Reflections | Sunday, 4th August 2013

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Taken from Institute in Basic Life Principles

Why is tithing important?

The Importance of Tithing

honoring God with the firstfruits of your income

The tithe is 10% of your income, and it should be given to God faithfully. Tithing honors the Scriptural principles of generously providing for religious leaders, giving to those in need, and laying up treasures in heaven.

Throughout Scripture, we are encouraged to give the first part of our resources to God as an expression of honor and gratitude. “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9–10).

Understand the Biblical Basis for Tithing

Tithing is mentioned throughout the Old Testament, particularly when God commissioned the Israeli tribe of Levi to serve by caring for the tabernacle and providing spiritual leadership for the nation of Israel. Since the tribe of Levi was given these two unique responsibilities, God did not assign to them a portion of land (as He had assigned portions of land to the other tribes of Israel), but He instructed the rest of the Israelites to bring tithes of their increase to provide for the priests and Levites. (See Numbers 18.)

In the New Testament, Jesus affirmed the practice of tithing (see Matthew 23:23), and the Apostle Paul encouraged Christians to give to those in need and to those who were ministering in the Gospel (see II Corinthians 9:6–15). When you tithe today, you enable those whom God has called to serve as pastors, missionaries, and ministry personnel to faithfully build up the Church and expand the kingdom of God.

Put It Into Practice

Tithing is one way to worship God—to honor Him as your provider and remind yourself that all of your resources belong to Him and are provided through His grace. As you give away that first 10% of your income, you set your course to honor God in the way you handle the rest of your finances.

When to Give

Consider your pay schedule, and establish a pattern of giving when your resources increase. This habit allows you to regularly remind yourself of God’s faithfulness and to express gratitude to Him by giving to meet the needs of others.

Where to Give

Typically, the tithe should be given to the local church where you worship. These gifts support your pastor and ministry staff members who are actively serving you, and they help maintain the work of the church in your community. As God prospers you and directs you, additional gifts can be given to other ministries that are advancing the Gospel.

What to Give

The tithe is 10% of your gross income. In addition to giving 10% of your monetary income, consider giving God the firstfruits of other resources as well, such as your time (giving Him the first part of your day in a quiet time and taking one day in seven to focus on worship and rest) and energies (investing your gifts and abilities in your church and community).

How to Give

Your motives for giving are important to God. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (II Corinthians 9:7–8). Give with the expectation that God will faithfully supply whatever you need so that you can abound in good works!

Grow in the Fear of the Lord

The practice of tithing provides a regular reminder of your dependence on God. In good times, tithing helps you remember that God is the source of all blessings, and it allows you to demonstrate your gratitude for His care. In hard times, tithing motivates you to remember God’s faithfulness, and it enables you to demonstrate trust in God to provide for all of your needs.

In Deuteronomy 14:22–23, God instructed the Israelites: “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed . . . . of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.”Whatever your current situation, tithing is a key to learning to live in the fear of God.

Store Up Treasure in Heaven

As Christians, we are challenged to set our hearts on what truly matters, not on the frivolous things of the earth. (See Colossians 3:1–2.) Jesus challenged His disciples, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not beak through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19–21).

Giving a tithe and giving beyond the tithe are ways that you can honor God and reach out to meet the needs of others. “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” (Malachi 3:10).

This material is adapted from pages 67–69 of the Men’s Manual, Volume II

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Reflections | 19th June 2013

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Investing God's Way (Taken from Kenneth Hagin Ministries)

By Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

"My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

-Phil. 4:19

There is a law of sowing and reaping in both the natural and the spiritual realms. And it's a law that works! Yet from my experience, more people fail when it comes to faith for finances than for anything else. The reason is that they're trying to exercise faith for finances, but they haven't planted any seed! They want God to bless their finances even though they haven't sown anything.

The Bible plainly states, "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 [measure] withal it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:38).

The Bible also plainly says, "He which SOWETH sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6). If you want a bountiful crop, you've got to sow bountifully.

