The Importance of Tithing (Malachi 3:6-12)

Introduction

Since you must have listened to similar sermons many times before I won’t blame you if are not expecting anything out of the ordinary. There are two reasons why this topic however is relevant to today’s Christians. First, those who are new to the faith needs to be educated on the practice and importance of tithing. Secondly, towards the conclusion of this message, I hope to deal with the right way of tithing than reasons for tithing. Do note that this sermon is not intended to act as a condemnation to those who have not been faithful, but rather it is to give hope. So please relax and let the Holy Spirit speak to your hearts as we continue in this topic.

1. The key to financial freedom Read Malachi 3:10

A. The act of claiming ownership over someone else’s property is known robbery. Many of us rob God and expect Him to bless us.

B. When I don’t tithe I rob God by claiming ownership over what is rightfully His.

C. Consequently, the lack of tithing escorts the curse of poverty into one’s life. Whereas when we start tithing again, it is the only way to break the curse of poverty.

2. The key to fill God’s house: Read Malachi 3:10

A. When tithing, it shows that i support those who serve in God’s house.

B. In the Old Testament, the tithe served a 3 fold purpose, 1) Sacrificial purposes 2) For the domestic needs of the Levites 3) For whatever emergencies they faced.

C. My tithe helps to improve the ministries of the local church, supports the pastor, workers, and their families and provides for emergencies.

3. The key to heavenly blessings – Read Malachi 3:10b

A. When we tithe, we operate a spiritual law which works like the law of gravity. Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

B. I don’t have to ask God or even pray for blessing after I tithe. Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

4. The key to financial security – Read Malachi 3:11-12

A. Tithing triggers Supernatural provision and protection over my earnings. What sort of protection? Protection from thieves, natural disasters, inflation, sickness etc.

B. In failing to tithe, the opposite becomes true because God doesn’t protect anything or anyone that is not His.

5. Application – The right way to tithe

A. Treat it with respect – 1) Set apart the 10% before you do anything else with the money you receive. 2) You can’t use the tithe in time of need and pay it later. 3) You tithe is not a welfare offering that you give to people in need.

B. Bring the whole tithe – The word “tithe” literally means tenth or 10% of your gross and not the net. Therefore anything less than 10% is only a tip and not a tithe. If you are tithing, offer the best unto God not what is left behind. The Church is God’s only authorized storehouse. Giving to any other ministry is not tithing but rather it is termed an offering. Don’t send your tithe to your local church overseas, where you are being blessed spiritually is where you pay your tithe into.

C. Tithe with the right attitude – This is Very important as the attitude matters as much as the act. 3 unhealthy attitudes that have denied people from receiving the blessings of God. 1) Tithing out of obligation: Wrong attitude. Remember, Abraham tithed out of free will, long before God even commanded tithing (Genesis 14:18-20). 2) Limiting God: All I have is God’s, not just the 10%. (When I give the 10%, God blesses the 90% and multiplies it.) 3) Conditional tithing: When I tithe God will meet my needs. God is not obliged to do so, tithing is not to meet a need, but obeying Gods instruction.

D. Practice it starting right now – Tithing is a spiritual discipline which you must develop. Do it consistently and systematically. If you have neglected to pay tithes in the past forget what you owe God (You can never repay God anyway). Obey God starting from today.

Conclusion

The blessings mentioned in the Bible are not just financial however. After all there’s more into life than money. Each time you tithe carefully observe how God blesses you in every other area of life as well as in your finances.

The Bible in Isaiah 54:16 says ‘Behold, I have created the Smith that bloweth the coals in the fire and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work and I HAVE CREATED THE WASTER TO DESTROY.’

Many people are not aware of the works of this spirit but I will tell you something: God created THE WASTER. Who is the waster? Satan is the waster. The scripture talks much of how Satan is a destroyer. Even Jesus Himself described him as such: John 10:10 ‘The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’

By the time anyone will break the Laws of God, Satan will appear before the throne of God TO SEEK PERMISSION TO WASTE such a person. He knows that is his primary job. The Bible calls him THE ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN (Rev. 12:10) ‘For the accuser of our brothers is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night.’

Make no mistake, by the time a child of God walks in sin, the Devil will appear in the presence of God to seek permission to afflict. Once he has obtained legal ground, he will be allowed to carry out his agenda, which is why God’s people must be careful not to open doors for him because he will work tirelessly to waste lives, resources, marriages, homes and just about anything else he can find to do.

When the waster is in your life, your life will be experiencing multiple failures and you do not know why: finances will fail or dry up, you begin to see the work of God as burdensome, your relationships will fail, everything you start to do will fail. When the waster is in your life, your life will be empty, you will come to the edge of breakthrough only to be sent away empty handed.

The waster comes in when you have worked and toiled hard only for you to see it slip away out of your hand unceremoniously. When the waster comes, you will have useful things, but they will be idle; you will have a sharp mind, but it will be unused; you will have a fertile piece of land, but it will be uncultivated; when the waster is in your life, good things will be destroyed for no reason.

The waster spirit will make you spend all your time with the wrong people, and doing the wrong things; it will make you squander your opportunities; it will create difficulties so you can walk away from the good of your life. The waster will make you misuse the gifts that God has placed in you; your gift will be buried, your star will be buried, your destiny will be buried.

Wasters make you think you were not meant for any good in this life;

How does the waster spirit gain entrance into a life?

When you are walking in sin, and refuse to repent.

When people have hurt you and you refuse to forgive them.

When witchcraft curses are placed on you; when you are involved in illicit sexual activity.

When you are lazy to grow in your spiritual life – you refuse to pray, study the word, and do the will of God.

When you refuse to give your tithes and offerings – the devil will ensure you are in an endless cycle of problems, because there is nothing on the altar of god to speak for you.

When demonic covenants were set in your life and they were not broken.

When you were dedicated to evil as a child and this has not been broken.

How to overcome the Spirit of the waster

You must determine to not open the door for the waster spirit, and if you already have, then repent of the sin and ask God for a restoration because God says in JOEL 2:25, 26: ‘And I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten, the locust larvae, and the stripping locust, and the cutting locust, My great army which I sent among you.’ And you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of Jehovah your God, who has dealt with you wonderfully; and My people shall never be ashamed.’

Prayers

I arrest every instrument of wasters fashioned against my life and command it to perish by fire, in the name of Jesus.

Father, I command the household wasters by the power in the name of Jesus, I terminate all your contracts in my life, in Jesus name!

Father, arise and dismantle every curse, spell, declaration, and incantations of the wasters over my life, in the name of Jesus.

Evil covenants made on my behalf, you are cancelled by the blood of Jesus.

I command every door the wasters have been using to access my life to be slam shut by the angels of god, in Jesus name.

I command all the good of my life that was scattered by the wasters to begin to gather and be restored into my life, in Jesus name.

I decree it: i recover every ground in my life that was lost to the wasters, seven-fold, in Jesus name.

I decree it: from today, there will be no more waste manifested in my life, in Jesus name, amen

Topic : BEHOLD I WILL DO A NEW THING
Text : Isaiah 43: 16-19

The just concluded year has been very challenging for many and for some it has been from one testimony to another.
Brethren, irrespective of what you passed through in year 2017 , the Lord is assuring you by His word that “ Behold I Will Do A New Thing “ in 2018 that all men will celebrate the God you serve with you .
In this write up , we will be focusing on four main words from the bible text and each word will be used to explain few things as we go on together.

1. REMEMBER NOT / FORGET
* In preparation for a New Thing , you will need to “Remember not” the past struggles, silent frustrations and failures you experienced in the previous year .
* Remember not could also mean to Disregard or loose memory of all the unpleasant situations and ridicule you encountered in year 2017.
God is able to do a new thing in your life throughout year 2018 but you need to forget the past .
Isa 43:18, 2 Corth 5:17, Luk 9:62 and Phil 3:13-14

2. BEHOLD / SEE
The word BEHOLD can be found in the Bible 368 times so it means it has an important role to play in the life of every child of God .
* The word “Behold ” means to observe something or someone of a remarkable nature . God has a nature that seems to turn hopeless situations around but you need to Behold Him in order to turn your life around .
* To BEHOLD means to look with an undying and untiring aim .
To enjoy the newness of God in year 2018 , you will need to have an undying hope in Christ that is backed up with an undivided attention.
Isa 59:1 , Rev 3:20, 2 Corinth 6:2b , Rev 22:7 and 12.

3. THE NEW THING
The word NEW THING implies 3 things :
a. It means the purpose of God for you will not be complete until all things are made New in your life , Isaiah 65:17 , Isa 66:22 , Isa 62: 2.
b. God was sitting on the throne when He said it
” Behold i make all things New ” .
When a king sits on the throne and makes a declaration, his words stand .
New is one of the promises of God to mankind .
C. New is something different from the one that existed earlier. The new thing God will give you is always more than what you have in the past . What the Lord will do for you in year 2018 will be clearly different from what you had earlier experienced in Jesus name( Amen) .
D. New thing is the fashion of God , He show cases His glory everyday ( Lamentation 3: 22-23) .
E. A New thing signifies the following :
* A new name
* A new status
* A new blessing / breakthrough
* A new song and peace in all endeavours

4. NOW
The word” NOW ” used in the passage means your miracles in year 2018 will surface without any further delay ( Amen) .
The word NOW is a big contrast to the past , that means what God is ready to do in your life will completely knock out your past unpleasant situations in Jesus name.
Eph 3:20 emphasise and spelt out the ability of God to do exceedingly and abundantly in the lives of His children . All you need to make it in life has been planted before now and all it needed to germinate has been supplied before now .
Brethren, stop fearing the Unknown ! Choose the to hope in the known ( God Almighty) .
The word NOW is mentioned in the bible for 1, 355 times , that means you can trust God wholly this year that things will work well for you in Jesus name. The bible says ” Every good and perfect gift comes from God ………James 1:17.
In conclusion , God is very ready to do it again in your life in year 2018. Keep trusting God and you will see Him in action in your life in Jesus name .
Please note that , when troubles and frustrating situations comes your way , it is never Gods intention to put you to shame but for His holy name be glorified in your life .
I prophecy that year 2018 will bow before you in Jesus name .
Happy New Year to you .
Shalom !!