RHEMA From Heaven

“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. 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” (Malachi 3:10-11).

Tithing is one of the God ordained paths to prosperity. It is simply giving back to God a ten percent of all your increase. This can be a salary, wage, stipend or any valuable thing you receive from a work done or any transfer benefits you receive financially.
Tithing demonstrates your faith in God. Abraham, the first man to give tithe did so by faith. He blessed the Lord who gave him victory over his enemies and gave him “tithes of all”. (Genesis 14:18-20).

Those who refuse to tithe ROB themselves of God’s BLESSINGS. Genesis 8:22 says seedtime and harvest shall not cease so long as the earth remains. Also, in the epistle to the Galatians the bible says “what you sow is what you get” (Galatians 6:7).
Be a committed Christian who will tithe. Also learn to give good offerings and go the extra mile of becoming a financier of the work of God in whatever local church you find yourself, and if possible to other ministries in the body of Christ. By this God will make all grace abound to you. Never get annoyed or make any wrong comments when money matters are raised in church.

Remember that the Church needs “good money” to make impart in the world and your tithe helps with this. When you hear of tithing never fuss, for it is an opportunity to get BLESSED.

Read: Luke 6:38 “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”.

Study: Genesis 14:18-20

Never belittle God’s call and command to give to the poor, needy and the church. It only takes a selfish heart to withhold the goodness of the Lord from reaching others. God has given us so much and enough that we don’t have an excuse not to give. Now note the words of Jesus in Mathew 13:12 “…but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even what he hath.” What Jesus meant was that, even in your state of not having anything, there is something you have that can be offered to meet a need, therefore never withhold it.

Many believe that you can only give based on your abundance, but this is untrue. God is not unjust to request from us what we lack. He knows man cannot give what he doesn’t have. He set the example by giving us His only son.
We also read about Abraham who apart from being faithful and obedient to God, he was able to pass God’s test of giving his only son as God requested of him. .

Always note that you cannot give what you don’t have, but you can give the last and little that you have. Go out there today, and be a blessing to people especially those in the household of faith. Be encouraged to give because there is more blessing in giving than in receiving.

Read: Acts 20:35“In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
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Study: John 3:16

Familiarity is a condition that neutralizes the power and the grace of God. It also makes you not to believe in the supernatural power or grace on a man of God. Any time you become familiar with your Pastor, or a man of God, who is the Lord’s anointed, his ministry and gift will cease to bless you.

Although familiarity is an unfortunate situation in the Body of Christ, most Christians have not guarded themselves against it.There are lots of Christians today, who are even familiar with the things of God and God himself. In fact, they no longer attach any form of seriousness or reverence to activities done in the house of God.

Today familiarity has made many to develop a negative attitude towards the “anointed men of God” they have in their lives. They look down upon them, simply because they assume they know too much about them. This pathetic situation has robbed the Church and many believers of their blessings.

Jesus in his own hometown could do no miracle, because of familiarity (Mark 6:1-5). Instead of them receiving Him as God’s vessel, and an instrument of change, they rather saw him as a mere person. They jumped into familiarity by analyzing his family, profession and even questioned his ministry. No wonder He could not do any mighty work there (Mark 6:5).

But before then, the mad man of Gadara has been delivered, the woman with the issue of blood for 12years has been healed, and daughter of Jairus has also been raised from the dead by this Jesus (Mark 5). Yet, this same Jesus could do no miracle in His own hometown,all because of familiarity.How sad!
Remember that, the ANOIONTING you become FAMILIAR with, will CEASE to BLESS you.

Read: 2 Chronicles 20:20 “Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be upheld; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.”

Read: Mark 6:1-5

Obedience is a very key virtue that every child of God have to possess and walk in. In fact, it takes obedience to even have any meaningful relationship with God. Not only that, obedience qualifies you to be used by God to do great things (Hebrews 11:23-27). Thus, all the great people who did great things for God, started by displaying complete obedience to God and his words or instructions.

One important thing about walking in obedience is that, your obedience must be complete. Incomplete or partial obedience is still regarded as disobedience by God.

