Playing Tug-of-war With God

The Battle of Money

By

DAVID E. SHIPMAN

Copyright © 2014 David Shipman All Rights Reserved. Playing Tug-of-War With God

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction.5

Provision or Investment?!25

God and Money !37

Ownership or Control.61

Our Needs - Our Wants - His Desires!69

Sowing and Reaping!83

Honoring God!119

The Purpose of the Heart!159 Above Only and Not Beneath.183

Introduction

The year was 2006. Everything seemed to be moving along as it should until the end of November when I received a Supplemental Tax Bill. We had just purchased our new home in December 2005 and it had taken the county this long to reassess our property based upon the selling price. The bottom line: WE OWED

MONEY!

I’ve always lived on a budget, you could call me Budget Dave! Even before I knew what a budget was, I would write down what I would make and what I would do with my money. This started at a young age when I was mowing lawns and doing other odd jobs.

For whatever reason, I had forgotten that I would receive this bill at some point and it caught me off guard. I immediately went to my budget because I had received another out-of-the-ordinary expense and I knew that we were in a situation.

After updating my budget, I found that before we bought groceries and did anything for Christmas, we would be short around $1,000 for the month. What were we going to do?

I told my wife, Tami, where we were financially and the type of December we were looking at. Her response to me was, “What are we going to do?”

We had just recently attended Pastor Bill Krause’s Financial Freedom Seminar (http://www.billkrause.com/ financialfreedom) the prior September and I could hear his voice ringing in my ears as he spoke from Psalms 37:25, “...I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken or His seed begging for bread.”

We had made a commitment some time back to not live by debt, but to live by faith. I rehearsed what Pastor Krause had said and told Tami that we were not going to buy groceries, we would put Christmas on hold, and we would believe that God will make a way.

I remembered hearing Pastor Krause tell a story about giving a neighbor the last meal they had in their house and believing the Lord for food to feed his family. Shortly after blessing their neighbor, someone drove up with literally a truck load of food that overflowed their kitchen. What Tami and I were about to walk into was beyond what we could ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

We started planning our meals based upon the food we currently had in the house, while continually speaking the Word of faith over our situation. A couple of days into the month, I was in my office working. It was lunch time and I was hungry. There is a Mexican restaurant around the corner from my office that makes delicious Chile Verde burritos. I decided that I wanted one. I stood up, grabbed my keys, and started out the door when I suddenly remembered we were not spending money this month. I stopped in my tracks, returned to my desk, and continued to work on what I was previously doing.

It couldn’t have been ten minutes later when my long-time friend, Jim Davis walked into my office. He hadn’t told me he was coming by and it was a pleasant surprise to see him. He didn’t sit down. Instead he said, “May I buy you lunch?” Obviously, my answer was, “YES, you may!”

We proceeded out of my office and started walking toward Main Street, which is only a block away. He asked, “Where would you like to go?” I answered with, “If you’re buying, wherever you pick is fine with me.” He said, “There’s a Mexican restaurant around the corner I like is that okay with you?” The Mexican restaurant he was referring to was the same one I previously discussed. I responded in the affirmative and enjoyed the Chile Verde burrito I had desired just a few minutes earlier without having to spend any money.

After the lunch, I mediated on this situation for a while. I began to see that the Lord is interested in our desires (Ps 37:4), and He truly can make a way for anything great or small.

A couple days later, my wife called me in the middle of the day. She is a school teacher and it is very unusual for her to call me during the day. At Christmas, she typically buys her first grade students a small gift. Having twenty or so children in her class, the amount of the gift can add up quickly. Just a small $3.00 gift turns into $60 when purchasing for a class.

In the phone call she stated, “David, you are not going to believe what just happened!” She then began to tell me how she walked into the staff room and there on the table was a stack of brand new books. The stack consisted of the exact number of children she had in her class. There was a note on top of the books that read, “Free!.” There was another expense paid!

Even though these two miracles might seem small in in comparison to what we were facing, I could see that God knew exactly where we were and was going to fulfill His Word.

A day or two later, I was getting the mail and to my surprise, there was a check for $1,000! It was from a person that had owed me $2,500 from years prior. I stood there at the mailbox looking at the check in total amazement. I called my wife and interrupted her class to let her know. It was totally astounding!

This miracle gave us some breathing room and allowed us to start seeing that we could actually walk through the month receiving all that we needed. Our shortage was fully taken care of. We just had to get food and do something for our girls for Christmas. The seemingly problematic month was actually turning into an exciting month!

A few days later, we were scheduled to attend a dinner. I was thankful because our dinner would be purchased, and it was one less meal I had to believe for. What I didn’t know was that we would leave that evening with close to $800 in a cash gift! With that gift, our finances were basically back on-track, but God was not through yet.

I had been invited to speak at a church. The pastor of the church stated that he really felt the Lord had impressed him to invite me to come before the end of the year, so I accepted the invitation.

Once we had the date scheduled, another pastor I knew in the area asked if I would minister in his Sunday evening service since I would already be in town. I agreed and planned my Sunday accordingly. Since I don’t do this on a regular basis, I don’t need offerings like traveling ministers who use the offering to fulfill the assignment God has given them. I figured they would take care of my travel costs and probably pay for a meal when we went out. What happened next changed my life!

After the morning service, the pastor shared with me some decisions they were in the process of making and how my ministering had really spoken to the situation. As he expressed how blessed they were, he handed me an envelope. When I had some time alone, I opened the envelope and there was a check for $1,200. Our month now was over the top! Our shortages were covered, we had enough food to eat, we paid all our expenses, and now we had money for Christmas! However, that’s not where God stopped! I was shocked again after the night service. This time I was given a $1,000 check! Not only was everything taken care of and our family enjoyed a very nice Christmas, but December ended up being our best month financially of the entire year!

This is God’s economy! It’s a system where needs and shortages are turned into blessing and victory. It’s a system where everything may look like it is falling apart, but God brings it back together with power that reveals the glory of heaven. However, just as it is mentioned in the first book of this series, "The Battle of Faith", there is a battle that rages in the area of money. It may be one of the hardest areas of God’s promises to live out, but in the pages that follow, I will show you how to recognize this battle and how to overcome the game of tug-of-war that we engage in.

This book is the second in my series called, "Playing Tug-of-War With God." The subject of money is very touchy with many Christians. We will explore what the Bible has to say about money throughout this book with the focus being mainly on the aspect of playing tugof-war with God and money.

In the first book of this series, "The Battle of Faith," you see that my approach to the Word of God is that God is right and failure comes when we are not aligned with His Word. It will be no different in this book. As I stated previously, "The Battle of Money" is going to attend to the tug-of-war match we play with God in the arena of money. You may be a giver, you may tithe (although statistically, most Christians don't), and you may be a receiver; yet more than likely, your will and God's will clash at times. This is my focus. I want to identify these clashes, deal with them, and move us to a place where we begin to flow with God.

There is one very strong point I need you to remember as you read this book. I believe that serving the Lord, seeking the Lord, and walking with God for the sole purpose of being rich will catapult you into trouble. According to the Word of God, the blessing of the Lord is what makes us rich. The blessing is a by-product of walking with God or being properly aligned with God. When Adam and Eve were in perfect alignment with God, they lived in Paradise. When they sinned (got out of alignment with God's Word), what they lost was fellowship with God. This is the death that the scriptures talk about. Yes, they were cast out of Paradise, but Paradise was not what they lost. Paradise was the added blessing of walking with God.

Many look at the promises of God as the purpose of our relationship. This is not true. The purpose is to be holy. As we walk with God in His holiness, there are benefits. Nevertheless, these benefits have a faith element to them. If you are not believing for the benefits, you will be one of those addressed in the Bible who "have not because they ask not."

In "The Battle of Faith," I talked about two golfers in the chapter called, "The Road Less Traveled." The point I was making, if you recall, was that people do not like to be in those positions where they don't know what's going to happen next. Thus, they are unwilling to step out in faith to allow God to do what only God can do. This is probably truer in the battle of money than any other part of this series.

Money is a funny thing. I've often said that if you want to know what your family is really like, just have a wealthy relative pass away and leave an inheritance. We probably all know stories of close families driven apart as they fight for the money. Money is one of the most accurate revealers of the heart. Put excess money in the hand of any person and you will see what is really in the heart of that person. Money gives us the ability to do that which is in our hearts. May our hearts be pure and our faith strong, as the blessings of the Lord manifests in our lives.

Our Personal Philosophy

If you have attended the church where I pastor, you have probably heard me talk about the word culture on many occasions. Culture is simply what we do and why we do it. The Lord has blessed me with many opportunities to travel to many countries to preach the gospel as well as vacation. At the time of this writing, I have been to Canada, Mexico, Chile, Russia, Poland, Germany, Holland, the UK, Uganda, Kenya, India, China, Thailand, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. In fact, while writing this chapter, I am in an airplane on my way to the Philippines. Outside of ministry, the thing I enjoy most is experiencing the culture of the various places I visit.

In every place, there are differences in food, transportation, ideas about life, how businesses operate, types of money, clothes, music, etc. The list could actually be very long. What amazes me is that what is considered “normal” in one locale is “abnormal” in another. As a foreigner to another country, I may do something that draws attention to me because what I am doing is not considered to be the norm in that culture. Yet to me, it is very normal.

America has a culture too. We may only define culture to be the way people do things in a foreign country, but if you've traveled throughout the United States, you know there are different cultures throughout. The culture of California, where I reside, is very different from the culture of Oklahoma. Our dialects are different as well as our foods and architecture.

Why am I talking about culture in a book about money? For the reason of what you do and how you think is more about your culture than anything else. It has been said that somewhere around 80% of all of our activities in life are done subconsciously. If that is true, the vast majority of everything we do is based on our culture (environment).

Let me illustrate the effect of culture using myself as an example. I grew up in a household where there was a culture. In our house, as established by my parents, we did things a certain way. I also went to a public school. The culture of school was different than the culture of home. At home, I could get up and walk from one room to another anytime I felt to do so. At school, that didn't go over as well! In addition, I was raised in California which has a culture. I talk and act like a Californian because that is what I know. The westernization of the United States has a culture as well.

I just mentioned four major cultural components of my life, but I was raised as a Christian in a denomination. By being raised in church, which also has a culture, I learned how to operate as a Christian. All of these components have created a learned behavior that moves me to do things the way I know. When it comes to what I do, I will naturally default to what I know. You may think this isn't all that important! Yet, it is because the things of God work a certain way, and the majority of what I know is based more on my culture than on the Word.

The United States may very well be the most Christian country because we were founded on biblical principles. Even if we are, it is very obvious that the vast majority of our culture is not biblically based. Therefore, most of what I know as a person is more natural than spiritual.

The Bible tells us:

Colossians 3:11 (KJV)

Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free: but Christ [is] all, and in all.

Galatians 3:28 (KJV)

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Allow me to translate these two verses into a simpler statement: God is not interested in your culture! In fact, He says that when I took His identity, I am no longer considered an American, but I am to have a Christ culture. If I want to function in what God has purposed for my life, I need to get over my background and all my identity ties.

Here's the problem—all my background and identity ties are the very elements that dictate my responses and cause me to do what I do. Here's the bigger problem—money is what makes our lives, work and you and I have some very strong opinions about money. We have been taught how to think about money, and there's "stuff" inside of us about money that we haven't paid much attention to.

To further illustrate, I am sure at some point you have felt rejection. Maybe when it was when you cared about someone, but they didn't have the same feelings for you. Maybe it was when you pursued that job you really wanted, but someone else was hired. Rejection does something to us. The next time we are faced with a similar situation, we tend to remember the prior rejection and adjust our behaviors so as to not experience the hurt again. We may not even actively think about the adjustment we are making, but there is something inside of us that remembers the past experience and causes us to "adjust" to the current circumstance.

In this adjustment, you are not as free as you were before, because you approach situations and experience cautiously. What is inside of you regarding money? Just think about the toddler crawling across the floor who sees a shiny quarter lying on the floor. What does he do? We all know that he will pick it up and stick it in his mouth. Then Mom sees little Johnny sucking on that quarter and yells, "Get that filthy thing out of your mouth!" as she runs over, pulls it out of his mouth and puts it in her purse.

What has little Johnny just processed? That shiny quarter looked nice, but mom called it filthy and took it from me, and then she stuck it in a place where everything important to her goes. All of a sudden, little Johnny doesn't know if money is good or bad. Then as he grows up, he hears mom and dad talking about how they really can't afford something, but they buy it anyway on the credit card. Johnny continues to grow and hears phrases like, "They're filthy rich!" or "They're dirt poor!"

Everything in little Johnny's life seems to center around having or not having money, because money is needed for everything. Yet, there are always negative connotations associated with it. Then little Johnny gets a job and finds out he has to trade time for a dollar and if he wants more money, he has to get another job. Thus, the things he wants and needs (money) always has pain and toil associated with it.

Little Johnny then comes to church and hears about tithes or offerings. Maybe it’s a special project, or an opportunity to give into missions and the first thing he realizes is that the church wants this stuff that he wants/needs in his life. He has to toil for it, and yet the church just wants a free gift. The preacher reads about a thirty, sixty, or hundred-fold return and little Johnny gets excited because maybe there is a way to get money without toiling. So he rationalizes that he'll give some money so he can get more money in return. However, a few weeks go by and it seems the only thing that has happened is that he parted with his money and so the confusion continues.

This is why culture is important! It affects you more than you realize because you are a product of the environment you were raised in. Sadly, our culture is not based on what God had said; instead, it is based on what man has said. For me to lay down the ropes of the tug-of-war match and get on God's side is going to go against everything that is within me.

I remember teaching on the tithe one night at our church and talking about tithing on increase. I made a simple example stating that if one was walking down the street and found a $5.00 bill, $0.50 of that increase is considered holy to God. There was a lady sitting on the front row who enjoys talking to me while I preach. She had a really disturbed look on her face as she said, "I thought I just got blessed and that $5.00 was mine!" It was a funny moment, but about ten minutes later, she was still talking about it.

I don't want to rehearse the subject of faith again in this book (reread book one "The Battle of Faith"), but faith and doubt are opposing forces. If there is any part of me that doubts an opposing force working against what I am believing for? Remember Peter when he got out of the boat and was walking on the water? He had tapped into the power of the supernatural and was defying the natural laws of gravity until he considered the waves and the wind. All he had to do was get his eyes off of the Word and onto the situation, and he was immediately trying to blow faith bubbles.

What happens when I am believing for something in the realm of money but doubt is in me? My culture starts speaking to me about how "I" worked hard for that money, or how "I" need that money for something that "I" want to do.

I don't know if I have ever heard anyone teach about this, but I came to the knowledge of it by paying close attention to the struggle I was having when it came to prospering. I was believing the Lord for increase, but continually struggling with things on the inside of me. If you read my book, "Grace: The Power of Heaven," the last chapter in it is called "My Story." It is the culmination of what I discussed on how our faith receives what grace has provided. In this chapter, I tell of a powerful financial breakthrough that we experienced. It was a substantial amount of money and the greatest financial blessing in our lives to that point.

Do you know what happened when we had that excess money? I started rationalizing with all kinds of emotions, thoughts, and feelings that I was somehow out of line with God because I had money, as though having money was evil. We tithed on this windfall, which is 10% of the gross. We also gave a 10% offering and used another 10% to help some people who were struggling. We gave 30% of this blessing right off the top and I was struggling because I still had money in the bank.

Can you see that what had been culturally deposited in me was wrong and held a strong power in my life? We can talk about the blessings and promises all night long, but until you deal with your culture, you are never going to experience what God truly has provided for you.

In the church where I pastor, we have a recovery ministry that includes a live-in home. One of the areas I talk to the men about is the handling of money. None of them have ever had anyone show them how to use money properly. I remember talking to a man who, after graduating, got a job. After completion of one of his assigned tasks, someone gave him a tip. He shared with me that the very first thought in his head was, "How do I spend this? Should I buy the other guys pizza or what?"

What happened? His culture kicked in. In the life of an addict, money is used for the sole purpose of buying what you want right now. When this happened, praise God, he was no longer functioning as an addict! He was able to stop himself and process the things he had listened to and learned from. He realized he needed to ask the Lord to reveal to him the purpose of the money (what it should be used for). Consequently, he was able to make some important decisions!

What is your culture when it comes to money? You may be one that doesn’t give anything because you believe it’s all yours, or you may be someone that gives everything away. You may be one that feels guilty for having excess, or you may be one that is anxious and fearful if you don't have a six-month emergency fund. None of these illustrations are biblical! In contrast, they are all based upon what has been deposited within you. How you react to money is your culture speaking. It's time we put the ropes down and stop fighting God. It’s time we allow Him to remove the gunk in us so we are free to get on His side of the rope. In doing so, life will flow much more freely.

Ending the Game of Tug-of-War

Until you realize that you have a culture that is not based on the culture of heaven, you are going to struggle with finances and other aspects of the Word of God. Alignment is where the blessings and increase flow.

Money is a tool that belongs to God, given to us to handle His business. Once you start viewing it as a tool, you no longer have to carry the stress of accumulation or loss. All you have to do is focus on good stewardship. If you are faithful over His business, He will take care of you. This battle will remain, however, as long as we have a philosophy of money being ours.

According to Psalms 24, the earth and everything in it is the Lord’s. If you can get the mindset of that, then as a steward, you can control what is God's. In addition, you will have far more access to resources than if you view everything as yours. The amazing thing about God is that He will allow you to increase in His stuff.

You are the only one who can adjust your thinking and until you do, you are going to continue in this battle over money with God.

Provision or Investment?

I want to do something in this chapter that may slap the face of most teachings on money within the Kingdom of God. I fully believe in the financial increase of God’s system but is God’s system a provision of His Kingdom or an investment opportunity? I think that most believers intellectually know that God’s Kingdom is not an investment program, yet they still approach His Kingdom in this manner.

I do not know how many times I have heard the parable of the sower in Mark 4 taught on that I can receive a thirty, sixty, or hundredfold return on sowing an offering. Yes, Mark 4 does talk about this, but is that what Jesus is saying? Mark 4 will be explained in more detail later in this chapter but allow me to deal with this thirty, sixty, and hundredfold return for a moment.

First of all, let’s understand some basic math. A percentage could be defined as, “a part of.” In other words, 10% is 1/10th of the whole. Therefore, if you had $100, 10% would be $10 because $10 is 1/10 of $100.

The statement “fold” is not an “a part of” statement. It is a “multiplication of” statement. Therefore, using my example above, if I had $100 and had a ten-fold return on it, the return would be $1,000 or ten times one hundred.

I read an article once about Warren Buffet who, at one time, was the richest man in the world. It stated that his average rate of return was only nineteen percent. Therefore, this man become extremely rich by earning and compounding only 19% per year, according to the story I read.

As most preach, we entitle ourselves to a thirty-fold return, at the very minimum when we sow in an offering. So let’s do some quick math.

Let’s sow one thousand dollars into the ministry and believe the Lord for a thirty-fold return. We will assume that we receive the return within a twelve month period for ease of our math calculations. We will live off 2/3 and take 1/3 of our return and re-invest it into the Kingdom of God and, again, believe for a minimum return of thirty-fold. We will follow this pattern for only five years. Below are the calculations:

Investment! Return! ! Re-investment!

$1,000 ! ! $30,000! ! ! $10,000 $10,000! ! $300,000!! ! $100,000 $100,000! ! $3,000,000! ! $1,000,000 $1,000,000! $30,000,000! ! $10,000,000 $10,000,000! $300,000,000! !

Let me ask you a question. What “fold” return have you been getting from your offerings? You can see that from the minimum “fold” return, the mathematics on a $1,000 investment will make you very rich in a very short period of time. Does this describe your life? If not, maybe our approach to giving and our expectations from giving are wrong.

Don’t stop reading if you didn’t like the above illustration. I believe that the blessing of the Lord will make you rich and that no sorrow will be added to it. I just told you a story in the prior chapter about how the Lord made our December an over and above December. It had started out to be a financially horrible month and ended as the best month of the year.

