You can ask, “Can a person have favor throughout their life” and the answer is yes. I say yes because of the favor that I experienced in my life and the continuous favor that I’ve seen in the life of my family and friends. However, for this blog, I will use the story of Joseph found in Genesis to depict how he received favor throughout his life. Let me say Joseph’s life was not easy, he experienced seasons of hardships and heartbreak, but despite these times, the favor of God and man was still upon him.
Genesis 30 revealed the birth of Joseph to Jacob and Rachel, and chapters 37 through 50 continues sharing his life story. Joseph was the eleventh child of Jacob but the first child of two for Rachel. When his story resumes in chapter 37, his mother, Rachel, had died, and his father favored him over all his brothers. The reason for this and the consequence of it is stated this way, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him” (Genesis 37:3-4).
In this chapter, Joseph had two dreams that he shared with his family, which caused his brothers to despise him; so, when the opportunity arose, they sold him for twenty pieces of silver to Midianites merchantmen. Brought down to Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, captain of the guard of Pharaoh. God was with Joseph and caused him to prosper in Potiphar’s house. Realizing God made Joseph productive, Potiphar made him overseer of his home. Joseph worked faithfully in this position until Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of sexual advances causing Potiphar to put him in prison (Genesis 39).
While in prison, Joseph found favor with the keeper of the prison, who utilized him as a supervisor of the other prisoners. Joseph remained in prison until he had the opportunity of interpreting a dream of Pharoah. Pharoah was so impressed with the wisdom God gave Joseph that he said, “Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.” In this position, Joseph, who once wore a prisoner’s clothing, was clothed now in fine linen, with a gold chain about his neck and Pharoah’s ring upon his finger. Additionally, people bowed as he passed them in the royal chariot (Genesis 41).
During the years of famine in Egypt, Joseph was united with his father and brethren. Not holding any animosity against his brothers, Joseph, with the blessings and approval of Pharoah, took care of them and their families in Egypt. His brothers came to see and realize God favored Joseph, and through him, they were blessed (Genesis 45,47, 50).
After living seventeen years in Egypt, Jacob died, and Joseph having the favor of Pharoah, was able to transport Jacob back to Canaan with his household, his brothers, his father’s house, all the servants and elders of Pharaoh, and with great mourning, they bury Jacob in the cave of the field of Machpelah (Genesis 50).
Joseph had favor with his father as a child, and in his late teens, he found favor with Potiphar. As a young adult, he received favor in prison, and then in his adult years, when needed, he received the favor of Pharoah. God allowed Joseph to experience cruelty and disappointments but also blessed him with favor from individuals who had control of his future.
Similarly to Joseph, we may have despair, discomfort, and sometimes feel hopeless. Nevertheless, I recommend taking a moment to examine your life, and you will realize you have experienced a lifetime of favor that comes from God.
I am doing this blog specifically for those in leadership or for anyone who is carrying a heavy load, and I hope it will help change and restructure things to be done differently in your life. It would be best if you did not carry a load by yourself.
I believe every believer has heard the scripture in 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” In this scripture, Peter tells and reminds the Christians in Asia Minor that life is filled with difficulties, temptations, and warfare. No matter what they are experiencing, they can give it to the God that is thinking and watching over everything that concerns them. God is our number one load eliminator, but there are some other valuable techniques revealed in scripture that I will share with you from the life of Moses.
In the Bible, Moses was the first man shown in the role of a leader outside of his family. In his first forty years of life, he was raised in the household of Pharoah’s daughter. After killing an Egyptian and being exposed as a murderer, he escaped punishment by fleeing to Midian across the Sinai Peninsula. He stayed there for the next forty years, became a shepherd, and married Tzipporah, the daughter of Jethro, who bore him two sons, Gershon and Eliezer.
At age eighty, on the mountain of God in Horeb, God commissioned Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the land of Canaan. Thus, Moses returned to Egypt, and under his leadership and divine intervention, the Israelites were released from their four hundred thirty years of bondage. Moses exited Egypt with six hundred thousand men plus women and children (Exodus 12:37).
While journeying in the wilderness to Canaan, the people came to Moses to enquire of God and to have their disputes resolved. Unfortunately, Moses was involved in this task from the morning to the evening. Understanding this was not good, Jethro, who was visiting Moses, gave him wise counsel. He showed Moses how to set up a judicial system using able, God-fearing men to assist him. Thankfully, Moses listened to Jethro and was relieved of this grueling load.
After receiving instructions from God on how to erect and furnish the Tabernacle, Moses utilized the gifts and skills of Bezaleel, the son of Uri of the tribe of Judah, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan, to oversee the work (Exodus 35). Sharing this responsibility allowed Moses to give his attention to other matters.
