Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Seven Blessings of the Tithe

By Benny Hinn
Recently while watching Pat Robertson on the 700 Club, the Lord put something on my heart that I want to share with you.
Pat talked about the importance of the tithe, as mentioned in Malachi 3. While I was listening to him, I felt strongly that I needed to teach on the seven blessings of the tithe, too, for like Pat Robertson, I believe the tithe is very important to the Lord Jesus.
First of all, Malachi 3:10 teaches: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
Then the Lord promises, “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts” (verse 11).
SEVEN PROMISESIn the next verse, the Lord gives us this most remarkable promise: “And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts” (verse 12). In this noteworthy portion of Scripture, we find the Lord’s command to bring “all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house.” The Lord clearly tells every believer that the tithe belongs to Him and His work.
The Lord even challenges us to test Him: “Prove me now herewith” (verse 10). This is the only time in Scripture that the Lord makes that offer. That is one of the most amazing invitations we have ever been given by the Lord Himself; that we, as God’s people, can prove Him in this matter.
Following His challenge in Malachi 3:10, He then begins to give us the seven most amazing blessings of the tithe:
“If I will not open you the windows of heaven” (verse 10). The windows of heaven always deal with revival. The Lord promises to revive every person who obeys Him.
“And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (verse 10). Think about it! God Almighty declares clearly in His Word that the tither will be prosperous—so prosperous, in fact, that there will not be room enough to receive the prosperity and blessings God has in store for the one who obeys Him.
“I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes” (verse 11). Years ago when I taught on this subject in Orlando, I discovered that rebuke, to my amazement, means “to cripple” or “to paralyze.” God Almighty will actually cripple the enemy on your behalf when you tithe. The tithe is so important to the Lord that He promises to paralyze and cripple the enemy so that he will not be able to touch your life! Remember, the Lord said to prove Him. These things will happen, for this is the Word of the Lord!
“He shall not destroy the fruits of your ground” (verse 11). This means that the enemy, whom God has crippled on your behalf, will not be able to touch your finances. The “fruits of your ground” refers to your money. The enemy will not be able to touch your money as a result of your obedience to the Lord in the tithe.
“Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lordof hosts” (verse 11). It is remarkable that in John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches.” The vine, therefore, means the family, and God gives this amazing promise to the tither when He says that the enemy will not touch your family, if you obey the Lord.
“All nations shall call you blessed” (verse 12). In this most amazing blessing and promise, God will bless and prosper you so that the nations of the world will see the blessings of God upon you. In other words, you will be a mighty witness of the power and blessings of God.
“Ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts” (verse 12). Delightsome means “highly desired.” As you obey the Lord with the tithe, God will so highly desire you that He will use you.
These seven most amazing blessings of the tithe can be summarized:
You will have revival.
You will experience great prosperity.
The enemy will be crippled and will not touch your life.
Your finances will be safe.
Your family will be safe from the hand of the enemy.
You will be a great witness of the power and blessings of the Lord to the nations.
You will be highly desired, and God will use you for His glory!
THE STOREHOUSEBefore giving these seven blessings in Malachi 3, the Lord very clearly mentions the tithes and offerings in verse 8: “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8). Then He says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” (verse 10).
The “storehouse” is not your local church! Many years ago, I taught that the storehouse was the local church. As I have continued to study the Word, travel the world, and mature in the Lord, I have come to realize that the storehouse is not the local building but the ministry that feeds your life.
Any ministry that feeds you the Word of God is that storehouse! The Word of God is clear on this, for He says, “Bring ye all the tithe into the storehouse.” The tithe belongs to the ministry that gives you fresh bread and the meat of God’s Word.
As you support the storehouse that the Lord has placed into your life, the Lord has promised to send these seven supernatural blessings upon your life!
If this ministry has been that storehouse for you, then it is the law of God that you should give your tithes and offerings to this ministry. In fact, according to the Word of God, you should support whatever ministry God uses to feed your life.
I want to share an important truth with you. The Word of God is clear also in Deuteronomy 26 that the tithe does not belong to the dead. In the midst of teaching on the tithe, the Lord tells us, “Nor given ought thereof for the dead” (Deuteronomy 26:14). If you want to receive the seven supernatural blessings of the tithe, make sure you are not giving your tithe or offering to a dead work.
