to glorify God (not you, God). It gives immeasurable satisfaction.

There is no rocket science in it, you don’t even need to read ‘the secret’ to get it. Just try it and you will see the profound difference it makes in your life to open your heart, purse or wallet and start giving to your church and its ministries.

Do share your stories with us on this controversial subject.

Make a change,
Marvia

Tithing off Gross or Net

Contributed from http://churchtithesandofferings.com

I’ve heard this question too often: Should i tithe on the gross or net? Here’s the conventional answer: Do you want God to bless you on the gross or net? I’m sorry, but i’m not a conventional type of person, so i’m not going to give you that answer. I have something else in store.

Do we find ourselves asking this type of question when you seek other ways to worship God? Do you calculate how much time you should spend with God once you’ve subtracted time for work, sleeping, and eating? Does it seem a little strange to you that we are legalistic about giving on the gross or net when we aren’t this legalistic about any other area of our service toward God? Seriously, what kind of standards do you have about praying? Come on, i would think we should have some sort of time minimum with praying, right? Ok, well, what about reading the bible? That’s like God’s letter directly written for you. I would think we should have some sort of calculation to help us figure out how much to read. No? Ok, well, what about serving? If no one serves, who will do what needs to be done for church? Shouldn’t we need some sort of minimum standard for how much you should serve in church?

We are beings that have been born again in his Spirit, so naturally, we should be led and instructed by the Holy Spirit on how to give. We should not let petty percentages dictate how our love is worked out. I am a married man, and if i gave to my wife the way most people give to God, then our marriage would be dead. Our God is alive and he speaks to us. It’s about time we start acting like it with Spirit-led, sacrificial giving instead of this monotonous, mechanical, automated, impersonal, habitual, routine we call tithing.

I’m sorry . . . did i offend some of you? Were you looking for some answer to whether or not you should tithe on the gross or net? Well, you aren’t going to get it here. Gimme a break, has our worship towards God become so religious that we cannot see how mechanical our relationship with God has become? We give like a bunch of pagans. Hold on, maybe i’m not clear as to what i’m saying . . . . TITHING IS PAGANISM. Go ahead, whip out Malachi 3, Leviticus 27, and Matthew 23.

What would you do if you heard of a group of people sacrificing sheep in the woods today? First thing that would come to your mind is some sort of witch cult. Yet, this very practice is completely biblical. As a matter of fact, Abraham sacrificed sheep. So why is tithing paganism? Well, for starters, all religions or cults give no differently to their own gods than we give to ours. Second, tithing was an old testament ritual just like animal sacrifices. Third, tithing was practiced by pagan cultures, such as the Egyptians and Babylonians prior to Abraham.

A huge difference between Buddha and Yahweh is that our God is not made of metal or wood. Our God is alive, and yet, we are satisfied with giving to our God as if he has nothing to say. Imagine if i gave my wife the same thoughtless gift every year and never asked her what she wanted. Don’t you think my wife wants me to ask her, and also has her own wishes? What makes you think that God is satisfied with this impersonal type of giving as well? God didn’t tear the veil so that we can continue old testament practices that permit us to ignore the direct channel we have to the holy room of God.

When you drive by a graveyard, you will see hundreds of flowers sitting on top of everyone’s grave. Do you see jewelry, clothes, a watch, shoes, vacation tickets, or a pedicure coupon? No. Because giving flowers, just like everyone else, is the only way we know how to express love to a dead person. We don’t know what they want, nor have we been in touch with them to even instinctively understand what they desire. This is because they are dead! Our relationship with a dead person is all one sided. We can talk to them, but they don’t talk back. This sounds a lot like how Christians want their God to be. We want him to hear when we need something; other than that we hope He stays dormant.

When i see the plate passed around in church it is much like watching people visiting their loved ones in the graveyard. They all come with the same gift in hand because tithing seems to be the universally accepted gift for someone who’s been dead to us all week.