After two years in the wilderness with the Israelites, Moses was tired and burned out by the people’s negative actions. Moses said to God, “Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.” God responded, “Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.” Continued reading on Number 11 revealed Moses followed God’s instructions, and God executed what He said by putting some of Moses’s spirit on seventy elders to share his load.
I believe in these three occurrences; we can see the words of Paul in Ephesians 4:16 being manifested. And l like the way The Living Bible says it, “Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” There is no need to be weighted down and frustrated when God has able helpers to assist you. And perchance you are feeling overwhelmed, ask God to show you your helpers; he will do it if you let Him.
I pray this blog has been a help to you, and I close it knowing we can cast our cares on God and He has people in our lives to share our load.
Many of us have experienced an illness from which we have prayed to be healed. Also, some of you reading this blog may have been diagnosed with an incurable or terminal disease. In either case, besides having fellow believers pray for our healing, there are some guidelines for healing that you can find in the Word that should be practiced.
First and foremost is believing that you can be healed. Jesus said in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” And Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” These verses tell us our belief in God’s ability to do and respond to our requests is paramount to our receiving. Simply put, “To receive, we must believe.”
Secondly, we should adhere to the wisdom guidelines shared by King Solomon in Proverbs 4:20-22. He said, “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”
We must pay attention and listen diligently to the Word for success. We must commit to reading, meditating, and reciting the Word. We must retain the Word in our innermost heart and mind. This Word must be sought after, and the results of the work that is done will be restoration and healing to your body.
In closing, I am including below healing scriptures for you to read, meditate on, and recite continually. May God richly bless you and heal you as you follow the guidelines.
Psalms 103:2-5 – Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalms 41:3a – The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness
Psalms 147:3 -He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Proverbs 17:22 – A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Isaiah 41:10 – Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 53:5 – But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Jeremiah 17:14 – Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
Jeremiah 33:6 – Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.
James 5:15a – And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.
1 Peter 2:24 – Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
We believers have given Satan too much credit, and I believe this is because we do not fully understand Satan is limited. Let me explain what I mean by comparing his attributes to these three attributes of omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence that our Almighty God displays.
God is omniscient, and Satan is not. Satan, whose name at first was Lucifer, was a created cherub (Ezekiel 28:13-19). He was made beautiful but not all-knowing, and his wisdom was corrupted due to his five I wills (Ezekiel 13:17, Isaiah 14:12-17). He does not know the future; if he did, he would not have incited the people to crucify Jesus. If he knew Job would not curse God, He probably would not have involved himself in Job’s life. If he knew you would be victorious, he would not have his demons waste time with you but rather deal with someone he knew would suffer defeat.
Our world has existed for a long time, and billions of people have resided in it. Satan does not know nor remember everyone’s name, for God did not give him that ability. He only knows what he knows and what has been told to him. Once again, I say he is limited, but God knows everyone and everything that ever existed. God even knows how much hair is on each of our heads (Matthews 10:30).
Satan is not omnipresent, so he does not know what is happening to you right now. He only knows what is happening around him. Job 1-2 informs us he walks to and fro on the earth. Additionally, 1 Peter 5: 8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Satan is looking for victims and making a lot of disturbing noise to scare those he desires to kill.
According to Revelation 2:13, Satan has a throne. He has principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places that are part of his kingdom (Ephesians 6:12). No doubt at his throne, the demonic spirits and the fallen angels whom he persuaded to rebel against God report to him concerning the places and individuals to whom they are assigned. Under his command, they are to kill, steal from or destroy us.
Satan is not omnipotent; he has never created anything that can last throughout eternity. Though he tried and continues to try, he will never be in control of this world. Whereas God’s power has no boundaries, Satan is limited, and one day even the power he has will be taken from him, and thankfully we can rejoice over this fact.
I pray this blog has helped you remember that you are a victorious conqueror with God on your side and His Holy Spirit in you. Satan and his host are limited and unable to defeat you as you remain sober and vigilant in utilizing your spiritual tools.
I have often prayed and asked God what my purpose was on earth while failing to realize the answer to this question was already revealed in the scriptures. This has not just been my prayer; many believers are praying and asking the same thing.
If you fall into this category, I have the answer for you. For all humans in the beginning, God said, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Genesis 1:28). Additionally, during His earthly ministry, Jesus also spoke to believers about their spiritual purpose. If we adhere to the word spoken by God and Jesus, our earthly purpose will be actualized.
Besides the five directives God gave to man, during His sermon on the mountain, Jesus in Matthew 5:13,14,&16 said to His disciples, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
The disciples understood that in their day, salt was used primarily as a preserver and enhancer of flavor. To be impactful, the disciple’s presence had to make a difference in the world; otherwise, they were unnecessary. As a light, they were responsible for illuminating light by which man could see God’s character and traits and receive direction.