If you give to a dead ministry, there will be no result! But when you give to a ministry that is alive and preaching the Gospel to the world, then these promises will be yours.
BREAKING DEBT FROM YOUR LIFEWhen I saw this powerful truth and began applying it in my own life—as I became a tither myself—God truly broke the debt from my life.
Debt is broken by only one thing—giving to the Lord’s work!
I want to see the Lord bless your life. It is your tithe that opens heaven, and it is your offering that brings prosperity your way. The Lord requires both, the tithe (at least 10 percent) and the offering (extra money that the Lord directs you to give). We cannot be blessed without the tithe, and we cannot see abundance without both the tithe and the offering.
The Lord clearly states in His Word to give both tithes and offerings.
Today, give both to the Lord. Sow your seed. And as you give your tithe and sow your seed-offering this month, lay your hands on that seed and claim the seven supernatural promises of Malachi 3.
Courtsy: Pastor Benny Hinn
Click here for more of his messages,
www.bennyhinn.org

Prosperity…Is It Biblical?

Dear Treasure Friend,
Grace and peace be showered upon you in abundance in Jesus Name. Amen!
The term “prosperity teaching” or “prosperity Gospel” is one of the most misunderstood and misused terms in today’s language.
I believe biblical prosperity is scriptural, and it is taught throughout the Bible. Giving to the Lord is so important that God has promised that those who give for the work of the Gospel will be blessed and protected.
Today I want to share with you what the Scriptures have to say about biblical prosperity, because I believe we are coming into a time of great abundance for the sake of the Gospel. The Gospel is being preached around the world, and a great harvest of blessings is coming to those who are supporting the cause of Christ around the world.
Prosperity Results from Righteousness and Faithfulness
The Word of God declares: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2). Prosperity is not an accident but the result of the Word of God being in our life.
Righteousness puts us in line to receive great blessings from the Lord: “In the house of the righteous is much treasure” (Proverbs 15:6), and “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life” (Proverbs 22:4).
Faithfulness to God is the key to prosperity, and only faithfulness brings us into that place where God can begin to bless us financially: “A faithful man shall abound with blessings” (Proverbs 28:20).
The Lord has given each person certain abilities and gifts, and He expects us to be faithful with them. He expects us to tend to and nurture these abilities and gifts so we might produce fruit for His glory and kingdom!
The Word of the Lord tells us clearly that only as we keep and nurture our gifts will we be able to reap their benefits: “Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured” (Proverbs 27:18). As we stay faithful with the gifts God has given us, we will receive fruit in abundance.
Prosperity Results from Obedience
To receive God’s blessings and abundance, we must obey Him!
The Word of God tells us, “Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do” (Deuteronomy 29:9).
The Scriptures clearly say that it is not God’s will for any to perish, nor is it His will for any to live in sickness or poverty.
Poverty comes when we refuse the Word of God. Proverbs 13:18 declares, “Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.”
But when we obey the Lord’s Word, prosperity will be ours immediately, and for all of our days: “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures” (Job 36:11).
The Word of God says clearly in Proverbs 15:6 that in the house of the righteous is much treasure, not much poverty! Poverty does not belong to the righteous. It belongs to those who disobey God. Abundance and blessings belong to God’s children.
Debt is not God’s will. In fact, it is bondage: “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).
The Lord wants to deliver His people from all bondage and all debt, and only as God’s people seek Him and obey Him will liberty from bondage come our way: “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.… That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures” (Proverbs 8:17-18, 21).
God’s Word is clear that He takes pleasure in our prosperity! He rejoices when we prosper: “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant” (Psalm 35:27).
Prosperity Results from Diligence
Look at what God has given you in the way of abilities, physical assets, and spiritual blessings. Care for them and cause them to increase. God will surely bless you:
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens. (Proverbs 27:23-27)
As we are diligent before the Lord to nurture what He has given us, only then will we have abundant supply, for the Word of God tells us that He delights in the one who is not lagging behind in diligence: “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men” (Proverbs 22:29).
