¶ The Power of Generosity
Hey , welcome to Doing Life with Ken and Tabitha . We are so pumped that you're tuning into this podcast . It has been designed for people just like you . We want to do life with you , share our wins , our defeats , our ups and our downs , in hopes that you'll grow closer to God and to the people that you love in your life .
Sit back and enjoy today's podcast . Hey , what's up ? Family ? Welcome to another episode of Doing Life with Ken and Tabitha . Tabitha . Tabitha has a song that she would like to start off singing in this episode Are you ready ?
What is a song I'd like ?
to hear it . Here it go . Three , two .
There is no song . You have a song that you would like to sing .
Oh , it just left me See . So anyway , here we are , we're back , I know he didn't say I had his song . Well , welcome to our show today , guys . We're so pumped to have you with us today . We got a good one for you . We are ready to help you give your money a mission .
We want to talk about the power of a generous heart , five things that you must know about generosity . Do not touch that dial . Do not touch that computer . Turn the volume up .
We want to help you today with a principle that we've lived by for over 20 some years , that has brought great success into our life but , more importantly , has helped depopulate hell and populate heaven . Let's talk about generosity .
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Sweetheart , are you ready for today ?
I'm ready .
Okay , Now listen , this is coming into summertime . We're here at the end of May and we do a thing in our church called the God First Summer . For those of you all who are not a part of our church but you are a part of our listening family , we would love for you to join in with what we call the God First Summer .
Now , this is what happens typically with people is that they take a step back from God over the summer , not because they meant to , but they get busy going to weddings and graduations and going to the beaches and going to amusement parks that sometimes they take a small step back .
But we've decided to be countercultural and instead of taking a step back in the summer , we take a step towards the heart of God and we say we want to put God first this summer . Does anybody listening want to put God first this summer ? Now , there's three ways that you put God first in what we call the time , talent and treasure .
We call it the three T's . You got to put God first in your time . So what that means is that you're making a commitment to get up every day and just spend the first part of your day with God . This is what we believe about first . When the first is holy , the rest will be blessed . Your day is going to be better when you put God first .
Putting God first in your talent , that means use whatever skills and talents that God has given you to build his kingdom , not just your own . But the third one is important and we want to hone in on it today it's putting God first in your treasure . That means that where you put your money really shows us and God what you really care about .
Now we have been tithers and also givers for 23 years straight . We start our giving at about 16% . So whatever comes to us 16% at the starting point we give back to God . 16% . Now , over the years it's been down as low as 12% and as high as 32% , I believe , and on average over those 23 years I think we're about 19% .
Okay , that means that whatever comes into our heart , that's about where our giving is . It is not just the tithe , it is beyond the tithe , but it has changed our financial life . It has changed our connection with Jesus , who is our high priest . It has allowed God the avenue and the faith from us for financial miracles to come .
I believe even right now we're in a season of unprecedented favor . I believe that there is a whole lot of people that they are so concerned with the economy . Right now there is a different economy , the economy of the kingdom , that you have to transition now out of the economy of this world , now , even in our nation .
I know you're watching from nations around the world , but in our nation we're trillions of dollars in debt . Man's economy does not work . It does not work . It is a failing system 100% . But God's economy . There's no shortage , there is no lack . He is a God of abundance . Jesus said I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly .
In the Greek that means super abundant in quantity and superior in quality . There is things that God asks us to do , and I learned this over the years that obedience is your covenant connector , meaning that when we obey what God's told us to do , it connects us to all of the promises that God has for us . That's one side of generosity .
Us to all of the promises that God has for us . That's one side of generosity . The other side of generosity here's . The second side is that it's a form of worship to God . It's a form of honoring God , it's a form of faith in God . It's a tangible way to show our love towards God . So we have . Number one , the benefit that we reap .
Number two , the love that we display . But number three and this is very important I'm not going to say the most important we display , but number three , and this is very important I'm not gonna say the most important one , but very important that when we are generous people , god uses that generosity to change more people's lives .
