It’s all About the Heart

Dear Brides, You will be challenged by this Chapter 14. Eaten Alive. But read on...you will be blessed by what you learn.

Tithe first fruits. Do not let others convince you that you do not have to! Of course, you do not have to! In this sense, we have a free will--to obey or disobey God. But disobeying God is always a very bad idea!

If you make Tithing automatic, it is much harder to mess up. As soon as funds come in, send in the tithe. Do not delay. Delay allows things to creep in. And the creepy things in this world LOVE to be given gaps to creep through!

Malachi 3: 7-12 “Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ You Have Robbed God “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. “All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.

I like the context of it. It is all about RETURNING to God. How do you return, by tithing ...which is a way to show you are trusting in Him!

Electronic payments are a blessing to me. That way, as soon as my bank notifies me of any deposit (I get a text on my phone.), then I can use the same phone to send in an electronic tithe. POOF! Done. No chance of forgetting. Even if the deposit was only $25, there is no charge to me for paying $2.50 to my storage house.

If instead, I receive a check, I simply sit in my car at the bank where I deposit the check and poof, online via my phone, I can put in my tithe.

For me, this is best, as it prevents procrastination or forgetting. In the past, if I didn't pay my tithe right away, I often found unexpected expenses eating it away.

This Chapter 14. Eaten Alive was a reminder to me of the times I have drifted off...by being distracted or overly busy. It is so easy to just forget to focus on God, to get distracted out of quiet time with Him by "urgent" things. It is easy to forget to tithe ...or to convince yourself that you don't have the funds right now...or you don't know WHERE to give it, so you'll just save it until later, etc.

It is always a mistake, and it is much more clearly seen in the past tense, looking back on it. In the middle of the mess, though, it can be easy to miss.

Let’s pray as we Seek HIS guidance: Holy One, help me to see clearly. Change my heart and mind so that I see what you want me to see, so that I long for the things that you desire, and so that I obey you in all things!

Dear Brides, It is often easy to see the faults of others and be amazed by how they cannot see what is clear to you. We see adultery and call it out immediately. It is just plain wrong!

Yet, we allow the world to convince us that we do not need to tithe. "That is an old testament thing. It's all about the heart. God doesn't want your money unless you give it cheerfully." Well, yeah...God doesn't need anyone's money! He doesn't enjoy the gifts of a grumpy heart. BUT the problem is NOT grumpy people giving too much money! The problem is people being grumpy and stingy!

Ask Him to change your heart and to help you see clearly. Then you will tithe with JOY.

This book is different. It goes deeper and into detail, and it will help you learn.

~ Beverly
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Prayer Team