The Believer's Secret to Financial Breakthrough

      

My Childhood Question

When I was growing up in my home village, as a young Catholic boy, there was something I sought answer for and never found until I grew up. Well, in the part of my country where I grew up, you never had anyone to answer questions bothering your faith – the priest didn’t stay in the village and would come there for Mass once a while where you would not even get time to talk to him because he had to move elsewhere to celebrate Mass with other local churches. It is also possible that we didn’t even believe much in our local church leaders –most people then didn’t believe in the knowledge they had about God and the Bible. Some of them even lived a kind of life that may even tempt you to doubt their salvation; how much more trusting them for solutions to spiritual things! So I got no one to answer my question till I grew and had revelation from God.

My issue was that in the Catholic Church, there is something we call Annual Harvest where the whole congregation will come together on a day – mostly on one Sunday in a year and give a free offering in aid of a project or keep it for the running of the church. What I saw was the fact that there were few people in my village who were always called upon to sit on the high table during the day of the harvest; it was expected that if you were called upon to be the chair or a supporter during the harvest, you should give handsomely to the church. Because of this expectation from the church members and church leaders, some people would decline when they were invited by the church leaders to take up those positions during the harvest day – because they claimed they didn’t have enough money to be on the high table.

So such positions were always given to the wealthy few. And each other year since I became conscious of this, it was always the same faces who were called upon to lead the harvest. Well, each of those years they never failed the congregation too. So my question was ‘why do the same people chair and sit on the high table each and every other year during our annual harvest? Does their money not get finished? Why did they give this year and still get more to give the following year while the ‘poor’ was becoming poorer? I really needed answer to this simple question and I thank God that finally I have the answer.

Giving is the undefeated weapon which the Lord has given to His people of all races and in all dispensations to overcome life’s battles; more especially the financial battle of life. There is therefore no giver who lacks. This principle of giving is a principle to commanding your financial world and it seems to extend to even non believers – after all they are all created by God. Throughout Scripture, those persons who freely gave were financially and materially blessed. While some of them gave to God as a form of sacrifice, others were also generous to the poor and needy of their days. I believe there is something in giving that will never make the giver poor!

You see, when I was a child, I loved to ask a lot of questions. Whenever I had the opportunity, I asked relatives or other people; if I didn’t have the opportunity too, I kept the questions to myself and hoped for the answers later in life. Thank God for His Holy Spirit who dwells in us and teaches us all things. The Holy Spirit made me to understand that until those who think there are poor in the church and therefore withhold their hands during annual harvest – and other offertories renew their minds, we shall continue to see the usual faces who are always giving. The Lord told me offertory is a seed, so as they give, in a year’s time, they will be reaping what they sowed and that’s why they never seem to lack. But the ones who think they are poor and never give eat their seed and reap nothing during harvest, hence their unending poverty.

Proverbs 11:24

²⁴ One man gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want

There are people who are poor, though saved, because they don’t like giving. They are stingy and very careful when it comes to giving. But if you are careful to sow, you would less if not nothing to reap. Solomon is saying there are people who give freely, yet become richer; and there are others who withhold their hands to give, and later become poor. Giving is mystery; when you give, you will receive!

Philippians 4:17 (KJV)

¹⁷ Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account

As part of his letter to the church in Philippi, Apostle Paul wrote a gratitude message to the church there for their material support when he was on his missionary journey especially when he was in Thessalonica. And he adds that he is not thanking the church because he desires more gifts; but he desires that more fruits will be credited to their accounts. What the Apostle is saying is that anytime a believer gives – note the letter was written to believers – it’s is like a seed sown, which grows and bears fruits. These fruits are then credited to the accounts of the giver. So you see poverty is a mentality so as riches. You can change your financial fortunes by giving. Giving – to the work of God and to the needy – is a weapon God has given to the church to fight the battle of poverty.

God is Touched by Giving

Many people pray for the touch of God which is not bad; of course the touch of God brings transformation. The moment the Lord touches you, your breakthrough begins. All those the Lord Jesus touched as we are told in the gospel passages experienced a total turnover from their predicaments. So it is not bad to seek the touch of God. But if the Lord is ‘keeping long’ in touching you, you can also touch Him, and one of the ways of touching God is through giving. And whether you touch God or He touches you, the result is the same - thus transforming your life positively!

Mark 12:41-44 (NIV)

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.