The Bible records an account of a King (Saul) who was instructed by God to go and destroy the people of Amalek and every animal in their land because they once stood against Israel. King Saul went and destroyed everything with exception of the King of Amalek and the best sheep and oxen. Saul claimed that he had brought the animals to give to God as a sacrifice. This attracted the Rebuke from Samuel the prophet “OBEDIENCE is better than SACRIFICE”.

You see when it comes to obeying God your offering and sacrifice is not a substitute. To God nothing is more IMPORTANT than taking him at his word. Any time you start doing your own show God steps back.

Learn to walk in total and complete obedience towards God, his word and the pastors he has set over you.

Read: Proverbs 13:13 “Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.”

Study: 1 Samuel 15:1-23

One principle of life is that, unvalued things are easily destroyed or ill-treated. This situation also applies to relationships we have with people. Thus people who don’t place premium on or value their relationships with people ends up destroying something that can be worthwhile.

In as much as the bible teaches us to avoid ungodly ties and associations (1 Corinthians 15:33), it also encourages us to keep and value our relationships with the wise (Proverbs 13:20). This is to say that, while there may be evil or bad relationships and associations, there are also profitable ones given to us by God.

Nonetheless, these good relationships only benefits when you place a great value on it. The Bible has an unending list of people that became significant because of profitable or good relationships they had with people. We can talk about David and Jonathan, Abram and Lot, Jesus and his disciples, Paul and his coworkers, etc.

The Bible records how the relationship Timothy, Titus, Philemon had with the Apostle Paul shaped their lives. These people become stalwarts that God used to bless the world. Although, some folks like Gehazi, Judus, Demas, etc, marred the great relationships God gave them dare to be different.

Employ the virtues of love, respect, humility, honour, gratefulness and loyalty to keep any profitable relationship that God has given you. Never undermine any godly relationship that you have with any one. Don’t only look at material benefits, but consider how such unions will and have shaped you to become a better person
Place value on your God-given relationships.

Read: Ecclesiastes 4:9 “Two is better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour”

Study:
1 Samuel 18:1-4,
1 Samuel 20:1-41

Any glorious future you expect won’t come to you by accident. You need to work out your way to the destination God has for you. When it comes to having a great future, God’s side is a done deal. 2 Peter 1: 3 says “For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through [a]true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence”
Therefore, what is now left is how you align yourself to divine guidance and also making wise decisions or choices.

You see, your future is always dependent on or affected by the decisions you keep making every now and then. What you do and what you don’t do has power to put you into your glorious destiny or bring you out of it.
This is to tell that, the future is not something that comes out of the blue. It is something you construct by following the leadings of the Holy Spirit and the application of the word of God.

Although many live with the deception that no matter what you do as a Christian God’s promise concerning your future will still come to pass, never succumb to this erroneous belief. Remember that you are a key player in the making of your future.
Always make God’s will for your life as a priority, and work towards it. Although things won’t become magnificent overnight, be patient and keep moving. It will always be precept upon precept, here a little and there a little and you will land on your glorious shore of greatness.

Read: Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps”

Study: Micah 6:8

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

The Bible says everything or all things works together for the good of the believer. Meaning that, irrespective of the situation or circumstance you find yourself God will turn it for your good
This shows that there is no defeat and failure for the Lord’s chosen ones.

As believers, we are a breed of winners because God is on our side. Things are meant to work for our good. That is what God has purposed for your life.
Look at things from this perspective and you will sail through in life, moving from glory to glory.

Remember that if you are on your own, all things can’t work for good. You see, it takes God’s power and grace for everything to favour and bless you in life.

Lots of people struggle undeservedly because they want to work everything with their own strength. They spin and whine and still end up with nothing because they don’t engage God, by loving him. The supreme order or method that gets things to work for our good is to LOVE THE LORD.
No matter what happens around you, love the Lord, and give him your best.

Read: Psalm 84:1 1 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly”

Study: Romans 8:28 -39

Mark 11:25 says “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses”.
Praying and unforgivenes or holding on to grudges against people can’t work together. For your prayers to bring answers you must forgive people that wrong you.

