Apostle Don Meares
We learned last week that to be free from debt we must do two things:
First, we have to start doing the things that will get us out of debt. Second, we must start speaking as if we will be debt-free. Our words, our declarations are important in our victory against the spirit of debt.
Here at Evangel Cathedral, as we are in a season of “suddenly,” the Lord has promised us ownership. But here’s the reality: many Christians don’t experience the outpouring of God’s blessings because they are in debt. But it is indeed possible for us to be free from this controlling spirit. The Biblical account of David’s victory over the giant contains a great truth that we can use as a foundation to get a hold of God’s debt-free guarantee.
“Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.”
Here is the third of five concepts or “stones” that will help us become victorious and experience God’s debt-free guarantee.
Stone #3: You must create an open heaven. You must be a tither.
Consider for a moment how powerful an open heaven is. Every good thing that you could hope for in life has come to you from heaven. Your Heavenly Father, the giver of all good things, is in heaven (Matthew 5:45). Your guardian angel watches over you from heaven (Matthew 18:10). When God sends angels, they come to you from heaven (Luke 22:43). God speaks to you from heaven (John 12:28). Spiritual visions come to you from heaven (Acts 26:19). Everything that makes your life valuable comes from heaven. Every miracle of debt-cancellation we have read in the Bible and have witnessed here on earth came from heaven.
“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven (John 3:13).” Therefore, if you want to walk in God’s debt-free guarantee, you must decide today. If you are to win the victory, you need to experience and walk under an open heaven. Are you ready?
What does an “open heaven” mean?
To experience an open heaven means, you must be an uncompromising tither. In Scripture, tithing is the only way to open the heaven for you. In Malachi 3:10, it says:
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try 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.
God simply tells us that if you want to have heaven open for you, God will pour out a blessing that you don’t have enough room to receive it. When you are a faithful tither, you experience an open heaven. On the other hand, heaven is closed to you if you are not a tither.
The Word clearly teaches that the tithe belongs totally to God. It is not the property of the person who pays. It is the property of God. The person who pays it has only been entrusted with it for a short period. In Leviticus 27:30:
“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.”
In Hebrews 7:9, the act of tithing is not referred to as “giving” tithes but “paying” tithes. Also, in Matthew 23:23, you cannot “give” God a tithe because how can you give something you do not own? The tithe is holy, it is the Lord’s, and so consistently in Scripture, you can only pay it. And you can only bring it. It is impossible to give it to God because it’s not yours to give. It belongs to God.
God’s Word is clear that the person who doesn’t tithe is actually robbing from God. Malachi 3:8-9 states:
Do Not Rob God
“Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,
‘In what way have we robbed You?’
In tithes and offerings.
You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
You have to keep in mind just because God is a good God does not mean He is not a just God. And true justice usually requires straightforward and strong words. If you are not tithing, you take what belongs to God and use it for yourself. As a believer, you should note that not tithing is a clear violation of God’s commands. How can you say that you love God on the one hand and rob Him on the other?
Many of us will be tested if we truly trust God as our Source. Not tithing or being inconsistent with tithing is already robbing God. Because of your unfaithfulness in this area, God will not extend His helping hand to you as long as you live under a closed heaven.
Stopping the devourer
For non-tithers, things in life are much harder to fulfill and accomplish. Proverbs 13:15 says that “Good understanding gains favor, But the way of the unfaithful is hard.”
Not only does your way become harder but you are creating an opening for an evil spirit to enter into areas of your life and that entity is called the devourer. The Scripture says there’s only one way to stop the devourer from affecting significant aspects of your life, and the remedy is plain and very simple. You must immediately start tithing and decide to become a faithful and uncompromising tither. The Scripture says:
“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the Lord of hosts;” –Malachi 3:11
God personally deals with the devourer. He doesn’t send His angels. He personally takes care of the devourer for your sake. What the devourer does is he allows you to be non-productive. He is a destroyer. He takes things from you. Unlikely events take place. Have you ever experienced a time when everything just seems to be destroyed or broken in your life? This is most likely to happen if you are not a tither. However, if you are a tither, God promises that you will prosper. God promises that everything will be productive for you because He will keep away the devourer from your life.
When you’re in a closed heaven, there will be untimely events that will again destroy things that you should be prospering in. On the other hand, if you are a tither, you will always have the timing of how you will be productive. The tithe is not an optional amount of money. The tithe is a very specific amount. God’s Word states that the tithe is ten percent. The question of how much the tithe is is not a discretionary dollar amount. It is a percentage of the total increase that you receive, and you should always figure the tithe on the gross and never the net because the tithe should be the first fruit. If you don’t pay the tithe first, it will not be the first fruit. If you pay your taxes first, you did not set aside what belongs to God first.
We are to firmly take hold of this powerful weapon knowing that an open heaven only belongs to those who faithfully tithe. And if you are not a tither, then ask God to forgive you and start to become what God wants you to be. You have to be faithful, you have to be consistent, and you have to be uncompromising. You must grasp the truth that tithing and tithing alone will allow you to walk under an open heaven. When you recognize that the tithe is the Lord’s and start being consistent in bringing it to Him, the power of God will begin to flow freely against the devourer and against untimely events that keep you from prospering when you have an open heaven. You need this third stone to slay the Goliath of debt and ensure that God’s debt-free guarantee will be yours.