⁴² But a POOR WIDOW came and put in TWO VERY SMALL COPPER COINS, worth only a few cents.

 ⁴³ Calling His disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, THIS WIDOW HAS PUT IN MORE INTO THE TREASURY than all the others.

⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, PUT IN EVERTHING – all she had to live on

Jesus was touched by the act of the widow. You see, Jesus observes all things. Whatever you are doing publicly and secretly, He is watching. He sees all things and nothing is hidden from His face. Jesus sees and knows what is in the heart of men (John 2:24-25). He observed as people came to give their offering in the temple; He is still observing us as we give at church. He has not changed His ‘posture at the church’; He is still ‘sitting down’ opposite the place where the offerings are put and He is watching.

The widow touched Jesus through giving and I believe Jesus who is compassionate also blessed her; though the Bible doesn’t record that. God is looking for people who through giving can touch Him so that He will bless them. Note that the widow didn’t give more than the others gave in terms of the amounts. But in the sight of God, it was worth more than what the rich people gave not only because she gave her all but also because it was dearest to her. She didn’t give surplus but gave her life and her all. When God loved the world, He gave His Only Begotten Son. God had a lot of angels He could have sent to save mankind but He chose to give to us His One and Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, out of love. Our giving therefore must follow the example of God; we must give what will cause us. We must not give the excess; we can’t touch God with the excesses. We must feel it after we have given and more blessing will come our way.

Another person who touched God through giving is Solomon. Solomon became king of Israel after the death of his father, David. Though as a young man (1 Kings 3:7) who was made a king, he did something wonderful one night which brought God Himself to his abode. One day he gathered all Israel to Gibeon, where the tabernacle of the Lord which Moses made in the wilderness and the bronze alter was; there he offered a thousand sacrifices. I believe it was a great sacrifice and his sacrifice brought the supernatural to his attendance that same night;

2 Chronicles 1:6-7

⁶ And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.

⁷ In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask what I shall give you"

Through his offering, Solomon got God to visit him and if God visited you, you can be sure of at least one great favour He will do you. It was at this visitation that God told Solomon to ask for anything and because he was a child, he prayed for wisdom to rule his people and he was granted (2 Chronicles chapter 1). God was touched by the great offering of young Solomon and that same night, He visited him. Out of this visitation also was the secret behind Solomon’s great riches. Giving and offerings bring riches!

Tithing in the Old Testament

A lot of controversy has been raised on tithing in recent times. While some people in Christendom believe tithing relates to the Old Testament or Covenant, others believe the requirement to tithe is still applicable even in this New Covenant. Let’s explore the Bible to see what is there for us.

Tithe means a tenth. It is the dedication of one tenth of a person’s income or his produce of the earth to God. Before the coming of the law, Abram who became Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek, priest of God Most High from the spoils he had taken from the confederate kings (Genesis 14:20). As to who asked him to do that; we don’t know. Maybe he was inspired to do that and besides his tithe was not rejected by God. But one remarkable thing happened after he had given a tenth of everything. He had an encounter with God in a vision just after he gave his tithe and it was in this vision that God made a lasting Promise to him. God told him ‘I am your very great reward’ (Genesis 15:1). No wonder Abraham became so great and so rich in many things. You know Prosperity comes from generosity (Proverbs 11:25). He is now the father of all nations and the beginning of this great honour was when he had given a tithe. Another person who also vowed to give a tithe was Jacob. When Jacob was on his way to Haran, he made a vow at bethel to give a tenth of all that the Lord will give him

Genesis 28:22

²² And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that thou givest me I will give the TENTH to thee.

I believe that if we would agree us Christians with Jacob of the fact that we came to this world with nothing and that everything we have at our disposal is a free gift from God, then it wouldn’t be a worry for us to give back to support the work of God. Jacob said “I will give you a tenth of all that YOU SHALL GIVE ME”. Note that Jacob was not instructed by any law to do that but he reckoned that he had nothing by himself except what the Lord gave him.

I think this mind of Jacob should be in every Christian and the fight over tithes will come to a perpetual rest. We also know that because of his vow, Jacob’s journey was fruitful; he left home empty but returned with 12 sons and a daughter together with a lot of belongings. Tithing brings material breakthrough! David likewise when dedicating the gifts for building the temple said “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and WE HAVE GIVEN YOU ONLY WHAT COMES FROM YOUR HAND” (1 Chronicles 29:14). If we are able to recognize this, we wouldn’t hesitate to give.

