Tithing

Actually, tithing is the thing which I have been doing faithfully. Regardless of what the situation of my life is (be it be in debts/ needed the cash) or whatever, I will pay my tithes to God FIRST!

*Exclaims someone* WHAT?!?! We MUST tithe? I thought that we are under a New Covenant? Didn't Jesus paid it all for us? DID JESUS SAY we MUST pay our tithe to God? Atrocious! How can this be?

*Me explaining...* Allow me go go BACK to the Old Testament...

As we all know in the Old Testament, everyone tithes to Abraham, who in turn, brought tithes to Melchizedek, Prince of Salem.

Genesis 14: 18- 20 (NKJV)
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all.

Leviticus 27: 30 (New Living translation)
"A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, belongs to the LORD and must be set apart to him as holy.

You may say, "Hey! It's all in the Old Testament. We are now in the New Covenant. What I want to know is, did Jesus mention anything about tithing in the New Testament? Show me! I need PROOF!"

Well...Sad to disappoint you... Let me show to you what did Jesus say regarding tithing...

In Matthew 23: 23 (New Living Translation)
"How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law – justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.

These, in red, are the VERY WORDS of Jesus.

Noticed something? Yes, the Pharisees were COMMENDED by Jesus for tithing. Are you better or worse than a Pharisee? This was the ONE & ONLY thing Jesus APPROVED of them! So, what have we concluded from start till now?

1. Tithing means a tenth OR 10% of your gross income.

So, why 10% or a tenth you may ask. Why not $1 or $50? Why must be 10%?

Simple reason being that not everyone is able to afford $50 and to millionaires, $50 is NOTHING to them at all. God is a fair God, Amen? Which is why, He instituted this 10% to whomever is a believer!

You may argue and say "but I EARNED the money with MY HARD WORK! It's just so NOT FAIR! Since when did God give me the money? In what ways have He contributed to those wages I earned?"

Actually, it's a VALID ground and a GOOD question you've brought up here.

Yes, I agree that we EARN every single cent from our hard work. However who is the One who give you these money? By your own strength, are you able to attain what you have today? Surely there is a possibility that you can but it is God who gives us the power to get wealth, Amen? Which means to say that everything that we have, it all belongs to God.

However, why must God require us to tithe?
This is because God wants us to remember that everything we have, belongs to Him. We brought nothing to earth and surely will not bring anything away from earth too.

Deuteronomy 14: 23 (English Standard Version)
And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always

Friends, if God does not have the FIRST PRIORITY in your finances, He is NEVER first in your life at all. The bible says that where your treasure is, there your heart is also. Therefore, where is your heart? What is inside your heart? If your heart is with the world, then it'll be with the world. However, if your heart is in the Kingdom of God, I would encourage you to tithe because God have given a great challenge and promise to everyone who tithes!

Malachi 3: 10- 12
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; 12 "And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land," Says the Lord of hosts.

See that?!?! You don't have to be a rocket scientist for me to tell you what is that challenge. Yes! God challenges each and everyone of you to tithe! I did not, He did. He said that He WILL OPEN up the windows of heaven over our lives when we tithe to Him. What did God say earlier on in the passage of Malachi 3?

Malachi 3: 8- 9
8 "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.

Therefore my fellow Saints in Christ Jesus,
Do not harden your heart and say that tithing is not a must. Tithing is not for now. God is not a man that He should lie. Whatever He says, will it return to Him void? If you have read the bible at least once, from cover to cover, you'll find that whatever He says, it shall certainly COME TO PASS! Do you want to rob God? Certainly not!

Therefore, what have I been saying all these while?
In conclusion, what have we learnt about tithing?:
1. Tithing means a tenth OR 10% of your gross income.
2. Tithing OPENS UP THE WINDOW OF HEAVEN over my life!
3. Tithing is for NOW!

I'm sure everyone wants to be blessed by God, amen? However, God wants to see how faithful we are. Are we bringing Him what He asked? If we are not faithful with the little things which He ask of us, how can He trust us with TRUE RICHES?

Remember what He said when He was asked about taxes? Jesus said render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and render to God what belongs to God!