Finally, in the last recorded prayer of Jesus with His disciples, Jesus said, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world” (John 17:15,18). Plus, before his ascension, Jesus once again told his disciples, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). From these verses, I understand that though I have prayed for the rapture to occur numerous times, I am needed in this world. I have been sent into the world to proclaim the gospel while being salt and light.
God is the universe’s creator, which includes the world, the milky way, and other galaxies. He created everything in it; things we know and the unknown. As the creator, He knows the best course men should take, and His direction for humanity is revealed in the commandments that He gave Israel.
After residing and living under Egypt’s dictatorship for four hundred thirty years, God delivered and led Israel into the wilderness. Since they were now free, they needed their own governmental structure. To this end, God gave them laws, statutes, and commandments by which they should live and obey. In preparation for them to be a holy nation and kingdom of priests ruled by the sovereign God, they needed to know His requirements.
In their third month in the wilderness, God summoned Moses to the top of Mount Sinai and first gave him the ten commandments. God started this discourse with these, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:3-6).
Unfortunately, Israel failed to obey God’s commandments. While Moses was on the mount receiving additional instructions, they made a golden calf and bowed down to it. This idolatry, as stated in Romans 1, has continued to this day. Romans 1:21-23 states, “When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” Consequently, for their actions, God gave them up to uncleanness, vile affections and turned them over to a reprobate mind.
Today we clearly see the fruits of this idolatry in our world. The spirit of error, uncleanness, and perversion exist at an all-time high. Adults and children have succumbed to these spirits, and unfortunately, many have accepted these ungodly practices as a normal way of life.
For those that know and understand kingdom principles, we are to love everyone and to pray that all come to understand the rule of God, who is the rightful king of the universe. God desires everyone to live a healthy, wholesome, and godly life. It is not His desire for any to perish; as He said to Israel, He wants to show mercy to those who love him. Nevertheless, for those who choose to disobey, there will be consequences for erasing God from their minds.
Genesis 18 shares the story of the Lord and two angels visiting Abraham. The first part of the chapter shares the account of Abraham’s hospitality to these individuals. First, he bows as a sign of respect and offers them water to wash their feet, a place to rest, and food to satisfy their hunger.
After receiving the meal, the Lord asks Abraham for Sarah and reiterates the word he shared with Abraham in chapter nineteen concerning Sarah birthing a baby boy. Being in close proximity to this conversation, Sarah was shocked to hear this because of her age. Knowing what she thought, the Lord asked Abraham, “ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed, I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Finishing their meal, the men rose to continue their journey to Sodom. However, the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” So, the Lord told Abraham of His plans to go to Sodom and Gomorrah to witness and confirm their grievous sins and bring judgment on them.
After hearing this statement and knowing his nephew Lot and his family resided in Sodom, Abraham began to intercede on behave of these cities. He asked the Lord, “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” From there, he asked for mercy if fifty righteous were within the city. Abraham continued to ask this question going from fifty to forty-five, then to forty, to thirty, to twenty, and finally to ten. With each deduction, God said He would spare the cities if that amount of righteous people were found in them. Unfortunately, as the story goes, there were not even ten righteous persons in these cities; thus, as revealed in chapter nineteen, the cities and inhabitants were destroyed.
There is no denying America displays the signs of last days unbelievers, as quoted in 2 Timothy 3:2-5. Men are lovers of their selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, pleasure lovers, having a form of godliness, and denying the power of God. Due to these sinful actions, we have experienced calamities and repercussions in our country. However, I believe but for the prayers of the righteous, things could be much worse. I believe prayers have prevented the full brunt of God’s wrath on us. Intercession has protected our loved ones, neighbors, cities, states, schools, hospitals, and government (and this list could go on and on). Therefore, after reading this blog, I pray I’ve encouraged you to intercede for our nation and everyone in it continually because God may be merciful, gracious, and holding back his anger due to you, the righteous.
Those of us that live in the United States have the freedom to worship without fear of persecution. At the same time, many cannot say the same. Unfortunately, many of us are unaware of the suffering of others and mistakenly think that most nations allow their citizens religious freedom, but that is not so. Throughout the world, numerous nations do not permit its citizen to worship God as we do. These nations can fall into two categories: hostile or restricted.
Hostile nations can be defined as a place where Christians, because of their witness, often suffer persecution from political groups, community persons where they reside, friends, and family. This happens despite their governments’ attempts to keep them safe.
In restricted nations, the government, by their laws, encourages harsh treatment, denial of possessions, imprisonment, and death for Christians. Known Christians can be persecuted by any of these groupings: the government, extremist groups, family, friends, and community members.
Bibles are usually hard to obtain in hostile and restricted nations, and those fortunate to have one must keep it a secret. Additionally, small groups of believers must gather in secret in these nations.