Starting today, I want your month to start increasing and I want to show you how God will increase you. But we have to approach God according to God’s system. He is our Provider and He can make you very rich, but more than anything, He is “Lord.”

The word “Lord” means that He is supreme in authority. For Him to be Lord of our lives means a complete surrender of our will to His will, thus the name of the book, “Playing Tug-of-War with God.”

Allow me to tell you another story. This story takes place before I was married and during a time of my life that was filled with great frustration. Part of this story was mentioned in “The Battle of Faith” but I want to look at a different aspect of it and how it ties in to this subject. I was raised in church but I did not understand the laws of faith that I understand now. I was in my early twenties when this story took place and I was greatly discouraged by how my life was unfolding. At the time, I was in debt, alone, and was making just over minimum wage at a job I hated. In essence, the only positive thing in my life was that I was healthy (which is something to be very thankful for).

I was invited by my two cousins to travel to Europe with them. It was an opportunity of a lifetime but I didn’t have the money to make the trip happen. This added to my frustration because I really wanted to go.

One night, I had finally reached a major frustration point and I got into my car and just started driving. I ended up pulling into the mall parking lot and just sitting underneath the theater’s marquee.

I would like to say that I started praying but, instead, I vented as I rehearsed all the problems that I had. In the midst of this frustration, with tears in my eyes, I hit the steering wheel of my car and said, “I’m supposed to be a child of God, and I don’t even have enough money to buy a hamburger!” I left the parking lot and started driving towards my home when I heard a horn honk. There was Freddy, a guy I worked with. He actually lived in a town about twenty miles away, so it was strange to see him. I rolled down the window, and he asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was just out driving around and he responded, “Let me buy you a hamburger!” I literally had to fight to keep from bursting into tears. The goodness of God at that moment was so overwhelming. For the next hour, I enjoyed some good fellowship and a hamburger.

I have always been a giver, even at a young age. My return on this day was only a couple of dollars but it was what I needed. This is a very important statement.

In the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul makes a statement that has been quoted by many people, but there are a couple of things that are important to understand if you are going to profess this verse found in 4:19.

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

The two things I want you to get clear understanding on is that this statement was given as a response to the Philippians’ giving. In verses 15-17, Paul talks about how they gave and supported the need of the ministry and that because of their giving, God would supply all of their need.

The second point that I want you to pay attention to was that God supplies “need” and not “want.” There is a huge difference between the two. What is a need? “Need” could also be defined as a “requirement.” In today’s world, many think that a car, phone, cable TV, and going to the movies are “needs.” However, these are not needs but wants. I’m not saying that God doesn’t want you to have these. I believe He wants you to enjoy life but I will deal with the “wants” in a moment.

A “need” or a “requirement” is something you absolutely have to have. We could use air as an example. Air is a need in our life because we absolutely have to have it in order to sustain life. Therefore, we can conclude that our “need” is that which is necessary to sustain life. However, biblically speaking, I think this would be a very incomplete statement. Using the whole Bible as our interpretation and what we can see in God’s intent for our lives, I would redefine “need” as, “that which is necessary to sustain the life that God has purposed for me.”

Let me refer back to the title of this chapter, “Provision or Investment?” God wants to provide you with everything you need to live the life that He has planned for you. This statement also ties back into the meaning of “Lord.” The Lord is supposed to be supreme in authority in our lives. This poses an interesting question, “What does my life require to serve God and fulfill His purpose?”

The Apostle Paul also tells us that:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

This verse tell us that we have to function according to His purpose in order for things to work for us. We can look at Jesus’ teaching found in Matthew 6:33 where Jesus states:

“But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

What is Jesus saying? He is saying to not worry about the things you need, to just focus on Him, and He will give you everything that you have need of. What does that include? It includes the money that it takes to fulfill His purposes, but it also includes all the natural things needed.

This really makes sense when you stop and think about it. If you are trying to do what God has called you to but you can’t clothe your family, how much attention will be focused on God? You are not going to leave your family in need because you are serving God nor is God going to leave your family in need because you are serving Him.

That is why He said, “I will take care of everything you need for you to live your life for Me.” Now comes the core of our problem. How much control have we given God over our lives? A large percentage of Christians are using God’s system as an investment strategy. They are living their lives according to what they want while expecting God to increase them according to the Word.

We have to shift our thinking from trying to get God to bless us to living our lives in accordance to His will. Let’s draw some wisdom from my story about the hamburger. In my frustration, I was making critical decisions that could change my life forever. I was questioning if God’s system really worked, if He really cared, or if He even knew what I was going through. God met my need because my need at that time was a hamburger.

What if I would have actually been in faith? What if I needed something greater than a hamburger? What if my focus at that time was fulfilling the call on my life instead of just getting by? I could pose a dozen “what-if” questions and the answers would all be the same, “God would meet my need!”

In 2 Peter 1:3, the Apostle Peter declared that God has provided everything we need for life and godliness. Everything that you need to live in this life and to fulfill all godliness has been provided to you. However, Peter also explains that this provision comes through the knowledge of God.

When we consider “life” and the “knowledge of God,” it would be foolish for us to think that “life” is according to our definition. Since the entire Bible is about doing what He has planned, it is plain to understand that “life” is according to God’s plan.

How much have you sought God in regards to your day to day life? What would happen if people were to seek God about where they should live, what job they should get, what person they should marry, how many children they should have, and a host of other things?

Allow me to draw a picture of a God-led life. You are graduating from high school and instead of following man’s wisdom of going to college, you ask the Lord what you should do with your life. Instead of dating that person who you find attractive, you ask the Lord who He has picked for you. How do you think the Lord would respond?

This is where the title of this book illustrates the life that most people are living. God is trying to do something through them and they are trying to build a life while serving the Lord. It becomes a battle of wills.

I think what illustrates this the most is how people will relocate because of a job and then say that they are going to find a good church once they get settled in. Is this person chasing a job or chasing God? What exactly is a “good church?”

Most would define a good church as a church that they enjoy going to, that preaches the Word of God as they define the Word of God, and that has programs that fit their desires, but I have a different interpretation of a good church. Mine is pretty basic but I believe that it is accurate. A good church is the church that God wants you in.

Your increase is found where God’s plan is. Your child will become friends with the right children when they are where God planned them to be. Your children will go to the right schools when you live where God wants you to live. Your business/job will be the right workplace and bring the right opportunities when you are in God’s plan.

If we go back to Philippians 4:19, we see that God will supply our need. If we look at 2 Peter 1:3, we see that everything in and for our life is provided. If we go back to Romans 8:28, we see that things work for us when we are called according to His purpose. With these 3 scriptures, we can easily understand that this life is about God’s plan not ours.

So, I come back to the title of this chapter. Is God’s Kingdom about provision or an investment opportunity? Everything I see is about provision. If I want to increase in provision, I need to surrender to God’s will.

Ending the Game of Tug-of-War

Most Christians have not sought God’s will in all areas of their lives. God knew that we would make the decisions that we made, therefore He has a way to get us back into His will because that is His desire.

This portion of the tug-of-war match is the same as all the others. It’s a battle of wills. Understanding that God can and will prosper you, are you just wanting His blessings on your life or are you wanting to live submitted to His will?

How we approach the Lord matters because God’s whole system functions as a condition of our spirit man, also known as our heart. Our motive, our intentions, and our commitment matters. Once we get our heart right, we stop trying to build our lives. Instead, we build a relationship and in that relationship, God builds our lives. The cool thing is that the life God builds is far greater than what you could ever build.

God and Money

Money is probably the only subject in the Word of God where humans enter a tug-of-war match with the Lord. It is those who fight God the most that typically make the accusations against the church and preachers that they “are only after the money.”

The biggest problem that you will encounter while reading this book are your current ideas of money. My purpose in writing this is that I want people free. I want people to have the ability to experience everything God has provided for them in this life. I believe that much of what I am going to address in this chapter will be different from what you have heard taught in churches.

While I believe in the prosperity of God, I would not call myself a “prosperity preacher” as most understand the term. The reason for this is because I truly believe that the prosperity found in the Word of God is a result and not a destination. Another way to say that is that it is a result of following the Lord and not the purpose of following Him.

As you can tell by the first book in this series, “The Battle of Faith,” my objective is to do things God’s way, to get in line with His system, and stop fighting how this whole world has been created.

I fully believe that the benefits that come through doing things God’s way outweighs the costs of following Him. Therefore, I would encourage you to allow the Spirit of God to speak to you and sincerely work to identify areas of your own life where you have entered the tug-of-war match in the area of your finances.

As illustrated in the introduction of this book with my own personal story, God’s way of doing business will not make sense to our natural mind. Therefore, anything we talk about is going to fight what we currently know.

I believe that since the world’s economy is one that has been called a “dog-eat-dog world,” we are resistant to God’s ways. We’ve all struggled trying to get ahead, we put money into savings only to have major car repairs that eat it up, and we invest in our 401K only to have the market crash and lose everything.

Because of these struggles, we are naturally opposed to a system that does not hoard. If I have learned that I have to fight for everything I want, then my brain tells me if I don’t fight, I won’t have anything. It truly is a major tug-of-war match that we have all entered into before.

The first thing we have to establish is that God has an economic system too. The only thing different between God’s system and the world’s is that the heavenly economic system always works. That concept is one that is really hard to wrap your mind around. In God’s economy, you don’t have to worry about high interest rates, real estate devaluation, stock market crashes, or inflation. God said that He has “given unto us all things that pertain unto life.” (2 Peter 1:3) I talk extensively about 2 Peter 1 in my book “Grace: The Power of Heaven.” If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend you do. If you don’t fully understand what Peter tells us, you will constantly fight what God is trying to do for us.

Let’s start by defining an economic system. One definition from the dictionary is, “(of a subject) considered in relation to trade, industry, and the creation of wealth.” Therefore, the “economy” is all things money and assets. How they (money and assets) move, trade, and muliply.

In Proverbs 10:22, we read:

“The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it.”

The Hebrew word translated as “rich” in the English text is a word that means “accumulation.” It has nothing to do with having a happy life, feeling good about yourself, or having good health. It has everything to do with acquiring wealth.

In God’s plan for His children, He desired for them to have more than enough for their lives. One of the main reasons He wants us to have more than enough is because He fulfills His purposes through us. How could He ever accomplish His goals if we are broke and can barely eat? This is the reason He created an economy or a way by which assets move, trade, and expand. Within this economy, He provided everything that we need to live and everything we need to live a godly life. A godly life is a life that is in line with God. To be in line with God, you have to be about God’s purposes. To fulfill that call, you have to have enough to both live and do.

From this, we begin to understand that wealth is not the destination, but it is needful to reveal Christ in this earth. The tug-of-war match is played because we are struggling to get ahead. We work 40+ hours a week, thus calling any money we receive as our “hard earned cash” and, thereby, having a mindset that money is tough to obtain. But it is only hard to obtain because most Christians are trying to obtain it through the world’s economy.

What makes this difficult for many to understand is the fact that there are two separate economies that overlap. God does not have His own currency. If you are an American citizen, God’s economy is going to overlap in the usage of the U.S. Dollar. If you live in Mexico, it will work with the Peso, and if you are in Russia, it will work with the Ruble.

Since everything we do is done with our local currency, it is hard for many to stay focused on God’s system because they are seeing a natural currency with their natural eyes. We must understand that God has given to us all things and that His economic system far surpasses the world’s economic system, even though it is somewhat intertwined with the natural system.

There is no heavenly real estate that you will own, only earthly real estate. There is no heavenly money that you will possess, you will only possess earthly money. Yet, everything that God uses is already in the natural because according to Psalms 24:1, all of the natural is His.

When you need a financial breakthrough, heaven is not going to start printing money for you. God will work through the economic system of the world to transfer money into your possession. Therefore, to properly understand God’s system, you must realize that you have to allow God’s system to work through the wealth that is presently coming into your possession. This idea is called stewardship.

If we can think of this in the terms of salvation, we can clearly see the transition that takes place. When one initially comes to the Lord, they are living a life that is disobedient to the Word of God. It is the life they have chosen and they are doing the things that they have determined to do.

When they truly repent and make a decision to allow Jesus to be Lord (Supreme in Authority) of their life, they are making a decision to take the life they have been living, change it to God’s system, and start living the way God has instructed them to live. But there is a cost to this decision. There may be friends that they can no longer be around or activities that they can no longer participate. In living a life pleasing to the Lord, they will become better stewards over their own person because that person now belongs to God.

The same is true when one makes the decision to start living in God’s economy. They have money, they may have a home, a car, and other assets that they have been using the way they have wanted to use them. But their decision to get involved in God’s economy means that they will have to take what they currently possess and what will come into their possession and start using it how God has instructed.

There was a cost in their natural lives when they allowed Jesus to be Lord of their lives and there is a cost financially when they get involved in God’s economy. Just as there are great benefits in living the Christian life, there are also great benefits to being part of God’s economy.

Don’t overlook the fundamental shift that has to take place. A decision has to be made to participate in this new system. One of the first things that they will realize is that God’s math doesn’t work. God will tell them to give something, do something that costs time and money, or go somewhere that will create expenditures; yet through that activity, they will have more than what they had before. The math doesn’t work, but the increase does.

Let me reiterate something that I said earlier. Prosperity is not the goal of serving the Lord, it is the result. We should want to do things God’s way because He is our Lord, whether it is in the area of money or in another area. When our goal is the Lord, the blessings of the Lord will manifest in our life. This is true because God will never ask us to do something that He does not provide the means for.

Over the years I have heard people comment on Adam and Eve and how their decision to sin caused them to lose possession of the garden. They will say things like, “If only Adam and Eve would have stayed faithful, then we would still be living in the garden and our lives would be so much better.” This, however, is a wrong statement because Adam and Eve did not lose the garden, they lost fellowship with God. The garden was just the benefit of walking with God. This is a subtle but very important point. Things begin flowing to us that fulfill God’s promises in our lives as we align ourselves with Him.

There are many blessings that come into our lives when we stop fighting against what God has established through His Word. When we live as He has instructed, the blessings that He has promised will come into our lives. Our pursuit must be Him, not His benefits.

Even when the Lord delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, many focus on the fact that the Lord delivered them out of bondage to take them into the Promised Land. However, as we read the Word, we see that God was bringing the people “to Him” so they could be a special people. The benefit of being restored to God was going to be the Promised Land.

“And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; (4) Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. (5) Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (6) And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:3-6 - KJV)

There are two things I want you to see in this passage. The first is the purpose of God. The purpose was to bring the people to Himself and then He wanted them to do what He told them. This is the fundamental truth of the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. God tells us, “Live like I have said to live and you will live a blessed life.” The result of the blessing, according to Proverbs 10:22 that we read earlier, is that it makes us rich without any sorrow being added to it.

If we jump over to the New Testament, we will see that God was still trying to do the exact same thing He was trying to accomplish with the Israelites:

“Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, (8) And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. (9) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

(1 Pet 2:7-9 - KJV)

This passage of scripture is almost the same as the one we read in the book of Exodus. God’s purpose is to have a people who are obedient. Through this obedience, they become a manifestation of His power.

That is what this book is all about. We must stop fighting God in what He has said and start doing things exactly as He has proclaimed. The result of living this kind of tug-of-war free life is a life that reveals the promises of God.

Let’s start with some very foundational truths about God’s system. We will begin by reading Psalms 24:1:

“The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

In this verse God has very firmly established that everything is His. He says that the earth is His, the fullness (which is everything in the earth) is His, the world is His, and all the people that live on the earth are His. Everything is His!

If you can get this truth into your spirit, you will have no problem operating in God’s economy. Let me translate this into more modern language. The car that you say is yours is really His. The house that you say is yours is really His. The life that you think is yours is actually His. The money in the bank, your wallet, and investment account that has your name on it is really His. Everything is the Lord’s.

In understanding that everything is His, we must then understand that He has given us permission to use what is His. This is where stewardship comes into play. We are all stewards of something that God owns whether it is an asset in this world’s system or a personal talent or ability. Everything belongs to God but we have been given the right to use His stuff.

In the above verse, God declares that everyone that dwells on the earth is the Lord’s. Let’s consider some other areas where stewardship plays a part in our lives.

If everything and everyone is the Lord’s then you are a steward of your children. What a sobering thought! How you raise your children is important to the Lord. In fact, if you study out why God chose Abraham, you will find that he was chosen because he was one who would share the things of God with his children.

If you study the Law of Moses, you will find that they were to teach their children continually about the things of God. God wanted a “God culture” in our families. Unfortunately, many Christians have more of a sports culture than a God culture. Many Christians know more about pop culture than they do about a God culture. We have lost many of the truths of the Word of God because we have focused more on the natural than on the spiritual.

I can almost guarantee that most Christians know more about the world’s economy than they do God’s economy. How can we expect the economy of God to flow in our lives if we don’t take time to understand how God set it up?

Stewardship affects every aspect of your life because your life belongs to the Lord. In the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25, we read of three men who were given possessions that belonged to the Master. The Master went away and expected these three men to take what was given to them and increase the Master's goods. When the Master returned, two of the men had profitably handled the goods and the Master was pleased with them but the third only returned what was originally given to him and the Master was very angry and cast this man out.

Stewardship is very important. What you do with what God has placed in your possession matters a lot. In fact, the scriptures also tell us that if we are not good stewards over a little, we will never have a lot. Stewardship is critical to operating in God’s economy. Don’t take lightly the things of God!

Let’s expand this thought further by reading Deuteronomy 8:18 where the Lord specifically speaks to His people about their life and His economy:

“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”

There are three areas of this scripture that I would like for you to gain understanding in. First, the scripture starts off with a command to “remember.” Living day by day and taking care of things make it easy to forget what God has commanded. Therefore, He gives explicit instructions to remember . T h e remembering part is your responsibility. What is it that you are supposed to remember? Remember that it is God who has given you the power to get wealth.

How do you get wealth? You may be getting wealth through the business that you started. You may look at the business that you started and forget that it is God that gave you the power to start and run this business. Maybe you work for someone that required an interview before hiring. God’s instruction to you is that you remember that it is He who gave you the power to get that job and to keep it.

Maybe you are a professional who went to school for many years to obtain the degree that allows you to have the profession that you are in. You may think that you got the degree and built the success that you are now enjoying. Wrong! It is God who gave you the ability to accomplish everything you are doing that brings wealth into your life.

It does not matter how you get the income, it is God that has given you the power to do so. Why does God say this? Because everything is His! Your life is His, the world you live in is His, and everything that fills this earth is His. Therefore, it is He that has given you the power to receive it.

The second area I would like for you to notice is the purpose that God has given you this power and why He instructs you to “remember” it. He has granted you this power to establish His covenant in the earth. This is why He had to give an instruction to remember. As wealth comes to you, your natural inclination is to think that it is for the purpose of you living better, buying things, and establishing your comfort in this earth.

Here lies the greatest game of tug-of-war in the Christian’s life and the stark realization that we are stewards of God’s things. This area of God’s Word is probably the hardest area for people to come to grips with because the natural line of thinking is, “If I surrender what I have to establish God’s covenant, how will I live, feed my family, and have anything?”

The answer is very simple. God has established, through His Word, that His blessings will flow through us when we live the way He said to live. His blessings in our lives are far greater than your ability to earn a paycheck. Before I show you how to establish God’s covenant in this earth, let me show you the blessings that flow through our lives by being obedient to what God has said. It is found in Deuteronomy 28:1-14:

"Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. (2) "All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God: (3) "Blessed {shall} you {be} in the city, and blessed {shall} you {be} in the country. (4) "Blessed {shall be} the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. (5) "Blessed {shall be} your basket and your kneading bowl. (6) "Blessed {shall} you {be} when you come in, and blessed {shall} you {be} when you go out. (7) "The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. (8) "The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you. (9) "The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. (10) "So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you. (11) "The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. (12) "The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. (13) "The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe {them} carefully, (14) and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.” (NAU)

Notice how many times God emphasizes the importance of listening to what He says, doing what He says, obeying what He says, and not turning from what He says in this passage of scripture.

