CUTTING YOURSELF FROM GOD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MAY 26, 2020.

SUBJECT: CUTTING YOURSELF FROM GOD!

Memory verse: "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." (Mark 11 vs 25).

READ:  Isaiah 59 vs 1 - 2:

59:1: Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 

59:2: but your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

INTIMATION:

We have heard that our confession is our possession—what we say is what we get. But there are times we can't get what we say. These are times when we bear loads of grudges, resentment, envy, hatred, anger, un-forgivenesses, and like emotions. The loads of such emotions are very heavy and costly to our relationship with God, because they are regarded as sin.

The dictionary definition of sin is "a moral offense or shortcoming, especially from the point of view of religion." It is the a rebellion against God's laws, a perversion of heart.  "Sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14 vs 34), as well as to God. Though we may have been dragged into such emotions by wrongdoing to us by another, but these emotions hurt us more than they hurt the one who has wronged us. This is because, if our faith is strong and our prayer is persistent, there is only one thing that can stand in the way of answered prayer (getting what you ask) and that is un-repented sin. 

Isaiah 59 vs 1 - 2 says, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, that He will not hear." 

What a terrible condition for a Christian to be in; to be unable to talk to God! 

When we understand what our resentment does to us, we see how much better it is for us to allow our enemies to get away with their cruelty, even murder, and forgive them, rather than hold a grudge and cut ourselves off from God. God knows the heart of our enemy, and repays accordingly without needing any helps from us. The Bible tells us that vengeance is God's business, not ours; "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12 vs 19). God takes vengeance on our enemies because He is just, and because He loves us.

However, an unforgiving spirit is so destructive that we are warned that when God does take vengeance on our enemies, we are not even to be happy that He did so; "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him" (Proverbs 24 vs 17 - 18). 

Once you understand the destructiveness of "getting even," you will be able to ask God to keep you from resentment in all its forms. In Matthew 5 vs 39, Jesus commanded us, "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." Jesus is suggesting that our response to injustice should not be demanding our right, but to give it up freely! According to Him it is more important to give justice and mercy than to receive it.

Jesus said in Mark 11 vs 25; "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." Only in so doing that you receive what you ask in prayers.

Study Acts 13 on the account of two God's steadfast servants, both spirit-filled men, Paul and Barnabas in Antioch where they preached and taught. The Gentiles heard and were glad and glorified God, and all those who believed received the Spirit and were ordained to eternal life. The Jews, however, incited the devout men and women against Paul and Barnabas and drove them from the city. They left, and they were filled with joy in the Holy Spirit, and never had any desire for retaliation. The Spirit-filled life doesn't seek revenge but joyously reflects the presence of God within.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of forgiveness that my heart will be free from iniquities, so that my prayers will be unhindered, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

IDEAL WITNESSING FOR CHRIST!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MAY 25, 2020.

SUBJECT: IDEAL WITNESSING FOR CHRIST!

Memory verse: "But go and learn what it means: ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9 vs 13.)

READ: Mark 2 vs 15 - 17: 

2:15: Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.

2:16: And when the scribes and the Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

2:17: When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

INTIMATION:

Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and no sinner is beyond His saving power. He gladly associated Himself with sinners because He loved them, and because He knew that they needed to hear what He had to say. He spent time with all manner of people—poor, rich, bad, good, etc. Therefore, as ambassadors of Christ, our ideal witnessing for Him is reaching out to those who have need for His saving grace, no matter their kind. We too, must befriend those who need Christ, even if they do not seem to be ideal companions. Are there people you have been neglecting because of their reputation? They may be the ones who mostly need to see and hear the message of Christ’s love from you. 

However, this fact of ideal witnessing has inadvertently been contrasted by many with the apostle Paul’s sayings in Second Corinthians 6 vs 14 - 16, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols....”

Here the apostle Paul advises that believers and unbelievers cannot be joined together effectively for a common purpose, such as; business partnership, marriage, etc. This is because of the difference in their beliefs. It would be a mismatch, and such can weaken the believer’s commitment, integrity or standards, especially for new converts, and those not yet deeply rooted in Christ. The apostle Paul had earlier explained that this does not mean isolating oneself from unbelievers which is against Christ’s leading, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you need would need to go out of the world.”

Paul even urges believers to stay with their unbelieving spouses, “But to the rest, I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to with her, let her not divorce him” (First Corinthians 7 vs 12 - 13). 

