The Second Thing I Know - A New Thing Ministries
The Second Thing I Know
Yesterday we talked about God protecting his people. That is one wonderful promise from God. There are others, one I want to talk about today is God blessings his people, even in the midst of turmoil and uncertainty.
God’s word does not change due to inflation or famine. We see this truth throughout the Bible.
In Genesis 26, we find there is a famine in the land…
…Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you.
The Bible goes on to say…Then Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him.
As we see, God gave Isaac instruction, Isaac obeyed and God blessed him, just as he said he would.
Prospering in the kingdom of God is not about sacrifice, it is about obedience. If we obey God’s commands concerning finances…we will prosper.
Leviticus 27:30 says, “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 to the Lord.”
All tithe belongs to God. The FIRST TENTH of all things belong to the Lord. If we obey that truth instead of making excuses for ignoring it – we will be blessed financially. It doesn’t matter if there is famine. It will not affect our covenant with God. When we give God a tenth of our increase of all things, the Kingdom of God begins to work on our behalf. We enter into kingdom finances and that is where we are blessed.
Malachi 3:8-10 says, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.”
Isaac obeyed God and reaped a hundred-fold in the land of famine because he obeyed God. You and I too can reap a hundred-fold in this hour – if we remain obedient to God and his word.
Obedience is the precursor to the windows of heaven opening and pouring out blessings. Blessings that will endure.
Let’s look at a couple more places we see the significance of giving and receiving.
1 Kings 17 tells us about the prophet Elijah when he was instructed to go see the widow woman.
When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So, there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. (10-16, NIV)
She gave her FIRST to God and never lacked food again, not for her, her family or Elijah.
If you are a tither, remember your covenant rights and stand firm on them. God will rebuke the devourer for your sake. If you are not, I would intentionally study the word of God concerning financial blessing and seek God about his ways of blessing his people.
Jesus is the Lord of the Harvest, and he watches our giving. Just as he did in Mark 12.
Jesus was watching over the giving that day and he continues to watch over this day. Why? Because he watches over his word to perform it – as we give – he honors his word and pours out blessings we can’t contain.
My friends, do not be afraid of the times. We are in the Kingdom of God. Continue to obey God’s word and he will continue to honor it and bring it to pass in your life. Remember, we serve a mighty God who will cause his people to reap a HUNDRED-FOLD from everything they sow – even in the land of famine. That is another thing I know for certain.
Thank You Lord that You answer my cry for help every time I pray! Even in my time of pressure and trouble, I find and feel Your presence. You are my hero, and you satisfy me with a full life with all that You do for me. I will enjoy the fullness of Your salvation!
A Few Things I KnowWeekend Reflection