Therefore, bring in your tithes and offering to God with a cheerful heart today! He loves a cheerful giver!

So, what do I do now?

a. If you're getting allowances, you should also tithe your allowance to God. If you're taking a daily allowance, make an account and be a faithful steward of God. Always put aside 10% of your allowance and pay your tithe to God at the end of the week.

b. If you're taking your allowances on a weekly basis, pay your tithes by the end of the week.

c. If you're taking monthly wages/ paid/ allowances, pay it by the beginning of the new month.

Finally, your offering and tithe are NOT the same! Offering is something Free will while tithe is a MUST! It's 10% of your TOTAL gross income/ pocket money. When you begin to pay your tithes, I'm sure God is going to bless you greatly!

God will NEVER short-change you! Amen?

James 2: 20

James 2: 20
But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

I realized that having faith and not works is really dead. I have read this sentence countless times but it was only a couple of days ago, that I’ve had the revelation of what it meant.

It may not be the case where it got to be applied to only a case but to me, this verse spoke to me in a unique manner.

You see, I have faith in doing a lot of things. In fact, I have the faith for all things but lack the courage to either do it or really go for it. All I did was just to have faith for it and prayed for it to happen.

However, this will not happen unless an action is matched to the level of expectation.

Earlier on in the Book of James 2, it said in James 18 speaks of something very interesting.

James 2: 18
But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

The words in the bible are there for a reason. It did not happen to be there by chance nor there, just to fill up spaces. Therefore, do not say that you have faith in certain things and not do it. It’s just as good as a wishful thinking.

Therefore, do not fall into the same trap as me and just have faith for something. When you have faith for something, there must be an action for that something to happen.

Can a farmer have faith for apple trees to be grown in his farm when he did not plant any apple seeds into his farm? Will the seeds be able to grow if he never till the ground or prepare the land for the apple seeds?

Likewise, if you have faith for God to bless you with good career and financial blessing, you got to sow before you reap something. Therefore, faith and works goes hand in hand.

Today, if you have faith for something, IE: A miracle in life or whatever, it's time to sow your time/ finances into God’s Kingdom. God is our source! Nothing is impossible with God!

Unforgettable Experience and lesson

2 Kings 6: 1 – 3
1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. 2 Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell." So he answered, "Go." 3 Then one said, "Please consent to go with your servants." And he answered, "I will go."

When I heard of this passage, immediately, the word, “anointing” came into my mind. Borrowed anointing… I questioned myself if I “borrowed” the anointing of the people around me to reach out to God or did I really have the anointing of God to minister to people around me.

The level we grow or increases do depend upon the kind of relationship we have. If we are not close with our parents, naturally, quarrels and disagreements will exist. Likewise, what is true in the natural is also true spiritually. When we keep fellowshipping with God, seeking His face everyday, we’ll be more and more like Him and also, will be able to know what His heart’s desires/ plans for us.

The relationships we have, do affect our destinies in life. This is especially true. Whom will a Father give to most, when He wants to give inheritance to His sons, who will He give to; the one who’s closest to Him or the one who’s not?

It does not take one to be a genius or a rocket scientist to know the answer. If one is WISE, they would choose to give to the one who’s closest to.

Also, whom will one confide in? One who’s closest to you or one who’s not even a friend? I realized nowadays, the trend would be to confide in those who are not close; which I find it really “interesting”.

In every form of relationships, there is a “universal” law which will always run in it. It’s called the law of “change”. Bearing in mind that there is a law of “change” in very form and walks of life, we can lose our “edge” without even realizing it.

Humans are habitual beings. There are times when we will lose our “edge”, thus not being able to be as influential/ sharp or get the type of results we used to have, when we have the anointing of God upon us.

The anointing is the edge I have in life. I can’t do anything out of a routine or by own personal power/ wisdom for it’ll all be ineffective and might even fail, despite, by reason, it should work out.

2 Kings 6: 4
4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, master! For it was borrowed."

Over here, this certain son of certain prophet was cutting down trees with the rest of the people. There’s nothing wrong in helping or participating. The thing about this person was that he was using a borrowed axe.