The gospel is being preached , buildings are being built , orphanages are being erected . It's good . He does more . So it's so important in a bad and questioning economy that we don't sit around and wait for the government more than wait on God . And I'm here to tell you that the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just .
There is a wealth transference that is in the earth . Right now , god is looking to put resources in the hands of kingdom builders that have an assignment that is bigger than just building , buying a new Tesla . Wow , anything you want to add to that ?
That's amazing . I hear you know blessed to be a blessing . Yeah , you know what I mean . So we are blessed so that we can be a blessing to someone else . And that's what it's all about .
Yeah , we absolutely love giving . You know , you ever have to spank your kid or something and it's like man , it's going to hurt me more than it hurts you . You know , my mom and dad used to say that to me and I was like you're a liar . But now that I'm a parent , it's true . I think the same thing with giving .
It's almost like giving is almost like you think that it's going to hurt you , but it's actually going to bless you .
Yeah .
I don't know if there's any parallels there . I I don't know if there's any parallels there . I just was saying whatever comes to my mind , but the parallel is like I'm thinking it's going to be this , but actually it's that I'm thinking . So you can't look at generosity like a bill to pay .
You can't look at your giving to God as just another expense , because God knows we got enough expenses . Somebody say , man , I got enough bills . Somebody say , man , I got enough financial problems . Somebody say , man , this is not a bill , this is an investment into God's kingdom and from his kingdom he brings forth great dividends .
It's really just to me an act of love between you and your father , who loves you , and you who love your father . You know , I read a book a long time ago and there was a story in it about a little girl who had a pearl necklace . It was a little toy pearl necklace that you get from any toy store . Maybe costs $5 . And she loved her pearl necklace .
She wore it every day . But the daddy wanted to teach her a lesson on trusting him and in value . And so he went to her a few days in a row and he said hey , I like that necklace that you have on . Can you give it to me ? I want to wear a necklace like that . And she said no , no , no .
And finally the last day he went goes to her and he says you know , can I have that necklace ? And she said no . But she didn't know that in his pocket he had a real pearl necklace , like a genuine pearl necklace that was worth way more than that little plastic necklace that she had .
And so finally he talked her into giving the necklace to her and she , very sad , with a little sad face , took the necklace off and gave it to him . And then he reached in his pocket and showed her a real pearl necklace and her eyes got big and all of that .
But I hold that story close to me because it reminds me of our relationship with the Father , that when he's asking us to give him money , something that's valuable to us- he has something more valuable to give back to us . It's not about , like , the little girl . It wasn't about the money . It wasn't about the blessing .
She was giving it to her daddy because he wanted it , because she wanted to please him , because he asked her for it . That's why she gave it to him , but in return , daddy had something way better in store for his little girl . And I believe it's the same with us and our Heavenly Father when it comes to giving .
I love that story .
¶ The Meaning and Impact of Giving
Why do you think that people aren't generous ?
I think number one because we're uneducated . We don't know that it's the plan of God's blessing for our lives . We don't know that there's a curse in the earth blessing for our lives . We don't know that there's a curse in the earth and we break that curse through tithing . That curse is broken . And so I think number one , education .
And I think number two probably control . And we don't trust God . We don't have that relationship with God to trust Him . If we give this , it'll be given back to us in a good pressure . We don't have that relationship with God to trust him . If we give this , it'll be given back to us in a good pressure . We don't trust that .
But then control , meaning that like okay , I worked , I got this money , I'm going to do this , that and the other . I'm going to put some and save , like I got this , god , you know what I mean . I got this , I don't need your help . We don't understand that . But when you give it to God , it's like I'm giving up control .
When I give this to you , god , now I got to trust that you're going to give back to me , I got to trust that you're going to be my blessing and my provider instead of myself . That's a big thing .