You can't reap a crop without sowing seed. You can't go out into your backyard and say, "I'm going to pick some tomatoes," if the ground hasn't been prepared and the seed sown.

The first step, then, toward getting your financial needs met is to obey the Bible.

MALACHI 3:10
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.

God said we are to bring our tithes—10 percent of our income—into the storehouse, and in return He will open up the windows of Heaven. "Prove me now herewith," he said.

So just go ahead and obey the Bible in the area of finances. Pay your tithes and give offerings. Act on God's Word in faith, and God will bless you because He's faithful and true to His Word.

Then beyond cooperating with God's laws concerning tithing and giving offerings, be open to receive further light from His Word concerning giving to others. Also, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, Who will very often direct you specifically to give.

Now don't do something just because somebody else did. Don't operate on someone else's experience. Operate on what you know the Bible says, and operate on what the Holy Spirit is saying to you.

You don't have to have any "leading" to pay tithes and give offerings. You don't need to be led to give and sow. The Bible tells you to do those things, so just do them. But when you get out beyond that, it's when you obey the Spirit of God that things happen.

Start where you are. Be faithful to obey the Word by paying your tithes and giving offerings. And be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit when He directs you specifically to give. You can't out-give God. If you sow seeds bountifully in faith and obedience, you will reap an abundant harvest of blessings!

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Reflections | 5th June 2013

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In the Gospel reading today we read about how God spoke to Moses and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. (Mark 12:26) Jesus used this verse to teach the Sadducees that God was not the God of the dead but the living. 

In today's post I would like for us to meditate on how God likes to identify himself with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

It is interesting to note that God does not call himself the God of the Catholics or God of the Protestants or God of the Pentecostals or God of the Baptists. There is so much to learn from the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I believe that the study of their lives powerfully teaches us what Christian life is all about. 

I encourage you to listen to Prosperity Proven by Keith Moore. Take the time to study The God of Abraham, The God of Isaac and The God of Jacob. It blessed me and I am sure that it will bless you too. 

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Listen to - The God of Abraham | The God of Isaac | The God of Jacob

Reflections | 3rd June 2013

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Today, I would like for us to meditate on the words of the Responsorial Psalm. It reads: 

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,

Who delights greatly in His commandments.

His descendants will be mighty on earth;

The generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches will be in his house, | Psalm 112:1-3

If we will fear God and keep His commandments, God promises us two things. Firstly, our children will be blessed and mighty on the earth. Secondly, our houses will be filled with wealth and riches. It is so important for us to constantly tell our children that they are blessed and destined to be mighty on the earth. It is also important for us to constantly meditate on the promise of God that says that we are destined to be wealthy and rich. Selah. 

So what does it mean to Fear the Lord?

Taken from WordofGodOnline

“The missing ingredient to success” by Michael Cameneti was written under Kenneth Hagin Ministries and Rhema Bible Church in 2004.

In the introduction of this book, Micheal Cameneti poses a very important question that many of us wonder about, Why am I not successful? What am I missing? He goes on to ask…”Do you mean there could be a missing ingredient in my life? And if I add this one ingredient, would it help me become successful? The answer to both of these questions is yes.

King Solomon, who is revered as one of the wisest men in history said, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments. For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

In our society and life of free will, many have chosen to move away from God because of the limitations that God has spoken about in the Bible. As we move forth, we can see that the World does not want the limitations that God puts before us in the Word of God. God has shown us a way to live life fruitfully and happily, but the message from the world is just the opposite. The world says live life however you choose and be FREE…but are you really free?

Let’s see what the Bible has to say about what happens when “there is no fear of God before their eyes”

Romans 3:9-18 From the Living Bible says…

Well then, are we Jews better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all men alike are sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles. As the scriptures say, “No one is good–not one in all the world is innocent.” “No one has ever really followed God’s paths, or even truly wanted to. Every one has turned away; all have gone wrong. No one anywhere has kept on doing what is right; not one. Their talk is foul and filthy like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are loaded with lies. Everything they say has in it the sting and poison of deadly snakes. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They are quick to kill, hating anyone who disagrees with them. Wherever they go they leave misery and trouble behind them, and they have never known what it is to feel secure or enjoy God’s blessing. They care nothing about God nor what he thinks of them.”