Notice also that when we listen, obey, and stay with Him, it is then that our life becomes so blessed that everything we do is met with His abundance.

Applying these words to the same context of Deuteronomy 8:18 we can then understand what God is trying to do. If we obey Him in the purpose of our wealth, which is to establish His covenant, the result of this obedience is increase. In fact, there will be so much that will flow through us causing us to live a better life all because our purpose for living has shifted into manifesting His glory, building His Kingdom, and serving Him with what we have.

I am sure that many can feel within themselves the tug-of-war match being escalated at this point. I can see the “what if” questions trying to rise up in you. I can imagine the thoughts of not being able to make your house payment if you give complete control to the Lord.

Let me help you with all these "what if" scenarios that are probably running through your mind. I will do this by looking at Proverbs 13:22:

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children...”

Allow me to ask you a very simple question. Does the Lord want you to be a “good” person? The answer is obviously a profound YES!

Allow me to ask you another question. Does God consider following His Word to be “good?” Another profound YES!

According to the verse above, a good person leaves an inheritance that is large enough for their grandchildren to be blessed!

We have to then ask ourselves, will God require everything from me and leave me broke, struggling, and living in a shack? How can God do that and fulfill His Word? God is obligated, by His Word, to increase a person who diligently follows Him so that person can leave this type of inheritance.

If you stop and think about this for awhile, you will begin to see that all thoughts of “not being able” are foolish thoughts that are rooted in the world’s economic wisdom or our own selfishness.

Later in this book, we will discuss proper giving because there is a way to give to the Lord that is not a burdensome method. God’s way does take faith though. It is not always easy to believe we will be blessed when we are in a difficult circumstance, but we need to resolve within ourselves that God always fulfills His Word. Therefore, His Word always works.

So far we have discovered that God has an economy, everything in the earth is His, we are stewards of what is His, we have been given power so that we can accomplish His purpose, and if we diligently obey what God has said, abundant provision will manifest in our lives. Now the great question, “How do we operate in God’s system?”

When you make that decision to start operating in God’s system, you may have a financial lifestyle that is not in line with the Word of God. You may be financially strapped. You may be at the point of bankruptcy.

You may look at your finances and think there’s no way you can do anything or your whole financial life is going to fall apart. If this is you, then the first thing I want you to realize is that your way of handling finances does not work. You really should be excited to let go of the reins of your life and allow God to do what only God can do. I know there will be a great mental battle in this, but that is why this book is titled, “Playing Tug-of-War with God.”

On the other side of the equation, you may be one who is financially set. You have plenty of money, many assets, and a great life financially. You may be thinking why would you want to do things God’s way when everything is working out so great?

There are several answers for this. The foremost reason is because God said to. Our purpose in life is not a pursuit of riches, but a pursuit of God. There is more to life than money – much more. Health, happiness, joy, and freedom are all aspects of walking with God. There’s also the eternal aspect of being obedient. Jesus clearly pointed out the following:

“If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15 - KJV)

“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:23 - KJV)

Jesus made a connection between us loving Him and our obedience to what He has said. Jesus also stated in this chapter (verses two and three) that He was going away to prepare a place for those who love Him. Are we so naïve to think that we can do what we want and be ready for His return?

Jesus clearly doesn’t view it this way, more than walking in the blessings of God, there is walking with God. Walking with God is what makes us prepared for His coming. Furthermore, the rich who do not do things God's way are subject to the ups and downs of the world’s economy and they will also carry all the sorrow that the world’s economy holds. By doing things God’s way, you ensure the wealth you already have and position yourself to increase even more, but without the stress that is associated with the world’s economy.

For those who are financially strapped, the good news of being freed is very appealing. But for the wealthy, it is a major step of faith. That is why Jesus said (Matthew 9:24) that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.

When one has become wealthy in the world’s system, they build a trust in that wealth. Our trust should be solely and completely in the Lord Jesus Christ. Stop fighting God because He always wins in the tug-of-war match.

No matter what your financial condition is, you will find a fight stir up within you when you start making the decisions to do things totally God’s way. I hope you will read this book with an open heart. Since you know that I will not be receiving an offering at the end of this book, you can at least relax and read this information without feeling pressured. I hope you will allow me to challenge you in the pages ahead.

Ending the Game of Tug-of-War

How do we end the game of tug-of-war with God in this area of finances? To be successful in working with God, we must develop a faith in God’s system. We must realize that God has a way of doing things that produces results if we obey.

I would like to encourage you to stop reading at this point and start dealing with your mindset of who owns what and what its purpose is. Are you truly desiring to follow God? Do you truly believe that all of this is God’s and we are only stewards? If you can change your mentality in this, you are well on your way to changing who you are financially.

Therefore, the best starting place in ending the game of tug-of-war is to believe that God has a system that we are to operate in. I would encourage you to do an in-depth study into God’s system. Get the Word and get faith!

Ownership or Control

I would like to remind you that this book is about money. I am sure one of the most important reasons you are reading it is because you want more. There is nothing wrong with this, but I want you to take note that we have not talked about giving, offerings, or tithing.

While these subjects will come up, I think it is a mistake to focus on these. These are simply acts of doing what God says to do. They are no different than walking in love, forgiving others, or abstaining from sin. They are not rules and regulations; they are byproducts of a life that has been dedicated to the Lord.

Once a person gets their true identity straight, the tug-of-war match that we so often enter loses its stronghold in our lives. A life submitted to Christ is submitted. That’s the end of the story. We follow God because we have given our lives over to Him and He cares for us. This is a powerfully liberating revelation. Once it is obtained you’ll never wonder about giving off your gross or net, whether something is Old Testament and no longer applicable, etc. These foolish arguments are left for those who are still trying to control their own lives.

I learned the things I am talking about many years ago, but in a business setting. I had attended some real estate investing seminars that impacted my life far more than I ever anticipated. The thing that made such a profound impact on me was how they did not do (referring to buying and selling real estate) things in the conventional manner.

As I sat and listened, I began to understand methods of acquiring real estate in a way that I had never anticipated. In putting the techniques to work, one of my first deals still amaze me today. I was actually able to acquire two houses on one lot without ever having to use any of my own money. In fact, when I closed escrow, I was given a check for around $10,000.00. I held the property as a rental unit for about three years before I sold it for an additional profit.

Through this process, I came to understand that “the way it is done” is not the “only way it is done.” You have a preconceived idea about ownership, possession, and acquisition. That preconceived idea has accomplished two things. It has gotten you where you are today and it has kept you where you are today. In order to experience something beyond what you currently know, you are going to have to know something different.

This is what I am trying to stress in this battle of money. God’s system doesn’t work like the system you’ve grown up learning. God’s system is far more powerful than the world’s system. The world’s system is based on ownership, but God’s system is based on control. Read that statement several times until you get it.

So let’s start by giving a couple of definitions to the above statement:

• Ownership: The act, state, or right of possessing something

• Control: Maintaining influence or authority over

Just from these definitions, you can see that the definition of control relates more to biblical teaching than the definition of ownership. Throughout the Bible, we see that we are to “influence” the world around us and we are to operate in “authority” in this world.

We are even told that people rejoice when the righteous are in authority (Proverbs 29:2). However, I want to break this down even further.

During the same seminar that I referenced above, I met one of the speakers and got to know him fairly well. This man had a profound way of looking at things. He was a very wealthy man and had a thriving business. I can remember him speaking to us and making the following statement, “I own nothing!”

He went on to describe a scenario about how he was lawsuit proof. He said that if he had anyone who wanted to sue him, they would never be able to do it because he didn’t own anything. He stated that any attorney who would even consider the case would do an asset search on him and then drop the case because their would be no money in it.

This man was a genius in understanding complex legal structures. He then gave an illustration. He told us that he drove a nice pick-up truck, but he did not own it. He stated that if he were involved in a car accident that caused bodily or property damage, no attorney could ever win a case against him. The first reason was because he didn’t own anything. The truck he was driving was owned by a legal entity.

Maybe the attorney would go after the legal entity since he had been given permission to drive their truck and they could penetrate the protection created by that entity. This would not work either because the truck was not owned free and clear, it had a lien on it which was from another legal entity which he had created.

In essence, if someone were to go after his truck they would have to pay off the lien in order to obtain the truck. However, in paying the lien off they were in essence buying the truck from him. Therefore, all he had to do was use the money given the entity to make another loan to the other entity and obtain a new truck.

What was the point that he was making? His point was to never own anything that you can control instead. He did not care that he did not own the truck. All he was interested in was having a truck. Since he didn’t own the truck, he could never have the truck taken from him. If the truck was taken all he had to do was go back to the source and get a new truck.

This is the system God has set up for us. He owns it all and when we become a good steward over His things, He will not withhold anything from us. However, as soon as we start to take possession of His stuff, we block the flow of His goodness into our lives.

Have you ever had a job where you were given a company car? Think about this for a moment. If you have a company car and you were driving down the street and the transmission went out, what would you do?

The answer is simple. You would contact the employer and tell them that “their” car just lost its transmission and then ask what “they” wanted you to do with “their” car. You would look at this as it is not your concern or problem because you can turn to the owner and turn the care of it back over to them.

Let’s change the scenario a little. What if it is your car and the transmission goes out. For most, this is going to cause a financial hardship because “you” have to pay to have “your” car repaired.

The Lord told us in 1 Peter 5::

“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.”

That is what this verse is telling us. He does not want us to be burdened down with the problems of this life. He owns everything, it is all His; allow Him to carry the load for us. In the scenario above, we would have no problem turning the car back to our employer because we don’t want the headache or the cost of getting it fixed. Why is it that we want the headache and cost of our lives when our lives have been purchased by the Lord?

When we let go of the reins of our lives and allow the Lord to truly be the Lord of our lives, our mentality will change about the natural. We are only stewards of what God owns, therefore, we are going to become faithful over God’s stuff and we will look to the Lord for whatever it is that we need.

Ending the Game of Tug-of-War

You have to redefine how you look at things if you are ever going to be free of stuff! The cool thing is that God wants you and me to have stuff, He just doesn’t want the stuff to have us.

The more stuff that you are a steward over, the more comfortable your life will be. However, it is always God’s stuff. Work on changing your focus from having stuff to being a good steward. Starting looking at things in your possession and saying, “Lord, thank you for letting me drive your Honda Accord (or whatever it is you drive). Look at the house you are buying and say, “Lord, thank you for allowing me to live in this house of yours. I will take care of it!”

The more you look at stuff and declare that it is God’s and not yours, the more you will establish a mindset that sees things as God’s and cause you to take better care of God’s stuff.

Our Needs - Our Wants - His Desires

I continue to remind you what this book is about for a reason. We all have needs, wants, and desires and it is in this realm that the tug-of-war match is fought.

Wants and needs are difficult subjects to tackle because of our definition of them. We hear people state that they absolutely “need” a cell phone; however, the reality is that it is a want. We may want it because it’s easier when we have one, it creates safety as a means of communication when in trouble, or it just makes life more convenient, but you don’t have to have one. There have been far more years on this planet where people have functioned without cell phones than with them. You can live without it, which makes a cell phone a want instead of a need.

The American culture and economy is a wantdriven system. Advertisers capitalize on your wants in order for you to obtain their services or products. Because we are so “want” driven, we have a hard time distinguishing between what is actually a “want” and what is a “need.”

In Philippians 4:19, a verse we have already referenced, we read:

“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Notice in this verse, it states that God supplies our “need.” Many people quote this with the interpretation that God is going to supply everything that I ever want or desire.

There are many scriptures that deal with the pleasures of life like Psalms 37:4, where we are told that God will give us the desires of our heart. We could also look at Matthew 6:33 where it states that God will give us the natural things that everyone seeks after. Of course, we have to note that the promise of both verses follow the command of putting God first in our lives.

In this chapter, I want to deal with this issue of our wants or the chasing after those things that we think are so important in life. This is where the tugof-war match begins. God expresses His will or desire for us and it conflicts with our will and desire. We think God's will for us and what He is telling us will take us away from the fulfillment of that need. Therefore, we start fighting God.

In order to fully understand this tug-of-war match, we have to understand how the conflict works. God is Spirit. When we battle Him, it is because we want something natural. Therefore, we have a natural versus spiritual battle. Our “wants," which we have defined as “needs,” end up controlling our lives. We live to fulfill the desires that we have, but God wants us to live to fulfill His desires. Within the realm of fulfilling His desires, He states that He will give us the desires of our heart and meet every need that we have.

We are given instruction in this aspect of life from the 23rd Psalms. It is a passage that many are familiar with, but one that has been greatly misunderstood. Let’s walk through the few verses of this chapter.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."

Many use verse one as a statement to say there will never be any wants in our life because our Shepherd will give us what we want. In other words, we read this verse as a promise.

I don’t believe that this verse is a promise at all. If it is, no one has ever seen the manifestation of it. Have you ever met anyone that didn’t have a want? The richest person in the world cannot satisfy their wants because wants are an endless cycle of desires. Even the apostles and prophets had things that they were believing God for. Remember when the Apostle Paul wanted the messenger of Satan to be removed and had inquired of God three times for this? His inquiry was driven by what he wanted.

If this verse is not a promise, then what is it? I believe that it is a command. Because the Lord is your Shepherd, don’t be driven by your wants. Instead, submit yourself to His leading, allow Him to take you where He wants you, and be fully surrendered to His will.

Not only does this interpretation fit within the text of the rest of this chapter, but it also fits within the theme of the whole Bible. The word “Lord” literally means Supreme in authority. When we become the Lord’s, we surrender our will to His will, which is the cause of our tug-of-war matches. We are wanting to retain part of our will, but once we truly surrender, we are no longer driven by our will or our wants; we are driven by His leading.

This makes verse two very interesting:

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters.”

I was reading this verse one day and a thought occurred to me. Why does the Lord have to “make” me lie down in green pastures? The picture that is painted in my mind of a green pasture is a nice relaxing place with water around that is beautiful, but the Lord has to “make” me lie down.

I remember once when my wife and I traveled to the coastal area a couple of hours from our home. My wife asked me what we planned on doing once we got there and I told her I needed down time. I told her that I didn’t really want to do anything but relax. Our room had a balcony that overlooked the ocean and I wanted to sit on the balcony and just read, sleep, and not think about anything.

When we arrived and checked in at the hotel, I went out and sat on our balcony. Ten minutes later, I walked back in the room ready to go do something. My wife looked at me and said, “I thought we were just going to relax?” My problem is that I have a hard time doing nothing. I have to be forced to just take it easy. As I sit, my brain starts thinking of stuff to do, places to go, etc.

I began to see myself in this verse. God was trying to lead me to the great places He wanted to take me. However, because of what I wanted He had to “make” me lay down. What I wanted batted what He wanted. The core of this tug-of-war match is not easy to stop because it is driven by what we want in that given moment.

I was having a conversation with someone who stopped into my office and the statement was made about how this individual wanted to see the manifestation of God. It was a sincere statement, but my reply was, “No you don’t!” I began to explain how we actually do what our greatest desire is. If we really wanted the presence of God, we would spend far more time in prayer than we do. In fact, we would spend the necessary time in prayer that was needed to experience the presence that we desire. The problem we have is our “want.” We have a very difficult time following God because of this "want" factor.

Don’t think that I’ve forgotten the sub-title of this book, “The Battle of Money.” There is no greater fight in the area of “wants” than in the area of money. Money is the tool of exchange to get what we want. One of the most difficult areas for humanity, that opposes God, is money. This leads us into verses three and four:

“He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.”

It's interesting how the progression of this verse is formatted. First, I am not to be driven by my wants because I’ve made the Lord my Shepherd. Then, the Lord is making me slow down and relax because He wants to restore my soul. He then leads me in the ways of righteousness and, apparently, the ways of righteousness is through the valley of the shadow of death. It’s no wonder He doesn’t want me to be driven by my wants, because as soon as I get into that valley, I’m going to want out!

Righteousness is an interesting word that has been defined in various ways but all lead to the same definition. Righteousness is an alignment word. We are aligned or in right standing with God. It is also defined as our ability to stand in the presence of God without condemnation, guilt, or shame. This definition is an alignment statement also. The only way to stand in His Presence without condemnation, guilt, or shame is because you are correctly aligned with Him.

Understanding this, we see that the paths of righteousness are the paths He wants to go down. It is His way, which takes me back to verse one where I am not to be driven by my wants.

The way He wants to go is not the way that makes sense. Doing it His way may seems like it won’t work, but it is His way nonetheless. In fact, it appears that His way has death surrounding it, but it is just a shadow. Therefore, I am going to trust that what He is telling me to do is going to work, that I will be alright, and that increase will manifest in my life because He is the God of increase.

In verse five, it looks like we have gone from bad to worse. We’ve had to walk through the valley of the shadow of death and now we find out that our increase is found in the presence of all our enemies.

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”

When I read this verse, I see a big table with lots of food that has been set in the middle of a battle field where my enemy wants to wage war against me. While they are pulling out their bows and arrows, swords, and getting all their military equipment ready, the Lord says, “David, come over here and eat this meal I’ve prepared for you.” In my mind, I am evaluating the war that is about to take place and the Lord knows it. He says, “David, don’t worry about that. I’ll handle it.” At about this time, the arrows start flying and swords start swinging but the Lord is still inviting me to sit down and eat.

I have a hard time enjoying the meal because of everything going on around me but Jesus stops all the arrows from hitting me or the table. He is calm because He knows that He has more power and I am uncomfortable because of everything going on around me. The power of this verse is that in the midst of this intense battle field, my provision is made manifest.

The final verse of the chapter states:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Wow! What an awesome promise! But what is this valley of the shadow of death, who is my enemy, and what are these paths of righteousness?

The answer can be applied to every area of life’s struggles, but since this book is on the battle of money, let’s deal with finances. The Lord starts talking about giving and it looks like it will kill us financially. Righteousness says to give, tithe, and be a blessing but my head says that I can’t walk down this path. My mortgage, Visa, student loan, car payment and everything else that was obtained because I “wanted” something are now the enemies. I don’t want to face this enemy when they start taking things from me and calling me night and day because I won’t have money due to the Lord’s request.

In order to get to verse five where our cups run over and to verse six where goodness and mercy follow, we have to be willing to follow God and not live by our wants. The reason that most Christians struggle in finances is due to the fight that is going on within them. They want to give and receive a thirty, sixty, or hundred fold return, but they struggle walking it out God’s way.

If you are in debt, then you are controlled by wants. You are buying things that you cannot afford which is the reason you used debt as a means of obtaining. Getting people to a proper financial standing requires the use of our resources to pay off debt, but people think that they can’t because they won’t be able to get what they “want.”

In reality and from a natural standpoint, the only things we really “need” in life are air, food, water, and shelter (which includes clothing). Everything else is a want. Please don’t misunderstand me because I am not meaning we need to live in poverty or get rid of everything we have. I am talking about our mindset and the battle we play with God.

Because we have defined our “wants” as “needs,” we have bound ourselves within a system that now has control over our lives. If I want the blessing of the Lord to work in my life, then the first thing I have to do is allow Him to be my Shepherd and not live by my wants.

Ending the Game of Tug-of-War

Romans 12:2 tells us not to conform to the world’s system. We are a byproduct of this system. It is what we’ve grown up in, it is what we operate in from a natural perspective, and it has controlled most of our lives. This method of not being conformed comes to us by the renewing of our mind. This renewal process will literally transform us or cause us to be totally different.

We cannot operate in the Kingdom of God from a natural mindset. It just doesn’t work. We have to change the way we think but we cannot change the way we think without changing our view of something.

Most of the people who will read this book live according to the wants and desires they have. Our view of life is that I "have to have" this and that in order to enjoy life and live comfortably. The reality is that we do not "have to have" that item and it will not bring fulfillment into our lives. It may bring a temporary comfort or convenience but the only thing that brings fulfillment is the Lord and His provision that comes according to the path He has created.

