Power to Succeed P.12

Hope in God allows you to give like never before. God has already given us all things to enjoy, and He has given them to us in abundance. It’s there for you. No one is stopping you from receiving what God has already given you...but you.

Any challenge cannot affect your expectation, as long as your expectation comes from the God of hope and not man. With man it won’t work, but with God everything is possible (Psalm 146:5 NKJV). This hope in God allows you to give like never before. It is impossible to worship two masters. You choose which one you serve. You get to choose who you are bound to.
Money makes a poor God. It will never love you back. You can do things with it, but it will never do anything for you. God tells us to choose Him. Jesus sold all that He had to get you (Matthew 13:45-46). You can’t buy your way into the kingdom of heaven. Since Jesus sold all that He had to get you, how can you ever have a problem giving all that you have, at any given time, when He directs you? The calling card for God is giving. The calling card for Satan is taking.

The only attitude to have about giving is worship (or understanding). You must give from a heart of worship. A true giver will come to an attitude of worship, and will get past the attitudes of duty, obligation, pride and guilt. To be a true giver is to understand that God owns you and to understand all that you have is because of God. Jesus sold all to give you all. This means that all of your needs and desires are met. In addition to God owning us, He gives us everything.
Jesus is our example to follow (Mark 8:34). He gave all that He had to get you so that through His poverty, you could come up. He gave up His life for you alone. He wants you to give up your so-called rights to yourself. God owns all title and rights to you because you were bought with a price. God wants you to receive the abundant life He came to offer, so you have to stop holding tight to everything you have. You have to release it like Jesus did.

You need to have something in order to get something. However, you cannot hold on to what you have, otherwise you will lose it. You didn’t make yourself. You were made by God. In God’s system, you have to give in order to receive. If you don’t have something, you will never change until someone comes along and gives you something. Once you are given something, you cannot use it all yourself, you have to use some of it to plant a seed. The only way you can receive more from God is to give. As you pour out your life, you will be able to receive more of the Lord. This is an act of obedience, faith and trust that allows God to perform His Word towards you. You can never exhaust God. Once you begin to cooperate with God’s system, then God can make you into exactly who He wants you to be.

How do you have to learn to give? The first mode of giving is to give strategically. This means you give with a plan in mind. God has a system for giving (Malachi 3:7-12). You cannot give an offering until you tithe. The tithe is your opportunity to get closer to God. You prove the depth of your love with your offering. God will not forget your labor of love. To give strategically is to give according to God’s plan.

Giving opens up all grace to you (2 Corinthians 9:6). When you begin to tithe, things will open up for you. Opportunities will come and God will raise up people in order to use their power, talents and influence on your behalf. Your faith, obedience and active love toward God will obligate Him to show you grace. God loves a cheerful giver!