I robbed myself. I scoffed every time I turned on Christian television. I just knew some how it would be about taking up an offering. So I would turn the Christian TV on and tell everyone in the room “wait for it….wait for it…wait for it…. “ and BAM! There it would be. Send $444.44 for your blessing. Ridiculous, just ridiculous.
Because I personally know many ministers who end their services like this, I knew it wasn’t out of greed as of most supposed but out of what I felt was conscious or subconscious manipulating principles they had LEARNED from other more greedy people who didn’t have the right ambitions or intentions.
I became cynical towards any prosperity message no matter how rich the message was(pun intended). It wasn’t until this last year that I sat on my dad’s couch watching yet another “send in your love gift” promise program, that I realized all the characteristics of a poverty minded person that they spoke of perfectly aligned with my current place in life. I was living in less than 1000 sqft. crammed with 5 children and my wife, living off food stamps, working harder and harder with very little to show for it. Seemed like something ALWAYS arose and took any income we gained. Pockets with holes. I almost felt cursed financially.
Now, I can’t say the message I was hearing on the tv that day delivered me, but it opened my eyes that something was majorly wrong. I DID have a poverty mentality and had quit giving unto the Lord. The poverty mentality is horde all you get because you might have little(yet again), or not have anything at all for tomorrow. When we quit giving, we quit seeing favor and blessing. Period. I didn’t realize we had quit all together. It was a slow fade. I thought we had just “scaled back” a little on our tithes but the truth was, we had quit altogether. The more we scaled back in giving, somehow the less we had to give so it often came down to ultimatums. Give or have gas in the car. Give or have electricity in our home.
AND THAT IS WHERE SATAN WANTS YOU AND I. He wants you bound by having to choose worldly provisions over heavenly provision. It’s the same thing as what happened in the garden. His lie is that God is not enough, that you need something you do not current have in Him(as if all things weren’t in God already). He loves to see Israel once again choose mans way over God. Man’s government over God’s. Man’s way of peace of mind (holding on to stacks of money in the bank) over God’s which is truth He who is ALL IN ALL and supplies all of our needs.
It was time to break free! I started sowing. You should remember back when I spoke about it in my emails if you’ve been connected with us. We were delivered. It was hard to give at first, but once we realized that He was working all things together for our good financially, it became a joy to give again. Mini harvest after mini harvest we were back in our right minds about giving. The mind of Christ.
All it took was a step of faith in Our Father to be the provider He has promised us. We emptied our bank account…a few times in fact. We sowed sacrificially as unto the Lord and since then have entered a 2000+ soft home, had increase in our business, increase in ministry opportunities and more. He is faithful and I boast in Him!
Let God be God in your finances. Don’t you feel that deep deep drawing right now that it’s time to make a change. If nothing changes, nothing changes. I want to encourage you to sow a seed right in the grace of this moment for financial breakthrough. Don’t be cynical like I was and rob you and your loved ones from total financial peace like my family has. Surrender to the government of God and step out in faith. Do it now, no matter what the circumstance looks like.
Satan’s goal is to keep you distracted by the circumstance so much that you say “I’ll do it later, or I just can’t.” – Sow SOMETHING and name it breakthrough.