We have to see God differently and we have to know what God’s Word states. Until we go through this transformation process, we will continually be in a tug-of war match with the Lord.

Sowing and Reaping

The subject of sowing and reaping is one that has been written about, expounded on, and taught over and over. However, here is my problem on this subject. We can easily understand the terms "sowing" and "reaping" as illustrated in the Bible from an agricultural setting. We plant a seed (sow) and from that seed, a commodity is produced, which we call fruit (harvest). Since this is the illustration that Jesus used in the scriptures, we can be confident that the example is accurate. But where does the sowing come from and how does one reap the harvest from a spiritual application?

Step into many churches during worship, which we refer to as an offering, and you might hear the phrase, “If you sow into today’s offering, I believe that you will reap a big harvest.” You might hear a person read out of Luke 6:38 stating that you reap according to your giving, so give big! My problem is not the use of these sayings because there is truth within all of them, but I will reference back to the chapter that I have titled, “Provision or Investment.” Giving in an offering to receive a greater return is an investment scheme and I don’t see the Kingdom program, even though ourselves in.

of God as an investment

it is something we invest

This chapter will, no doubt, be the longest chapter in this book because I want to dig deep into God’s seedtime and harvest cycle. I won't be receiving an offering at the end of this book, so I would encourage you, whether you agree or disagree with me, to look at the consistency of scripture that I will lay out in this chapter. We will use scripture from the Old and New Testament to see that the system that God set up has always been the same.

A scripture that I reference many times while speaking is found in Malachi 3:6:

“For I am the Lord, I change not...”

Many Christians try to argue that certain concepts are “Old Testament," but in John 5:39, Jesus said that all the scriptures that were searched for eternal life were actually talking about Him. These scriptures are obviously found in the Old Testament because the New Testament was in the process of being lived out when Jesus said this. It had not become the written Word yet.

For a person to say that a concept is “Old Testament," they have to not understand God. He does not change. Even though we see God dealing with man in different administrative ways throughout time, the core of who He is never differed. What He hated in the beginning, He still hates today.

So, how are we to reconcile the Old Testament and the New Testament for the purpose of what is applicable in our lives today? This answer is not difficult; everything must be brought through the cross. When we bring the Old Testament through the cross, the cross will either make it no longer applicable, keep it the same, or change the administration of it.

Let’s look at a few illustrations. If we were to study the blood sacrifices that are throughout the Old Testament and bring it through the cross, we see that the cross made these sacrifices no longer necessary. In making them no longer necessary, did God have a change of heart and feel that blood was no longer the answer? The answer is obviously no because God does not change. Jesus was the final sacrifice. He was perfect and without sin who died for the sins of the world. Therefore, blood is no longer needed because the blood of Jesus was shed. God did not change. The administration of this elements as completed in walking with God.

If we were to study the subject of worship, we see it throughout the Bible in both Old and New Testaments. However, when we bring it through the cross, we see that worship changed. In the Old Testament, worship was a very physical display. We could study how King David danced and his wife became very annoyed with him. However, Jesus tells us that in the New Covenant, a true worshipper worships in spirit and in truth. Therefore, the physical display of worship is not a higher form of worship, but a lower form of worship.

Many churches have brought back the natural display of worship in the waving of flags, worship dance, and so forth. While I don’t see anything wrong with this, it is a lower form of worship. What is worship that is in spirit and in truth? It is worship that comes from the heart and a true belief in the expression that is being given. This also ties into the statement of truth. Let’s examine a song of worship for a moment.

An individual comes into a service and becomes very engaged in the worship. They are weeping and singing at the top of their lungs and their hands are raised as they voice the words of the song that declares how they exalt the Lord in their lives! Is that expression of worship from their heart or their emotions? Is that expression of worship truth or just the repeating of words?

It’s really not hard to figure out. All you have to do is look at their lives. If the Lord is truly exalted, then He is first. How much time does that person spend in prayer, the Word, and in fellowship with other believers? When a problem hits them square in the face, what is their reaction? Is it biblical or natural? Making an expression of worship that reveals that God is exalted in your life must be in truth. It requires the same application to your everyday life. In order for this worship to be in spirit and in truth, it must be reflected in how you live, talk, behave, etc. Therefore, we see a change from the Old to the New Covenant in the administration of worship; but God did not change, He has always wanted to be worshipped.

What about things that are not changed? There are areas of the Word that have been exactly the same since the beginning of time. One area is money. Let’s pick on the tithe for a moment because that is one of the big, “Old Testament” or “we are no longer under the Law” subjects. First of all, the tithe predates the Law. Anyone who states that the tithe is part of the Law and that we are no longer under the Law, has not read their Bible.

Do we find tithing in the Law? Absolutely. How to tithe was explained in the Law, but it did not originate in the Law. In the New Testament, we find that the tithe is to be received exactly how it was explained in the Law (See Hebrews 7). Basically what has happened, is nothing. Nothing changed in the tithe, so the New Testament doesn’t deal a whole lot with it. You can find the tithe spoken on in Matthew 23 by Jesus and in Hebrews 7 where we are told that the explanation from the Law is still in effect. Because there is no administrative change when we bring it through the cross, there is no real need to spend a lot of time on it.

Let me give another example. In the Old Testament, we are told that we are not to mark our bodies. Tattooing is a huge industry these days with many Christians getting them. Again, many will say that the verses where we are instructed to not tattoo ourselves is Old Testament. But let’s bring it through the cross and what happens? The New Testament is basically silent on the subject, but we know that God does not change.

The administration of marking the body either changes when we bring it through the cross, or it doesn't as we flow from the Old Testament into the New Testament; but God has not changed. Since we don’t see the subject addressed, it would be foolish to think that God changed and doesn’t care about it anymore.

I know that what I'm saying is not mainstream Christianity these days, but my goal in these books is to stop fighting God and to get on His side. This book is “The Battle of Money” and our first point is that God’s system of money did not change, other than offerings, as we flow from the Old into the New Testament. We find offerings in both but the Old Testament offerings are defined as sacrifices for specific events. You need a turtledove for this and a lamb for that. Under the New Testament, we see, “...as a man purposes in his heart, so let him give...” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Do not confuse this area of the Bible with the tithe. The tithe and the offering are two separate subjects and must be kept that way. Having said this, our chapter is on the subject of sowing and reaping. While most categorize sowing and reaping into the financial arena, it isn't limited to finances only. To properly understand both sowing and reaping, you have to understand God’s system as a whole. In the parable of the sower found in Mark 4, Jesus tells his disciples that if they don’t understand the parable of the sower, they will not understand any of the parables. Therefore, the sowing and reaping subject is the governing force of all of God’s Word.

There is something within the system of seedtime and harvest that contains the key of operating within the Kingdom of God. Is this a, “give an offering and get an increase” statement or is it something more?

Let’s start in the book of Ecclesiastes 11:6:

“In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper; either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good."

Prior to this verse, we see that the sowing and reaping system is being addressed in verse four because it states that if you look at the condition around you, you will not sow and therefore, you will not reap. Is verse six telling us that we need to give an offering twice a day every day in order to prosper? This is where I believe that we have missed the point of “sowing.” This is the task of this chapter. What is sowing from a biblical standpoint and how do we biblically reap?

Let us now look at Galatians 6:8, which also deals with the subject of sowing and reaping. What I am trying to do is find consistency in the Bible to support how we sow and how we reap.

“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

In this verse, I can clearly see that sowing goes beyond a monetary gift. Yes, I do know that verse six talks about giving to those who teach us and that has a monetary application to it, but we will deal with this a little later. For now, let us focus on these other verses.

After this verse, Paul goes on to state that we are to not grow weary in well doing. I want you to remember this term “well doing” and keep it in your mind as we talk about sowing. Remember in Ecclesiastes, we were told to sow our seed in the morning and to not withhold our hand in the evening? What seed are we sowing and how do we withhold our hand, which directly ties into the sowing statement?

In Luke 6:38, we find a scripture that is used many times while receiving the offering. It tells us:

“Give, 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.”

I would like to challenge you to go to this passage in your Bible. Read Luke 6:27-38 and see if there are any financial references at all. You will find that everything contained within this discussion is about lifestyle. This is important and ties into the phrase “well doing.”

Going back to the parable of the sower, we see that Jesus further explains this parable of all parables to His disciples. We will begin in Mark 4:14 where the explanation begins:

“The sower soweth the word.”

I realize that these five words are very difficult to understand (tongue-in-cheek), but how did we make the primary definition of sowing to be money? What we sow is the Word of God! Understanding this, we know that the Word of God takes on many forms. According to the Word, we are to encourage one another. Therefore, when I encourage someone, am I not sowing the Word? We are told to love those who wrong us; therefore, when we walk in love, are we not sowing the Word? If you followed my instructions and went to Luke 6, was this not a dissertation on how to live in this world as we interact in various types of situations?

When I give an offering (money), or bring the tithe (money), or have pity on the poor (benevolence), is the transfer of money the key? Or is the reason and motive of what I am doing the key? When Ecclesiastes talks about sowing in the morning and not withholding your hand in the evening, is it an offering statement or a lifestyle statement?

As we reviewed in Ecclesiastes 11:4, the person that observes the conditions around them and does not sow, will not reap. Is this not similar to Luke 6 that is talking about how we react to conditions around us? Can you see how Malachi 3:6 is accurate in saying that God does not change?

As I read the Word of God, I see a constant theme from the beginning to the end. God wants me to do what He has said. When I do what He has said, it produces benefits in my life that I personally experience.

Returning to Mark 4, when Jesus tells us that the sower sows the Word, He then gives examples of what keeps the Word from producing its intended purpose. The types of ground, which is the heart of man, is what keeps the seed from producing. It isn't until verse 20 that we find the good heart, which are those who hear the Word, receive the Word, and produce a thirty, sixty, and even a hundred-fold return.

Our definition of a multiplied return is often wrong because we say we will receive a multiplied return when we sow. Jesus said that when the Word is sown in our heart and our heart is good, we will produce a thirty, sixty, or hundred-fold return. In other words, we will bear fruit.

Now, don’t get discouraged because you are wanting to see increase in your life. Remember Luke 6:38, “Give, and it shall be given...” When the Word of God is producing in our lives, it opens the door for the harvest. Remember that we are talking about sowing AND reaping. We just haven’t dealt with the reaping yet.

Every time the Word of God is sown into your heart, you have a heart reaction. For many people, walls went up when I spoke about the tithe earlier. For others, they got defensive when I spoke about tattoos. This is a heart reaction; this is the tug-of-war match. This is a condition of our heart and this determines the harvest.

In order to be a biblical sower, I must sow the Word. This doesn't mean that I only sow the Word that I agree with or the Words I choose. I must sow the Word in order for the Word to produce what it was designed to produce.

Peter sheds some additional light on the subject found in 1 Peter 4:1-2:

“Forasmuch then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.”

We should all understand the way that Christ suffered for us in the flesh. He had a great battle in Gethsemane where He had to surrender His will to that of the Fathers. Once He broke through this “will” barrier He was able to endure and agonizing death.

Peter tells us that we are to have this same mindset. It is the mindset that states, “No matter what I must endure, I will fulfill the Word.” In verse two, Peter contrasts this statement about our ability to not live our lives based upon our own desires, but submitted to the will of God. After further addressing this subject, Peter makes the following statement in verse 19:

“Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their

souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”

What is “suffering according to the will of God?” The will of God will conflict with what you want. In order to be obedient and sow the Word, you are going to have to violate your desires and follow His. Remember our analysis of Psalms 23? Notice Peter’s phrasing; he uses this same wording of “well doing.” If you go back and read Luke 6 again, you will find that there is a lot of discipline required to follow those commands. However, it is in following God’s Word (sowing the Word) that the return (reaping) comes. This is the reaping that is pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

In order to biblically sow, my heart must be right. This is why the Apostle Paul stated that we are not to give grudgingly or because of necessity. God loves the cheerful sower! Part of the definition of this word “cheerful” is “willing.”

Sowing the Word is a condition of the heart, not a transaction. That is why, in Jesus’ explanation of the ground, He dealt with the things that control the heart. The good ground (heart) is not drawn away or controlled by the natural. It is fully submitted and desires to do what the Word has instructed.

Once you determine what controls your heart, you can determine where your tug-of-war match is. The vast majority of people have a major battle in the area of money because they have so little. This is why they fight to find theological arguments about why they don’t have to tithe, why their idea of giving is okay, and how the church is only after their money.

First of all, it is not their money. It is God’s money because everything is God’s. Second of all, a proper church is not after your money, but will give you the ability to sow the Word of God so that the Word will produce in your life.

Every time I operate in the Word of God, I am sowing the Word. Since God is heart conscious, He is going to lead us into sowing in the areas that are the most difficult for us. Why is this? He wants us to have a free heart. It is not our strengths that hold us back, it is our weaknesses. The area that you play tug-of-war with God is the area that you are not free. It is the area where you are not reaping, but instead tying the hands of God from helping you. Therefore, proper sowing is a process similar to this. The Word of God is sown in our hearts. We take that Word and start living it out, which causes us to sow the Word into other's hearts. I, through the condition of my heart, will control what God is able to do in my life.

Consider another scenario. “Sow into the good ground of this ministry and God will multiply your harvest.” I am sure many of you have heard a statement similar to this. If a ministry is referred to as “ground” and the ground controls what the seed can produce, according to Mark 4, then the “goodness” of this ministry will control my harvest!

In reality, I don’t know what a ministry is doing behind closed doors. It may be good or it may not be. If a ministry is doing immoral of illegal things, they would no doubt still tell people they are doing good appearing to be “good ground.” Therefore, if they are the ground my sowing then becomes ineffective because of their activities Proverbs that I am unaware of. Yet, according to 4:23, I am instructed to guard my heart

because out of my heart flows the issues of life. This supports the parable of the seed found in Mark 4. The heart of man is the ground in which the Word of God is sown.

I don’t believe what the ministry is really doing has any bearing on what I receive. My heart controls what I produce and opens the door for what I receive. Don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that giving an offering is wrong. A right heart will support the ministry, but a right heart is sowing the Word, not giving money because of needs.

The sower sows the Word, therefore I want to sow the Word. In other words, I want my life to reflect what the Word tells me to do because this will determine the amount of harvest that will come back into my life!

How to Reap

If we don’t understand the process of something, we will have a hard time benefiting from it. Because the parables that God uses on this subject are referring to agriculture, we simply look at planting a seed, maintaining the seed, and reaping the harvest. This sounds easy enough.

While I don’t know a lot about agriculture, I’m not ignorant about it. The area of California that I live in has historically produced more agricultural products than any other region of the world. In fact, the world's largest annual agricultural equipment show is around ten miles from my home.

What I do know about agriculture is that it is far more complex than putting seed in the ground and watering it. There is a lot of hard work that is associated with the process. Even harvest time is more difficult than just grabbing some fruit. We had some walnut trees on a property that I grew up on and every year we had to shake the trees and gather the walnuts. It’s not an easy task. In Romania, I had the honor of picking cherries. I use the word "honor" loosely; it was far greater work than grabbing a cherry!

To reap, we first must be a sower. If you are not sowing the Word, then you have nothing to reap. Stop trying to get the blessings of the Lord to flow into your life apart from His system.

Now let’s deal with our mindset. Many will go to Genesis 1:11-12 to establish how a seed produces after its own:

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”

In this verse, we discover a truth. Within a seed is the life of the harvest and that seed produces after its own kind. This is why when you plant a corn seed, you do not get a walnut tree. A corn seed can only produce corn.

Many have taken this verse to build the idea that if you want a car, you need to sow a car. If you want a suit, you need to sow a suit or at least sow clothing. Long ago, when I heard this principle, I told myself, “This would be too complicated. I will just sow money so that I can reap money and with the money, I can buy what I really want.” That seemed logical to me!

However, I was missing the point because the sower sows the Word in order to receive. Let’s explore our seed deeper, starting with Genesis 8:22:

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and

winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

In order to understand this, we have to understand that God does not change, but this earth will not always remain - a change in the administration of God’s dealing with us. Seedtime and harvest will only remain as long as this earth remains. This is a natural duration. The verse that states that a seed produces after its own kind is a natural declaration. In the realm of the natural (corn), a seed can only produce based upon the life cycle of this natural world we live in.

This process will only last as long as the natural exists. However, God does not change; therefore, the spiritual aspects of this system and the spiritual principles of this system will always work. What is the “life” that is in the seed that we sow?

Our seed is not a natural seed. This is the distinction that I have been making regarding what we are actually sowing. When I give money in an offering, am I sowing money or am I sowing the Word? The answer to that question lives within my motive or my heart. Why did I do what I just did?

When I give an offering, am I giving it because it is my desire to follow God’s Word, be part of what He is doing, and expand the Kingdom of God? Or was my giving because the church needed to pay its bills, which would be giving because of necessity? In the first example, I am sowing the Word but in the second example, I am being benevolent.

According to the Bible, the sower sows the Word and the Word is Spirit (John 1:1-2, John 6:63). In many instances, money will take the form of sowing the Word, but I have to be careful that I don’t lose sight of what I am doing. If the Word (our seed) is Spirit, then what I can reap is anything that is spiritually produced. Within the realm of the Spirit, God has given me all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and will supply all my need according to His riches (Philippians 4:19).

So, while my seed's life (Word) is within itself and will produce after its kind, it is not limited to a natural system that controls the harvest. Corn will only produce corn but my seed can produce what ever is needed. It is only limited by my heart's ability to sow and reap.

Allow me to show you how the spiritual seed that is sown is not limited in what it can produce. In the book of 2 Kings 4:8-16, we find a woman who approached her husband about building a room for the man of God. When they had met Elijah and she saw that he was a man of God, she petitioned her husband about building a room that would be his. Anytime he was in the area, he would know that he had a place to stay.

Why did this woman do this good deed? According to the verses, it was because he was a man of God and she wanted to bless him. It is very evident, whether she knew it or not, that she was sowing a room. She asked for nothing in return; she just wanted to bless him.

Later in the story, an opportunity occurred where he asked what he could do for her in return. She wasn’t looking for anything to be done for her, but what happened next changed her life. She reaped a son! The woman had been barren and so the prophet spoke over her and declared that she would conceive and bare a son. She eventually did and when the boy became sick and died, she harvested his resurrection. If a seed is limited by what is sown, then this woman could have received back was a bigger house. However, in the realm of the Spirit, there is no limitation on what can be received.

This is such a powerful story. The thought of receiving a child was never the motive of this woman’s actions, even though it was a desire of her heart (Psalm 37:4). This woman wanted to do what was right and honor God by honoring the prophet of the land. God saw that she sowed the Word and God fulfilled the desires of her heart.

It is also interesting that she ran to the prophet after her son died. Her ability to come directly to the prophet was tied into what she had sown years earlier. In other words, her seed never stopped producing. In the book of Hebrews, we are told that we may come boldly before the Throne of Grace and make our petitions known. Our ability to come boldly is tied to how we’ve sown!

We see a story, in Genesis, that shows what I am talking about. It, too, is a story that is often used during the time of offering. It is found in Genesis 26:12:

“Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.”

Here is the big question. Did Isaac sow natural seed or spiritual seed? Most would say natural, but I doubt that is the case, even though natural seed was part of the process.

Let’s read verses one through three:

“And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, ‘Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father.’”

Yes, Isaac planted a natural crop in the midst of a natural famine, but he was planting the Word of God, even though it took the form of a natural seed. Therefore, he was sowing the Word (what God said) and not the natural seed. The natural seed had no ability to live or produce in a land drought-stricken, but the Word of God would produce no matter the condition.

This takes us back to the verses we read in Ecclesiastics that talked about the person who observes the clouds and the wind. If Isaac would have based his actions upon what he saw, he would not have planted any seed in that dirt. Isaac focused on what God told him; therefore, he sowed the Word which could produce in any condition.

This is why we are told in Ecclesiastes to sow in the morning and not withhold our hand in the evening. Continue to do what God says all day long and don't look at the conditions because you do not know which Word your harvest is connected to. Isaac learned that following God and sowing to the Spirit is far more powerful than doing what looks correct from a natural viewpoint.

