Lately, I have been hearing more and more of churches and ministries who are shutting down, giving the bad state of the economy as the main reason. Many of these churches and ministries who are closing down shop, are the ones who have been telling their followers to tithe 10% of their money income and sow all sorts of financial seeds to them in exchange for harvesting great monetary wealth from God. Now that the economy is bad, suddenly there is no more financial provision from God? Is God now dependent on the state of the economy in order to provide? How can that be? What is going on here?
The simple reason is, that these churches and ministries are built on sand (see Matthew 7:26-27), meaning they are preaching and teaching a twisted message that is contaminated by the lure of wealth (see Matthew 13:22), or as the apostle Paul so strikingly said it; “you see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.” (2. Corinthians 2:17 NLT)
These churches and ministries will never tell their followers that; “whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.” (2. Corinthians 8:12 NLT)
The leaders of these churches and ministries do not put their trust in God to provide for them, but instead in how much money their followers gives them through tithes, all sorts of special financial breakthrough offerings, and get rich quick investment schemes. The Bible clearly warns against people who long to be rich, and the destructive consequences that follow!
“But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” 1. Timothy 6:9-10 NLT
Many of these churches and ministries operate like a Ponzi scheme. When the money dries up, sooner or later the whole thing comes crashing down. And that's exactly what is happening to many of these churches and ministries in these economically difficult times.
The other day, I received a 40-day manual for financial breakthrough and becoming wealthy, put together by a famous prosperity preacher. This manual was packed with many steps that you have to follow to unlock your financial breakthrough, like among other things, making repetitive confessions and (yes, you guessed it) tithing 10% as an absolute necessity.
And what if I happen not to receive this manual? Will I never unlock my prosperity? I guess if I don't hang around these people, I only have myself to thank!
But thanks to the true manual, the Bible, I know that God Knows How To Provide!
It tells me that; when I pray, not to babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him! (See Matthew 6:7-8 NLT)
Yes, the Bible tells me that; my heavenly Father already knows all my needs. It tells me to; seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give me everything I need. (See Matthew 6:32-33 NLT)
The Bible also tells me that; “if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from Him whatever we ask because we obey Him and do the things that please Him.” (1. John 3:21-22 NLT)
Or even better; I am confident that He hears me whenever I ask for anything that pleases Him. And since I know He hears me when I make my requests, I also know that He will give me what I ask for. (See 1. John 5:14-15 NLT)
To sum it up, all I need to do according to the Bible is; not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what I need, and thank Him for all he has done (see Philippians 4:6 NLT) and God will supply all my needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. (See Philippians 4:19 NLT)
It all comes down to obeying God and doing the things that please Him!!! And that also includes obeying Him in what He tells you to do with your finances whenever He speaks to your heart about it, as it says in 2. Corinthians 9:7-11 NLT:
“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,
They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.”
We don't need elaborate manuals or invest in books, DVD's, and CD's that gives us some futile steps on how to get financial wealth and breakthroughs. All we need is the Word of God, the Bible, which unmistakably tells us that God Knows How To Provide!
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