Sowing
God’s Word often gives instructions that are, to the practical mind, the exact opposite of common sense. Tithing and giving are like that, but when you choose to obey the Word in your giving, you position yourself to become an eyewitness to what God can do, both through you and for you. Proverbs 11:24 says, “There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.”
When you tithe, three things occur. First, you provide for the house of God—that particular church into which you sow the first ten percent of your paycheck. You minister personally to the Lord in your tithe, and He uses it to build up His church. Hebrews 6:10 provides solid assurance that what you do will not go unnoticed by Him. It reads, “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.” Giving financially is one way you minister not only to the Lord but also to the saints—and God will not forget it.
Secondly, when you tithe, God Himself opens the windows of Heaven and pours out blessings until you don’t have room enough to contain it all. You can expect, based on this verse, blessings to start abounding when you tithe.
Third, God Himself rebukes the devourer—the devil—so that he won’t be able to destroy the fruit of your ground or the vine in your field. In other words, because you tithe, God personally defends your finances. Wow!
Don’t worry if your tithing hasn’t reaped any visible results yet. Think about babies. Feet are made for walking, and little baby humans know that instinctively. They do their level best to get those feet to do their thing, but to no avail—at least for a while. They fall forward, they fall backward, they fall like drunken sailors, they collapse in a heap—and they get right back up and do it again! All the while mommy and daddy are grinning ear to ear, hovering nearby, and ready to bail them out if they fall too hard.
You delight your Father when you step out in giving—even with all the spills you take—as much as little ones delight their parents when they are learning to walk. Trust Him with your tithe and your giving. He’s nearby, smiling and ready to catch you if you need it.
A baby isn’t given hiking boots; a one year old isn’t given a two-wheeler; a ten year old isn’t given a car; a teenager isn’t given the title deed to his own house. Think about this in relation to giving.
God will direct you as you learn to tithe to give a bit extra from time to time. He will probably lead you to send support to different ministries, and at some point He will likely direct you to send more consistent support to one or more of the ministries that stir your heart.
How will you know? As you pray, you will experience a knowing inside you that what you are considering is right. Start small, especially if your income is small, and let God expand your giving as you increase. You are sowing seed into good soil, and like 2 Corinthians 9:10 declares, the Lord who supplies the money for you to give beyond your tithe “will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
Let the Lord lead you by His Spirit and His gentle conviction when you give. He knows where you should sow the seed He gives you, and He will direct you. Second Corinthians 9:7 sheds light on something else worth noting: “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
The writer of this verse, Paul the apostle, wrote this to relieve the pressure that often attends giving; if you’ve purposed in your heart to give a certain amount, then do that, and do it with joy. You know the voice of God, and you can tell if He wants you to give more than you planned. If He leads you this way, obey His prompting. But if you experience manipulation, coercion, or a sense of guilt or shame when listening to an appeal for money, guess what? Those feelings aren’t from God! How do I know? Because Paul told you to give what you purposed in your heart—not a manipulated amount squeezed out of you by an intentionally emotional or shame-inducing appeal.
If you feel like the proverbial turnip being squeezed for blood after being manipulated to give, then you’re probably not very cheerful. Don’t let your giving become a guilt-induced task. Purpose to give cheerfully, and don’t let yourself be coerced into giving out of peer pressure or guilt. (That goes for meetings, phone solicitations, letters, emails, and face-to-face requests.) Trust God to lead you when faced with these uncomfortable tactics.
As you tithe, give, and consistently listen to the Lord about the seed you have to sow, remember that God is your Father and is delighted in you as His child. The hard knocks you may be experiencing are not hidden from Him, and He is near, ready to step in to assist you. He’s looking to see in you the persistent expectation of a baby new to walking; when you fall, you get back up and go at it again, even if it’s not pretty! The baby craves the freedom that will come from walking on his own two feet; you look forward to the harvest of righteousness that will spring up in your life due to your giving. Tithing, giving, and sowing your seed are part of what you are created to do. “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand” (Psalm 37:23-24).
When you sense the Holy Spirit directing you to sow seed beyond your tithe, know that He is leading you in this way to bless you and to expand your fruitfulness. Picture Him, smiling, hovering near, and ready to catch you as you obey His promptings. As you take baby steps in faith, your stride will grow increasingly more steady and broad, and you will not only be a blessing to others, but you, yourself, will be blessed.
Be encouraged!