Now we have to ask what the harvest consisted of? Verse 12 told us that Isaac received a hundredfold return on his “sowing.” If your mind is wrapped around the natural seed, you will miss this point. Remember the woman who sowed a room and received a child and then the resurrection of that child? Who knows what else happened in her life that was not recorded for our benefit? In verse 13 and 14, we find that beyond the crop harvest that Isaac received, he also “waxed great,” he “went forward,” and he “grew until he became very great,” because he had “possessions of flocks, herds, and servants.” What Isaac received from his sowing was not limited to the natural seed he sowed because he was sowing the Word of God.

In the New Testament we see Paul declaring that a harvest does not have to be in the same form as the Word that was sown. We read this in 1 Corinthians 9:11:

“If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?”

This is a very simple question. If I impart into you things of the Spirit that I understand, what is the big deal if I receive from you the natural things that I need. Paul did not expect to increase in more revelation from his sowing. Paul expected that his natural needs would be taken care of.

Galatians 6:6 states:

“Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.”

The word translated as "communicate" actually comes from a Greek word that means, “to share with others.” This statement is the same statement we just read in 1 Corinthians 9:11. However, I find the next verse more interesting:

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

Following that verse, Paul talks about sowing to our flesh or sowing to the Spirit. Allow me to translate this to you. Your sowing is a function of the Word that is in your heart. Another way to say that would be to ask the question, “What does the Word produce in your heart?”

Let’s examine our own lives in context to the verses we just read. Do you have a Pastor or someone who is more spiritually mature than you and who speaks into your life? If the answer is yes, which would be based upon Ephesians 4, what have you done for that person lately?

Your answer might be that you tithe faithfully and give offerings or that they receive a salary from the church which you help support. This answer would reveal your heart condition. We’ve just read in two separate verses that there is a responsibility between us and the person that ministers to us. How effective are you in sowing the Word?

The multiplication of thirty, sixty, or one hundredfold in Mark 4 is to be produced by us. You and I should abound in sowing. How can we experience lifechanging impartation into our lives and then walk away and just be a taker? Why would we not do something to or for the one who has changed our lives with the Word of God? Yet, this is the common response that Christians have towards the those who labor in the Word. This is also why the Apostle immediately stated, in verse 9, to not grow weary.

The key to our success is found in Mark 4. Jesus said that the sower sows the Word. This is us! We are sowers of the Word. However, our sowing ends up in the heart of various people and, according to this parable, the majority will not allow the Word to produce anything. Therefore, we must continue to sow the Word so that we don’t miss the sowing in the field that actually allows the seed to reproduce.

This Kingdom is a perpetual Kingdom, meaning the Word of God is sown into my heart and will produce a thirty, sixty or hundredfold harvest, if I have a good heart. By being a sower of a spiritual seed, something is going to happen that will allow me to be a harvester, which Paul explains.

When you become a sower of the Word, you are going to have the opportunity to grow weary because most people are takers. This is why Ecclesiastes tells us to not stop sowing because you don’t know if every seed will prosper. You may grow weary and stop sowing the Word at the time the Word will produce something back into your life. Paul states:

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

These final two verses give us a wealth of information as it pertains to the process of sowing and reaping. First of all, notice the term “well doing.” This is the same term I pointed out earlier. Then it states, “...let us do good...”

The act of sowing is sowing the Word. The natural form of the Word will vary. It could be money, an encouraging word, walking in love, counseling, giving food, etc; but what we do should be an act of obedience of the Word and not a transaction.

The words “due season” and the word “opportunity” in the above verse are both translated from the same Greek word. However, there is a problem in the mindset of believers with the English words that are used. When we read “due season,” our minds typically understand this term as some day in the future. However, this is not what is being said. We could read this as, “...for in opportunity we shall reap...”

Think back about the woman who sowed a room and reaped a child. She was called in to the man of God’s quarters by his assistant and was presented an “opportunity.” When the child later died, she had the “opportunity” to approach the man of God because of what she previously sowed.

Let’s revisit Isaac’s story. When God told him not to go to Egypt, but to stay in the famine, he had been presented an “opportunity” that would change his life. Remember all the things that happened to him beyond the natural crop he harvested? How did those other things happen? There were “opportunities” to increase that he had responded to.

I remember talking to an individual one day and they told me how they had the opportunity to buy the house that was next door to them for a ridiculously low amount. Then they told me what the house was worth at that point in time. They would have made a lot of money in the value of the house if they had purchased it. I asked the obvious question, “Why didn’t you buy it?” They just couldn’t fathom buying it at the time. A translation of this statement is that they didn’t recognize the opportunity that was before them. What happens if we don’t recognize opportunities?

One day I received a call from a Christian brother who asked if I would accompany him down to Los Angeles. He had to take his wife down to her brother's home and he didn’t want to drive back alone. It was going to be a four hour trip each way, meaning that my day would be taken up by this trip if I went. I felt in my heart to go with him, so I agreed. I assumed it would be a time of ministry and that he probably wanted to talk to me about something. Previous to this, I had been believing the Lord to be able to buy some rental properties.

We traveled the whole day with enjoyable fellowship, but nothing really significant on the ministry side happened, except discussing some scriptures and some encouragement. About a hour before we arrived home, the conversation turned and he said, “I know a guy that lives behind me who wants me to buy his house for $75,000.”

I knew the area he lived in and knew that this could be a good price. I inquired whether he was going to buy it and he said that they were not in a position to. I told him to tell the guy to contact me as I was interested in buying it. To this day, I still own this house which I ended up purchasing for $72,500. What happened? An opportunity presented itself, but I had to “receive” it.

Many do not understand how to “receive” their harvest. I stated earlier that the harvest is not always easy work. The story of the house above sounds easy, right? But it wasn’t. I had to follow up with my friend three times before I ever spoke to the owner of the house. I had to meet with the owner twice and deal with a realtor friend of his who kept trying to mess the deal up. There were some dry rot issues that needed to be taken care of before I would purchase it that he didn’t want to do. The process was probably around 60 days after I first met the owner. There was work that needed to be done in order to harvest my crop but, in the end, it was worth the labor.

If we are unable to recognize opportunities, we will not recognize our harvest. I could have approached this statement as a topic of conversation but, instead, I recognized the opportunity. God will make a way where there seems to be no way, but the way will be through an opportunity.

I remember a story told by a Pastor from Oklahoma. He had a man in his church who was believing for a financial miracle because of some present need in his life. At work, he was offered the opportunity to oversee a special project the company was doing that would require a lot of overtime. The man declined the offer because he wasn’t interested in working the extra overtime. Needless to say, this man also never received that which he was believing for.

More than likely, the overtime would have probably been more than sufficient for the finances he needed. Who knows what promotions, pay increases, bonuses, or other opportunities would have been presented if he would have only walked through the door that had been opened.

God’s system is a "more than enough" system as I have shown throughout this book. God is not trying to keep us poor or have us give away all our money so that we have none for ourselves. God has set up a system that operates on the principle of sowing and reaping. That system will take you much further than what you could ever imagine. But we have to deal with our hearts and move ourselves to the place where the Word, that has been sown into our hearts, now sows the Word in multiplication.

Ending the Game of Tug-of-War

I have no doubt that something in this chapter is not agreeable with your current realm of thinking. In fact, you may point to a testimony you heard about someone who gave a car and received a car or gave a house and received a house. I can tell you a story about a friend of mine who was given a very expensive suit. He sowed the suit and then received several suits, shoes, and belts in return. It was an awesome testimony, however, you will nearly always hear the words, “God directed me to...” if you listen closely to the testimony.

My friend, who sowed the suit, was told by the Lord who to give it to. Therefore, I ask the question, “was he sowing the suit or was he sowing the Word?”

If the sower sows the Word and we are only stewards of God’s stuff, then there should be no limits to what we can give. The Word that is sown in our hearts should produce a multiplication of the Word being sown and with that sowing, there should be a multiplication of opportunities to increase coming back to us.

The battle that I have to fight is letting go of what I perceive is mine. I have to allow Jesus to actually be Lord of my life and whatever He says is final authority. In the New Testament, we are given many instructions that teach us to sow the Word, including tithes, offerings, honoring those who teach the Word to us, walking in love, encouraging others, benevolence to the widows and orphans, expanding the Kingdom of God, and a host of others. What are we doing with it?

If I am going to end the tug-of-war match with God, I have to let go of the reins of my life and allow the Lord to show me where I should sow and I have to walk through every door of opportunity that the Lord gives me.

Honoring God

In this chapter, I want to look at some of the subjects I have referred to in previous chapters that relate directly to God’s economy. My plan is to walk through some important points of God’s system. However, we must continue to focus on God’s system, not on activities we agree or disagree with.

It is obvious that you are in a position to start operating in God’s system with a simple decision of faith and some alterations in how you conduct your financial life if your financial house is in order and you currently have excess. However, if you are like most Americans (in debt up to your eyeballs), you are going to have walk through the corridor of transition. This is the place where you transition from the way you were living into the way God has designed for you to live. At first glance, this is going to seem impossible because of what God instructs you to do, however, let me encourage you to doing things God’s way. Once you start doing things God’s way, He can change your situation in an accelerated timeframe. He can bring you into a life that is debt-free and full of abundance. Trust Him because God is the God of the impossible. Believe in His Word and you will see that the Lord will do amazing things in your financial life.

The first step that one must make in God’s economic system is that five letter word that so many Christians hate and argue about – the “tithe!” I think I have heard every argument that a person can make when it comes to the tithe. All of these arguments are futile attempts to justify why the person is playing a tugof-war match with God. As stated earlier, God does not change. We see the principle of the tithe in the Garden of Eden and all the way through eternity in Heaven.

Many say that tithing is an Old Testament principle; some say that it is under the law and we have been freed from the law; others say that the tithe is not found in the New Testament; and many others try and redefine the tithe to a non-biblical manner. Since we have already addressed these issues, I am not going to spend time on them. As an individual, I want to know what God thinks, not what man’s doctrine is.

The book of Malachi has probably been used more than any other book when it comes to speaking about the tithe. However, many immediately go to chapter 3 and fail to realize the foundational subject of this book, which is honor. Let’s begin in Malachi 1:6:

“A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you…”

This book is a very powerful book where the Lord poses many questions to His people, including ones that are specifically related to the tithe. As you study the chapters in this book, it is obvious that God’s people answer these series of questions with a question. It is as though they are saying, “What are you talking about, Lord? How did we do what you say we have done? The Lord explains His position.

On one occasion, as I was studying the book of Malachi, the Lord started dealing with my heart about a very powerful aspect of this prophetic book. The Lord spoke to my heart that His people did not listen to Him. With very clear instructions, He pointed out the error of His people and how that error was keeping them from walking in the blessings of their covenant. Yet, even though this powerful instruction was given, the people did not listen and because of their disobedience, God’s people entered 400 years of silence.

When we look at the book of Malachi from this viewpoint, it is easy to understand that the best way to separate yourself from the Lord is to not listen to what He is saying. We must not fight God in what He has established, but yield our wills to His and do what He has stated. When we realize that God's design of life has given us a life of abundant blessings, it becomes much easier to follow God.

Starting in Malachi 3, we will begin our journey into the tithe, which is about honor, and the starting place for any Christian who truly desires to live in God’s economy:

7 ! Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

8! Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9! Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10! Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11! 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.

12! And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

13! Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

14! Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? (Malachi 3:7-14 KJV)

Malachi 3:7-8 are two very powerful scriptures. In verse 7, God speaks to His people about returning to Him by asking one of those questions I illustrated a little earlier. God’s people responded, “What are you talking about, Lord? How do you want us to return to you?” God’s immediate answer is to talk about their money. This shows that God is very serious when it comes to our money because the reality is that it is not ours, it is His. Money is the main area that gets between God and His people, which is why most Christians struggle in living to the fullness of their purpose in Christ.

In verse 8, God declares that when one does not handle their money His way, they are robbing Him. This takes us into an area where I don’t believe many have thought about. The tithe and the offering are the Lord’s before we ever give it. If the tithe and the offering were ours, how could we rob Him by not bringing it to Him? Many think that the tithe becomes the tithe and the offering becomes the offering when it is placed in the offering plate; however, God has never asked us to do anything that He hasn't provided. Therefore, in remembering that all is His, the money in our hand is first and foremost to honor Him with.

Consider what the Lord said in Leviticus 27:30:

“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD.”

The Word tithe literally means “tenth.” Therefore, we could read this scripture as, “And all the tenth of the land…is the Lord’s.” God has told His people that onetenth of everything is holy to Him, therefore, they have a responsibility to bring what is holy and present it to Him in the manner prescribed.

God does not say that it becomes holy once it is given, but that it is holy while it is still in their possession. Using the example illustrated in Leviticus, the tenth is His while the fruit is still on the tree. The Lord puts the responsibility (stewardship) on His people to obey His Word. His people now have a responsibility to handle what is His in the way He has prescribed. The Lord has caused the increase to come and the “tenth” of all the increase is holy to Him. We have the stewardship responsibility to honor God in that which has already been made holy. Failing to do so is the same as stealing from the Lord.

In verse 9, after declaring that God’s people rob Him by not bringing the tithe and offering to Him, He then tells of what the penalty is for living this type of lifestyle. He states that they are cursed with a curse. To fully understand what is being said here, I believe I should define a couple of statements. In this book, I have pointed out the “blessed” life that we can live in God. What does it mean to be “blessed?” The word blessed, in a contextual definition from the Bible, means "empowered to prosper or succeed.”

When the Lord pronounces a blessing upon His people, He is empowering them to do what He has declared. A curse is the opposite of the blessing. When one is cursed, according to scripture, they have been empowered to fail. Another way we could say this is in relation to John 10:10, which declares that the devil has come to kill, steal, and destroy. To be cursed is to live in such a way that the devil has access into your life to fulfill his purpose. You are not living in the protection given by God, therefore, you are empowered to fail.

The remedy to this empowerment of a failed life is to return to the Lord by bringing the tithe and the offering to the Lord. He has told us the process in receiving the tithe His way. He says to bring it to the storehouse so that His Word (meat) will be in His house. Let me elaborate on a couple of areas where many play tug-of-war with the Lord. Remember Cain in Genesis 4? What he brought to the Lord was rejected, which tells us something very interesting. God wants things done the way He has established them, not the way we think they should be.

Seeing that the Lord can refuse what we bring, we should not automatically assume that He will accept our giving every time. Remember when King Saul failed to completely destroy the Amalekites? Samuel heard the noise of the animals and asked Saul why he had brought these back when God had instructed him to destroy everything. His answer was that they had kept the best of the livestock to make an offering to the Lord. Samuel’s reply was astounding:

Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22 - NKJ)

This scripture is so profound. The tithe and the offerings are not about money! It’s about honor and obedience to God’s system. This is why the Lord can refuse what we bring to Him. If it were just about money, He would be pleased every time we gave, no matter our attitude. This is why Jesus was so moved with the poor widow’s two coins that were placed in the offering. Jesus stated that she had given more than anyone. She was operating in obedience to the Word and willing to follow God’s system, even though she had to give out of her want.

How do we fight God in doing things His way when it comes to the tithe? One way is the fact that the tithe is a tenth. I have heard people say that they tithe 5% and I have heard people say that they tithe 15%. Realize that the tithe is a tenth and a tenth is a tenth, no matter how you want to look at it.

If an individual is giving 5% of their increase, it doesn’t matter what they call it but they are not bringing the tithe because the tithe is a tenth. If a person is giving 15% of their income, then they are giving a tithe (10%) and a 5% offering. It is impossible for a person to tithe more than a tenth because a tithe is a tenth.

What is so important about this? There are promises connected to our giving. There is a promise in the tithe, promises in our offerings, and a promise when we give to the poor. If we don’t understand how to give and how to release our faith in our giving, then we can easily become Hosea 4:6 Christians who are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. This is also why we must understand that we are sowing the Word and not money. The tithe, which is a tenth of our increase, is not sown. The Word is sown, but it has taken the form of money when we bring the tithe.

Many people redefine the tithe, stating that the Bible used agricultural terms and, therefore, are not applicable today. Many believe it was just part of the system of the land in the Old Testament, but we have to remember that God said, “that there be meat in my house.”

The tithe is directly connected to His house. It was a system whereby the Word could stay strong. The way the Word stayed strong was by keeping the priests focused on matters of God instead of natural matters. The system of exchange during this time period was based on barter. Bringing your crops to the temple was used to keep God’s house operational. Today, if you bring a bushel of corn to God’s house, the priest wouldn't be able to do anything with it because the methods of exchange have changed. In order for God’s house to stay functional in today’s society, it takes money because money is the method of exchange now.

What would happen if all paper currency was done away with and society moved to a digital currency? It would be useless to bring paper money to the house of God because it would not keep the Word strong in God’s house. Remember that God’s economy and the world’s economy overlap. In the same way, if things changed to a digital currency, you would be praying for digital increase because that would be the method of barter. Don’t allow the arguments of greed to persuade you from walking away from the principles that God has established.

The second area we fight God in is that we want to do things our way. Cain was in the same position. The Lord declared that we are to bring the tithe into the storehouse. This poses a question. What is the storehouse? He said that the purpose of bringing it to the storehouse is so that the Word of God would be strong in “His house.” Therefore, we know that the storehouse must be His house, which is the church. But which church are you to bring your tithe? There are two keys given to us in this scripture: the reference of His house being a storehouse and that we are to “bring” the tithe.

What is a storehouse? A storehouse is a place (housing) that stores your resources. Let me use a couple of elementary examples. The refrigerator in your home could be referred to as the storehouse of your food. It is where you store your food so that when you need to eat, you have a place to go and get what is yours. Why would you not walk into my home and get food out of my refrigerator when you are hungry? The answer is obvious; it is because it is not your refrigerator.

The bank where you keep your money could be referred to as a storehouse. It is the place where you house your money so that when you need it, you can easily access it. If you tried to access the money in my bank account, you would be in violation of many laws. Therefore, in the biblical sense, your storehouse is the place where you access spiritual supply when you need it.

Many Christians “send” their tithe to their favorite “preacher,” instead of “bringing” their tithe to their “storehouse” as God has commanded. I don’t know how we can read about Cain and Saul's offerings being rejected by trying to do things their own way, but think that we can present our offerings to the Lord how we want and that He will accept it. This is very foolish and an area where we are trying to usurp our wills over the will of God. I call this playing tug-of-war with the Lord and the person entering this game of resistance is destined to lose.

Let’s look into the storehouse factor a little deeper. When you or a member of your family is in the hospital, who do you call if you want someone to come to the hospital room and pray? Your storehouse! When the enemy is attacking your family and your marriage or your children are in trouble, where do you turn? Your storehouse! The Lord’s system for your life is for the Word in your local church to always be strong so that whenever you need help, you have a place to turn.

God’s people have hurt their lives by keeping the local church weak. Too many pastors have to work outside the church to make a living because God’s people won’t operate the way God designed His church to operate. Most of the time, in order to support this theology, they turn to Paul who provided for himself through tent making. However, they forget to read 2 Corinthians 12:13 where Paul stated he had made the church weak because he did not burden them with his needs. He literally asked them to forgive him!

If you want the church to be strong, then you are going to have to have a pastor who can spend time in the Word and prayer without carrying the heavy burden of working another job to be able to take care of the natural needs of their family. What is the solution? “Bring” that which is holy, the tithe (one-tenth), to the Lord so that the Word of God is strong in your local church.

Notice the Lord did not say to “send.” The presentation of the tithe and offering is a time of worship where we honor the Lord. It is not about the money, it is about the heart. God wants “you,” not your money; when you “send” the tithe, it is just a money transaction and is missing the most critical part of the equation – you!

Continuing in verse 10, we find some very strong words by the Lord that we don’t find anywhere else in the Bible. The Lord says to prove Him in this. What is it that we are to prove the Lord in? The Lord tells us to bring the tenth of all our increase and put to proof the Word of God and see if He will, “open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that is more than we are able to receive.” This promise is an interesting promise that I think many misunderstand. I have traveled all over the world and I have yet to meet anyone who had the heavens open and money start falling through an open window in heaven. This is not God’s promise!