I have over sixty hardcover Bibles in my possession, besides Bibles on audio tapes and mobile devices. I attend church services without fear, and I can evangelize the lost without reprisal.
Over time religious freedom in America may change, but for now, I am thankful to God that I was born in a nation that allows me to serve Him. With this privilege comes a responsibility to pray for and support those less fortunate than me. If you were unaware of the persecutions that Christians experienced in hostile and restricted nations and have been enlightened, I encourage you to pray for our fellow believers. Also, thank God continually for living in a country where you have the freedom to worship.
Nothing happens in the world that our omniscient God does not know. For that fact, He knew every detail of every event that would occur before He created the earth. When He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He knew that they would be disobedient to His instructions, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die“ (Genesis 2:16-17).
After their act of disobedient God told the serpent who beguiled Eve, “Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:14-15). Jesus was the seed that would bruise the head of the serpent, and the crucifixion would be the bruising of Jesus’s heel. Predictions in the Old Testament of the coming of Jesus were also made by Isaiah, Micah, and Hosea (Isaiah 7:14, 53:5-9; Micah 5:2; Hosea 11:1).
Finally, that greatly anticipated day arrived, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea to Joseph and Mary, An angel of God went to the shepherds abiding in the field and told them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2 10-11). When they brought the infant to the temple in Jerusalem, Simeon, a just and devout man, took Jesus in his arms and blessed God, saying, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” And Anna, the elderly prophetess, also gave thanks for the birth of Jesus, who would bring redemption to the people. (Luke 2: 25-32; 36-38)
At age thirty, Jesus began his earthly ministry and completed it within three years. John, the beloved disciple who accompanied Jesus during His earthly ministry, described Jesus’s ministry like this, “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:5a, 8). And Luke recorded in Acts 10:38, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
At the completion of His ministry, Jesus was betrayed by Judas, scourged, mocked, struck in the face repeatedly, and crucified on a cross at Calvary. For three days and nights, He was in the earth, but on the third day, He was resurrected. Now He is sitting at the right hand of God, interceding for us and awaiting the command of God to come to the earth and collect His bride. So as we gather on this Easter Sunday while the world celebrates the day, we believers will praise, worship, and thank God for the birth, earthly ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus, knowing His purpose was fulfilled.
From my reading of the scriptures, it appears that God meant for treasures to be in His house, and here is how I came to that conclusion
When the children of Israel were leaving Egypt, God told them to borrow jewels of silver and gold from their neighbor. Scriptures revealed the Israelites found favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so they lent them such things as they required (Exodus 11:2; 12:36). Thus when it was time for the Israelites to build the tabernacle, they were able to give of their possession willingly. They gave gold, silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair, red ram’s skins, badgers’ skins, shittim wood, oil, spices for anointing oil, sweet incense, and various stones for the ephod, and the breastplate. Furthermore, Exodus 36:7 revealed Moses sent a proclamation throughout the camp stopping the people from offering any more stuff because they had more than enough to do the work.
When David was king, he gathered treasure for his son Solomon to build a magnificent temple. David said in 1 Chronicles 29:2-5, “Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house. Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal: The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers.” Additionally, the chief of the fathers, princes of the tribes, the captains, and the rulers of the king’s work, gave five thousand talents of gold, ten thousand drams, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of brass, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.
After the temple was built, King Solomon brought in the silver, gold, and the vessels that David had dedicated and placed them among the treasures in the house of the Lord (1 Kings 7:51; 2 Chronicles 5:1).
When Judah’s disobedient kings and citizens sinned, God would allow the enemy to defeat them and plunder the treasures which were in the temple. Then when an obedient king was ruling, he would once again bring dedicated silver, gold, and vessels back into the temple (1 Kings 14:25-28; 15:11-18; 2 Chronicles 24:8-14; 28:19-25).
After seventy years of bondage in Babylon, King Artaxerxes allowed those who wanted to return to Jerusalem. He permitted Ezra, the priest, to carry silver and gold, which he, his counselors, the people, and the priests, offered willingly for the house of God in Jerusalem (Ezra 7:13-16; 8:24-30).
Finally, when Israel became delinquent in giving tithes and offerings for the temple, God addressed them and told them they were robbing Him. To remedy this, they were to bring all the tithes into the storehouse so that there would be provisions in His house. For their obedience in following this instruction, God declared an opening of the windows of heaven and pouring of bountiful blessing to them (Malachi 3:8-10).
From Moses’s building of the tabernacle to the present, people’s offerings have supported the house of God. I firmly believe this mandate from God has not stopped; as people give, it shall be given to them. It takes the commitment of everyone involved, and whether a small or large congregation, God will cause treasures to be in his house as we willingly give. Today if you have been negligent or grudgeful in your giving, ask God to change your attitude and help you so you may be numbered with those that cause treasures to be in God’s house.
The Teacher's Pick 