If you don’t agree with what i’m saying about tithing, just look at how most tithers give offerings above and beyond. Because of my past experience, i would venture to say some of you give a couple extra percentage points above the tithe into the offering plate. If you were like me, you gave 11% to make sure that extra percent covers any oversight in calculating your tithe, and to provide you the opportunity to give that cheerful offering above the tithe.

Although we define offerings as Spirit led giving, there is no philosophical difference between tithing and offerings because we still mimic the same mechanical procedure we had with tithing. Technically, the only difference we see between Spirit led giving and tithing is what is typed on a calculator or planned in our budget. For those of you who don’t calculate your offering above the tithe, don’t think you are off the hook, because i would venture to guess that your offering above the tithe is much like throwing darts blindfolded.

Some of us even think giving is like throwing gifts into the center of a volcano in hopes to appease the angry god from spewing out his wrath on our little village.

In the end, instead of acting like children worshiping a living God; tithing has taught us nothing but to be good little disciplined pagans. Sorry for those who thought they were getting an answer about tithing on the gross or net.

Understanding Paying Tithes

What comes to mind when you think of a robber or thief? We might visualize a bank robber, a house burglar, or even a shop-lifter. But could you imagine one of your fellow church members, or even yourself, as a robber? It may seem impossible, yet the scripture below clearly states that all those who do not pay their tithes have robbed God.

Malachi 3:8-11 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, In what way have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings.
(9) You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.
(10) Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this, Says the LORD of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.
(11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, Says the LORD of hosts;”

It All Comes From God

Someone may ask, “How could I have robbed God by not paying tithes? The money I earn is mine, and I haven’t stolen anything from God!”

As we know, “robbery” is the act of taking something that does not belong to you. God specifically used the term “robbery” in Malachi to show that the tithe (which means a tenth) belongs to Him. We must understand that God is the owner of this earth, and everything on it belongs to Him. “The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein” (Psa. 24:1).

Elsewhere, the Bible says, “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, says the LORD of hosts” (Hag. 2:8). Before we become possessive about the treasures of this world, let us first remember that He created this planet and everyone on it, and even though Satan holds a temporary dominion through sin (2 Cor. 4:4), the earth still belongs to God.

Furthermore, God is responsible for every means that people have to make a living (John 3:27, Jas. 1:17). Are you a farmer? You plant God’s seeds in His earth and rely upon His rain and sunshine to ripen it to harvest. Are you an auto worker? All the steel, glass, rubber, plastic, oil and gasoline are products from God’s earth. Are you a craftsman? Your talent or skill to work at a trade is given by God. He has given you your brain, eyes, ears, mouth, hands, fingers, legs, and feet that you use to earn your living. Even the silver and copper in our coins, and the wood pulp in our paper currency comes from God’s earth. It is extremely fair of God to only require a tenth to be returned to Him, since He owns 100% of this planet.

Unfortunately, many Christians misunderstand the idea of tithing. They often think of it as giving a tenth from “their own” property to God. However, in reality it is God that has done the giving to us, and claims the return of only 10% of His own property. Tithing is not taking a tenth of our own money and giving it to God, but it is returning a tenth of what was already His to begin with! The scripture says,“But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You” (1 Chron. 29:14). God is so generous to us. He gives us the 90% and retains only 10% of what is rightfully His.

Stewards Of God’s Property

Someone once suggested, “Well, if the tenth already belongs to God, why doesn’t He just automatically withhold the tithe and then give us the rest, like the IRS withholds taxes from our wages? That way God won’t have to depend on us to pay our tithes.”

God has chosen for us to personally return the tithe so that we can demonstrate our stewardship of his property. Stewardship is the faithful and responsible management of something that belongs to someone else. Obviously, if God observes that we are irresponsible to return the small percentage that belongs to Him as He has directed, He knows that we can neither be trusted with any greater responsibilities or blessings in the Kingdom of God (Luke 16:10-11).