The apostle Paul made it clear that we should not disassociate ourselves from unbelievers—otherwise we could not carry our Christ’s command to tell them about salvation (Matthew 28 vs 18 - 20). Rather, we are to distance ourselves from the person who claims to be a believer, yet indulges in sins explicitly forbidden in Scripture by rationalizing his or her actions. By rationalizing sin, a person harms others for whom Christ died and dims the image of God in Himself or herself.

He wanted believers to be active in their witness for Christ to unbelievers, but they should not lock themselves into personal or business relationships that could cause them to compromise their faith. Believers should do everything in their power to avoid situations that could force them to divide their loyalties.

Also, Paul did not want single believers to enter into marriage with unbelievers. Such marriages cannot have unity in the most important issue in life—commitment and obedience to God. Because marriage involves two people becoming one, faith may become an issue, and one spouse may have to compromise beliefs for the sake of unity. Many people discount this problem only to regret it later. Don’t allow emotion or passion to blind you with someone who will not be your spiritual partner. 

One secret of effective witnessing for God is to recognize opportunities to relate God to person’s experience. When the opportunity arises, we must have the courage to speak out, using the situation to turn attention to God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to be an effective witness for Christ, recognizing every opportunity, and utilizing the it to speak out to turn attention of all around to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD’S GRACE ABOUND TOWARD YOU!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MAY 24, 2020.

SUBJECT : GOD’S GRACE ABOUND TOWARD YOU!

Memory verse: "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." (Second Corinthians 9 vs 8).

READ: Ephesians 1 vs 7 - 9: 

1:7: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 

1:8: which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

1:9: having made known to us the mystery of His Will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.

INTIMATION:

God is making His grace to come leaping toward the believers in all its fullness, and that grace has within it His all sufficiency for every emergency. The Scriptures in Ephesians 1 vs 3 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." We become the disciples of Christ in utilizing the blessings to bear fruit, even much fruit. It is in doing so that the Father is glorified. And He promised to increase and multiply whatever we do to bear fruit (John 15 vs 8). How little we have appreciated this, that His very sufficiency and ability—all the heavenly blessings—are all at our disposal. 

The tenth verse of Second Corinthians 9 that says, "Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness." Do you understand what He means by "fruits of your righteousness?" It means all the gracious things you are able to do with these heavenly blessings at your disposal just as Jesus did. God will make His grace abound toward you that your fruit of your righteousness—the gracious things you doing will be increasing. 

All the gracious words that Jesus said and all the mighty acts that He performed were the fruits of His righteousness. I wonder if we have ever thought of it. Jesus was fearless in the presence of the enemy in every place. He had no fear of a storm at sea. He had no fear of lack. He wasn't afraid of death. He raised Lazarus who had been dead four days. He wasn't afraid of a mob. He exercised power over nature and its forces. Those were some of the fruits of His righteousness. When His grace abound in us they will make us like Jesus, and these fruits of righteousness can abound in us.

Righteousness and all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places was given to us in Christ with the intent that we bear fruit with them. The apostle Paul says in Second Corinthians 3 vs 4 - 6: "And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant....." 

Now, notice this carefully, He is not only our ability, but He is our sufficiency. There is no lack in us, in our service, in our finances, in anything connected with our earth walk. You see when He took us over and came into us and began to build His Word into us, He was building His sufficiency and His ability into us. How ashamed we ought to be if we have ever talked about our weakness and our lack when the ability of God, the measureless ability of God is ours.

By His Word He created the universe; created this earth with all its flowers and fruits, its wealth of minerals, chemicals, and oils. His efficiency in that living Word created these things. Now He is building into us that Living Word with its supernatural efficiency. 

A praying believer with the consciousness of this whole knowledge, becomes invincible. All we need to do now is to take our place and act our part knowing that is God who is at work within us. Not only is He building Himself into us, but He is there to work through us. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. You are blessed with everything that you need. His very fullness is yours. His love is yours. Yes, He Himself is yours, and you are complete in Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your loving kindness toward me is immeasurable and overwhelming. Everything within me is thanking You for the riches Your grace, and of the glory of the inheritance You have given me in Jesus Christ. My utmost heart desire is to manifest to the fullest my inheritance, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen

PRAISE THE LORD.

YOU ARE NOW GOD’S SUPERMAN!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MAY 23, 2020.

SUBJECT : YOU ARE NOW GOD’S SUPERMAN!

Memory verse: "Most assuredly, I say to you, He who believes in Me, the works that I do He will do also, and greater works than these he will , because I go to my Father." (John 14 vs 12.) 