His promise is that you will live under an open heaven where the empowerment (blessing) of heaven to succeed will manifest so strongly in your life that it will exceed your natural ability to handle everything. Don’t misinterpret this! Remember our discussion on how we reap from sowing? In Galatians, the Apostle Paul told us that in “opportunity,” we shall reap. God is saying that there will be opportunity after opportunity where we can capitalize in such abundance that we won’t have the capacity to lay hold of every opportunity.

This brings us to a natural question. How does this empowerment work in our lives? What am I to release my faith towards when I am a tither? To answer this question, I want to go into the Old Testament, but before I do, I want to let those who think tithing is an Old Testament principle to stay with me because we are going to bring these great promises into the New Testament very shortly.

Let’s go back to the book of beginnings and read the story of Jacob’s ladder. In Genesis 28:22, Jacob had this great vision and stated:

“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.”

There are some very powerful principles in this passage along with some questions that need to be answered. However, let me first point out that Jacob lived long before the law was given. In this passage, we find Jacob declaring that if God was going to do what He said in this vision, then he was going to give the Lord the tenth (a tithe) of everything God gave to him. Therefore, it is safe to disregard the argument that tithing is under the law and since we are no longer under the law, it doesn’t apply to us. The tenth was directly tied to abundance and protection according to Jacob.

Tithing is an honor principle that has been around since the beginning of time. If we wanted to take time and explore biblical giving completely, we could go back to Cain and Abel in Genesis 4 and see how they brought the first fruits to the Lord. We know that Cain and Abel are the first recorded humans to be naturally born into this world. Have you ever wondered why they both brought an offering to the Lord? How did they know to do this? What were their actions based on?

Think about this for a moment. Were they sitting around a campfire one night and out of nowhere, one of them said to the other, “Do you think it would be good idea to bring an offering to the Lord?” It is highly unlikely that it occurred this way. Adam and Eve instilled into them that the first of their increase belonged to the Lord. How did Adam and Eve know this? Apparently, they learned this principle as they walked with God in the Garden. In addition, we see a tree in the garden that they were not to eat of. It was God’s! It was accessible and they were to take care of it, but they were not supposed to eat of it. The honor of that which is God’s has been from the beginning of time and we should never reduce it to anything less than what God has established it to be.

Let’s return to the story of Jacob. The events that led up to Jacob making this declaration are ones that need to be studied out fully. What God promised to Jacob had to be so far beyond his comprehension that he declared, “I am going to do this Your way Lord!”

Before we jump into this story, let me caution you. The story of Jacob’s ladder is so familiar with Christians that you may want to jump over it assuming you already know this. Don’t make this mistake as you are going to come across very powerful truths if you will walk through this with me. Let's read Genesis 28:12-22:

(12) “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.”

The first thing I want you to consider is the fact that the angels were ascending and descending on the ladder. In other words, they continually went up and down the ladder. This is significant to the vision that Jacob saw, but have you ever wondered why they continually went up and down? What were they doing as they continually went up and down? Was this was some type of angelic stair stepper they used for aerobic training? Obviously, this was not the case but their presence in this vision was significant to what Jacob understood when the vision was complete.

(13) “And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.”

These words are the promises of the Lord. In verse 13, the Lord promises to Jacob the land that he is laying on. As the Lord appeared unto Jacob and while these angels are ascending and descending upon this ladder, the Lord declares that He will give Jacob this land.

(14) “And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

In verse 14, the Lord expands His promise and tells Jacob that he will be blessed in his family and that they would increase in all directions. Furthermore, it is promised to him that all the families of the earth would be blessed because of him.

(15) “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”

In verse 15, the Lord promises Jacob that the Lord will be his protection. Wherever Jacob finds himself, the Lord says that he will not be alone. He promises that He will not depart from him and that every promise will be accomplished. Let me also remind you that the angels are still going up and down the ladder.

(16) And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. (17) And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

In verses 16 and 17, Jacob starts to recount all that he saw. However, let me first point out some significant information in these two scriptures. Jacob states that this is the “house of God.” Before there was a temple of the Old Testament and before there was ever a church as we know church today, Jacob understood that a person will find themselves protected in the house of God. Isn’t it amazing that the house of God is also where we are to bring the tithe?

It makes sense why Malachi declared that God’s people are to bring their tithe to their storehouse, which is the house of God. To further expound upon the power of the local church, Jesus stated in Matthew 16:18 that He was building a church upon a rock and the gates of hell would not be able to prevail against it. All the way back into the book of Genesis, Jacob saw this indestructible thing called “church” and declared that this house of God is the “gate of heaven.”

In verse 22, Jacob set a “stone” for a pillar of God’s house. It is an amazing thing to see Jacob’s ladder tying into the new covenant where the Church is built upon a rock:

(18) And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. (19) And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. (20) And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, (21) So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: (22) 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.

Notice the areas that I have emphasized. Jacob vowed a vow and he said, “if.” Remember in the book of Malachi, when the Lord spoke through this prophet and said, “prove Me and see if I will do this?” We see Jacob proving God in this statement. He is entering into an agreement with the Lord saying, “If you are going to do these things which you said, then you are going to be my God and I am going to give you a tenth of all my increase.”

Jacob declared “if God will be with me.” Was this a promise that we read? Absolutely! We find it in verse 15 that continues with his declaration of what God promised, saying, “…and will keep me in this way…” Did the Lord promise to keep him in any particular way? Absolutely! This is found throughout the passage. The Lord promised to give him land, protect him, increase his family, and so forth. Jacob was acknowledging that if the Lord was going to do these things for him, he would surely make him his Lord.

The next thing Jacob declares is that God, “…will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on…” Now we must stop because we did not read anything about the Lord promising to Jacob food and clothing. Why would Jacob include these elements in the promise the Lord made to him, if they were not included? He wouldn’t. They were obviously included because Jacob mentions them, which brings us back to the angels ascending and descending on the ladder. What were they doing? They obviously were doing something that pertained to the vision.

In the vision, Jacob must have seen the angels bringing the provision of the natural to him, from heaven, that he would need for his life. This provision must have included food and clothing and, more than likely, it included every aspect for him to live a “blessed” life. In addition, the Lord must have put a demand on Jacob saying, “I will do this for you and I want you to honor me as Lord by bringing a tenth of everything I give you.” What an awesome thing that Jacob saw. He saw God’s economy at work in man’s life.

This powerful revelation also caused him to declare that the house of God is the gate of heaven and in order to live in this powerful provision of God manifesting in His life, he would gladly bring a tenth of all his increase to the Lord. It is apparent that the idea of bringing a tenth was not Jacob’s idea, but one the Lord had requested of him.

This vision has adequately been named “Jacob’s Ladder,” but what would be a more descriptive name for this vision? It would seem to me that the vision of an open heaven would more accurately describe what Jacob saw. This is what Malachi was prophesying about when we bring the tithes and the offerings to the Lord. God says that He will open the windows of heaven. When the windows of heaven are open, the angelic force is working for us and bringing to us the provision from above that has been made available for our lives and the protection and increase of the Lord will rest upon us. This is everything that Malachi declared in his prophesy!

In Hebrews 1:14 NIV, we read about angels. “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” The very purpose of angels, as was seen in Jacob's vision, is that they stand ready to serve the provision of heaven into your life. However, you are the one who determines whether you live under an open heaven or under a closed heaven. As long as we continue to play the tug-of-war match with the Lord, the windows of heaven will be shut over our lives.

I don't want to imply that we only serve the Lord for the financial benefits, but understanding the revelation of tithes makes it a very foolish proposition to fight the Lord in this area. We do live for the Lord for covenant benefits, which requires something of us and also provides for us! What God can do in and through you is so much greater than what you can accomplish on your own. It is foolish to play tug-of-war with the Lord in the area of the tithe and offerings.

Going back to Malachi and looking at the statements directly after the promise of living under an open heaven (verses 11-12), the Lord proclaims that He would rebuke the devourer for us as a benefit of honoring the Lord in the manner described.

What is the devourer? The devourer is anything that devours. We can easily see from John 10:10 that the devil is a devourer, but in the day and age that we live in, there are many things that can devour. In the area of California that I live in, the air is very bad. It is so bad that when a person buys a home, they must sign consent and release forms acknowledging that they understand the air here can cause sicknesses resulting in death. I don’t know how you define devourer, but to me, that qualifies.

In many parts of the world, malaria is very common. Through a single bite of a mosquito, one can contract this deadly disease and face death. Increasingly, the world is becoming a global economy. This means that the economy of one country will affect the economy of another country. I personally have no control over what is going on in the economic activities around the world. When markets crash, many people’s lives are affected, but the Lord has declared that He will rebuke those things that are designed to destroy our person and property.

In my opinion, verse 12 is a great verse. The Lord declares that the provision of heaven manifesting in your life is going to be so great that people will look at you and say, “You are a blessed person!” When things are working so well in your life and people notice that you are blessed, you are living a life that is worth living.

Let me now move back to verse 10 for a moment because the Lord speaks a very profound three letter word in the beginning of this verse. He states, “Bring ye all the tithe…” How do we not bring all the tithe? We rob God by not being a tither. This would obviously qualify, but the more common problem is bringing the tithe of our increase. There have been many theological fights on whether one should tithe on the gross or the net of their increase. Biblically, there is no way to make an argument to support tithing on the net because the Word very clearly talks about the tithe being on the “increase.”

To illustrate how we play tug-of-war with the Lord, I want to illustrate how we know what our increase is, yet we try to cleverly subvert God’s Word so that we can do things our own way. Let’s assume for the sake of our example that you make $10.00 an hour at your job where you are paid on a weekly basis. Each week, your employer pays you by calculating your 40 hours worked and writing you a paycheck in the amount of $400.00 with the appropriate deductions for taxes (40 hours x $10.00 per hour). For the sake of our example, let’s say that your net check was $320.00.

Based upon a net check in the amount of $320.00 and the 40 hours that you worked, your net hourly wage was really only $8.00 per hour. If someone were to ask you how much you make at your job, your answer would be $10.00 per hour, not $8.00 per hour. Anytime someone tells what their wages are, they always tell the higher amount. The reason they do this is because they understand that the higher amount is the amount they are making.

If this person went to the car dealership and they were processing the paperwork to buy a vehicle, they would state either $10.00 per hour or $400.00 per week when asked how much they made at their job. Why then, when we come to the house of God, do we make the case for tithing on the net? The answer is obvious; it is because the amount is lower. Therefore, we see the mindset within those who play tug-of-war with the Lord. They think this is about money.

God is looking for a right heart, which is a heart of obedience. If a tithe is a tenth and you “tithe” on your net, which would be $32.00 per week in my example above, you have really only brought to the Lord an eighth of your increase which is not a tenth; therefore, it is not a tithe and you subsequently are not walking in the promise that the Lord has ordained in this area. God is more interested in obedience than the sacrifice. We must continually guard ourselves so that we do things the way God has established them and not redefine them to satisfy our personal desires.

Now we come to the question of whether tithing is biblical in the New Testament. There are two very powerful places in the New Testament that I would like to focus on. The first is with Jesus’ words found in Matthew 23:23:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."

In this, we see Jesus acknowledging the importance of the tithe while rebuking the Pharisees. The Pharisees were so diligent to calculate the tenth on the tiniest amount of herbs and spices that they missed the more important elements of the Word of God found in judgment, mercy, and faith.

The Lord told them that they needed to step into the more important matters, but to not stop bringing the tenth! One of the strongest points is Jesus referencing their diligence in figuring the tithe of the smallest items and telling them to not stop. Wow! Have you ever walked down the street and found a one dollar bill? Did you bring the Lord a dime? In God’s eyes, the tenth of all increase means all.

When we come to the revelation that the Lord has established a tenth of all our increase is His and that there is a way to bring the tithe, we will find the blessing of the tithe manifested in our lives. In the book of Hebrews, we are told how the tithe is received. In Hebrews 7:5, we read:

“And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham.”

Why do we find that those who receive the office of the priesthood have a “commandment” to take the tithe of the people according to the law? The reason is because it is the commandment of the Lord that His people are to bring a tenth of all their increase. Therefore, those who occupy the office of the priesthood must receive the tithe on behalf of the Lord.

This verse references the law because the explanation of how to receive a tithe was in the law. The process to receive the tithe has never changed. The people were to bring the tithe to the Levites who were the priests. In the New Testament, the priests that have the commandment to receive the tithe, are the ones who have direct spiritual authority over you in the storehouse where the Lord has placed you. The most common terminology for this person is the pastor, but the spiritual position they actually occupy may be any of the fivefold offices. In Ephesians 4:11, we read:

"And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers..."

In this verse, we find that everyone has somebody. It does not matter which office your priest occupies; what matters is that they are your priest, in your storehouse, and you bring the tenth of all your increase. God has, with great detail, outlined how the tithe is to be brought to Him. He tells us our life will be blessed if we do things His way.

If you continue to study Hebrews 7, you will find many correlations between the Old Testament when Abraham brought the tithe to Melchisedec and our Lord. Let’s review the first three verses:

(1) For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; (2) To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; (3) Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

In these verses, we see that Melchisedec was known as the King of righteousness and the King of peace. These titles now belong to our Lord Jesus. How much more should honor be bestowed upon the Lord of lords and King of kings?

At the end of verse 3, we see that Melchisedec was made like the Son of God and is a priest continually. It is easy to see that the events that took place with Abraham and Melchisedec were shadows of things to come that dealt with the eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God…” (Hebrews 4:14 - KJV)

In verse 4, the first seven words are very powerful, “Now consider how great this man was.” How can we consider how great Melchisedec was without considering how much greater our Lord Jesus Christ is? The point that is being made is that if this man, Melchisedec, was worthy to receive the tenth from Abraham, then so much more now is Jesus our King of Righteousness and King of Peace worthy of this same honor.

(4) Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. (5) And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

The tithe is a very powerful aspect of God’s economy. God’s instructions are very specific and very clear. Throughout the Word of God, we see the Lord’s desire of an obedient people. As you learn to walk in complete submission to the Word of God, you will learn how to live the blessed life that the Lord designed for you.

One of the major differences between the tithe and the offering is the definition of what it is. As I have shown, the tithe is a tenth. But what is the offering? In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, we find a discourse on the offering. In the following verse, we find some very important information regarding the offering:

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

There are four very important things we can glean from this verse. The first is found in the word “purposes.” In the American church, I find that most give based on what they currently have or they give because of an emotional pull that is placed upon them. I teach the people in my church to purpose what you are going to give. During December or January of each year, I talk about purposing what you will do that year. Make a decision, before you ever show up for church, on what you will do to honor God.

I also teach my people to follow the example of the tithe when purposing what they will do. What God established in the tithe was that it is a percentage of what one makes. It’s interesting that God chose this as it gives us the ability to honor God equally. It also gives us the ability to honor God during both abundant and lean times. If I purpose to give the Lord a percentage of my increase as an offering, then my offering will automatically increase as the Lord blesses me, which keeps my honor at the same level. If I walk through a lean period of time and my income drops, I can still maintain my honor. No matter how you approach your offering, remember that it is about honor. God is looking at your heart; He is looking at the why and how you are giving it.

The second word we see is “grudgingly.” The Lord does not expect nor wants an offering that causes you to do it remorsefully. This is interesting to me because the Lord wants you on His side, He doesn’t want you playing tug-of-war with Him. Remember that we are sowing the Word and not money, but we have to remember the opportunities and open heavens over our lives. We do reap based upon our sowing. While the Lord does not want an offering where your heart is not in it, your ability to receive is also based upon what you sow. The key here is to have a free heart that realizes everything is God's. Allow God into your finances and see exactly what He can do with it.

The third word in this verse is probably the most violated verse of all. It is the word, “necessity.” God does not want you to give based on need. Many are very benevolent and they want to help the one that needs it most. This actually has nothing to do with operating in God’s system; this is a violation of His system.

Let’s rehearse some scriptures we’ve already covered. Through the prophet, Malachi, we are told that we are to bring our tithes and offerings into the storehouse. If this represents the local church as we’ve outlined, then we are contributing to our storehouse in order to keep the Word strong in God’s house. The local church always has needs because we are always doing things to reach people, serve people, and do ministry. God wants me to bring an offering, but He doesn’t want me to do it based on need. What is the correct response to the conflict of need and purpose that I need to address in my life?

One of the purposes that I have established in my heart is that I am a part of my local church. While I do not give because of need, I do give because I want this ministry to accomplish its vision. Let me explain how I approach my offerings. Remember that my way is not the way it has to be done because it is a purpose of the heart, but in showing what I’ve done, it might make it easier to grasp your ability to sow the Word, be a blessing and be someone that God uses.

I give as I described earlier. I purpose my offerings before the year begins and my purpose is based on a percentage, not a dollar figure. I divide my percentage into two separate categories. The first category is the ministry that I am a part of. I want this ministry to fulfill its vision, so I am not going to forsake my storehouse in order to support some far away ministry. This amount is set aside with every increase that comes into our lives and is presented to our storehouse.

The second category is “other” areas of sowing. I actually keep a separate checking account for this because this is not distributed every week. I am a sower and I want to participate in whatever ministry opportunity there is. Remember how Paul tells us that we can have enough to abound to every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). I set the established amount aside every month and I use this to sow into missions, guest speakers, other church services, special projects, etc. that I have opportunity to give to.

Having said this, I must also say that this is only what I have purposed. I truly realize that everything I have is the Lord’s, therefore, there is nothing off limits to what He may ask for. If He decides that He wants me to go beyond what I have purposed, He is free to do so and I will respond accordingly. The key in all of this is my heart towards what God has said in His Word.

The fourth word is “cheerful.” This tell us that the offering is about the heart and not the money. God is interested in our hearts more than he is interested in the denominations of the bills that we bring. In the next chapter, I will dig deeper into the purposes of our heart so that we fully understand how our hearts control our reaping.

Ending the Game of Tug-of-War

How do we stop fighting the Lord in this area of the Word? It is the easiest and the hardest at the same time. It is very simple to start doing things the Lord’s way by bringing a tenth of all your increase to the Lord and purposing in your heart how you will support His Kingdom with your offerings. The hard part is that most people have a hard time living on 100% of their income, therefore, they cannot conceive how giving will increase them. I cannot explain how the Lord does it, but I have heard and seen numerous testimonies about people who have not been able to make ends meet on 100% of their incomes but are able to make ends meet, and have excess, on less than 90% of their income. The only thing that I can say is that our God is an awesome God.

There is a man in our church who previously lived in a cheaper state than California. During this time in another state, he was making $20.00 an hour at his job. He was in a lot of financial trouble with many bills past due and struggling to make it financially. When he moved to our area, he started attending our church and had gotten a job that only paid him $11.00 an hour, but his faith was released in the area of giving and he started bringing the tithe and offerings faithfully. Not only did he have the testimony of his bills being current, but he had put money into savings, which was something he had not done in a long time. He had more when he was actually living on less. This illustrates the power of God’s Word. When we do what the Lord says, we reap the promises of His Word.

Don’t allow the fear of not having enough stop you from doing what God has proclaimed to be a blessing in your life. The Lord will not allow His Word to return to Him void. It shall accomplish and prosper that which it has been sent to (Isaiah 55:11). God has given you His Word. Believe it, live it, and be blessed in it. The first step in operating in God’s economy is to start honoring the Lord with the tithe. Become a faithful tither and watch the windows of heaven open above you.

The Purpose of the Heart

In the previous chapter, I show you how to operate in God’s system with the tithe. I also began showing you how to purpose in your heart with the offering. We studied in Malachi 3 how the Lord declared that His people had robbed Him in tithes and offerings. Offerings are critical in our ability to function within God’s economy.

