Happy New Year monster. I can not believe that it is already 2013. This time last year I was making resolutions, cleaning out my life, praying for breakthroughs and believing God for new adventures and circumstances. 2012 had its fair share of trials, heart aches, blessings, answered prayers and life changing moments. I am looking forward to the adventures of 2013. 
So have you made your resolutions yet? Are you sticking with them, or have they already fallen to the wayside. Many people vow to lose weight, get their house organized, start something new, get rid of a bad habit, or get their finances in order. What have you vowed to do in 2013? Anything? Let me offer a suggestion. In 2013 get rid of the lack in your life. Vow to walk in abundance in all things. Tell yourself that this will be the year that you lack for nothing, nothing lacking in your relationships, your career, your home and most importantly your finances. Vow that 2012 is the last year you will ever refer to yourself as broke, unable, not financially solvent, or in a recession. After all your a Child of the Most High and He has promised to meet all your needs, to provide for you, to open doors for you, to bless you. So why as His child should you be walking around in debt, or in lack?
People get really skittish when you put God and money in the same sentence. It is almost as if they are ashamed to ask the Lord to bless them in this way. It is as if they don't believe that He will or that it is wrong. Get rid of this thinking monster. God knows what you need, He wants you to have what you need. So go ahead, ask Him. Oh one thing, monster, there is a catch. Yup, you knew there would be, nothing is free right? What is the catch? God wants your life. He wants you to obey Him and to live according to His standards. He wants you to Love Him with all you are, and to love your neighbor. Oh and God wants you to bless others, to give so that you can receive, oh and one more thing, He wants you to tithe. Told you there was a catch.
Tithe, such a small word, yet it is one of the most debated topics of the church. People will stop going to church because they are asked to tithe, they will argue about how much and how often they should tithe, they will even argue that it is an Old Testament "thing" and something they no longer have to practice. I am not here to debate theology or church doctrine or any of that. I really don't care what you believe or what your choose to do. I am just here to challenge you. I challenge you to try it, I did and I am more blessed in my finances then ever before. So, monster do you want to take the 2013 challenge.
Here is what it looks like. Let's go to the Word. In the book of Malachi God challenges us to prove Him. It is the only place in the Bible where He tells us it is ok to test Him.
Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3: 8-12
What does this mean for you monster? God owns everything in this world and in the Heavens. He is the reason you are able to draw breath every day and go to work. He has blessed you with a job and an income and He asks that to honor him you give him a mere 10% of that. Right off the top, before you pay bills, buy a cheeseburger, pay your rent, pay yourself. You get to keep the other 90%. You will find that the 90% will begin to stretch further and further. You will find that you have more money to do what you need to do, so much more that you can begin to do what you want to do.
I stated earlier that everything is already the Lords', “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord. Leviticus 27:30 Tithing reminds us that it is His. That is is His favor, His Grace, His Will that is allowing you to earn your money in the first place. It humbles you monster. By keeping Him first and knowing that it is from Him, pride cannot creep in. Nor can greed. Money is not the problem, The love of money is. By returning your tithe to the Lord, you are saying Lord I love you more then this money. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs" 1Timothy 6:10. It was the love of money that sent the young man away when he was seeking to follow Jesus. (Luke 18) It was not that he was rich and had many things it was that his many things had him. They had become his idols, they had usurped the place in his heart that belonged to God.
The second part of the 2013 plan is to give. You cannot be a miser monster. Remember I told you in an earlier blog that God blesses you, not for yourself, but for others. You are the means by which God carries out His plans in the world. When you give your time, your skills, your talent and yes your money to help further the church you are doing God's work in the world. Be smart in this monster. I am not saying to just give your money away. Take a look at your church whether you are a member or thinking about joining it. Look at what they are doing locally and globally with their missions. Listen to the pastor. Is he preaching the Gospel, the word as inspired by the Holy Spirit and not himself/herself. Is it a ministry where your spirit is being fed. If it is not you need to keep looking for the right church, the right ministry. Once you find it you will know. Then you can begin sowing into that ministry with your time, your talents and yes, your tithes and offerings. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6 It is important that in all your giving you give with a willing heart and spirit. That you do not begrudge your offering. God loves a cheerful giver. This goes back to Cain and Abel. Abel loved God, He gave the best he had and was pleasing to God. Cain gave grudgingly, he gave the leftovers and he became jealous when he saw how God blessed his brother. So much so that Cain murdered his brother. If you are going to give unwillingly or just to get something in return or to be seen giving by others, it is best to not give at all.
The Bible offers even more on giving, tithing and how to deal with money. Get to reading monster you can't expect me to tell you everything. I will add this. In order to get out of debt, out of lack and walk in abundance you will have to work. You will have to work physically, you will have to pray and ask God to bless you, you will have to exercise your faith and believe that all your bills will be taken care of and trust that God will do what he says He will. "Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38
One last piece of wisdom when dealing with your finances this year, "Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." Romans 13:7