READ: Matthew 17 vs 17 - 20: 

17:17: Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”

17:18: And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of Him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

17:19: Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast out it out? 

17:20: So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you. 

INTIMATION:

God's Superman is the New Creation man recreated in Christ Jesus. He believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth the Lord Jesus. In the passage we read today, Jesus stated some prophetic facts about believers. Jesus stated a fact when He said, ".......Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you. if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing shall be impossible for you." 

The disciples were unable to cast out the demon because they had no faith. The faith that enabled them accomplish the works they before then was the faith of Christ that accompanied them as they went without Him. It is the power of God, plus our faith, that moves mountains. The mustard seed was the smallest particle imaginable. Jesus said that even faith as small or undeveloped as the size of mustard seed would have been sufficient. Perhaps, the disciples had tried to cast out the demon with their own ability rather than God’s. There is great potential in even a little faith when we trust in God’s power to act. 

Jesus wasn’t condemning the disciples for substandard faith; He was trying to show how important faith would be in their future ministry. This is applicable to all believers also; faith is our greatest tool in our work with Christ. If you are facing a problem that seems as big and immovable as a mountain, turn your eyes from the mountain and look to Christ for more faith. Only then will you be able to overcome the obstacles that may stand in your way.

Note that Jesus told the disciples the consequence of their unbelief, they weren't able to cast out the evil spirit (Demon) from the epileptic son. (See Matthew17 vs 14 - 20).

But Jesus said to them, "If you have faith" - "If you believe," you will perform the great miracle of moving a mountain from here to there by simply speaking faith in the lips of that believer. 

Now reconcile it with Matthew 19 vs 26, when Jesus said, "....."With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." As I presumed earlier, the disciples tried casting out the demon in their own power, and it was impossible because they are mere men. But the recreated man (the believer) has that same spirit that was at work in Jesus, and that same spirit will be at work in him and enable him to do what Christ did and even more. (John 14 vs 12).

Also take this with Mark 11 vs 24, "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." This is because Jesus said, "all things are possible to him who believes." (Mark 9 vs 23). There were no believers in that time Jesus Christ was preaching. They were Jews under law. The believing ones came into being at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon men. It means that a believer is a New Creation Man. The New Creation Man is a partaker of God's nature. He is really an incarnation. He has received the nature and life of God. Then he invites the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, who came the day of Pentecost, to make His home in his body. This man, not only has God's nature, but has God actually living in him.

If this doesn't constitute a superman, then I don't know what a superman is.This man is with God's nature, and God is indwelling him, he has been given a legal right to the use of the Name of Jesus with the power of attorney. This believer, God's superman, this new creation in Christ, is a child of Deity. He stands  before the world as a very branch of the vine. He is taking the place of Jesus in the world.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You most gracious Father for making one with You, and for the gift of the Holy Spirit indwelling me. I am a god, and a joint heir with Christ. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Engrace me for exploits in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

YOU ARE A NEW CREATURE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020.

SUBJECT: YOU ARE A NEW CREATURE! 

Memory verse: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; all things are become new." (Second Corinthians 5 vs 17.)

READ: Romans 6 vs 3 - 11:

6:3: Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 

6:4: Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

6:5: For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

6:6: knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

6:7: For he who has died has been freed from sin. 

6:8: Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 

6:9: knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 

6:10: For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 

6:11: Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

INTIMATION:

The New Creation concept  is adequately and clearly revealed to me when I realized that Jesus was recreated. Until then Christianity, as simple confession of Christ Jesus and the attendant forgiveness of sins, with the theological justification, has no sense of reality in it. But when I realized that Jesus was recreated, the real idea of our recreation came alive in me.

You see, Jesus was made sin with our sins. He became our substitute. He took our place to be a propitiation for our sins. We were crucified with Him. We died with Him. We were buried with Him. We were judged with Him. He went to the place where we should have gone, and He suffered there until the claims of justice against us were met, until all the claims were satisfied. Then the grave couldn't hold Him any longer.

Jesus is able to accomplish all He did because of the Holy Spirit operational in His life. The Scripture in Matthew 3 vs 16 says; “And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightaway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him.” The recreation or new creation is the quickening of the spirit of the believer by the operation of the Holy Spirit, and by whose power all the services are rendered, and the accomplishments are achieved. 

Because we were united with Christ in His death, our evil desires and bondage to sin died with Him. Now, united by faith with Him in His resurrection life, we have unbroken fellowship with God and freedom from sin’s hold on us. If we think of our old, sinful life as dead and buried, we have a powerful motive to resist sin, as we treat the desires and temptations of our old nature as dead. All these are made possible by the operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer.

