“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6:38 (NLT)
Many of us grew up so anti-prosperity that we took on a poverty spirit! I definitely did! But I have come to understand that that was simply a lie of the devil. Yes, there are extremes in the “prosperity” stream, but there are also extremes in the poverty stream. The reality is, life and ministry costs money! And God wants to provide it, big time so that we can accomplish His big purposes on the earth. There is a very strong sense that God is going to bring in a 1 billion souls harvest. Well, the reality is, He is going to bring this harvest through His people! And to bring in such a harvest will cost lots of money.
The bottom line is, God doesn’t need your money, you need His! As I looked through the scriptures, God is not asking us to live in poverty, He is simply asking us not to live under the control of money. The love of money is the root of evil, not money itself (1 Timothy 6:10). And one of the indicators of whether money has a control is the level of our giving. The Bible literally promises that if we tithe, God will bless us. Our tithing releases God’s wealth in our lives. And when we tithe, God promises to rebuke the devourer (Malachi 3:9-12). I don’t know about you, but I definitely want that devourer rebuked! But God’s promise to His generous kids continues.
Jesus Himself said that by the measure we give it will be given back to us. Giving releases God’s flow back at us (Luke 6:38). We are never to give in order to receive, but we are to give as the Lord prompts us. And God often prompts us to give, yet we resist thinking it is just our own thoughts. Let me just say, most of us are not naturally generous, so if a thought comes into our head to give, especially if it is a big amount, that thought did not originate from our head, or even from the devil. Btw, the devil understanding this principle all too well! Giving is a great opportunity to show our obedience and faith! And often God will lead us to give as a test. Once money no longer has a hold on us, God can release His blessing of abundance upon us. Jesus came that we might live life to the full (John 10:10), meaning every area in our life is meant to carry His fullness. He does not desire you to live in poverty! We are not talking name it and claim it. We are talking God’s kids look like their Father in heaven, who set the example of being a generous giver!!!
Ask God to strip you of every trace of a poverty spirit and replace it with a belief that He desires to bless you with abundance (whatever that means). He is not withholding His best from you, to discipline you, but because until money doesn’t control you, He will not bless you in that way. Ask Him for the grace to be freed from the love of money. Ask Him to prompt you once again to give generously and outrageously. If you’re not a tither, ask Him for the grace to become one. If you are a tither, thank Him for rebuking the devourer from you, and for pouring out blessing upon the 90% that He has left in your charge! Ask God to release generosity across our city!
