God’s Money – Part 3 of 3

The Word of God speaks over and over again about money matters. He knows that we have practical needs. There have been many times in my married life when my husband and I needed to see God come through financially and materially. Our first few years of marriage were especially challenging. I remember a couple of times that I fasted when the money ran out, asking God literally for milk money.

Our giving to the Lord was more haphazard in those days. Sometimes we gave generously, but often we gave below the tithe. When it came to money, we didn’t always seek His Kingdom first. We figured God didn’t want us to go without and we needed the money more than He did. However, we learnt that the tithe helps us consistently to seek His Kingdom first with our money and to trust Him to provide our needs. The tithe is only the foundation for giving. There are also other ways to give.

One day, God convicted me about this through the story of the widow in the Bible who gave her last penny (Mark 12:41-44). Why did she give her last penny? She knew God would take care of her. As I was pondering this, I sat convicted, but at that point I had no money to give. I just didn’t have eyes to see past my own predicament. That’s when I felt God prompting me to look at what I did have instead of what I didn’t have. The only things I could think of that God might be able to use were the baby clothes. By now I had already had two children, a boy and a girl, so there was plenty. In obedience, I packed baby clothes, baby accessories, plus maternity wear. Then, my husband and I drove to the nearest crisis pregnancy center, which was in another town, and blessed them with the things.

Sometimes giving to God or others is not going to be easy. Sometimes it’s going to require faith and sacrifice. When we were struggling because we didn’t have enough money, we realized that we weren’t giving to God what was His. The best decision we’ve ever made was to make tithing a lifestyle, not an option.

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Thankful in Times of Sacrifice – Part 2 of 5

The Israelites, at first, had only manna to eat while in the desert. They were put on a forced fast by God from earthly food. This was God’s way of cleansing them, not only physically, but also spiritually. Sometimes fasting is necessary to get breakthroughs. The Israelites didn’t realize that God was busy freeing them, not only from the visible chains of slavery, but also from invisible ones. They had been corrupted by lusts of the flesh. God cared about every aspect of their lives. He cared about their physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being.

God wants only what’s best for His children. That sometimes includes asking us to sacrifice things that we like. Sometimes we hold on to things that aren’t beneficial to us. Maybe they blessed us for a time, but now that time has come and gone. We have to let go and keep in step with the seasons of our lives if we want to continue to grow. It may mean fasting, or giving something away, or letting go of a bad habit.

If you give up something that you’ve been depending on, it might be necessary that you consciously replace it with something else. A very basic example would be if you give up bad thoughts to replace them with good thoughts. This is especially important in the area of addictions. Otherwise, you might create a void. This can cause more heartache as the devil will tempt you to soothe that emptiness with other destructive desires.

The most important question you can ask yourself regularly is, “What is driving me?” Nothing should have power over you except the Holy Spirit. Anything that takes the place of His authority in your life and masters you is a god to you.

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Thankful in Times of Sacrifice – Part 1 of 5

It’s easy for us to recognize God’s faithfulness and protection towards the Israelites because we know the outcome of their story. They, on the other hand, had a much harder time believing that this crazy adventure would have a happy ending.

We know from the Bible that God took care of them. He provided them with food and drinking water. The first miracle food that He gave them they called “manna”, which, translated, means “what is it?” It was a kind of bread that tasted like wafers, honey, and fresh olive oil. None of them had ever eaten heavenly food before and now they were expected to eat “what is it?” for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and for how long? This one-item menu became monotonous, and they wound up complaining again.

Remember that until then, God hadn’t required anything of them other than to leave Egypt and to follow Him. At the time of their leaving, not one Israelite had to die fighting the Egyptians and whatever they needed of their oppressors they could take before they left. However, God was now requiring something more from them. He wanted them to sacrifice fleshly desires; to give up what they loved (familiar food) for something better (heavenly food). Despite everything that God had already done for them, they still weren’t willing to make any personal sacrifices.

Perhaps you might be tempted to judge them as thick-headed. Maybe they were, but we’re not much different from them. Have you ever eaten food from a foreign country and wondered, just like the Israelites, “What is it?” Having traveled to many countries around the world, I’ve had the privilege and opportunity of trying different traditional foods. Some have been tasty, others terribly spicy, and some pretty unusual.

After eating unfamiliar food, most of us can’t wait to get back to real “home cooking.” That’s because it’s hard to adapt to new things. Our familiar things, like family traditions, home cooking, or anything else, bring back memories that feel right and comfortable. The Israelites, like many of us, wanted to have those foods that they were used to and so they grumbled over God’s choice of provisions.

In some ways, God had put them on a forced diet – not because He wanted to lord it over them, but because He knew what was ultimately best for them. The mere fact that it came from heaven meant that it had to be good for them.

The same is true for us today: if we eat right, we will live well. This was a diet like none other. It was supernatural! Besides being a heavenly diet, it was also a kind of fast, not a fast from food, but a fast from earthly food.

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