Satan's primary plan and goal is to accumulate all the wealth of the world so he can keep it away from the Church. Why? Because he knows that Christians will use riches, not to satisfy their own selfish, carnal desires, but to finance the spread and growth of God's Kingdom.
But God has already taken Satan's scheme into consideration and has made provision for it. He has declared that "...the wealth of the sinner (the one the devil "prospers") has been laid up for the just" (Prov. 13:22).
If we are faithful in giving to see God's will done on this earth, He has promised to "transfer" to us those funds collected and hoarded by Satan and his followers.
That's part of the amazing plan of God - to thwart Satan's scheme for world conquest and dominion by taking his own evil resources and using them to finance the greatest revival the earth has ever known. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!…" (Rom. 11:33).
Sowing in Adversity
Giving whatever you can out of whatever you have...
If you are really eager to give, then it isn't important "how much" you give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven't (see 2 Cor. 8:11-12 TLB).
If we in the Body of Christ wait for conditions to get just right before we give, we will never sow. And without sowing, there will never be a harvest. No, like the early believers, you and I must learn to give out of our poverty, to sow in adversity, to plant seeds in the midst of our trouble.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 tells us: "He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap." The good farmer doesn't wait for perfect conditions. If he did, he would never sow nor reap a harvest. He has to exercise faith in God and faith in the seed he plants, even when they are sown under less than perfect conditions.
Whatever the prevailing circumstances, he is faithful to sow his seed. He expects that seed to do what it is capable of doing, what it is programmed to do - to reproduce bountifully after its own kind. He trusts in the never-failing miracle of the life-principle of sowing and reaping.
Paul told the Christians in Corinth that the Macedonians had given out of their poverty. He also said that they had mixed joy with their giving. They gave not only what they could afford, but much more. He testified that they did so, not because he had nagged them to generously, but because they wanted to.
He emphasized that they even went so far as to beg him to take their freewill gifts and offerings, so they could share in the joy of helping their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8:3 TLB). Best of all, Paul noted, they went beyond his highest hopes because they first gave of themselves to the Lord.
Then Paul reminds the Corinthians that they too promised to give. In fact, they had been so enthusiastic about it that Paul was now sending Titus to them to encourage them to complete what they had begun.
He called to their attention how many leaders there were in their midst, how much faith they had, how knowledgeable they were, how much love they had displayed for him and how much enthusiasm they had shown for the work of the Lord. Then he concluded by urging them to be "...leaders also in the spirit of cheerful giving" (2 Cor. 8:7 TLB).
I believe that in the days to come God is going to raise up leaders in our midst who have this spirit of cheerful giving. The reason He is going to do that is so His people can have good examples and models to show them how to be blessed and how to become a blessing to many, many others.
And when they become a blessing to others - when they use their resources to help spread the gospel and support the Kingdom of God - they are assisting in God's ultimate plan to help thwart Satan and all he represents in this world.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers