(Originally published 8/26/2019)
My wife was severely on my case about how much I gave to the church. Even before we got married she was investigating to see if I was a deadbeat. Her suspicion was right but she still married me. She still kept hounding me though, as she saw I was broke as a joke. At about the second year I couldn’t take anymore of her nagging me, so I agreed to finally tithe my income. But I told her “when we become homeless don’t say I didn’t warn you!” Within that time frame I was then guided by a ‘sincere expert’ that helped me reversed my course of spiraling deeper into debt. Another shock, my ex had squashed her campaign to go after me for more money. Also during those first weeks, our pastor gave the same masterful teaching on giving he had presented over the years. The nuance this time around hit me dead in the face…
(You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.) Malachi 3:9 NKJV
When pastor said those words ‘cursed with a curse,’ it reverberated! Keep in mind a couple weeks prior to that message, I had fell in line after my wife vexed me to death, but several years preceding that, satan had took a torpedo to my wallet. The Word of God was spot on, and the turn came when I finally gave in to God’s commandment. If the Holy Spirit is real which true believers agree upon, then wouldn’t Malachi 3 manifest itself in 2019?
I’ll never forget how one of my colleagues told me that… “Even groups of atheist tithe. They reject Yeshua, but they know full well how crucial the principal of tithing is.” The clock ticks regardless because Yeshua is still knocking at their door, and at a certain point the knocking will stop.
( “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens,[a] but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.) Matthew 23:23 nlt
It’s Yeshua’s own words above and it’s for con artists who decry that tithing is an old testament thing. A lot of crybabies are ignorant. Others have a spirit of judas, that betrayer who griped when Mary anointed Christ’s feet with very expensive perfume, sound familiar? There are folk in your life you can’t tell them how much you give because they will flip out! Some of these folk love you but they’re dumbfounded how anyone can afford to give a tenth? The simple fact that a giver keeps nine 9 out of 10 dollars is horrifying to them. They’re mortified that a family keeping 18 out of 20 dollars will set them back for generations to come.. They’ll then proclaim ‘Never Tithe!’ Whether they know it or not, The Lord will indeed get back what was robbed from Him. It’s as real a gang member strolling down Budlong Ave with a pit bull, a reality you don’t want to be on the wrong side of.
The million dollar talking heads who air on Sunday mornings were left clueless after the massacres in El Paso and Dayton. No one complains when the networks pay Chuck and the like cash beyond words. But in our houses of worship The Word of God is being taught. Revelations are going out. People are getting delivered and souls are getting saved. This is far more valuable than being distracted by those pagan networks and the politics they idolize. You parents who think you’re cute producing the connors and dylanns of this world, have you reflected on the mess you’ve made? My question is valid because dylann’s sister not too long ago was showing her disgraceful ways. Guns aren’t the cause of grief, poor excuses for people are. Responsible parents dedicate their children to The Most High God.
(Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try (test) Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.) Malachi 3:10 NKJV
As you can see the word try is akin to test. I’m a knucklehead who failed the test. I knew the truth but I let my fear of man override my trust in God and I paid dearly for it. My wife checked me on my foolishness, it’s called ‘iron sharpens iron.’ Our pastor has always been faithful in teaching God’s word despite the judas iscariots of this world. Yeshua is still at the door knocking