If we are to walk the path that God calls us to, then we must have this healthy fear of the Lord to do what is right in the eyes of God, not in the eyes of this world.  

A man who fears God, is a man who gives God and His Word first and absolute authority over his life. 

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Also Watch: Fear of the Lord by Andrew Wommack

Reflections | 30th May 2013

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In the Gospel reading we hear about how Jesus taught the Kingdom of God and healed all who were in need of healing. (Luke 9:11) It is important for us realize that most of the teachings of Jesus were about the Kingdom of God. As a minister of the Lord, I have decided to follow Jesus and teach the Kingdom of God, just like He did in my Ministry. In today's message, I want to focus on the Blessing of Abraham. 

The Blessing of Abraham | Taken from Kenneth Copeland Ministries

The bible teaches that in the Kingdom of God, you are the seed of Abraham! What does that mean? It means everything God promised him belongs to you. It has been passed down to you through Jesus.

Abraham’s blessing is your inheritance! (Galatians 3:13-14) It has been willed to you by the Word of God. So let’s read the will today. Let’s look in the Bible and find out how God treated Abraham, because that’s how God has promised to treat us.

Genesis 12:2-3 is a good place to start. There we see the first promise God made to Abraham: “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

To fully grasp what God was saying here, you must realize when He blesses someone, He is not just telling them to have a good day. He is conferring upon them the power to increase and prosper in every area of life. In fact, according to W.E. Vine and Webster’s dictionary, the true definition of bless is “to cause to prosper, to make happy, to bestow favor upon, to consecrate to holy purposes, to make successful, to make prosperous in temporal concerns pertaining to this life, to guard and preserve.”

It was actually THE BLESSING of God that made Abraham rich! It caused him to prosper wherever he went.

In fact, he became so “very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:2) that he and his nephew, Lot, who was traveling with him, eventually had to go separate ways “for their possessions were too great for them to live together” (verse 6, The Amplified Bible).

Do you know what Abraham did when that happened? He gave Lot first choice of the available land. He said: “Is not the whole land before you?… If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot looked and saw that everywhere the Jordan Valley was well watered…. Then Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley…” (verses 9-11, The Amplified Bible).

Notice that Abraham wasn’t greedy or concerned about his own welfare. He didn’t have to be. He had a covenant of blessing with God and he knew God would bring him success no matter where he lived.

Put Your Name in the Promise 

Financial prosperity wasn’t the only benefit God’s blessing brought Abraham either. It also made him an overcomer. Because God had declared that those who cursed Abraham would themselves be cursed, Abraham could conquer any enemy that came against him or his family.

You can see that fact borne out in Genesis 14. It tells of the time when Lot and his family were taken captive by wicked kings who made war on Sodom and Gomorrah. When Abraham received the news about his nephew, he didn’t sit around wringing his hands wishing there was something he could do. “He armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued…and smote them…. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people” (verses 14-16).

Imagine that. Abraham and his servants single-handedly whipped four kings and their armies, then recovered everything and everyone they had taken captive!

What gave Abraham the boldness to go after those kings? He knew he had a covenant with God. He knew God had promised to be an enemy to his enemies, and he dared to act on that promise.

Abraham understood that God was God! Abraham took God at His Word when He said, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1).

We need to do the same thing. We need to take that promise and put our name in it. After all, it’s ours! We’re the seed of Abraham.

Years ago, when Ken and I first started to walk with the Lord, we were facing debts and problems that seemed overwhelming. So I took that promise from God to Abraham and put my name in it. I read it like this: Fear not, Gloria. God is your shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great!

