ICS Daily Devotions
The Best Safeguard for Your Finances
Proverbs 3:9-10 (NKJV) Honour the LORD with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Our giving is closely tied to our hearts—it shows forth how much we trust the Lord versus man. The measure that we give reflects our faith, our love, and our stewardship. Jesus said the love of money is the root of all evil as money is neutral. Jesus is always dealing with the root issue, or the issue of the heart, such as when He asked the rich young ruler to sell all that he had and follow Jesus (Luke 18:22). Jesus knew that he could not part with his riches. The root issue was that his security and foundation was in money.
Disobedience in tithing is largely due to the fear of lack or the fear of losing control over our finances. If people are unwilling to part with a certain amount of money, it is because they do not have God as their source. They think by giving that amount, they will be set back by that amount and their needs will not be met.
Tithing is challenging, but we need to come to a point of obedience and act on what the Word of God says, to honour Him with our tithing and the firstfruits of all our increase, and when we do so, He promises that our barns will be filled with plenty and vats overflow with new wine. Every time when we are blessed, be it a bonus, profit, or dividends, we should honour God with the 10%.
Malachi 3:11 (NKJV) 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.
If you want to get the curse off your finances, and give the devil no access to them, you need to start tithing, because the Word says the devil will have no right to that 90%—it is off-limits to him! In other words, by honouring God with that first 10%, God looks after the remaining 90% and He rebukes the devourer for you. Having said that, as a good steward of God’s finances, we should also seek His permission before investing.
The devil stands rebuked over the finances of a tither. If you are not tithing, you are operating your finances in the world system and giving the god of this world access to them, whereas by tithing, you close the door to him.
Sermon Series: Reflections
