I’ve been seeking the Lord regarding the financial situations of God’s people and why so many of us seem to be circling around the same mountain of debt for years. You probably have lots of information on finances from various ministries and your own pastor has most likely preached several messages on the topic. The following are several scriptures the Lord brought to my remembrance. I pray you read them seriously and carefully consider how they describe your life. I believe many in the church are missing some of these important elements, which prohibits God’s full blessing in the area of finances from being a reality.
Haggai 1: 5-6 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
Are you always looking forward to the next payday because the money disappears as quickly as it comes in? Are your bags full of holes? Reading on in Haggai…
Verse 9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? Saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
The Lord did it! He was controlling their financial state. Is He controlling yours? It’s easy to say we’re experiencing a trial or it’s the devil, but maybe we are refusing to recognize our sins and correct our errors. Are we happier in our darkness than we are in the light? (John 3:19)
What exactly is meant by “mine house that is waste”? Deut. Chapters 6 & 7 make it clear that God’s people are supposed to follow certain commandments. Deut. 10:12 sums up the requirements as such…
And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Serving the Lord with all thy heart and with all thy soul certainly includes with thy money as well. There are plenty of scriptures in the Bible regarding money.
Psalm 37:21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth.
We need to be paying our bills. We are borrowing houses to live in, phones to call with, etc. What kind of witness is it for God if we are not paying our bills? What kind of witness is it if we are not paying our bills but we are going out spending money on cares of the world? You may be saying but we don’t have enough money to pay all our bills. Well, God could be testing your faith, and I don’t mean sitting and waiting for God to pour out the blessing I mean Luke 16: 10-12. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?
Are you being faithful with the amount of money God did provide to you? You need to be faithful in a little to receive much. Are you being faithful in that which is another man’s (the money we owe them)? Let’s go back to Deut. for more instruction on our money.
12: 6-7 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks.
Ok, so we know we are supposed to be giving more then just our tithes, but what is meant by the offerings listed above. Heave means: a present as offered up, especially in sacrifice or as a tribute; gift, oblation, offered. Freewill: a spontaneous or abundant gift, freely, plentifully, voluntary, willing. Stop and think about the words underlined. Sometimes maybe we have to sacrifice so we can give more. The volunteering and willingness is also crucial, after all God loves a cheerful giver, right? (2 Cor. 9:7) Malachi 1:13 states: Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! And ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering; should I accept this of your hand? Are you thankful in your giving?
I know I needed to repent of tithing out of obedient habit, rather than in joy of being able to give to the Lord. Are we praying about the offerings? How much do you need me to give Lord? I want to give an abundant gift Lord. I’m willing to give it all Lord. Or is it more like “ok, I paid my tithe (10%) and a little extra (offering) so the rest is mine to do as I please and I want…” The offerings need to go where the Lord chooses. Deut. 12:13-14 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: But in the place which the Lord shall choose…
God is clear that the priests were to be taken care of and provided for by God’s other children. Deut. 12:19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth. Deut. chapter 18 is dedicated to making it clear God expects his body to take care of His designated teachers. The world caught on to that concept. Shouldn’t you be ensuring your own pastor is cared for? Doesn’t he bring forth the word and fresh revelation each week? Isn’t he being used by God to strengthen, teach, and edify us?
What about the concept of vision. Without a vision the people perish right? (Proverbs 29:18). Shouldn’t that mean the vision should come first? Could it be we seem to be financially perishing because we don’t financially put the vision first? We can buy unnecessary clothes, etc., but have we given money to save souls? I’m not saying you can never spend money on the other things but is the vision first in your heart (Matt. 6:33) or are we focused on the lusts of the eyes, flesh and pride of life? (1 John 2:16) One last topic, we need to be operating as one. That’s how the apostles and early Christians operated (Acts 4:31-37). We are supposed to be preferring one another (Romans 12:10) and operating according to 2 Cor. 8:11-15.
Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want; that there may be equality; as it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.
This same concept (making sure your brother’s needs are met) is discussed in Deut. chapter 15. And it also mentions not having a grieving heart while doing so. Remember God also says in Luke 6:34-35 to lend expecting nothing in return. If we’ll all operate according to Godly principles there won’t be a problem.
So there it is. Please don’t look at this as finger pointing, because there was plenty I had to repent of. I just want us all to move forward in the things of GOD! And if you truly feel you have been following all these principles then I present this…
Gal. 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
2 Thess. 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
