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Are you tired of going in circles in the area of your finances? Many Christians are slow to learn the principles of giving and receiving and never seem to rise above their circumstances. I want to share with you spiritual laws that will set you on the right track and cause you to excel financially in the kingdom of God.

As Christians we have a source of financial abundance that knows no limits. God has promised to meet your every need: spiritually, physically, and materially. That's right! It is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to out-give God!

The spiritual cornerstone of giving states that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35); if you increase your giving, you'll increase your blessing (Luke 6:38); your heavenly account is important (Matt. 6:16,20); and the kingdom of God must take first priority in your life (Matt. 6:33).

In these days of economic uncertainty, it is important for all Christians to come into the working knowledge of this truth. For years many Christians believed poverty was humility. Thank God we're not in bondage to that kind of thinking any longer!

Now we see clearly that some of the most prosperous men of all time were people of God - Abraham, Job, and Solomon - and you can prosper too by using God's spiritual principles in the area of your finances.

I want to share with you three things which will help you to receive financial abundance From God. There has been some misunderstandings about these three things; so I want to make them clear in your thinking - that way you'll be sure to be in a place of financial blessing.

If you understand how to work with these three items, then inflation, recession, unemployment, and a host of similar words will no longer be part of your vocabulary.

In order for us to receive financially from God, He says that there are certain responsibilities that we must fulfill. If we'll do our party, God says He will do His part and meet all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

What is your part? It involves three things that you've probably heard about many, many times; but I'm going to share them with you one more time. This time you're going to understand them better and reap rich results in your life.

1) Tithing and Open Windows
One of your first responsibilities as a Christian is to tithe. Now I know you're thinking, "Ho hum, I know the scriptures on tithing." But I can tell you from experience that a forest of results will spring up if you really take them into your spirit.

Many people don't like to hear about tithing; it's one subject that puts them into a state of fear. They think, "We can't even make ends meet now. How could we ever give away ten percent of our income?" But they fail to see the blessings that follow tithing.

These people are not trusting God to be their unlimited source of supply. You'll have no trouble tithing if you will see God as your source. Don't limit yourself to your paycheck for all your income!

Malachi 3:10 is probably one of the most popular and well-known scriptures that we use when discussing tithing. It says, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse…." What storehouse? The storehouse is your local church; "…that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now therewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

Tithing carries with it some definite blessings. One blessing is that you'll have meat in your house. I believe that promise can be taken literally and spiritually. If you're experiencing a financial pinch to the point of not being able to buy meat at the grocery store, then maybe you're not tithing. God will feed you with meat if your are a tither - steak if that's what you want! That's His promise, and I'm a literalist with the Word.

If you're a tither, God will also give you spiritual meat from His Word. Go to church expecting to be fed spiritual beef-steak! People who don't tithe are immature because they're not receiving the meat of the Word. You need to be obedient to the first principles of the Word before you can ever expect to go on to maturity.

God promises to pour out a blessing to the tither. The windows of heaven open to you and out comes a deluge of good things. On the other hand, God promises to rebuke the devourer. God will rebuke anything that keeps your money from going as far as it should go. As long as you're a tither, the stock market, inflation, and other monetary fluctuations needn't fill your mind with worry and keep you up at night!

2) Offerings and Measured Returns
Now let's talk about offerings. The Bible tells us that we are to give offerings. What is an offering? An offering is something that is given above the first ten percent.

As Christians, we're obligated to pay the tithe - it's something we "owe" to God. Offerings, on the other hand, should come strictly from what you feel led of the Lord to do - whatever He impresses you to give.

People sometimes get the tithe and the offering mixed up. You can't say, "I give offerings, so God will rebuke the devourer." The Bible doesn't say that! Don't try and add to the Word. The Bible does say: "Give [not, "pay," as in "pay your tithe"], and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:38).

When you give an offering, God doesn't open the windows of heaven. Offerings move "men" to give to you. And your return depends upon the measure that you've given - the bigger the offering, the bigger the blessing.

We're to "give" offerings. One of the words for give in the Hebrew means "to transfer a load or burden, to lay or to put a foundation." When your give an offering, you are laying a foundation for men to bless you. When you give an offering, you should expect to be blessed in return!

3) Alms and Multiplied Blessings
Finally, let's talk about almsgiving. Proverbs 19:17 talks of almsgiving: "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again."

Almsgiving is not tithing, and it is not an offering. It is a loan which God says He will repay. Technically, we don't pay alms or give alms. They are something we sow.

Look at 2 Corinthians 9:10,12: "Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; For the administration of this service no only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God."

What is Paul saying? He is saying that the Christians in Corinth were giving to people who had a need. They were not ministering to the church; they were ministering to the poor. Remember the man recorded in Acts 3:2 who sat at the Gate Beautiful? He was asking for alms. He was poor, and he was begging for help. Alms are something we sow to the poor.

What happens whenever we sow seed? There is always a multiplying effect! Look back at 2 Corinthians 9:10: "…and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness."

Alms are something I plant and the Lord multiplies back to me. In times of economic uncertainty, we should be planting lots of seed! Not only do we enrich ourselves financially, but God's Word says we're increasing the fruits of our righteousness. The benefits from sowing alms overflow from the financial realm into our personal lives!

Where are you in this area of finances today? Are you paying tithes and receiving blessings back from God through the open windows of heaven? Are you also giving offerings to meet the needs of others and receiving back according to the size of your gift?

And are you sowing alms to the poor and expecting God to repay you by multiplying it back to you along with increasing the fruits of your righteousness? If you'll be obedient to God's Word, you can prosper in every area of your life!

Source: God's Plan for Blessing You! by Marilyn Hickey
Excerpt permission granted by Marilyn Hickey Ministries

Author Biography

Marilyn Hickey
Web site: Marilyn and Sarah
 
Encouraging, optimistic, always upbeat, and energetic at the young age of 90, Marilyn Hickey actively ministers internationally, most recently in Sudan, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, India, China, and Pakistan, as well as domestically in the United States through Bible Encounters and speaking engagements. Marilyn has had audiences with government leaders and heads of state all over the world. She is the first woman to join the Board of Directors of the largest church in the world, Dr. David Yonggi's Church Growth International in South Korea. She has traveled to 146 countries and plans to visit many more in the years to come. She and her late husband Wallace were married for over 50 years, and have two children and four grandchildren.
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