I decided that since I was an heir of Abraham, those words were just as true for me as they were for him. And sure enough, they have been. In the years since, God has protected me and rewarded me beyond anything I could ask or think. He has been as faithful to me as He was to Abraham!

God keeps His promises, and He promised Abraham that He would bless his seed. He said: “I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee” (Genesis 17:6-7).

Circumstances Can’t Stop THE BLESSING 

When I look at the life of Abraham, I’m convinced there is no limit to what THE BLESSING of God can do for those who dare to believe. It makes the impossible possible!

For example, when God told Abraham and Sarah they would have a son, naturally speaking there was no way. They were both more than 90 years old, and Sarah had been barren all her life. But that didn’t matter. Their covenant of blessing with Almighty God overcame those obstacles.

It not only enabled Sarah to give birth to Isaac, it kept her alive until he was 37 years old. It’s amazing enough for an old, barren woman to have a baby. But for her to live long enough to raise him to manhood, that’s really something!

The power of God’s blessing didn’t stop there, either. God so renewed Abraham’s youth that after Sarah died, he was able to remarry and have six more children. At 175 years old, the Bible says, “Abraham’s spirit was released, and he died at a good (ample, full) old age, an old man, satisfied and satiated, and was gathered to his people” (Genesis 25:8, The Amplified Bible).

What happened then? Did the covenant of blessing die too? No! Verse 11 tells us that “After the death of Abraham, God blessed his son Isaac.”

If you’ll read about the life of Isaac, you’ll see THE BLESSING of God caused him to prosper just like it did his father. It didn’t matter what happened around him, he just kept increasing.

Once, when there was a famine in the land, Isaac considered moving to Egypt to escape it. But the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt…. Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favor you with blessings…and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father” (Genesis 26:2-3, The Amplified Bible).

Keep in mind, famines back then were just as terrible as they are today. I’m sure it was just like the pictures we see where the babies’ bellies are swollen from starvation and their arms and legs are little more than skin and bone. Yet right in the midst of it all, “Isaac sowed seed in that land and received in the same year a hundred times as much as he had planted, and the Lord favored him with blessings” (verse 12, The Amplified Bible).

I want you to know, that’s what THE BLESSING of Abraham will do. It will enable you to prosper no matter what’s happening around you. It will cause you to increase in the midst of recessions, depressions and every other kind of economic calamity the devil can dream up.

If you’re the seed of Abraham, you shouldn’t even worry about such things. They don’t have to affect you. You’re not dependent on the economic cycles of this natural realm. You’re not dependent on what the Federal Reserve does. You are dependent on your covenant with Almighty God—and that never changes! He never alters the Word that comes out of His mouth, and He has said you are BLESSED!

What’s more, He’s said you’re a BLESSING. That means the company or corporation you work for will be blessed just because you’re there.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” you may say. “I’m just a janitor and the company I work for is full of heathens!”

So what! Genesis 41 tells us Abraham’s great-grandson, Joseph, started out as a slave in the ungodly nation of Egypt. But because he was the seed of Abraham, he ended up saving that nation from being destroyed by famine. Not only that, he became the most powerful man in the nation next to Pharaoh himself. The entire country was blessed because of Joseph and his covenant with God!

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Also Watch: Prosperity Proven

Reflections | 28th May 2013

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In Gospel reading Peter said to Jesus: See, we have left all and followed You. 

Jesus replied: Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30) 

Let me clarify that Jesus is not talking about renouncing family duties and responsibities in this verse. The bible says: But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8) The issue here is what you have given first priority in your life. If you give God first place in your life, then every other activity of your day will be planned around God and what He has said. Jesus said: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33) 'To seek' means to study, understand and apply.

For some of you the first priority of your life may be to build a house and be successful financially. You might be working hard, day and night and as result left with no time to study the Word of God. Jesus taught that if you will make Him your first priority and study His Word above all else, He will honor that and add, not one but many 'houses' to your life. Truly, financial success will follow you and overtake you if you follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Selah.