Offerings are the next step that you must consider for your life if you want to stop playing tug-of-war and start doing things God’s way. However, the Lord’s instructions for the offering are very different from the tithe and the amount of the offering is also different than the tithe. Where the Lord has set a specific amount for the tithe (10% of all our increase), He has not done this in the realm of offerings. Offerings have been left in your control, but we can find very clear instructions about the giving of offerings that we will look at in this chapter.

Before we jump into this wonderful area of the Word of God, let me warn you that what I am going to present in this chapter is very different from modern teachings on the offering. I challenge you to carefully follow the Word of God. We want the consistency of God in what we do because God does not change. Don’t take my word for anything, but judge what is being said by what the Bible states. If you disagree with a point that I present, force yourself to support your disagreement with biblical references and not something someone has told you.

The goal of any Christian should be to do what the Lord has said, not what man has interpreted Him to have said. You should always strive to grow in your knowledge of the Lord and operate exactly as He has directed you to operate.

You find the giving of offerings from Genesis through Revelation. Much time can be taken on this subject, but I would like to focus on a few key points of what makes an offering acceptable to the Lord. Therefore, I am not going to spend any time validating that the offering is part of God’s system.

One key feature in the offering that is very similar to the tithe is that it is about obedience and honor, not money. The greatest way you can honor God is when you are obedient to His Word. Doing things the way He has said is how you honor Him. When you do things the way you want, not only is it dishonorable, but you are fighting the design of life given to us by the Creator of the universe. The purpose of this book is to get you to stop playing tug-of-war with the Lord and start doing things His way.

Let me also restate a principle that is found in the introduction of this book. Your purpose in life should be to walk in the ways of the Lord. The result of walking with the Lord is the abundant blessings that He has promised. Most people view the offering as a method of increasing their personal wealth. The offering does have the promise of drastic increase attached to it, but it is not a "get rich quick" scheme. It is a method that the Lord has given so that you might honor Him in a greater degree and be used in the advancement of His Kingdom.

The drastic increase promised to you through the offering is for the purpose of building His Kingdom. The Lord wants you to have a blessed life and He knows that a blessed life will only come to you by doing things the way He has designed them. Therefore, He wants access into your life, which means that He also needs access to your money.

Let’s first look at the offering from 2 Corinthians 9, a chapter that has been used many times during the receiving of the offering (especially verse 6). In this chapter, Paul addresses the desire of the Corinthians to sow or give an offering for the support of the Macedonians. In it, he gives some very interesting details about the offering. Many have used two verses as their focus and have left out the context of the passage. “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” from verse 6, has been used many times to get larger offerings. Then verse 8, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things” has been used to validate the blessings of giving more. I want to make sure we fully understand what is going on before we arbitrarily “sow bountifully.”

Let’s begin in verse 1 and explore some very powerful verses of scripture from the New King James Version of the Bible and learn how to give an offering the Lord’s way:

(1) Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; (2) for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. (3) Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; (4) lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting.

In the events that preceded this writing, the Corinthians had become aware of the needs of the Macedonians. They communicated to the Apostle Paul that they wanted to sow into this need and Paul boasted, or excitedly told, the Macedonians of the Corinthians desire to help them. He continued by stating that he had sent some brethren to receive their offering so that circumstances would not arise that would prevent them from giving what they had already set their hearts to do.

Two key elements in these scriptures that I don’t want you to overlook are “desire” and “commitment.” The first part of the offering is the desire to do what is right. The Corinthians saw a need and desired to be used as an answer to that need. This is a critical first step in giving a right offering. What is in your heart regarding your giving? The Corinthians wanted to be part of the answer; they were not giving because they felt obligated.

I would imagine that many have participated in offerings because of the need presented. They didn’t want to and they didn’t feel they could afford to, but they didn’t want to stand out as one not willing to help, so they gave. This is a wrong motive. God does not want you to give this way.

We have to look at our motives. Are we giving because the church needs the money? Are we giving because we feel obligated? Are we giving so that other people think you are spiritual? All of these are wrong motives and will cause us to give an offering that the Lord will reject. However, just because the Lord rejects it, doesn’t mean the ministry receiving it will reject it. Who are we wanting to please? The one receiving the offering or the One for Whom the offering is being taken?

The Corinthians had a heart to help strengthen the Body of Christ and they voiced their desire to the Apostle Paul. The second thing that you see is commitment. Paul understood that for them to receive the abundant grace promised in this type of giving, they must do what they said they were going to do. Good intentions are not enough! Paul said he was sending some brethren to receive the offering so that they were able to fulfill that which they said they would do.

If you do not have the correct desire or you do not follow through on that which you set your heart to do, then you are not following God’s pattern of giving. Because of this, too many Christians have given with no faith, no thought, and no objective in their giving. The Corinthians had made a decision, released their faith when they told Paul they were going to give (put voice to their faith), and had a purpose in their giving, which was to help assist the Macedonians in their struggle. When you give, do you just put money in the offering plate or have you considered your giving? Do you give with a purpose and with faith or do you just give? These are important questions you need to ask yourself when it comes to the offering. We are all creatures of habit. It is very easy to just give. It can become a bill that we budget in and it can become a habit. We have to guard our hearts against this and always remember that the tithe and offerings are about honor and worship, not a transaction.

The aspects that the Apostle Paul describes here are the basis for a correct offering, which he will elaborate on within the next few verses. Considering what the Apostle Paul has stated so far, he then makes a very interesting statement in the next verse:

(5) Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.

I would like to explore the three statements in this verse. First of all, the Apostle Paul called their giving a “generous gift.” What was the determining factor that Paul used to classify this giving as “generous?”

One might assume that the Corinthians had told the Apostle the specific amount they were sowing into the Macedonians and that amount was enough to be considered “generous.” However, considering what you have read so far and what you will be reading in the next few verses, I seriously doubt this was the determining factor. If what you see in these verses is that the determining factor of a generous offering is the amount that is being given, then the offering would be about a transaction and not the heart, which would also contradict the point that Jesus made in Mark 12:42-44:

(42) And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. (43) And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: (44) For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

As you see in the above passage, Jesus wasn't moved by the amount of the offering, but by the heart and intent of the offering. Remember that in verse 2, Paul talked about their willingness, or desire, to give. If the heart is the determining factor in the offering, then it would have been the willingness of the Corinthians that determined the generosity of the gift. As you continue to study this chapter, you are going to see this theme reoccurring several times.

The Apostle Paul supports this idea when he elaborates on why he has sent brethren to receive the offering. He wanted to make sure that their giving stayed in the realm of being a generous gift and not an obligation. The Apostle Paul understood that once their giving became an obligation, it would be out of step with the Lord and not qualify as an acceptable offering. Again, you see that the determining factor of this being a generous offering is not the amount of the offering, but the fact that this was a willing offering. This is also confirmed in verse 7 where we are told that we are not to give grudgingly and that God loves cheerful givers.

These are key factors in your giving whether you are playing tug-of-war with the Lord or not. Many people are struggling in their offerings because authorities within the church structure are trying to raise increasing amounts of money. There is nothing wrong with increasing the budget, but when our hearts turn grievous, we know that we are stepping out of God’s order.

The way the Lord has designed the church to be funded is through the tithes and the offerings of the people who make up the church. However, the Lord never intended for pressure to be put on people. He desires a purposed offering, not a pressured one. Remember that it is not about the money; the offering manifest in money but it's about obedience and honor. When your heart is right and wanting to do things the Lord’s way, you will live a life according to Matthew 6:33 that seeks first the Kingdom of God. Living a life that is seeking first the Kingdom of God opens the door to the blessed life where all things are added to you. With that blessed life, you will advance the Kingdom in the financial realm and with your personal participation (your time).

Now we come to the very popular verse that has been used many times to cause people to give more:

(6) But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

This is where you must ask yourself, “What is giving ‘sparingly’ and what is a ‘bountiful’ offering?” Most have determined to make the "correct" translation be a small offering versus a large offering, referring to the amount of money one would give. If you keep in context of what the Apostle Paul was talking about, which is the heart, you can understand that both a generous offering and a bountiful offering are matters of the heart. To receive bountifully, your heart would need to be very generous in your desire to establish the Kingdom and meet the needs of the Kingdom. To sow sparingly would require you to not care or desire to be a part of the solution when it comes to advancing the Kingdom of God, thereby giving sparingly or grudgingly. This verse is the explanation to the Apostles prior comment about making sure the offering is “generous” and not “grudging.”

Your offering is considered by the Lord to be “sown sparingly” when you are giving for the wrong reason and your heart is not in it. When you do not desire to give in your heart, you are giving sparingly. Think about this in the natural realm for a moment. If the determining factor was the amount of money, it would be impossible for a poor person to ever give bountifully. Anyone who came into the Kingdom heavily in debt and under great financial burden, could never step into the abundance of the Lord because their present circumstances would prohibit them from sowing abundantly. However, under God’s system, anyone can be a bountiful or liberal giver! God can work with you, no matter what the condition of your life is, if He can have control of your heart. The poor widow woman was able to give a more abundant offering with a little bit of money because her heart was right. We are able to give abundantly when our heart is right also.

Consider what you read in complete context. The Corinthians desired to sow into the Macedonians. This was a voluntary desire they expressed to the Apostle. This desire excited Paul so much that he boasted of their desire. He tells the Corinthians that he is sending brethren to come and receive their generous offering before any circumstance could change their generous desire into a burden.

Paul did not want their giving to be a burden because that would turn their generous offering into giving grudgingly. Everything that the Apostle is talking about is the condition of their heart in what they have offered to do. This is why, in the next verse, the Apostle writes:

(7) So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

The offering is about the heart. If you are going to give an offering that is pleasing and acceptable to the Lord, then you must give cheerfully.

Notice how the amount of the offering is determined. The Apostle writes, “...as he purposes in his heart.” The offering is different from the tithe because it is determined from your heart, instead of being established as ten percent of your increase. You will make that determination based upon your heart's desire to establish the covenant of God in this earth. If it is not important to you, then you will sow sparingly. If the things of the Kingdom are of the utmost importance, then you will sow bountifully. The Lord isn't looking for a specific amount of money, but a heart that wants to reflect the heart of God.

Remember the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5? They had a piece of property that they sold and brought an offering to the Lord. However, this offering was rejected, in such a manner, that it cost them their lives. In verse 5, the Apostle Peter makes a very significant statement when he declares:

"While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." (NKJ)

Through this verse, you can see that the line between blessing and cursing is a matter of the heart. The Apostle Peter declared that before they sold the property and before they brought the offering, it was theirs and in their control. They had the right to keep it all, bring a small amount of the proceeds, or bring a large amount of the selling price. The focus of this story is not the amount of the offering, but the heart behind the giving. They did not cheerfully give, but deceptively gave.

Your heart is the determining factor in your giving. This is why I teach our people to purpose in their giving. This also brings up a side note of our motive. When we ask the Lord for increase in our lives, is it so we can give more or so we can consume more? Our motives are very important to the Lord.

As believers, we must be very diligent to retain truth in our giving. We must continually judge our heart to ensure that we are giving according to the Word, so that our offerings are acceptable and not just something we do. The most abundant way that we can give, is to allow the Lord to direct our giving. Acknowledging that everything is His and allowing Him to speak to our heart about giving is, by far, the most generous giving there is.

Many people have “pledged” to give a specific amount of offerings. By doing this, they have changed their giving into a bill that they owe or a burden because conditions of their income have changed. This, too, is not the biblical form of giving. The Lord is looking at your faith, your desire, and the purpose of your giving. To think the offering is anything else is to make it a money transaction.

In the local church setting, many offerings have been taken because a legitimate need has come up. It might be an unexpected expense or an opportunity to get involved in a special ministry project that becomes available. When this need was presented to the people, what was the motive in the heart of those who gave? Let’s use the example of a utility bill to illustrate this point. In my church, we had a water line break and water poured into our back lot for about three days before we knew of the problem. When we received our water bill, it was about five times higher than normal. Even though we did not receive a special offering to pay this extraordinary high bill, it was a legitimate need that needed to be met.

If we would have received an offering and you were part of our church, would you have given because you knew the water bill needed to be paid (necessity) or would you have given because it is your church and you have a desire for the ministry to continue to move forward (desire)? As you can see, it is a thin line between the two. However, if we want to do things God’s way and not enter a tug-of-war match with the Lord, then we must continually consider the motive behind our giving and always make sure we are giving God’s way.

How many Christians have given because of necessity? I would venture to say that a lot have. I don’t know how many times I have heard a preacher on Christian television declare their “need” and try to get people to give based on that need. How many times, in the local church, has the pastor tried to increase giving because they “needed” the money for something? When you give out of necessity, you are giving incorrectly. When you give incorrectly, you are not in position to receive the promises that have been given to us because the promises are harvested from our sowing of the Word.

Having said this, let me bring balance to these statements. If your church has a need, you should not give because of the need but give because it is your church and you desire to see the vision of the church accomplished. God has placed you in a church and you are a member of that church. The church is not an organizational structure, it is individuals who have come together to make a Body of believers. As a member, you should desire to do your part to bring the vision of your pastor to fulfillment. You should desire the success of your church and that desire should manifest in your personal involvement and financial support. My point is that you must watch your heart. Why are you doing what you are doing? When it comes to the offering, the Lord is watching the conversation that is taking place inside of you -- your internal conversation.

The key to living in the promises of a giver is giving with a right heart. The promises are exceedingly abundantly above what you can imagine.

(8) And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

The first statement is worth giving with a right heart. You are promised that God is able to make all grace, which is the provision of heaven, (I deal with grace in my book titled, "Grace: The Power of Heaven") abound towards you. Abound is not a term for lightly flowing. God’s intent is for you to honor the Lord with an offering that comes from a right heart. When you do this,the provision of heaven will so mightily flow toward you that you will always have sufficient supply in all things.

When you have a heart that desires to establish the Kingdom of God and you can cheerfully support the work of the Kingdom, then God is going to make sure that you have the resources to do this. However, if you grudgingly give, then the Lord is not going to put you in a position of establishing His Kingdom because it causes you grief.

I would encourage you to study the rest of chapter 9 as the Apostle brings out some additional aspects of how our giving is tied to our righteousness and how sowing is the way you participate in His system. Then, as chapter 9 turns into chapter 10, the Apostle Paul starts talking about the strongholds of our mind. The subject of God’s economy is one of the most difficult areas to change our thinking in, but it is imperative that we do so.

The seed in your life is multiplied when you start sowing the way God has established. Many are waiting for the Lord to supply the seed before they start sowing, but you do not find this in scripture. The Lord declares that He gives seed to the one that is already a sower. The seed you will sow is the Word of God. What have you done with what has been given to you so far?

God has a purpose in His promises. He has not promised us great blessings to supply our carnal needs; He wants to abundantly supply the people who have placed His Kingdom as first priority in their lives. Remember Deuteronomy 8:18 says that the power to get wealth has been given to us so that we will establish His covenant on earth? While the Lord wants us to have nice things, these things must be subordinate to our obedience and our desire to establish His Kingdom. Notice what the Apostle Paul states in verse 11:

(11) while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

I would like for you to notice that by giving the way God desires us to give, we will be enriched in everything. Enriched is a word that is translated from the Greek word ploutizo (ploo-tid'-zo), which means, “to make wealthy." The Lord has promised that He will cause us to be wealthy, but the wealth He has promised is for the purpose of our liberality, which is translated from a Greek word meaning "generosity." It is interesting that the Lord uses the word "wealthy" instead of a word like "millionaire." Wealthy is a subjective term when it comes to financial wealth and is not a specific sum of money. Because the purpose of being wealthy is tied to your liberality, you can see the heart of God behind the promise.

Wealthy is a term that implies "more than enough." There are people in this world who think all their problems would be solved if they started making $100,000 a year and there are people that would be bankrupt if they made $100,000 a year. The amount of money we receive is not the key; receiving an amount of money that exceeds our outgo is the key to a wealthy life. If you are living a wealthy life, you always have more that is coming in than is going out. Therefore, the more liberal our heart is, the more wealth the Lord can bring us. As someone once said, “If God can get it through you, He will get it to you.” Too many live with the mindset that “the buck stops here!” The promise of the Lord to enrich us is directly tied to the purpose of establishing His Kingdom.

Our money means absolutely nothing to the Lord. He has more than anyone could ever imagine. He does not need us to give; He wants us to give in a way that reflects our honor and obedience towards Him. In this system of honor and obedience, He has made a way that our giving can be accomplished with the provision of heaven supplying what we give. The key that unlocks this provision is our heart.

We play tug-of-war with the Lord when we don’t yield ourselves to His way of doing things. This is why the Prophet Hosea declared in Hosea 4:6 that God’s people live in destruction. It is because they do not have the knowledge of God’s way of doing things.

Ending the Game of Tug-of-War

There are a couple of major areas where people play tug-of-war with the Lord. When we are not doing things God’s way, we will not get God’s results. Most of us have followed a course taught by people who don’t understand money, therefore, they don’t understand God’s system of money. We can conclude that the way we are doing things is not necessarily God’s way of doing things.

The Word of God is very clear in 2 Timothy 2:15 that we are to, “study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

I am very much a local church person; I am also a submitted person. I fully believe that every person, including those in the five-fold ministry, should be submitted to spiritual gifts in the faith. Every one should have a pastor and every one should learn from those who have spiritual authority over their lives. However, this does not release us from our personal responsibility to know the Word of God.

If you blindly follow what man interprets the Lord to be saying, then you will easily miss God’s system when they are incorrect in their interpretation. Seek God by seeking His Word. The Word of God is very clear that our heart is the focus of the offering. A good heart will want to bring a gift to the Lord that has value because the good heart produces thirty, sixty, and hundredfold returns of the Word that was sown into it. We see this in David as he declared that he would not sacrifice to the Lord that which did not cost him something (2 Samuel 24:24).

The determination behind the offering, whether it is generous or stingy, is determined by the heart of man. A person can give a thirty-five cent offering and it represents 100% of everything the man has, while another can give $100,000.00 and not even notice that it has been given. The man giving thirty-five cents has given more! You must know what God has said, you must judge every Word that you receive, and then you must allow the true Word of God that is sown in your heart to bring forth fruit.

The greatest key in giving and the greatest tug-ofwar match to surrender is when you allow the Lord to direct your giving. You are instructed that your tithe is to go to your local church. Fully support your local church. Bring your tithe and ask the Lord how much you should support your church in offerings and then be faithful to what He tells you. If you want to partner with other ministries, let that be in addition to what you bring to the storehouse. God’s promises are rich, therefore, purpose in your heart to do things God’s way and make your need the need of doing more in the Kingdom. You won’t be disappointed!

Above Only and Not Beneath

“And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.” (Deuteronomy 28:13 - KJV)

As we study the Word of God and learn of God’s heart desire, we find that God wants us to live a blessed life, which includes a financially blessed life. In the scripture above, we see that it is in the heart of God for His people to live in total victory. The statement in this scripture depicts a life of victory. To live a life that is above only and not beneath requires you to live a life where everything is under your authority.

There is a very problematic situation when we discuss living in authority. If you’ve never had authority, you won't know how to live in authority. Let’s examine Prince Charles of the United Kingdom for a moment. Do you think he ever wonders if he can do something? Do you think he ever wonders if there is enough money to fund his desires? We don’t see this in his behavior at all. He was born into a natural royalty. He actually has an expectation that all of England is there for his benefit.

For the average person, this is a hard reality to grasp but we are spiritual royalty, which is a much higher royalty than Prince Charles. However, we came into this royalty; we were not born and raised in it. Therefore, we don’t know how to function in authority which makes the authority of God beyond our grasp, if we do not change the way we think.

This is a place of complete victory. It is the place that the Body of Christ has been created for. Notice in this verse that our ability to achieve this position is directly related to our following the commands of God by observing and doing them. The most consistent game of tug-of-war that we play with God is in trying to keep control over our life. For whatever reason, we think we can make wiser decisions than God and that we are able to guide the affairs of our life. However, we are clearly told in Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25 that there is a way that seems right to man, but that way leads to destruction. There is only one right way and it is the Lord’s way. When we do things the Lord’s way, the result of what we are doing will bring us into a position of authority where we are above only and not beneath.

