One thing that all the "experts" agree on, is that during tough times most church people stop or drastically reduce their giving. Personally, that's something I've never been able to understand. I've been through my share of tough times - yes, I've lost jobs...I've lost a business...I've been swamped with debt...I've faced times when I didn't know where my next dollar was coming from...I've faced huge medical bills - but there's one thing you couldn't get me to do and that's stop giving to God! I believe when I'm in those times that I especially need to make sure I've got God on my side and the Bible says the way to do that is to put him first with a full tithe. So, I've always put God first no matter what, and the result is I've always had my needs met.
But I know that sounds like "preacher talk" to some, so here's a great story that was forwarded to me recently by an NHC'er. It's a little longer than a normal post, but I think it's worth the time...
When NHC recently did the “Deal or No Deal” series, I have to admit that I wasn’t overly excited. I figured that I wouldn’t get much out of it as I have been tithing faithfully for about 2 years now. Other than working on my Nordstrom’s affinity, I thought God and I were in pretty good shape in the area of my finances.
Well, just as this series kicked off, I lost my job. I had a fleeting thought of cutting back on my tithe as I didn’t know where my next paycheck was coming from, but I decided to remain faithful and to trust God. I walked through my house just about every day and said, “Hey, God, this is your house and your mortgage and your word says; to cast my cares on you and that you know what I need. You feed the sparrows and how much more important am I?”
I received a job offer about a week after being laid off; but in talking with God about it, I got a big fat NO. I prayed some more, sought wise counsel and made the decision to wait until Monday to notify thank them and let them know that I wouldn’t be joining their company. Why did I turn it down? Relocation was a condition of employment and I really didn’t want to uproot my life (or leave NHC), it was a more expensive area, same amount of money and I had no peace. I also couldn’t in all good conscience take the job knowing that I would only be taking it out of fear and to bridge me to the next opportunity. So, I set about trusting Him, cutting excess from my budget and preparing to be unemployed for a while.
After deciding to say no on Friday, Saturday found me watching one of my Inspirational shows and this guy was talking about planting seeds, reaping, sowing and how God works in and through our finances. This gentleman was talking about the first big seed that he had sown and how he had been able to bless and be blessed as a result. Of course he wanted me to sow my BIG seed with him, but I sincerely felt led to sow it at my home church. So I prayed about it and was fairly certain that I would be parting with some savings.
Sunday morning rolled around and Satan was all over me telling me I was crazy, the inside of my head went something like this, “you don’t have a job, you need every penny you can get right now, you don’t know where your next paycheck is coming from…” Then, I just went straight to praising God and had a sudden change of heart and the peace that only comes from Him.
I walked into church and put that BIG check in the offering bucket (I was a little nervous). That day, Dave was holding up the dollar and the heart and he said that in all the years that he has been tithing and involved in ministry, he has never seen anyone who was faithful with their tithe fall down financially. God drilled that into my heart and I walked out of service knowing that I had no worries, no fear and no regrets. I just wanted God to know that I was completely submitted to His will for my life and trusted Him completely with my well being.
That afternoon, I went online and transferred the money to cover the check from my savings into my checking account. I remember specifically hitting the button and seeing my account deplete. A few days later, I saw the check clear my account. Still no buyers’ remorse, still praising God.
After I turned the job down on Monday, I got an email from the VP wanting to know what was going on and why I had turned them down (I had worked for him in my previous job for 5 years). I told him that I didn’t want to relocate and I felt like I’d gotten a low ball offer. He said he wanted to talk, so I put him off a day and I prayed (A LOT). At the appointed time, he called and we discussed the situation, he told me that there was no “low ball” intent and no relocation required. He told me how much he wanted me to be a part of his team again and asked if we could get past this. I told him “heck yah, everything is forgivable.” That afternoon I received a new offer with a signing bonus and no relocation. I start my new job on August 18th, 1 month to the day from when I get laid off.
As I was signing the offer to send back to them, it hit me that just after I had interviewed for this job, I prayed and asked God to help me negotiate my employment with this company and to work it out so that I wouldn’t have to move (if that was His will). He did just that (how cool to have our Creator taking the time to help little me negotiate this deal). Once I said No, God had put me in the power position in the negotiations. He worked it all out and answered my prayers to the T and then I knew that I was in His will.
I have remained obedient with my tithe. Even when it hurt, even when others told me to tithe on net, not gross, even when people said that I had to look out for myself first, even when I wasn’t sure if I had enough to cover everything, I wrote the check for 10% of gross every week. But no bill ever went unpaid and my savings account kept growing. I hit my goal (enough to cover me for 6 months if I lost my job) in my savings account in January. He had me prepared in His perfect timing to weather the storm.
I have been praying Malachi 3:10 for over a year. I have been saying to God, hey, I have been obedient with my tithe and your word says that I can test you and it promises that You will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that I will not have room for it. I told him I was waiting for my storehouses to be overflowing.
Well, he has indeed blessed me. I am the first of my counterparts to land in a new position, I have not had to dip into my savings, there is still enough in my checking account to hold me over and I have had an awesome month off. I have been able to rest, to minister to others, to work on stuff in Student ministries and to spend time with God and my beloved family and friends.
Our finances are a spiritual issue. Every little thing in our lives is a spiritual issue. The biggest lesson I’ve learned here is that if I just give up the control over my life (submit), am obedient, seek Him first in ALL things, Trust Him and take the next step of faith, He will honor and bless us. If we step out in faith and make a mistake, he will redeem it, because He truly does know our hearts. The other key, I think, is that God can’t work in our lives unless we ask Him for help. He is the only one who can help us; as He is the author of each and every one of our lives and He always knows the proverbial “rest of the story.”
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