Yeah , I'm always wondering because actually me being a giver is like one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life you couldn't pay me not to give to God with consistency over and above . I just believe in it , that much . It's just man , it's just you know how the Bible says it's more blessed to give than it is to receive .
I'm living that right now . I would give even if there wasn't a receiving element on it , because that's how good it is to give . I want to give to give . I don't want to give to get , I want to get now . Getting is a part of giving , harvest is a part of the seed , but my motive is love , my motive is giving .
You know , but I like want to dial in on that for a moment . Just go with me if you don't mind just like , why else don't people give you know if you really was to think about it , like , all right , he's given his life for you and you can't give 10 percent , five percent , fifteen percent for you and you can't give 10% , 5% , 15% For some .
I think it's just that they are so busy in their life that they're just not consistent and they're like oh , I meant to . I've been meeting a lot of people like that , like are you tithing consistently ? Oh no , I've just been so busy . I've been here and I've been there and I've been doing all this . You've been doing all that under the blessing of the Lord .
So what do we got to do for you to order your steps in a way , when God gives to you , the first thing you want to do is to return something back to him . Give him not the second or the third fruit , but the first fruit , maybe discipline , motivation , what else ?
I think people , I think people feel like they got that , Like I got this , I'm okay , I don't need God to bless me . Like you know , if you're wealthy people feel like the giving to God and the gospel is a poor man's message . You know like that .
You know , if you're struggling in your finances , things like that , then you can give to God and believe for something . But I think if you have money and you feel like I'm good , you know what I mean and you don't have to be super rich , you could be middle class and be like I'm good , I'm okay .
You already feel like you're good financially . So , why would I need to do that ? But the question is not are you good ? The question is how good could you be ? The question is do you not have 10 million in the bank ? The question is could you have 20 million and not just have 20 million for you to buy toys ?
That absolutely matters none in the internal matters I'm talking about ? Could you have 20 million where you could get 5 million to start another campus , start another church ?
It's the okay , I'm blessed . But are you blessed to be a blessing ? Are you making a difference in someone else's life ? It's the press down , shaking together and running . Do you have the running over where you can give to this organization , where you can build orphanages , where we can build a dream center here in Orlando , where you can ?
give to your church . Yeah , I think we need to put honor on just giving to your church , even not my church , because I don't want this to be self-serving . I'm a pastor . Find a church that you're getting fed from and give there . Give where you're being fed from , get where God is leading you to . Let me let this be a universal principle , not even for us .
If you want to give here , praise God . But I'm talking about , I'm going to share with this podcast out of the reservoir of my heart and listen .
If there's one thing that I mastered when I was a 23-year-old , struggling businessman , I searched the Bible , from Genesis to Revelation , and I studied everything that the word of God has to say about finances , and what I found out is that it says more about finances and stewardship than it does heaven , hell and salvation combined , meaning that God looks at how we
manage our money to tell him where our heart really is . The scripture goes as far as to say where a man's treasure is , that's where his heart is . That's where his heart is , meaning that , where your money is , if it's in the stock market , if it's in real estate , if it's in is .
If it's in the stock market , if it's in real estate , if it's in crypto , if it's in your 401k , that's where your heart is . If you have a big house and big cars , big money , big revenues , but small generosity . you love things more than you love the maker of the things , and that's what God wants to get from you . So what I found out over the years ?
That giving is the laxative of the soul that squeezes greed , the love of money , the trust of money and serving money out of your system . So what I want people to know is that God never said that you can't have money . Matter of fact , there's a bunch of scriptures that says that God wants to bless you .
Deuteronomy 818 says that he's given you the power to get wealth to help establish his covenant . As it is this day . The psalmist says I take pleasure . God says I take pleasure in the prosperity of my servant , how much more his sons and his daughters . God doesn't mind us having money , as long as money doesn't have us .