Tithing is a test of our stewardship over the property of God, a test of our honesty to return to God what is rightfully His, a test of our obedience to do what He told us to do, and a test of our love and desire to please Him with our lives. Tithing is a demonstration that we believe in God, and that we acknowledge that He is the provider of all material blessings. If you haven’t the faith to believe that the tithe belongs to the Lord, neither can you have faith in Him to meet your financial needs. After all, if you don’t believe that the tenth is His, you must not believe that the whole earth is His either. Without that confidence in His supremacy, there could be no confidence in His ability to provide our needs.

Most of us realize that robbery is a serious offense in our secular society, and those convicted of this crime can be sentenced to years in jail. But what happens to a person who is guilty of robbing God? The scriptures say that he will be “cursed with a curse” (Mal. 3:9). What kind of curse is this? From Malachi we see that God’s blessing to the tither is to open Heaven’s windows and pour out abundant blessings, and to rebuke the devourer (Satan) from destroying their increase and fruitfulness (Mal. 3:10-11). In contrast, the non-tither is cursed by having no protection to prevent the devourer from destroying their prosperity, and God cannot shower them with His abundant Heavenly blessings. God cannot bless or protect the prosperity of the person who does not tithe! This indeed is a curse.

Some claim they can’t afford to pay their tithes. But let me ask, “Can you afford to be cursed? Can you afford to not have God’s blessings and protection over your finances? Can you afford to be considered a thief or robber of God’s property? Or can you afford to be a person who does not obey the Word of God?” The fact is, you cannot afford not to pay your tithes, because this is the principle that God has chosen to bless you!

Another person once asked, “Why does God need my tithe?” In answer to this question, He doesn’t need your money or anyone else’s. Remember, God is the owner of the whole universe and all its wealth. However, He has chosen to use your tithes and offerings for the expenses of maintaining “spiritual meat” in His house (Mal. 3:10). On the first day of the week you are to bring your tithes and offerings to the “storehouse” of your Church where you are spiritually fed (1 Cor. 16:2). How important it is that we are faithful in our tithes and offerings, as this is God’s method of funding the preaching of His Word and the spreading of the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:13-14).

The Tithe Is Your Seed

God is blessed by your tithe as an expression of your love and obedience to Him, yet tithing is primarily for your own benefit so that God can bless you. There is a universal law that God has placed in both the natural and spiritual realms. This is the law of sowing and reaping. “...God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). The tithe is “seed” that you plant in God that will bring the harvest of prosperity.

All farmers understand God’s law of sowing and reaping. After a harvest in Bible times, before the farmer would use any of the grain as food for his family or livestock, he would first go through the harvest grain and pick out a percentage that exhibited the best qualities of size, weight, color, and set this aside as seed for the next season’s crop planting. This early form of genetic selection helped assure that the next generation of crops would produce higher yields and greater quality.

This illustrates our tithe, why it cannot be the 10% that is left over after we pay everything else. The part that God claims and uses as seed is the first and best 10% of your increase, called the firstfruits. “Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine” (Prov. 3:9-10).

Don’t “eat your seed grain.” Do not use the Lord’s tithe for anything else! Because if you don’t sow, you can’t reap.

How We Receive From God

The tithe is God’s property that we are required to return to Him, however an “offering” is that which we give voluntarily out of our own property after the tithe has been subtracted. As we give our tithes, and give offerings above our tithe to God, He will continue to bless us and multiply our return in proportion to our investment in Him (2 Cor. 9:6).

I challenge you to become a tither and a giver to God, and “prove” His promise to bless you, just as He invites you to do in Malachi 3:10. Give to God in faith, expecting Him to bless your return (Mark 11:24), and give cheerfully, expressing joy and confidence in giving to God (2 Cor. 9:7). The same proportion that you open your faith to give to Him, He will use that same proportion as His measurement to bring blessing back to you!

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).