Therefore, the behavior of a true Christian should be putting on the new nature you are recreated in, by accepting Christ and regarding the earthly nature as dead. We change our moral and ethical behavior by letting Christ (in His Spirit form) live within us, so that He can shape us into what we should be.

When you are dead to sin, it means we should have as little desire for improper worldly pleasures as a dead person would have. The power of sin over us died with Christ on the cross, and was nailed there, so we are free from that power. Before we confessed Jesus, our body of sin inherited from Adam often willingly cooperate with the power of sin at work in our life. Now we have confessed Christ, that power is defeated once and for all. 

Though we are no longer under sin’s power, God does not take us out of the world or make us robots, it’s true we will still feel like sinning, and sometimes we will sin. The difference is that before we were saved we were slaves to our sinful nature, but now we can choose to live for Christ, and that is why a truly born again Christian will always feel very sorry when he or she falls into sin, and will confess such sin because sin’s attraction has drastically reduced in his or her life. Upon confession and repentance, he or she is forgiven (First John 1 vs 9).

How then can we keep ourselves under check and not to let sin control the way we live, to not give in to its desires? We can take the following steps: (1) Identify our personal weaknesses, (2) recognize the things that tempt us, (3) stay away from sources of temptation, (4) practice self-restraint, (5) consciously invest our time in good habits and service, and (6) lean on God’s strength and grace through our indwelling Holy Spirit, as we learn to turn to Him in all things we do.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You so much for the substitutionary work of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ—our Messiah, for me, and for the gift of salvation, and redemption, and sanctification in Him. I pray for Your exceeding grace to live above sin, especially sins that have dominion over me, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

HOLD FAST TO YOUR CONFESSION OF FAITH!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MAY 21, 2020.

SUBJECT : HOLD FAST TO YOUR CONFESSION OF FAITH!

Memory verse: "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, Let us hold fast our confession." (Hebrews 4 vs 14.) 

READ: First James 1 vs 6 - 8: 

1:6: But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

1:7: For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, 

1:8: He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

INTIMATION:

Our faith, or unbelief is determined by our confession. Few of us realize the effect of our spoken word on our own hearts, or on our adversary. He hears us make our confession of trust, confidence, of failure, of sickness, of lack, and apparently he doesn't forget. Remember he is the our accuser; accusing us of our weak or negative confession, and we unconsciously go down to the level of our confession. No one ever rises above his or her confession.

Everybody who walks by faith will have testings or trials. They do not come from the Father; they come from the adversary. God may allow the testings or trials of the adversary to test your faith and trust in Him. But as long as the adversary can confuse the issue, and keep you in a state of flux, you are at a disadvantage. A state of flux is a state of continual changing, of insatiability, of double mindedness. In the passage we read today, the apostle James describes a double-minded man as unstable in all his ways, and let not that man think he shall receive anything from the Lord.

In our memory verse, the Scripture advises us, as Christians, to "hold fast our confession." That is if our confession is in tune with the Word of God in the Scripture, knowing that the Scripture cannot be broken (John 10 vs 35); that what the Father says is true, and sure, already settles in heaven. When we doubt His Word, it is because we believe something else that is contrary to the Word. Our confidence may be in the arm of flesh; it may be in medicine; it may be in institutions; but whatever our confidence, if it contradicts the Word it destroys our faith life, and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11 vs 6). Consequently, It destroys our prayers, and brings us again into bondage.

There isn't any power in all the universe that can void any statement of fact in His Word. No Word from God is void of power. He said, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55 vs 11.) Your confidence is in that unbroken, living Word, and you hold fast to your confession in the face of every assaults of the enemy. Never in any way be terrified by your adversaries. Sometimes, it may appear as though the prayer is not answered, hold on to it, though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come (Habakkuk 2 vs 3). It is your quiet assurance in His Word that gives you the supremacy over your adversary.

God’s ways are forever the best, and therefore, He answers in our best interests. Though it might not be the way we wanted, but He aligns our desires with His purposes. He knows the best for us in any circumstances. As a Christian, Are you holding fast to your confession during prayer as well as after prayer? Or do you confess faith in Christ during prayer, and doubt and unbelief after prayer? Any confession you make is a seed sowed in like manner, and you will reap according to what you sowed. Therefore, when you sow a seed of faith in Christ, and turn around to sow the seed of doubt or double-mindedness, you void the earlier seed of faith sowed, and consequently will reap the harvest of the later seed of doubt.