How do we ensure that money doesn't have us ? We're willing to give it . Giving is the laxative of your soul that squeezes out the love of money , trusting money , worshiping money and making it an idol . I don't want anything in my life that I'm not willing to give away . I am a steward , not an owner .
Well , I think that's a big issue that you bring up Someone who doesn't give . Some people don't give because they think that money is evil . Some people don't even desire to have a lot of money so that they can be a blessing because they think that money is evil .
Yeah Well , even people today . They talk about the prosperity gospel and honestly , I'm still trying to figure out what that is . They're taking two positive words and putting a negative spin on it . Prosperity in a godly way is not ungodly If you don't worship it , love it , serve it or make it an idol . Prosperity from Genesis to Revelation .
The word prosperity started off as a word that meant have a successful journey , and then it kind of developed over into a word that meant success , prosperity of marriage . I want that prosperity of my mindset . I want that prosperity financially . I want that . Okay , the gospel is good news . The prosperity gospel is not bad . It's actually a good thing .
But it's just like the spirit of religion to take something that could be a blessing from God and just to dip it in a little like craziness and just weirdness . You know , and I thank God that I read the Bible before I heard from men concerning that . You know , I think what they mean is don't be at a church or be that kind of person .
That's just like trying to serve God to get money , try to serve God to get things , or I'm giving this just to get that , and I would conclude that , yeah , that's not the right heart , it's not the right motive .
But what are we talking about here for real ? And I think that even in like in America , in our church history we've seen church and money , church use money and finances and pastors and preachers do things .
We've heard the horror stories of pastors and money and churches and money , and so we go all the way we say , oh well , the pastor did this and they're doing this with the money and they're just taking people's money . I don't know I wasn't a part of that movement and things like that I definitely have heard .
I mean , get on Netflix and you'll see things that are done , all kinds of stuff but I think that people have been genuinely hurt and those people now are pastors and leaders and maybe they're preaching from that hurt place or people try to compensate like okay , you can't , this is wrong .
You know what I mean , but you can't go all the way over here , because this
¶ Biblical Prosperity and Kingdom Building
is wrong too .
Well , that's what we do many times in the church we overcorrect .
Yeah , that's , it Overcorrect .
I grew up in a church where they were throwing oil on everybody and everybody's falling out and getting up laying hands on people . Now you overcorrect and it's all about production . You don Spirit , it's like we got to be at your church six years to figure out about the baptism of the Holy Spirit , Like oh my God , don't overcorrect .
The same thing as it is with money and financial success . It's like some people come through something and there was something done , so you overcorrect . Now God just wants you to barely . We don't bring it up . We don't bring up that word . That's crazy and it's unbiblical . So it's usually not these far extremes .
The safe place is usually probably right here in the middle . God wants you blessed . Ok , you cannot honestly read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and not believe that God doesn't want you blessed in every area financially , emotionally , mentally . It does not say that it won't be without suffering .
Jesus himself says as long as you're in this world , you're going to have some trouble , you know . But what he does say that he talks about the wealth of wicked being laid up from the just . There's no good thing that he withhold from them . That walk up Right .
If you delight yourself in him , he'll give you the desires of your heart , time after time , at the time the windows of heaven blessing , pour you out so much , blessing any room , enough to proceed , given a show , be given back to you Good measure , press down so many different scriptures so beloved .
I wish you would prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers . I don't .
I don't know , yeah , but what I'll say is this um , especially for those of you all who are very well to do your business , people you're in the marketplace ministry , invite God into your business life and say God , I want to use my business and my financial success to glorify your name .
Yeah , I believe that God is raising up in this generation an army of kingdom builders . A kingdom builder is a person who feels called to build wealth , but then to use a portion of that wealth to help build the kingdom of God . There is an anointing for that that will come on you when I say an anointing the empowerment of the Holy Spirit .
See , before we were pastors , we had an anointing to prosper . It was like I could buy houses that I did not see . The Holy Spirit was helping me because he knew that I could be trusted with finances .
