“And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” – Genesis 28:22
I am continuing on unveiling God’s purpose for tithing and how He wants us to respond to it. We have learned that tithing began with Abraham, the father of faith, and that we need to take the same step of faith that Abraham took to get his kind of blessing. It is the 1/10 of your profit or income. Those that have a deeper understanding of this principle pay more than 10%, but it should be noted that the minimum is 10% of your earning.
Also, in the last edition, we learned that:
- The tithe is not “yours” to give to God.
- The tithe should be paid to the church.
- Tithing shows where your heart is.
- Tithing does not nullify offerings.
- Tithing is the first principle in kingdom budgeting.
Now, I continue:
- NON-TITHERS ARE COUNTED AS ROBBERS
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.” – Malachi 3:8-9
It has been discovered that there are basically two kinds of robbers: those who rob men and those who rob God. Those that rob men steal from men, while those that rob God steal from God. If robbers of men can be executed and jailed for robbery, how much more robbers of the Almighty? This is one of the reasons why some people, despite their salvation and zeal, still suffer financial bondage. God said those that rob Him are “cursed with a curse.”
The consequence of a curse is obvious enough to keep the wise-hearted away from it. Robbers of men can steal and go without being caught, but where and how will you run away from the Almighty?
“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” – Psalm 139:7
One of the means of reversing financial curses is to pay your tithe consistently and promptly. It should not be a once-in-a-blue-moon affair but something that is laid to heart.
- TITHING PROVIDES FOR GOD’S HOUSE
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house.” – Malachi 3:10
As you obediently pay your tithe, you are providing funds for the upkeep of the local church. Somebody once said that if all believers in the church can be faithful with their tithes, there would be little or no reason to raise special offerings. This is not to say that it is wrong to raise special offerings in the church or that special offerings are raised mainly because people don’t pay their tithe. The blessings of tithing are quite different from that of seed faith or kingdom investment.
If you provide for God’s house (i.e., the local church), He also provides for your own house (your needs). God promised to open the windows of heaven upon you and release His blessings over your possessions. God’s house should be your house, and if a man cannot provide for his own house, the Bible says such a man has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel (1 Timothy 5:8).
- TITHING IS A WEAPON OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE
There are other weapons of spiritual warfare apart from those listed in the book of Ephesians Chapter 6, like wisdom, honoring your parents, tithing, love, etc.
“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground: neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.” – Malachi 3:11
You need to understand this verse very well and its interpretation under the new covenant. You need to know first and foremost that tithing does not replace praying against devourers like some people say; rather, tithing gives you the right to pray against devourers. Just like a man that is in disagreement with his wife is disqualified from getting God’s response in prayer (1 Peter 3:7), so is a man who prays against devourers disqualified if he is a non-tither. Why and how? God will not do for man what man can do for himself. He has given us power to rebuke the devourer through Christ.
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and OVER ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” – Luke 10:19 (emphasis mine)
It is now your duty to enforce this power over any devourer that comes your way in prayer with authority. Malachi 3:11 shows that it is God’s will for you not to be devoured, and 1 John 5:14 says if you ask anything according to God’s will, He hears you. Your tithing makes you qualified to deal with any devourer in prayer.
- TITHING MUST BE CONSISTENT
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9
There is nothing like consistency. God honors consistency, and because He is consistent in all that He does, He wants us to be also. You should not operate a cobweb graph with your tithe. No matter how small, still pay it; no matter the pressure, pay it; no matter the temptation, look up to God and pay it. It should not be what you do only in the days of abundance, but also in the days of lack.
God is more interested in how you worship Him during your trial period than how you worship Him during your triumph period. There is a due season for those that are consistent. There will always be one reason to faint and cease from one’s commitment, but grace is always available to a man of faith. Choose to be among the few that will look back and say, “All through the year, I kept my commitment with God in the area of tithing.”
There is nobody that is disqualified from paying tithe. Young or old, as far as money is coming into your hand. Even if you are a petty trader on the street, for every dime you pick to spend, remove the tithe, and you will get the blessing. If your profit is not in cash, convert it to cash by selling it and pay your tithe to your local church.
Tithing works just like prayer works.
Pastor Chris Sola Mene
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