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You. Forever Your Word is settled in heaven. Nothing, absolutely nothing can take away my trust in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

EATER OR SOWER?

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MAY 20, 2020.

SUBJECT: EATER OR SOWER?

Memory verse: "Now may He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness." (Second Corinthians 9 vs 10.)

READ: Proverbs 11 vs 24 - 25; Second Corinthians 9 vs 6 - 7:

Provides 11:24: There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. 

11:25: The generous soul will be made rich. And he who waters will also be watered himself.

Second Corinthians 9:6: But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 

9:7: So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

9:8: 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.
9:9: As it is written, “He has dispersed abroad; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures  forever.

INTIMATION:

There two dominant heart conditions when it comes to money: eaters and sowers. Eaters are the ones who are all about getting their own needs met; they are seeking to establish their own kingdom. They use their resources to buy everything they want, and they only give when there is something left over. Sowers, on the other hand, are all about putting other people first. Sowers need to eat too, so it's not like they can't buy things for themselves, but their hearts' desire is to give and seek God's kingdom first. Sowers are people God is searching the world to find.

When we understand financial blessings properly, we realize that prosperity isn't about us. It's about being able to bless other people. If you don't currently have that attitude, once you get it, you'll experience the reality that God gives seed to the sower. Selfishness short-circuits prosperity because it causes us to consume all of our resources. It turns us into a vacuum cleaner that sucks up everything in sight. We ought to be just the opposite. Christians should be like leaf blowers: giving money left and right. We should be imitating God by searching for opportunities to give, and asking Him to show us how we can be a blessing.

The passages we read today present the paradox I have been hammering on. They explain clearly prosperity viewed in God's way; that we become richer by being generous. The world says to hold on to as much as possible. But God blesses those who give freely of their possessions, time and energy. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal toward Him." (Second Chronicles 16 vs 9.) When we give, God supplies us with more so that we can give more. 

In addition, giving helps us gain a right perspective on our possessions. We realize they were never really ours to begin with, but they were given to us by God to be used to help others. What do we gain by giving? Five major things; Freedom from enslavement to our possessions, the joy of helping others, God's approval, the grace of God for our sufficiency in all things, and it is imputed to us as righteousness.

The Scripture in Proverbs 3 vs 9 - 10, says, "Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine." The firstfruits refers to the practice of giving to God's use the first and best portion of your harvest (Deuteronomy 26 vs 9 - 11). Many people give God their leftovers. If they can afford to donate anything, they do so. These people may be sincere and contribute willingly, but their attitude is nonetheless backward. 

It is better to give God the first part of our income. We do this by ensuring that before you spend out of the income, you first of all pay your tithes and give out whatever yo desire in your heart to give God, and help others in need. This demonstrates that God, not possessions, has first place in our lives and that our resources belong to Him—we are only managers of God's resources. Giving to God first helps us conquer greed, helps us properly manage God's resources, and opens us to receive God's special blessings.

God knows you have needs, and He wants you to be taken care of. Remember, He doesn't mind if you live in a nice house and drive an nice car, as long as you aren't consuming all of your finances on yourself. When you get the attitude of a giver and walk it out over time, God will increase your finances. If God finds you trustworthy on the use of finances, that He can get money through you, He'll get it to you, and it won't be long before you have plenty left over for yourself.

Yes the life of adequate giving is very hard to live. People may hesitate to give generously to God if they worry about having enough left over to meet their own needs. Paul assured the Corinthians that God was able to meet their needs. A person who gives only a little will receive only a little in return. (Luke 6 vs 38.) Our attitude when we give is more important than the amount we give. We don't have to be embarrassed if we can give only a small gift. God is concerned about how we give from our resources. (See Mark 12 vs 41 - 44.)

Another thing to keep in mind is that prosperity doesn't happen overnight. You don't go from being selfish to becoming a generous millionaire instantly for a couple of reasons. First, there is a time between planting seed and harvesting. Fruit doesn't show up the next day. Second, money has power, and you might not be able to handle the power of prosperity right away. If you are a “ sower,” be patient with God, He will definitely come through to you. Though it might tarry, wait for it, for it must surely come to pass. (See Habakuk 2 vs 3.) 

Prayer: Abba Father, all things are Yours; the earth and its fullness. Thank You, O Lord, for all the talents, abilities, and resources You bestowed on me. Give me the grace to be a sower of the the things You have freely given to me, that I may earn Your approval, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!