When the law was given through Moses, the Israelites were obliged to tithe. They were commanded to give a tenth of everything from the land and if someone failed to do this, he was to redeem it at a penalty of one fifth of the value of that thing.

Leviticus 27:30-32

³⁰ All the TITHE of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD's; IT IS HOLY TO THE LORD

³¹ If a man wishes to redeem any of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it.

³² And ALL THE TITHE of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman's staff, SHALL BE HOLY TO THE LORD.

Subsequently, directives were given on the managements of the tithes (Numbers 18:21-24, 26-28). Tithe payment was a significant part of the Jewish worship and during the reformation of the king Hezekiah, one of his achievements was the eagerness with which his people brought their tithes (2 Chronicles 31:4-6). Some of the prophets also rebuked the people who didn’t pay their tithes (Amos 4:4; Malachi 3:8-10). Tithe payment was observed before the law and it was also included in the law which was given through Moses.

Tithing in the New Testament

In the New Testament, it is not told anywhere that one must pay a tenth of their income. Besides, the Law of Moses was given specifically to the Israelites under the Old Covenant. Nonetheless, tithing existed before the coming of the Law. Also, the principle of tithing is not overemphasised in the New Covenant. Tithing is a spiritual principle for financial blessings. God expects His children to give so that firstly, He can bless them through that;

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

⁶ The point is this: he who SOWS SPARINGLY will also REAP SPRINGLY, and he who SOWS BOUNTIFULLY will also REAP BOUNTIFULLY.

⁷ Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER

Secondly as the Levites who were necessarily the priests were fed from the tithes, the Lord expects believers to provide for the needs of preachers of the gospel; the principle has not changed!

1 Corinthians 9:13-14

¹³ Do you not know that THOSE WHO ARE EMPLYED IN THE TEMPLE SERVICE GET THEIR FOOD FROM THE TEMPLE, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?

¹⁴ IN THE SAME WAY, the LORD COMMANDED that THOSE WHO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL SHOULD GET THEIR LIVING BY THE GOSPEL.

God has ordained that those who minister the gospel are fed by the church. Please note that it is a command from the Lord Himself! Therefore tithing is not compulsory in the New Testament though; each believer is expected to give something to support the work of God. And I think if we really appreciate that all that we have are from God, then giving at least one tenth back to Him should not be a problem. There is something so interesting I find in the New Testament about tithing that I want us to see

Hebrews 7:1-8 (KJV)

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

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:

⁶ But he whose descent is not counted from them received TITHES of Abraham, and BLESSED him that had the promises

⁷ And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

⁸ And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth

Melchizedek was a type of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only King of Peace and King of all righteousness. He is the only High Priest who has no beginning and no end. So this priest Melchizedek must be a type of Jesus Christ. The verse number four says we should consider how great this man was and even whom the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils. Before Abraham gave him the tithe, Melchizedek brought him bread and wine (Genesis 14:18). Come to think of it, Jesus Christ who is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek gives His flesh as bread and His blood as wine to us; doesn’t He deserve our tithes and more? (Matthew 26:26-28).

Jesus Christ who is the greatest deserve even more than a tenth of what we freely receive from God. Abraham gave a tithe and he became blessed. Consider him who gave his tithe and be encouraged also to give and you shall also be blessed. We are descendants of Abraham. If he gave his tithe to the high Priest Melchizedek after he brought him bread and wine, then we also ought to pay our tithes to Jesus, the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek who gives us His own body and blood as bread and wine respectively to us. Tithe must be paid to Christ Jesus through His church.

Giving Opens Doors

Tithing and giving opens great financial doors unto you

Proverbs 18:16

¹⁶ A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.

It brings you to your supernatural abundance where lack and want have no feet. Make your mind to tithe and give, and you will never lack. Through your offering and kind giving, God can satisfy your heart desire. There was a certain man in Caesarea by name Cornelius. He was a giver; he gave alms to many people. Though a gentile, Cornelius learnt how to give alms to people and this got God attracted to Him. God visited him in a vision and told him “Your prayer and ALMS GIVING have moved me so send for Peter and through him your heart burden will be solved”. Your giving can attract God

Acts 10:1-4

¹ At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort,

² A devout man who feared God with all his household, GAVE ALMS LIBERALLY to the people, and prayed constantly to God.