For some of you, spending time with your family and friends may be your first priority. As result you have no time for the Word of God. Now, I believe that spending time with your wife is the second most important thing that you need to do after God. It is important to specially make time for that. But you might have to sacrifice time with your loved ones to spend time with the Word. If you are the only believer in the house, your whole family could be against you and your faith. But even in the midst of persecution from family members and friends, I have seen men and women of God give Jesus Christ and His Kingdom first priority in their lives. Jesus taught that if you do this, God will give you hundred times more than what you sacrifice for Him. In simple words, it does not matter what you give up for God, God will give it back to you a hundredfold. Truly, you cannot give God more than what He gives you in and through Jesus Christ. Selah.

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Also Read: Investing God's Way

Also Watch: Financial Stewardship by Andrew Wommack

Reflections | 21st May 2013

In today's Responsorial Psalm we read: The Lord knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. (Psalm 37:19) 

When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the New Birth we enter the Kingdom of God and become citizens of heaven. (Philippians 3:20) As citizens in the Kingdom we look to God alone as our source for all things. That is why it does not matter what economic situation your country is in. If you belong to the Kingdom of God, God is your overseer and caretaker and bible says: You shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine you shall be satisfied. (Psalm 37:19) 

In the book of Genesis we read about how Isaac faced a season of famine. (Genesis 26:1-3) But in those days the bible says: Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. (Genesis 26:12-14) 

The same blessing that was on Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is upon us in Christ. (Galatians 3:13-14) 

The word blessing means- "empowered to succeed". In Christ we are empowered to succeed in business, at the workplace, in Ministry and in every area of life. No matter what the economic situation your country is in if you obey the Word of God and follow His leading through the Holy Spirit you too will prosper in your business and succeed at the workplace. Scholars say that Isaac was at least a multi-billionaire in today's standards. If God did it for Isaac, He will do it for you too. This is the will of God for you. 

Let us pray today that God will make us sensitive to the leading of His Holy Spirit and teach us how to live prosperous and fruitful lives on this Earth in Jesus Name. Amen.

Reflections | 18th May 2013

In the first reading we read about how Paul dwelt for two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 28:31) 

I was talking to the Lord one evening and I asked Him: What should I teach to your people?

The Lord said to me: Teach them about my Kingdom and the finished work of Christ.

It dawned on me that evening that all my messages to His people should always be focused on the Kingdom of God, Jesus Christ and him Crucified. 

In this post I would like talk about how the Kingdom of God takes care of its citizens. (Philippians 3:20) | Taken from The Kingdom of God by Brother Krish Fernandez

In some developed countries when a person does not have a job, the government takes care of their basic needs. In some countries the government will also give them a house with a TV connection. If a government on earth can do so much for its people, much more does the Kingdom of God do for its citizens. In the Kingdom of God, God is able to provide for all his children in abundance (Matthew 6:33) and it is also His will to make every citizen of His Kingdom very rich. (Proverbs 10:22)

When you are born-again and enter the Kingdom of God, God becomes your provider and SOURCE. In most cases I have seen that God wants to provide far greater than we want to receive. God wanted to give the Israelites a land flowing with milk and honey. (Leviticus 20:24) The word 'milk' here refers to basic necessities while the word 'honey' refers to an abundance of luxury items. I believe God always wants to give His citizens both basic necessities as well as luxury items. 

The Bible says: “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—

The Israelites did not enter into the promise of God because they did not mix what they heard with faith. (Hebrews 4:2) 

It is my prayer that you will not limit God. God wants you to be a person who can lend to nations. (Deuteronomy 28:12) He wants to bless the works of your hands so much that your nation will look at you and say: You have become mightier than us. (Genesis 26:12-16) And after that God wants to bless you still more. (Psalms 115:14)

It is only when we believe God and like Mary say- Let it be to me according to your word. (Luke 1:38) that God can bring these things to pass in our lives. Selah.