The Bible says when you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against someone. Thus, you have no business praying and God is not obliged to answer you if you can’t obey His terms and conditions when it comes to receiving answers to your prayers.

The Amplified version of the Bible explains our key text more clearly, “Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him [drop the issue, let it go], so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions and wrongdoings [against Him and others]”. Having issues with people or things against people only makes you disobedient to God who said forgive. When it comes to forgiving people it is independent of what they do or don’t do. You are not to forgive people because they apologized for a wrong doing, you forgive because God’s word says so.

Since our walk with God requires that we communicate daily with him, it means that we must make forgiveness a daily affair. Don’t harbour hatred or bitterness towards anyone.

Remember that you need your prayers answered.
Whatever the situation may be learn to forgive and forget.

Read: Matthew 6:12 “And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment]”

Study: Mathew 18:21-34

Proverbs 28:20 says “A faithful (right-minded) man will abound with blessings, But he who hurries to be rich will not go unpunished”. The Bible teaches that, how faithful you are determines how you will be blessed in life.

You see, you just don’t get blessed in the vacuum. Some blessings are predicated on great virtues like being faithful. We can put faithfulness in two dimensions. First is your faithfulness to God and second but not the least is your faithfulness to your fellow man.

Being faithful to God implies that, one remains true and devoted to God and the things of God without any form of hypocrisy. It also means that, your public confession about God and how you relate to Him does not and must not contradict your private confession. Thus you don’t say one thing in public and do another in private because you do not have any visible audience. When dealing with God you have a trust to keep from beginning to the end. Remember that, He counted and considered you faithful.

Last but not the least is being faithful to your fellow man. Not only does God wants us to be faithful to him, he also expects us to exude and express that quality when dealing with one another. For instance, God expects a non-negotiable faithfulness between married couples. God expects people in the place of trust, either with people’s lives, money, property or anything to be faithful. You see, whether you like it or not, people will treat you “as a faithful man “by putting you in the place of trust until you prove them wrong.

The Bible also teaches that, if you are not faithful to the things that belong to other people, God will not bless you with true riches. Irrespective of how you see faithfulness, God says faithfulness attracts his rewards and blessings. *Be faithful!*

Read: Proverbs 20:6 “Many people profess their loyalty, but a faithful person–who can find?”

Study: Luke 16:1-12

Isaiah 55:11 says
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it”.
The troubles of the world has put everyone in search of something that works or brings solutions.

Nonetheless, experience and history has also proved that man’s methods and solutions has not been without limitation.These can be seen in health service delivery, managing economies and the like.

But one truth still remains, although not appreciated by Christians who claim that “modernism” and “civilisation” has rendered void the “old sacred law”, the word of God-which is living and active as the solution to the problems of this world.

Despite the fact that, human logic and philosophy has failed humanity, it is not so with God’s word. No matter what you think, God’s word will always work. It produces results whenever it is rightly engaged.
It is like a hammer that breaks rocks into pieces and like fire that consumes. God’s word has the power to produce whatever it talks about.

When medical science fails, there is healing in the Word, and it endures forever. When the economy fails, there is prosperity in the Word.

In fact, all that you need for life and godliness is in the Word.
Psalm 107:20 says He sent his word and healed them, Joshua 1:8 says the word prospers and brings good success, Romans 10:17 says God’s word gives faith. *Learn to go for the word*.

Search the word daily. Know what God has said in his word about your life. Get hold of it and let it be your walk and talk.
Don’t let it depart from your mouth, meditate on it till you are full of it. This is how to reign in life. Don’t rest your faith on human philosophy or man’s methods.

Read: Acts 20:32 “And now I commend you to God [placing you in His protective, loving care] and [I commend you] to the word of His grace [the counsel and promises of His unmerited favor]. His grace is able to build you up and to give you the [rightful] inheritance among all those who are sanctified [that is, among those who are set apart for God’s purpose-all believers].”

Study: Hebrews 11:3