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Apostle Don Meares
“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
God’s Infallible Purpose in Christ
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.”
The Bible says the Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof (Psalm 24:1). Tithing is a part of our new covenant relationship with the Lord. It is also a part of our priestly responsibilities after the order of Melchizedek. Tithing is how we declare to God that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. We should also know that tithing is a part of the plan of redemption concerning the principle of first things. We must first understand that first things, also known as the first link, first fruits, or firstborn are devoted things. They are a tenth. In the Word, tenth means the first ten percent of all. We must understand that the first redeems the remainder of the whole. Tithing also reveals who we honor. God will not accept it as a tithe if it is not the first tenth.
We must learn that if we do not tithe on the increase of our substance, not only do we not honor God or believe Him to be the owner of the Earth, but we must also learn that there are consequences to not being a tither. You have a broken covenant relationship with God if you don’t give the first portion of your earnings. You have failed in your priestly responsibilities and committed the sin of sacrilege. Failing to give your tithe makes you an idol worshiper in the sight of God, worshiping the idol of your own self-importance. When you don’t believe or practice tithing, you believe that you are bigger and greater than who God says He is.
Being an idol worshiper is a severe matter in the sight of God and affects how God sees us. There are consequences to our disobedience now. God says that when you have robbed Him of tithes and offerings, you have brought hurt and harm to His body. You curse yourself. It is not God cursing you, but you cursing yourself by breaking the covenant protection of God in your life because you have breached it. You have invoked evil upon yourself where the devourer has a legal right to destroy things in your life.
Requirements of the Tithe: Faith and Patience
Why does tithing require faith and patience from us to receive the promises that God has made? Galatians 3:11 says,
“But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’”
Furthermore, it says in verses 13 and 14,
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
If you’re going to please God in your walk with Him, it must be a walk of faith. You must learn to have a lifestyle of faith because whatever is not from faith is sin. It says in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Have you ever heard a Christian say, “I believe God for healing in my body, a new home, a promotion on my job, a new car, a new business, a spouse, and greater anointing?” Have you ever believed God for certain things at certain times in your life? As Christians, we must be known as believers in what God can do. So, what do you believe God for when you pay your tithes?
When you bring your tithes, you have to believe God before you can ask. You have to know His promises according to the Scriptures. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be getting the fullness of His blessing over all areas of your life. As you bring your tithes and believe in His Word, you must have the patience to receive the manifestation. In 1 John 5:14, the Word says:
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
However, if we ask for something that is not according to His will, He will not even consider our request. But, if we ask according to His will, then He will answer our petitions. You have to receive the rhema in these promises so that you can exercise your faith and believe that God will fulfill His Word in your situation. This is why tithing can only work by faith and patience.
When you truly understand how God desires to bless you with what He really wants to bless you with, it will affect how you see your tithes. When you give your tithe, you must be very honest with yourself as you give and ask for something from God. Tithing is more than just an act of obedience; it also entails moving into the depth of faith and patience.
Have you ever heard a word from God, and you just know that you can stand on that word no matter what happens and when it is fulfilled? That is because you have received a revelation from God Himself. When it comes to healing, you receive the manifestation of your healing when all that is affecting you — your physical condition, pain, suffering, feelings, and senses — that’s when the faith becomes greater than what you feel. When you believe God for healing, it manifests.
Every promise that God has ever made to you except the return of Jesus Christ has already been fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross. It is already a finished work. You are the heir of God’s promises that have been fulfilled for you. When it comes to healing, Jesus mentioned it multiple times in Scripture. You need to activate and manifest His Word in your life to experience healing. You need to hold on to faith and have patience, knowing that you possess the promise from God.
Remembering the First Promise
Here is the first promise and blessing God will give the tithers: He will open the windows of Heaven. God will open the windows of Heaven to pour you out a blessing which means closure and benediction. When we tithe, we can test God and challenge Him about the things in our lives that need closure. It must happen, and if you keep asking and standing on God’s promise, you will see it come to pass. You will have greater understanding, faith, and patience in the process. Then you will experience God’s promises.
In the issue of tithing, many people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Once you discover these truths about tithing, you can claim what Christ has done for you. And if you see that God has blessed faithful tithers, He can surely do the same for you. Then, when you come before God with your tithes, He accepts your faith and patience.
Ask for Divine Faith
What kind of faith do you have to get a promise from God working in your life? Human faith is not enough. You must have divine faith that comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). What you receive must be a rhema, a word that is active, alive, and God-breathed. It must stir up and quicken your spirit. You can’t go in with blind obedience. You can’t base it on tradition. For you to claim the promises of God, there has to be a revelation.
In Genesis 28:10-21, Jacob’s dream immediately impacts Him to become a tither. His dream represented tithing. A ladder is stretched between the dimensions of Earth and Heaven — the natural and spiritual. There is a ladder where angels ascend and descend. Even though we are created a little lower than the angels, it is by faith and patience that we can climb the ladder into spiritual dimensions and take all the blessings that God has for us. You can sit in heavenly places and know heavenly things if you’re a tither. You can have rhema and understand what God’s will is for you.
God’s will for you as a tither is to give you the vision to see where you can get His blessing. He wants to show you where you need His closure. When He opens the windows of Heaven, He will show you your divine purpose. He will show you the next steps, and how you can become the person He wants you to be. He will lead and direct you when you are faithful in giving your tithes. God Himself will be your strength. He will not just be your Omega. He will be your Alpha. He will start and finish the good work. We just need to get on the road of faith and patience so that we can receive all the promises He made in Christ. These promises belong to you as His heir. By faith, receive all these gifts.
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