³ About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius..

⁴ And he stared at him in terror, and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your PRAYERS and your ALMS have ascended as a MEMORIAL before God.

Cornelius’ prayers and alms ascended as a memorial before the Lord. If you will be a giver and tither, it shall be a memorial before the Lord. In times when you are in distress, you shall be remembered for your alms. The Lord will send His servants to your rescue in times of danger if you will love to give. Cornelius inner man yearned for salvation; which he eventually received. You see, faith cometh by hearing (Romans 10:17) and Cornelius needed to hear first before he could believe and be saved. This also teaches us that no amount of your personal devotion can buy you salvation; you need to first of all believe in the Lord Jesus. Cornelius was a devout man, and prayerful man, but he wasn’t saved. You can’t be saved without having Jesus. “He who has the Son of God has life and he who has not the Son of God has not life” (1 John 5:12). But thanks be to God who through Peter sent the Good News to Cornelius and his household.  The Lord did this because of his prayers and his much alms!

I believe Cornelius was the first gentile who together with his family heard the Word of grace and was saved. This Cornelius knew how to get his prayers answered; he knew how to get God satisfy his inner burden. His secret was alms giving! When Peter came to him to share the Gospel to him together with his household, he said God has remembered your alms

Acts 10:31

³¹ Saying, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your ALMS have been remembered before God

Do you want to be remembered in the sight of God? Be a tither! Be a giver! May the Lord remember you and be quick to help you in times of need because of your offerings and tithes. As you give to the God as an offering or tithe and give to the needy, the Lord will also remember you. This is a principle and seems to work for even unbelievers. Cornelius had not believed yet, but he was remembered for his alms giving.

Giving Commands Abundance

Jesus said “Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back” (Luke 6:38). Jesus said “GIVE”! If you want to receive abundance, then you have to give first. God takes what you give and multiplies it for you. Giving is a weapon God has given to His children and He wants you to use it so that he can bless you financially.

In 1 Kings Chapter 17, when God sent Elijah to the widow of Zarephate, God knew the widow had ‘only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug’ (verse 12 NIV), but He still sent the Prophet to her. You may think that you don’t have enough money, but the Lord still wants you to give your little so that He can use it to bless you. When Elijah came to the woman too, he understood her perfectly of her state but he still asked her to “…first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make for yourself and your son. (Verse 13). And he added the promise in verse 14; “For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: ’The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land’”. And it happened as Elijah said (Verse 16). I believe if the woman had withheld her hands, her blessings wouldn’t have come and she and her son would have died after their last meal. But thank God she was a giver and out of her giving came her abundant blessings. On top of this, the woman had the man of God to raise her son up when the son died (Verses 17-24). There is more blessings in giving (Acts 20:35).

God has ordained that through giving, He would bless His people since the time of Noah. He told Noah after the flood “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22). You cannot reap if you have not sowed. And always remember as long as this earth remains, Seedtime and Harvest shall not cease as day and night won’t cease. If you want to join the harvesters to reap during harvest, then you have to sow always! Solomon advices and says never cease sowing;

Ecclesiastes 11:6

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

Give always! Never withhold your hands during an offertory. Offering is a seed which when sown will germinate and bear fruit. When I was a child in my hometown, I remember some people who did not have money took seeds on credit and planted during the raining seasons. They would settle their indebtedness during harvest time after they have cultivated their crops. You can also borrow to sow a seed in an offertory and it shall be a blessing unto you.

Give To Evangelism

God is also touched when we give to evangelism. This is in two folds; either you give your very life to preach and evangelize to others or you give your resources to support the work of evangelism. The Lord had blessed me in these ways. And I have seen many great doors opened to me after I have returned from a mission field. Apostle Paul was thankful to the church in Philippi for their support during his missionary journey and he made a heartfelt prayer for them. He said “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

If only you will give to win souls for the Lord, God will also supply all your needs. Over the years, I have met people who have soul winning at heart and they have consistently given to support missions and missionary activities. Some even call themselves ‘Friends of Missions” all because they have the heart to give to support missions. And I can testify to the glory of God that these people have had one great opportunity come their way after the other.    

Be a cheerful Giver always! Be a Sower! Be a ‘Tither’!