Dorothy
Next: God’s supplemental insurance policy, part 1
Read MoreTithing
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test 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 a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3:10-11
Tithing—giving 10 percent of every dime you earn or receive to the Lord—is a discipline I put into practice not long after I was saved. Nobody pounded this doctrine into my head; my first “church” had been a dorm room Bible study where we never took up offerings, and none of the churches in the small town where I lived during my first year of teaching were a fit for me, so I didn’t stay long enough in one place to hear a message on the topic. I simply saw it in the Bible, so I did it.
And I’m glad, because tithing is so simple and has borne such tremendous fruit in my life.
I was convicted as a young Christian about the legitimacy of tithing when I first read the verses in Malachi. In obedience to what I saw, I purposed to tithe consistently—a personal practice that has now spanned over four decades. Those verses reveal that the God of all things will open for you the windows of Heaven and pour out upon you a blessing that you cannot contain. On top of that, the Lord Himself rebukes the devourer on your behalf simply because you are consistent in giving Him ten percent of all your income. I feel sorry for believers who don’t tithe on a regular basis—they’re missing out on experiencing God’s regular intervention in their finances.
My life has been blessed—not in a flamboyant, ostentatious, in-your-face-I’m-so-wealthy sort of way—but all my needs have been met according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:19). I attribute this to the habit of tithing which I took pains to develop very early in my walk. I can’t imagine not giving the Lord the first ten percent; it has become as ingrained in my life as brushing my teeth or washing my hair.
Notice I mentioned giving the Lord the first ten percent. Proverbs 3:9-10 describes not only what you are to give, but also when to give. It reads “Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” Although these verses do not specify the amount, they do specify the timing of your giving—first, before you spend a dime, not from the leftovers of your paycheck after you take care of everything else.
Where do you tithe? Malachi said, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse.” In my opinion, the storehouse for your tithe is the church where you attend. However, if you disagree with this perspective, I believe you should tithe nonetheless—wherever you feel the Lord leads. When you disregard the tithe, in my estimation you are making a terribly risky decision.
Some people feel that the tithe in Malachi is legalistic and therefore non-binding to the New Testament believer. If that were true, then the rest of the book of Malachi would be non-binding as well. I wonder if such folks would be willing to say that Malachi 3:16-18 is also irrelevant to Christians: “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name. ‘They will be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’ So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”
If the tithe is gone, so is the book of remembrance, so is the Lord’s deep esteem for those who follow Him, and so is the distinction between the righteous and the wicked. Is that what people mean to say when they assert that tithing is nothing more than Old Testament legalism?
Concerning giving offerings beyond the tithe—be led by God. He will probably lead you to give to other ministries, whether on an ongoing basis or from time to time. He will also lead you to give to individuals.
Tomorrow I will write about the subject of giving beyond the tithe and how to discern when to do so and to whom. In addition, I plan to show you the biblical permission I received to be unmoved by coercive, manipulative tactics. And lastly, I will introduce you to what I call my supplemental Bible insurance policy.
Take a closer look at tithing. It is a simple, doable practice that will reap lifelong, positive results as God—according to His promise—opens for you the windows of Heaven and rebukes the devourer on your behalf. Can Allstate, Progressive, or State Farm boast as much? I don’t think so.
Dorothy
Read MoreScriptures for finances
If you are facing dire financial circumstances—or simply a less than desirable financial situation— you need a stable and scriptural reference point from which you can draw confidence and courage. But before I list some verses to encourage you, I want to build the case to reveal just how powerful the Word really is.
1.) Jesus told His disciples about the time following His resurrection, “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you” (John 16:23). That means that when you ask for your specific need to be met, you ask the Father in Jesus’ name.
2.) To underscore just how powerful His name is, Philippians 2:9-11 states, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” When you pray and use the name of Jesus in faith and reverent love, you operate in His authority and have direct access to the Father.
3.) The name of Jesus is both powerful and highly exalted. But watch out—according to the psalmist David, something is higher yet! “…Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name” (Psalm 138:2b). The Word of God is even higher than His name!
Using these Scriptures, you can establish the following in your heart:
a.) You can ask anything, believing in His name, and it is done for you.
b.) At His name every knee will bow.
c.) And yet He has exalted His Word above that beautiful and powerful name! Have confidence when you use the name of Jesus in prayer; have confidence when you exalt His Word in prayer. The power-team of His name and His Word gives you the victor’s edge as you stand your ground.
Scriptures for finances: [Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptures are taken from NASB.]
Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33)
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38; NIV)
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 2)
The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. (Psalm 34:10)
Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; and let them say continually, “The Lord be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.” (Psalm 35:27)
I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, and his descendants are a blessing. (Psalm 37:25-26)
Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9-10)
It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it. (Proverbs 10:22)
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous. (Proverbs 13:22)
There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. (Proverbs 11:24-25)
The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4)
These are just some of the verses contained in the Bible concerning finances. Prayerfully consider these truths, let the Holy Spirit make them alive in your heart, and obey Him as you pray in faith and follow His leading.