This person, should, by right, be anointed and should have joy, peace and an edge in life. However, he lost/ did not bring his own axe but was borrowed!

He might be thinking within his heart “This is just another routine, its ok not to bring my own axe. It’ll get blunt when I am to use my own and it’s all a hassle to sharpen it. I’ll go borrow an axe and I will be able to avoid the trouble of cleaning and sharpening mine.”

However, little did anyone know what will happen to the borrowed axe as it was not known to them what will happen the following day! When the day came for them to Jordan to fall trees, this son of prophet did not realized what is to come. The very moment the axe head flew off, he shout “Alas, Master! For it was borrowed! This man did not treasure what was his but took advantage, out of comfort sake, he borrowed an axe.

In ministry, we ought to realize that the anointing we have is ENTRUSTED by God to us, for ministry! Not something to be taken for granted! The anointing is given and it is us who will maintain and keep that anointing, to grow it, to guard it! Never ever let the devil spit at your face; to despise you! Don’t ever let the devil be the one to spit at your face! Be the one to spit into the face of the evil one and be the one to intimidate the evil one!

What happens when we begin to lose our anointing? We start to search for that something, not realizing that we have already lost it. The devil will then take advantage of this moment and starts to put doubt into our hearts and mind. With doubts “flooding” in the mind and the person not turning to God for counsel, the person starts to get into “identity crisis”.

Let’s look at Jesus. From the Gospel of Matthew all the way to the Gospel of John, He went about everywhere and anywhere to whomever who needs His touch! He was prepared.

Have you ever seen any soldier fighting a battle without being ready for a battle/ caught surprised? Did not the Bible say that we OUGHT to be READY, IN AND OUT OF SEASON?

Therefore, conclusion is that, the anointing is to be worn upon our bodies like clothing. It has to be upon us, daily and every second!

In order for us to be leader, we ought to BE LIKE JESUS!

Notice that whenever Jesus was out ministering, people are always reaching out to Him and always wanting Him to go to their house for dinner? He is like a celebrity BUT MORE!

Now, know what I meant by “BE LIKE JESUS?” Be the one who will minister to others, to help others, to heal others! Don’t be the one who sit by Gate, Beautiful, waiting for things to happen! Be the one to make things happen!

2 Kings 6: 6
6 So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.

After the axe head flew off, the son of prophet went to a man of God. The man of God asked a “million dollar” question to the son of prophets. He asked “Where did it fall?”

When ministry/ life become a routine and it does not bring forth results, we got to be truthful to ourselves to find out what went wrong. Jesus said “They shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall SET THEM FREE”

Truths always set people free! It brings freedom to, both the “offender” and those who wants to help. BE HONEST AND TRUTHFUL!
1. NOTICE where we lost it.
- Where we lost that passion, to who and what caused the “downfall”?

If I were to tell you that I am in your country, lost! You too, will ask me that same “million dollar” question “where are you now?” Is it going to help when I say, “I don’t know” or “I think I am here/ there?” Definitely NOT!

If I do not know where I am, how am I going to expect others to know where I am or where I’m lost at? Likewise, if I do not know where I am, how am I going to go to my destinies?

2. We GET HELP from someone “HIGHER” than us.
2 Kings 6: 6
6 So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.
This man seeks for help from those who can help him. He HUMBLED himself and let the man of God GUIDE him. He did not care about his “outer man” or pride.
Never be too concern about their “outer man” than to STRENGTHENING” their inner man!

3. Go to someone who still have that “cutting edge”
2 Kings 6: 6
6 So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.
As mentioned in the passage, the man of God cut off a stick. This shows that this person is still sharp and not routine in life! He has the ability to impact and to touch lives!

The person who challenges you to be better than what/ who you are today is the person who is able to help you. Be humble, teachable and have a willingness heart/ attitude to learn. In the midst of learning, build a dependency upon God.

God wants us to be Earth Shakers and History Makers! How can we shake the earth when we cannot impact? If we cannot impact others, how can we be History makers?

Amen?