I dreamt that I was in a church where I saw Rick Joyner deeply engrossed in prayer at the altar. I could tell that he didn’t want to be interrupted; so I decided to sit on a pew nearby and wait for him to finish praying. I wanted him to explain to me how to love the Lord with all of my heart. After waiting for sometime and realizing that he was not about to finish praying, I decided to interrupt him. The moment I touched his shoulder, he got up and asked me, “Joan, do you want to know how to love the Lord with all of your heart?” I replied, “Yes.” While holding a Bible in his hands, he said to me, “Then just do what this Bible says and then you will have loved the Lord with all your heart.”
That dream by Joan Isoke, which she had on 13th June 2019, underscores part of what we discussed last week: loving God means obeying His commandments as written in the Bible – from Genesis to Revelation.
We also learnt that when we love God by keeping His commandments, we shall prosper financially. By that, I mean that our financial needs will be taken care of and we shall have excess to give to the work of God and to the needy.
Now, when it comes to financial prosperity, there are two categories of commandments that are of uttermost importance – work and giving. God commands us to work, and He commands us to give generously. Whereas most Christians are obedient to the commandment to work, not many are obedient to share some of the fruits of their labors.
In the book GENEROSITY: The Righteous Path to Divine Blessing, John D. Garr says that it is on record that in America, Jews give more than Gentile Christians. This is because of how differently the two groups view the subject of giving. Devout Jews believe that giving is a commandment of God to be obeyed, and that their prosperity depends on it. Christians, however, see giving as something optional which can be done when one feels like it. The same Christians believe that all the Old Testament commandments were abolished by Jesus, yet Jews believe that the Torah commandments are still operational. For that matter, unlike Christians, Jews religiously tithe, give offerings, and are heavily involved in philanthropy. Therefore, God blesses them with increase and they prosper much more than Gentile Christians.
When we work, God will bless the works of our hands. And when we give away some of what we earn, we are blessed even more. Yes, God has promised to prosper us with so much more if we faithfully give our tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:10). Even when we give to the poor, He will return the favor (Proverbs 19:17). And when we honor our parents by supporting them financially as the need arises, it shall be well with us (Deuteronomy 5:16).
In 1999, I heard the audible voice of God telling me, “If you joyfully obey the laws of giving and receiving, you will never see financial depression in your life.” Thereafter, I obeyed God in tithing, giving offerings, helping the needy and financially honoring my parents. I behaved as a devout Jew, or rather as a Bible-practicing Christian, by seeing giving as a commandment. I can honestly say that God has kept His part of the bargain, and the best is yet to come.
“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” (Ephesians 4:28)
“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
“There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.” (Proverbs 11:24-25)
God bless you.