May the Lord bless you richly,
Dorothy
Tomorrow: Special 9/11 tribute
Monday: Tithing
Read MoreJobless—but not God-less
I was in the middle of my first year of teaching and living in rural Missouri when the Holy Spirit directed me to move to St. Louis at the end of the school year. My parents were preparing to move from their home there to another state, and I knew that somehow I needed to retain my connection with that city. Therefore, I had to move to St. Louis myself. The Lord had plans for me in that region.
I was three years old in the Lord and knew enough to seek God before I made such a huge, life-changing decision. As I drove from my parents’ home in St. Louis County that Sunday in January back to my rented quarters in the small town where I taught, I asked God to give me time to really seek Him. That meant I needed a snow day, but no snow was in the forecast. With stars twinkling, I prayed and prayed and prayed all the way home. A song I knew had these lyrics:
Reign, Lord, reign! Reign Master Jesus, reign.
Rain Your Spirit in my heart; reign Master Jesus, reign.
I changed it to “Snow, Lord, snow! Snow Master Jesus, snow,” and so on. I was twenty minutes from home on a windy back road about eight o’clock in the evening, and there in my headlights appeared the first few flakes.
Ten to 12 inches later, I had my snow day. In fact, I had a week. And then a second week. And by the beginning of the second week, I started repenting for praying so effectively—but I had my answer. St. Louis, here I come!
During the move and the first year back in the area, God taught me much of what I still lean on concerning hearing from Him for both direction and finances. Here are six of the things I learned:
Listen to Him as you go, and take the “Holy Ghost dare”—step out in obedience to the promptings you get. I needed an apartment and was heading to look at one when I felt a nudge to take an earlier exit off the highway. I obeyed and traveled that road for a couple of miles, saw nothing, and decided to turn around. I pulled off and was going to go back to my original destination when I heard Him say, “Pursue those houses.” I did, and soon saw a large sign—”Greenmar Terrace Apartments”. Following the signs, I found the complex, fell in love with it, and signed the lease for quite a bit less a month than I would pay at the place I was initially considering. As it turned out, the complex to which I was led was also much closer to the district where I was eventually hired.
Don’t claim every job you see. I made the mistake of “naming and claiming” a teaching position in nearly every district in the region. Whenever I passed a school or heard of a different district, I claimed a job there. One day, while claiming yet another teaching position, I heard the Lord say so sweetly to me, “Do you think you’re going to have the energy to teach in all those different classrooms and districts you’re claiming?” He showed me that, yes, I was right to claim a job; but then I needed to let Him lead me as I made myself available to potential districts.
Don’t give up. I continued to put out applications and resumes and followed up with as many as I could. I also subbed in a district fairly close to me. I did what I could to show myself friendly on all the job sites and to do the best job I could as a sub.
Get a backup job. This may not apply to all of you, but I obtained a “stop-gap” job at a clothing store in addition to my subbing assignments so I could make ends meet.
Tithe. Finances were tight, but I had learned to tithe. I would take my sub money and retail store checks and give exactly ten percent of the gross—the amount before taxes. Things were so tight that sometimes I had to write out IOUs to God and put them on my refrigerator until the next paycheck when I could pay Him back. Nobody had pounded this doctrine into my head; my first “church” had been a dorm room Bible study where we never took up offerings, and none of the churches in the small town where I taught my first year were a fit for me, so I didn’t stay long enough in one place to hear a tithing message. I simply saw it in the Bible, so I did it. (If you are terrified of tithing, start with a smaller percentage. Then as you get used to it, and you see that you’re not going to die, kick up the percentage over time until you are at ten percent. Once there, keep on giving. It will change your life.)
Use Scripture. Let the Holy Spirit give you Scripture to use as your lifeline and weapon of warfare as you pray. In November my first year back in St. Louis, I took a sub job for a teacher on maternity leave. That six weeks turned into the rest of the year as the new mom decided to stay home with her baby. I was thrilled, but I was only being paid as a sub and still had to work my second job. I pestered the principal several times about giving me a contract with full pay, but he became increasingly irritated with me. I knew I needed to back off. Instead, I prayed, and as I did so persistently, I received the Scripture that became my personal battering ram. It was Proverbs 3:27: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” I declared during my prayer time that my principal would not withhold good from me to whom it was due when it was in his power to do it, and I thanked God without ceasing that He would back up His Word on my behalf. Then, on Valentine’s Day, after teaching in that class since before Thanksgiving, my principal handed me a full-time teaching contract.