As I illustrated in the previous chapters, many Christians are not doing things the Lord’s way. A large percentage of Christians do not sow the Word consistently, especially in the area of the tithe. In addition, many are giving offerings according to traditions and not according to the Word. We cannot expect to get God’s results when we continually do things our own way. In this chapter, I want to look at an area of life where many Christians have severally hurt themselves.

So far, we have looked at all the exciting promises of God as we get involved with His economy, but all too often, we have a lifestyle that works against our getting involved in God’s system. When this occurs, the devil is able to trap us into a lifestyle where he can continually kill, steal, and destroy in our lives. Determining how to tell if our life is in line with God or not is very simple. Is your life above only and not beneath? Do you have all sufficiency in all things? Are you able to abound to every good work? These are all promised provisions of God’s economy. If life is continually a struggle, we are out of line in some area.

We have looked at the tithes and the offerings in detail in the prior chapters. When we get in line with God’s giving system, we can expect many exciting things to happen in our lives. Therefore, we must ask ourselves what is the major dynamic that keeps people from getting completely involved in God’s economy? The answer to this question is debt and lust! In this chapter, I am going to explore an area of the Word of God where Christians are hindered from operating in God’s economy more than any other area.

Many believe that debt is a sin. I have a problem with this teaching because the Word of God tells us in Deuteronomy 28:12 that the Lord will cause us to be a lender. There would be no reason for a lender if there was not a borrower, one who will go into debt. Therefore, as I study the character of God, it would be very hard to believe that God would move His children to a place that causes others to sin. I cannot support the teaching that debt is a sin but I will say that debt will keep you from living in what the Lord has planned for you. In addition, debt is a derivative of lust. The reason people go into debt is because they want something that they currently cannot afford.

We live in a lust-driven society. The United States of America is the most marketed country in the world. We are bombarded everyday with images, through marketing, that are designed to create desire in us. Therefore, we are consistently living according to our wants and not our needs. You can not live the “above only” life is someone else is pulling your strings. I would suggest you go back and read the chapter titled, “Our Needs - Our Wants - His Desire.” We cannot have a want-driven life if we are going to live the “above only” lifestyle we were created for.

When one gains a good understanding of money, there are ways to make debt work for you where you make money and increase net worth. However, very few people have used debt in this way, so it is safe to say that the best lifestyle is a debt-free lifestyle.

Let me illustrate what I mean. In 1996, I bought two houses that I intended to rent out as an investment. When I bought these houses, I was able to construct loans against them so that I could buy them without using any of my own money. Even in this debt purchase, I still had a positive cash flow. This meant that after the rents and all other expenses were paid, I still had a profit each month.

I kept this property for a few years and then sold it for a profit. I never once used my own money while I owned these houses. I made a profit each month and then sold the property for a profit. I was able to do this because of the way that I used the debt. When used correctly, debt can be a powerful tool. However, as I mentioned before, very few people will do the math and take the time to figure out how to use debt to make the debt work for them. Most use debt to satisfy the driving force of their lives - want! Their want for things causes them to buy more than they can afford and God does not desire for us to live according to our wants.

If you are currently in debt, living month to month, and having to use credit cards to buy clothes, food, and to eat out, you must understand that your financial life is broken. Many would argue that if they could get more income, then everything would come into proper order. However, this is a deception that many live under.

All you need to do is ask yourself how long you have just been getting by. For most, the answer would be their whole life. It is clear that income is not the issue, it is the heart of the person. This is the same reason why a very high percentage of high dollar lottery winners are bankrupt within three years of their winning. You cannot give money to a broke person and think that being broke is fixed. Broke is not a condition of cash flow, it’s a condition of the heart. When we deal with the blessing of the Lord, the same principle is true. God cannot pour a blessing in a bucket with a hole in the bottom and cause it to overflow. In order to experience the overflow provisions of God, we must fix our bucket. It goes back to what I frequently say, “You cannot operate in the blessing of God from the same mindset that created a need for deliverance!”

In the scripture at the beginning of this chapter, God has promised to us that if we will do as He instructs, then we will be the head and not the tail and that we will be above only and not beneath. Having an understanding of God’s intention for our lives, let’s look at the book of Psalms 22:7:

“The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”

The second portion of this scripture tells us that the borrower is servant to the lender. I have never been to a place where I’ve found servants as the head or above only. If God’s intention is for us to be the head and to find ourselves in the position of above only, then we definitely cannot be voluntarily becoming a servant as this scripture talks about.

Before I go into depth on this, let’s look at the beginning of this verse. The rich rule over the poor. If God wants you to be the head, then He wants you to be rich. You cannot be poor and be in the position that God has called you to because it is the rich who rule over the poor. Many have overlooked the verses found in Ecclesiastes 9:14-15:

“There was a little city, and a few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.”

People get funny when Christians talk about being rich, but if you stop and consider this statement, it actually makes sense from a biblical perspective. Why would God want you rich? Because He wants to establish His covenant in the earth and has given you the power to get wealth. It is also with wealth that authority is granted. Unfortunately, as the scripture above states, poor people have little influence that is remembered.

When we understand the purpose of wealth, the purpose of our life, and God’s economy, rich is the only conclusion that you can come to. It is how God designed His Kingdom to function – through the giving of His people that He gives to. You are not going to do much to establish the Kingdom of God if you are poor because your life is going to be spent just trying to sustain life.

Going back to our scripture where we are told that the borrower is servant to the lender, you could easily translate that as debt being sin; however, let’s consider when the borrower is servant to the lender. A servant is one who does what the master tells them to do because they have no other choice. They are a slave and their master rules over them. Therefore, they are subject to the master.

If we look at the employer and employee relationship, there is a form of slavery involved in it. The employer tells the employee what to do or directs their activities, which is the same for the slave and master relationship. The major difference between comparing slaves to employees is the ability of authority that is in the power of the employee. An employee can walk away from an employer at any time. If the employer becomes abusive, starts doing things that are illegal, or doesn’t pay an employee enough, then the employee can terminate the relationship. The employee has the power to stay or leave in the relationship. Their employment or servitude is in proportion to the benefit they are receiving as an employee. Thus, they are not slaves and do not have masters.

Let’s now move back to debt. When you retain the authority of the debt that you created, you are not a servant. This means that we must be very careful how we use debt because we can easily get ourselves into a position where we are the servant.

From a statistical viewpoint, the majority of Americans are more than likely servants to debt and not following the will of God for their lives. Why do I say this? The American economic system is designed to make servants out of people. Let’s take a little test and see if you are a servant when it comes to debt. Do you have the power to pay off all your debt right now? If you answered this question with a “no,” then you are a servant. If you do not retain the power to pay off a debt and your lender decides to raise your rate, then you have no choice and are a servant to that lender.

I was in control of that rental property I bought and could pay off the debt at any time, if needed. How can I say that? There was an underlying asset (the property) that I could sell and liquidate the debt. I could choose whether I would continue to make the payments from the rents received or if I wanted to sell the property and pay back all the money borrowed against it.

How do we live a life that keeps us as the head and not the tail, where we retain our “above only” position and do not come beneath anything? The answer to this question is to stay debt-free and learn to increase financially. When I use the words “debt-free,” I am not saying that a person should never use debt, but I will spend a little time on how people misuse debt. If you understand this, you can keep yourself in a position of above only. For the remainder of this chapter, I am going to address some very common errors that many Christians make.

The first rule does not include any exceptions. Get rid of your credit card balances and any unsecured loans. With a credit card, you have no ability to liquidate an asset to pay off the debt. This means you’ve probably bought something that currently has no value such as a dinner, vacation, clothing, or electronics.

You are a servant if you are carrying credit cards or unsecured debt unless you have the cash to pay it off. If you have the cash, the only reason to not pay it off would be because the interest you make on your cash exceeds the interest you are paying on the debt. If that’s not the case, you would want to pay it off because the cost exceeds what you may be making on your money.

Many Christians are living with an extraordinary amount of debt and the credit card companies can do whatever they want with you. Make a payment late and it is very likely that your rate will jump 10% or more. For the majority of credit card users, there is nothing you can do if the company sends you a notice that they are going to raise your rates. They would have to pay the higher rate because they don’t have the money to pay it off, which categorizes them as a slave.

Realize that if you are in this position, you are not only keeping yourself from operating in God’s system but you are not being faithful to the Word. You have positioned yourself as a servant and the world’s system is robbing your wealth. How can God bless you if you continue in this?

Many Christians are spending thousands of dollars each month supporting the world’s system through credit card debt. If they would stop charging and allow the Lord to move them to their rightful place of authority, they could take the money they once supported the world with and now support and establish God’s covenant in the earth, thereby experiencing no increase in outgo. Fighting the will of God never works. Get in line with God’s system and God will align with you and bring you to the place He prepared for you – above only.

Consider this for a moment. Many Christians are praying and believing the Lord for a raise. When their employer gives them a $1.00 an hour raise, they are very excited about their answer to prayer. When calculations are made, this raise will result in a gross increase in income of about $160 per month. Subtracting taxes, retirement, and any other deductions imposed upon them, the amount they receive is much less than this. Therefore, we are getting excited about receiving an extra $120 or so for our 160 hours of work. Is there an easier way? The answer is yes!

Let's say you have $10,000.00 in debt, which is a small amount for most Americans. Assuming you are paying an average of 18% on this debt, then you are paying over $150.00 per month in interest payments. If you just pay this debt off, you are making more than the $1.00 an hour raise in the above example because there are not tax liabilities in this extra $150.00 that you have. Getting out of debt will not only free up more money, it will cause you to be in line with God’s Word. When you decide to get free of debt and become the “above only” God created you to be, you put yourself in a position for God to answer your prayers.

“ And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: (15) And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (I John 5:14-15 - KJV)

Being above only and not beneath is the will of God for your life. When you purpose in your heart to live debt-free, the Lord promises to get involved in your ability to become the head and not the tail. Let me ask you something concerning all of your debt. What was it spent on? Quickly add up the balances on all your credit cards and unsecured debts and then give an account of what you bought with this debt.

Unlike my story above, where I bought two houses and could point to the asset I owned and the profit I was making, you probably have no idea what was bought with most of the money. Considering the debt you now carry and having no idea what the money was for, let me ask you another question. Was the purchase worth it? For most, the answer has to be a resounding NO! Therefore, common sense would tell us that if it wasn’t worth it, why will the next creation of debt be worth it? At some point, we must stop the cycle!

Have you ever watched one of those game shows on television where people can win money for answering some trivia questions? Usually, when they are working on the larger prizes, the host of the show will ask them, “What are you going to do with your winnings?” Almost every person says, “First, I am going to pay off some debt.”

Why do they want to pay off the debt? Because debt is a burden, it creates stress, and has no positive benefits. If debt is so bad, why do people continually get into debt? The reason people are continually driven to purchase things they cannot afford is because there is a spirit behind debt that works in the carnal desires of man. This is where debt becomes a sin. When we are unable to control the impulses of our carnal man, we engage in sin. Just as one who cannot control his desire to get drunk would be living in sin, so is the person who cannot control their desire to spend. This is why the Apostle Paul told us that we should know how to possess our vessel (1 Thessalonians 4:4). Paul is telling us that we should be able to control our wants.

At some point you must cross into the life that God designed for you, which means that you will have to gain control over your impulses to buy things. Consider the words of James in James 1:14-15:

(14) But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (15) Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Working backwards with these scriptures, we know that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Sin is simply separation from God. Anytime we do something that is contrary to what God has said, we have sinned. We have separated ourselves from the life-giving power of God. Sin does not have to be some ugly thing that a person does. This is why James 4:17 tells us that when we know to do good but do not do it, we have sinned.

What happens before we sin? In the scripture above, we find that when lust (desire) has conceived, it is when sin is manifested in our life. When does lust conceive? Sin manifests in our life when we attach ourselves to the thing that we desired (lusted after). But what I want you to see is that the desire is birthed through your lust. This is how you created all the debt that you have. You desired it. The American machine is designed to create desire within in all of us. Next time you see a commercial or any advertisement, watch how it was designed to create desire within you. We see advertisements for cigarettes or alcohol with very attractive people in very nice surroundings. If the advertiser can capture your desire, then they can get you to buy their product. This process obviously works because successful businesses would never spend millions of dollars on an activity that doesn’t work. If they can get you to desire, they can get you to buy.

Everything is designed to get you to lust. This is not some new principle, it is the way things have operated since the beginning of time. Consider the story of Cain and Abel found in Genesis 4. After Cain killed Abel, the Lord spoke to him. In this conversation, we find out about the power of sin and how we are to rule over this power:

"If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its (sins) desire is for you, but you should rule over it." (Genesis 4:7 - NKJ)

According to this verse, sin has a desire. The desire of sin is to rule over you, but you have been given the responsibility to rule over sin's desire. Buying compulsively and going into debt is sin because desire rules over you in a way that causes you to separate yourself from the will of God. Can you see how we play tug-of-war with God’s will?

If you find yourself getting deeper and deeper into debt through credit card usage, realize that you are positioning yourself further and further from the will of God for your life. God wants you as the head and not the tail. The only way to start walking with God is to stop the process that separates you from God. Get a plan to get out of debt. Cut the cards up, stop buying things that you think you need but really don’t, and start focusing on establishing God’s covenant in this earth.

The next area where many Christians have hurt themselves is in the car that they drive. There are many financing plans that are now available that will allow you to drive a car that you cannot afford. The car industry has excelled in pulling out your desires so that you will purchase what you can’t afford. When you buy what you can’t afford, you are operating outside the will of God.

There are now people buying cars on seven year loans. Not only is this financially ridiculous, but for the Christian, it is called servitude. So how does one buy a car and not become a servant? The answer is very simple. Buy the vehicle for cash or in a way that you can always sell it and pay off the loan.

This means that you are going to have to purchase the vehicle on a short term loan. If you are buying a brand new vehicle, realize that as soon as you drive off the lot, it is worth thousands of dollars less than what you bought it for. Therefore, it makes sense to search for a vehicle that is new, but maybe not brand new. The vehicle that I drive only had 143 miles on it when I purchased it, yet it was a year old. I was able to get a new car without getting the new price. If you really need a vehicle and will allow the Lord to direct you, He can lead you to the right vehicle that you can buy without losing your place of authority.

The problem that the majority of people fall into is they buy on emotions and desires. Millions of dollars have been made by the auto industry for the “new car smell” that only lasts a little while after the purchase. Don’t get me wrong! I’m not completely against new cars, but you have to buy being led by the Lord, not by your emotions. You were created to be above only. Don’t yield your authority to something as fickle as your emotions (or a smell).

A good rule of thumb that can be used in purchasing a vehicle is to never buy a car with a loan that has a term of more than 36 months. If you have to get a longer term loan to buy the vehicle you want, then you are purchasing a vehicle that you can’t afford and you will always owe more than the vehicle is worth. The only way that you will live a life of more than enough so that your purpose can be to establish the covenant of God on this earth, is to make decisions that bring you into wealthy places. God has given you the power to get wealth, but you are the one that is going to exercise that power.

How do you buy a car correctly? Do your homework. With the internet, it is easy to determine the best vehicles to buy and the amount you should pay, even if you are going through a dealership. The internet will also allow you to shop for cars in nearby cities without ever leaving the comfort of your home. Additionally, you can shop rates from home. Before you ever smell that new car smell, you can sit down and negotiate the terms and price of the vehicle.

Let me give you a final word on buying vehicles. Never, never, never lease a vehicle. The only people who lease vehicles are ones who know nothing about money and want to drive something they cannot afford. You are throwing money away and have contracted yourself into a debt for several years. I don’t know how to stress the importance of not leasing anything.

As you can see, the determining factor in becoming a servant in the debt that you create is whether you can satisfy the debt at any time. Once you lose this ability, you are subject to what the lender says. It is the same example of an employee. What keeps an employee from being a slave is their ability to walk away.

If you can pay the debt off, then you are like the employee. You have retained your choice and are not a servant. However, you must also consider the cost of the debt with the amount of money you are spending. It amazes me how someone will take advantage of the great retail sale of 15% off down at the local mall and then charge their purchases and pay 21% interest as they pay it off over time. It is this type of foolish thinking that creates slaves and slaves are not above only. God has an economy and this type of debt always opposes the authority of His Word because it is designed to make you a servant.

What about buying a home? The same conditions apply in buying a home as buying a car. You must buy a home that you can afford. Can you sell the property and get out of the debt? Many people use zero down financing and allow the fees of the loan and the closing costs to be financed into the loan along with the full purchase price. Then, they use the standard 30-year mortgage, which liquidates very slowly. Since you cannot always count on the value of houses going up, this is very dangerous. Buying a home in this manner results in owing more than the house is worth. You may argue that house prices appreciate, which is true over time; however, how long will it take for the house to appreciate enough to sell it and not be liable for additional debt?

Most people are not knowledgeable enough to sell a home on their own and need the assistance of a real estate agent. This means that the house will have to appreciate at least 6% to just break even. This could take several years; however, if you buy the home right, you can always sell it and pay off the debt.

The first step in buying a home is to save before you buy. This is good because it forces people to make a down payment. While it may be difficult for many to save the recommended 20% of the purchase price, you can a least save 10%. This will give you enough room to be able to sell the home and clear the necessary expense in a flat market. The second step to buying a home correctly is to keep your financing to a maximum of 15 years and on a fixed rate loan. The payment difference is not that much over the 30 year loan, but the liquidation is much faster. This will save you thousands of dollars in interest expenses, as well as keeping you positioned to sell the home if you need to. You can typically get a lower rate with a variable rate low, but when rates increase, you can easily find yourself in a home you can no longer afford or is negatively amortizing. This is why you want to stay with a fixed rate.

To help you buy a house that you can afford and stay in a position of authority, speak to a lender before you go house hunting. First, you need to have a family meeting and determine the amount you can afford today for a mortgage payment. Then talk to a lender and find out how large of a loan is available with that payment on a 15-year term. Once you determine this, tell your real estate agent to only show you homes that are in that price range. Remember that a real estate agent makes money as a percentage of the sale. They want you to buy the most expensive house they can get you into. In Matthew 6:13, the Lord prayed, “Lead us not into temptation…” Keep yourself from being led into temptation. Stay in your price range!

God’s desire and His promise is that you are the head and not the tail. It is your responsibility to not surrender your authority. The enemy of your soul is going to do everything he can to purpose of stealing, killing, and accomplish his

destroying. To accomplish this, he is going to tempt you to walk away from what God has ordained for your life. You will walk away when you become the servant and you become this servant when you follow your lusts. Desire only the will of God and you will walk in the authority of the Word.

Ending the Game of Tug-of-War

We play tug-of-war with God anytime we do things contrary to His will. God wants you above only and never beneath. It is an amazing thing that we fight for a lesser position than He's given us when we fight with God. We are fighting for burden, debt, and destruction, when He has given us life, freedom and prosperity.

To live a debt-free life is a very difficult decision because there are a few forces that are at work. You will have to stop the spending. This takes discipline and very few people want to discipline themselves these days, especially when it comes to the things they “want.”

Second, you are going to have to pay off your current debt. When you make the decision to pay off this excess debt, you are going to have to take excess money and make additional payments on your debt to liquidate them faster. Not only does this mean you have less excess cash, but you will not be buying things on credit either. This is like going on a fast, it's not fun. However, if you understand the power you can live in, then the fast is well worth the effort.

Third, you are going to have to stay the course. It took you years to get into the financial mess that you are presently in; it is not going to change overnight. However, if you will ask the Lord to give you wisdom, guide you, and give you the power to get it paid off, He will. Make a decision to do things God’s way and you will get the results that God has promised.

The battle of money is one of the greatest battles to overcome. Even though we live in a country that has many opportunities, the enormous amount of marketing that we experience works against us. God has a plan and if we can lay down the ropes of the tug-of-war match, we can experience the fullness of God’s power.

May the Blessing of the Lord work in your life!