Look at Joseph. He was sold as a servant then became a prisoner. But because he was diligent before God, the Lord promoted him not only to stand before a king but to be second in command.
We have another great example in the prophet Daniel. He was a prisoner of war in a heathen land, but he was diligent in serving a heathen king. Daniel, too, was promoted and ended up counseling kings.
Nehemiah, another example of diligence, was promoted from his job as cup-bearer.
God’s promotional hand is upon the diligent! Jesus told us to be faithful in little things and He will make us ruler over many things (Matthew 25:21-23). The Word of the Lord also tells us, “The hand of the diligent maketh rich” (Proverbs 10:4), and “The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness” (Proverbs 21:5).
The Lord warns that we will be blessed and prosper only as we are faithful and diligent!
Stewards must be found faithful. As you give to His work again this month, remember that it is your faithfulness to the Lord that will reap abundance.
The Word of God declares, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever)” (2 Corinthians 9:8-9).
It is the Lord who gives you seed to sow, and it is the Lord who will multiply that seed and increase the fruits of your righteousness!
The Lord will enrich you in everything to all bountifulness, which will bring Him great honor and glory in these last days around the world.
And as you give, you are declaring the Gospel to the nations of the world. You are bringing the message of salvation to multitudes throughout the earth!
The Reason for Biblical Prosperity
The reason for biblical prosperity is clear: the Gospel must be preached! This is why a wealth transfer is coming.
From Genesis to Revelation, the principles are taught.
The Lord said to Abraham, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2).
God surely wants to bless you and make you a blessing to others. To finance the coming harvest, God is looking for a people whom He will bless, for the coming harvest is the winning of the lost around the world. Surely, it is on the way, and God is preparing all of us for that glorious day.
I know that the most glorious harvest of God is just around the corner, and He is preparing you and me for a glorious move! I also know that the Lord is preparing us for the most incredible move of the Holy Spirit!
Remember, everything you do today for the Lord will affect what God will do with you when that day of wealth transfer begins: “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (Luke 16:11). I believe that God Almighty is watching everything we do for Him today to see if He can trust us when that blessed move begins!
For truly how can God trust those who are not faithful with His glorious power and anointing—the invisible—unless He can trust them first with the visible?
The Lord is watching everything we do for Him today. He is looking for a people He can trust, for the day will come when true riches will be committed to believers who are faithful. These true riches not only are the invisible power of God but also the coming wealth transfer on earth that will finance the end-time harvest!
That is why our Lord Jesus said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you” (Luke 6:38). Not only will it will be given now, but I believe He also means that it will be given on that day, and “it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.”
What You Do Today Will Count Toward Tomorrow
Paul the apostle declared, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6), not only presently, but also on that day when the wealth transfer begins!
God Almighty will give us accordingly to the measure we sow today. That is why Jesus said, “For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38).
What we do today will count toward what happens tomorrow, in the future, and on that day when that wealth transfer starts!
So give today faithfully. Give today with obedience. Give today with all your heart, with a cheerful heart. And God has promised not only to take care of you today and tomorrow, but also to trust you one day with the wealth of the sinner.
Remember as you sow your seed, God’s promise: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). You will never lack—no, not for one minute—because you have been giving and continue to give to the work of the Gospel.
The glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached because of faithfulness of God’s people.
Biblical Prosperity and You
Divine prosperity is God’s will for every believer!
Now it is time that we as believers obey the Lord, and even ask Him for prosperity. Like David we, too, can pray: “Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity” (Psalm 118:25).
It also is time that we sow for prosperity: “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10).
God wants us to prosper because the nations are calling and God continues opening doors. We must respond now before it is too late! As God orchestrates our steps with divine perfection and sends a powerful financial outpouring, we must go forward as a mighty army, obeying the Lord’s command to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
Now, more than ever, we must preach the Gospel to all the world, for Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). That time is now!
May God bless you and the seed you plant in obedience to His Word, for He promises, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38).
Prosperity is biblical. Prosperity is God’s will. Most of all, prosperity is given to take the life-saving, miracle-working Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations!

Courtsy: Pastor Benny Hinn.
To get more click to:
www.bennyhinn.org