The goal of becoming financially secure is often tested; and some believers are tested in this more than others are. Although I don’t understand why that is, my prayer is that you will gain new strength as you endeavor to follow and obey God concerning finances and employment. Don’t give up! He will come through for you.
Dorothy
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
Tomorrow: Scriptures I’ve used when trusting God for finances
Read MoreHelp for finances
On this Labor Day week, I thought it would be fitting to talk about finances, the fruit of our labor.
In November of 2007, the Lord told me: The lifestyle to which many have grown accustomed will become greatly challenged. I shared this warning with a few close friends and sought God about how to be personally prepared. At the time, those with whom I shared had, for the most part, a “wait and see” attitude. I understood that stance—the Lord had spoken to me, not to them.
One person, however, more or less corrected me—he thought my statement indicated fear and a total lack of faith. I realized something as a result of that encounter. Not everyone will believe that you have heard from God—especially when it’s less than positive information. Did I write him off? Of course not. He’s my brother in Christ, loves the body of Christ, and has a zeal for souls. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you on an issue does not necessitate a cold shoulder or broken fellowship!
As I walked through the steps I believed God gave me to be prepared for the challenging times ahead, I shared what I was doing with different friends I trusted. Again, God speaks to each one’s heart. Just because someone tells you what they believe the Lord is showing them, that doesn’t mean you have to “buy” it. You need to seek God for yourself. I strongly believe that the Spirit of God is more than capable of making His wisdom known to each one who wants to hear. The Bible says it this way: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).
This is especially true now in September of 2015. Don’t be led by other people’s revelation. Stay in the Word and listen to God for yourself.
A while back as I prayed for various friends and acquaintances who were experiencing serious financial difficulty, I felt that they were to take the specific Scripture(s) God would give them for income and employment. They were to use that Word to take their stand in prayer and confession over their finances. He said that those key verses would act like hammers, swords, and battering rams in the spiritual realm around them, and as they stood their ground, He would come through for them.
You, too, are to take those specific Scriptures which the Holy Spirit makes alive to you as your weapon. Then, with those Scriptures, you, also stand your ground on behalf of your finances. If you haven’t found a verse that fits your situation, I will be sharing a list of verses later this week from which I have drawn confidence and courage to trust God. Tomorrow I will share with you some of the things I went through while trusting God for secure employment after I stepped out in obedience to Him, leaving behind a good job to move to a city where I had nothing awaiting me.
Each one of us faces different circumstances; you may receive different Bible verses than your brother or sister; but all of us have the same Word of God from which to seek His personal and precise direction for our situations. Not only that, but each one of us also has the right to confidently trust Him to see us through every obstacle—from small bumps in the road to bottomless pits of despair!
Stand fast on the verses the Holy Spirit has given you. If you haven’t received those perfect verses yet, the adventure of discovering His leading is awaiting you—and will be well worth the effort!
If you currently enjoy secure finances, sow in prayer for those who don’t. God will hear from heaven and answer you on behalf of others. And by praying for them, you will store up for yourself all the prayer help you’ll ever need against the hour of your trouble!
God bless you richly,
Dorothy
Take my instruction and not silver, and knowledge rather than choicest gold. For wisdom is better than jewels; and all desirable things cannot compare with her. Proverbs 8:10-11
Read MoreLabor Day thoughts: Work
Some Scriptures about work:
The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack hand will be put to forced labor. Proverbs 12:24
In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23
A worker’s appetite works for him, for his hunger urges him on. Proverbs 16:26
He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty. Proverbs 28:19
There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. Ecclesiastes 2:24
I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 5:18-19
…and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you… 1 Thessalonians 4:11
For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 [NOTE: For those who are out of work, your job search or the time you put into starting a business is your work. If not enough income is coming in, however, you may need to take a job below your qualifications for a season.]
A word to employers:
Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. James 5:4 [NOTE: You may not run a business, but you likely hire people to work for you. Does someone mow your lawn? Do you have someone come in periodically to clean house? Have you ever hired friends or acquaintances to do repair work around your home? Then you are an employer and those people are your laborers. Don’t seek to withhold blessings—a fair wage—for the work they do for you. If you don’t pay them fairly, their wages will cry out to God against you. That’s serious stuff.]
For those of you with the day off, enjoy! If you have to go to work today, praise God for the opportunity to make a living. And if you’re looking for work, may God shine light on your path and direct all your ways.
Dorothy
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