“‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'”
Malachi 3:10
God teaches us some very important principles in this passage. The phrase, “Bring the tithe” is a command. The storehouse could be seen to represent the church, because it is the place where God’s people come to be fed. I do not know of any religious or secular organization that can grow without finances. God could have chosen to send angels to directly supply for the needs of His work, but He always chooses to use man. This is why, in order to redeem all of humanity, Jesus had to become a man. This is why He gave His life in place of ours.
To see His church prosper, God uses men, and in this case the believers. If there is something the Lord is jealous about, it is the attention that people give to His work. This is why he challenges us to faithfully tithe and to test Him to see “…if [He] will not throw open the floodgates of heaven, and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it” (Malachi 3:10).
God’s provision is abundant and He wants to reveal it to us so that each one of His children can live in prosperity. Your commitment to God will cause you to tithe with joy and faithfulness. You have to renounce every thought that is contrary to the Word of God and start to live in blessing. Then you need to decide to set apart ten percent of everything that you receive and take it to the church where you serve and receive ministry.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
During one of the most difficult moments I experienced in my finances, God spoke to me very clearly. He said, ”Certainly I will bless you in such a way that even you will be in awe and will say, ‘Enough.’” Immediately, as a response, I made a commitment to Him in three areas. I promised that I would:
1. Recognize Him as my only source of provision. I told Him, “For everything You give to me, I will never give glory to my own intellect, my capacity, or my abilities. All the glory will be for You alone.
2. Be faithful in tithing. I made the commitment to be faithful with my tithe but also in giving an additional ten percent.
3. Be a good steward of what He has given me. I prayed to Jesus saying, “Everything that I receive, belongs to You and whenever you ask for anything from me, I will give it to you straight away, because it’s already Yours.”
When I got up from my knees I knew that I had received the substance of faith for prosperity. I ran excitedly to my wife and said, “My love, we are prosperous.” And she asked me, “How come?” I replied, “God has spoken to me.” And she said, “Amen, then it’s going to happen.”
The next day I had an appointment with a friend of mine, another Pastor. The reason for our meeting was to speak about some things in the ministry. While I was with him, he asked me, “Have you been having some financial problems?” I admitted that I had and I told him about my situation. Immediately, he took out his checkbook and wrote out a cheque for me. He gave me such a good offering of love that I was able to pay off part of my debts. Since that day, I have always seen the financial blessing of God day in and day out, for all my family.
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“God is my only source of provision so I will demonstrate my gratitude towards Him by faithfully tithing.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume One.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
- Old Testament: Leviticus 18-20; Psalms 44
- New Testament: Matthew 20:1-16; Acts 27:1-26