He knew that that we need , in this generation , people to rise up that can be trusted with finances , that I am not going to use my money just to buy a home , a beach house , a house in the mountains , a Tesla an Apple Watch , a new iPhone ? I'm going to use my money to glorify the King of Kings and the Lord of .
Lords , if that's you , you're listening to the right podcast Come on .
But you know what I'd love to hear what you say about this . You know , I even watch like popular TV shows and things like that that are really really good and have great stories with them , and it's like man , I'm watching this , I'm hooked into it . But then there's little doctrinal issues .
There's little issues such as Jesus being really really poor and like him being portrayed like the people are starving and they're so hungry and they don't have any food to eat and they don't have any money and things like that . And so people will say , well , jesus was poor , so it's okay that the church be poor and everybody else be poor in the church .
Well , there's actually there's some denominations that have taken vows of poverty and they believe that the poorer you are , the closer you are to Jesus . I've always looked at it as what he took you don't necessarily have to take . And you say where is that ?
Well , 2 Corinthians I think it's eight nine it says that we know the grace of our Lord Jesus , that though he was rich , he became poor so that we , through his poverty , might be made rich .
Now if that don't tell you what the will of God is , I don't know , that's really good .
It's an interesting scripture .
I'm fired up again just remembering that scripture . Thank you , jesus .
You say , was Jesus poor ?
Yeah , he was poor .
You say was Jesus rich ? Yeah , he was also rich . The scripture says that he was rich but became poor , so that youth who was in poverty might be made rich . Now I don't want to let him down . Yeah , I don't want to let him down . That doesn't mean that I need to be Bill Gates , or yes , when he calls . That's really what prosperity ?
Biblical prosperity is the ability to obey God when he calls . So when we were in business , we owned a real estate brokerage outside of Washington DC and the Lord says Ken , I've called you to pastor . I took some time , I prayed and fast and I said Lord where he said Gainesville . I said where he said Gainesville .
I had to Google it to figure out where Gainesville was . If I was poor I could not have answered that call . I said , okay , Lord , wherever you send me , I go . I sold all of our businesses . I walked away from everything that we had , all of our investment properties , everything and started a church in a city that I didn't know .
One person Our sending pastor . He helped us with some audio equipment , gave us a little bit of launch money , but the majority of what we spent was our life savings over six figures for the whole first 12 months almost of our church . We took all of our life savings to start the church and we didn't receive any salary not one dime .
You can't do that if you're broke . You can't do that if you're poor . It was out of my prosperity that I was able to obey God . I've seen it happen time and time again the times that I've given my car away so that I could give to the church , the time that I drove the church van so I could give .
So a lot of people they make judgments about where a person is in their life , but they don't know the seed that they have sown to get to where they are , and I think that God gives us all an opportunity to sow a seed today for future harvest on tomorrow , out of the right motive . My motive is that I'm in love with God .
I'm in love with how about you ? I'm in love with the things of God .
I'll get the shirt off my back right now and we've done it .
I mean just praise the Lord Right now , in 24 , 25 years of yes to God . Right now , the reaping is overtaking the sowing . Amen I was just thinking about this . This is way too much information . We made more money this year than I have in a very long time and our salary at the church didn't increase much .
Meaning that at our church we gave everybody like a 5% raise and we said , no , we're not going to take that . We took 2.5% . We didn't take what everybody else took , just a little something , whatever y'all was giving everybody else cut that in half .
We're good for that .
And so we made more money than I've made in a long long time through investments through witty ideas and inventions For me , just saying God , if you give it to me , I'll stroke a check , I will be the pastor and the best giver . I don't give a care . I am not waiting on the billionaire person to come to my church .
If people don't want to get it , they want to do it , dog on the tablet . But we'll do it ourselves Because I know what it's like to steward resources .
I know what it means to go in the marketplace and make money and be a giver , and I just feel like God's hand is on the people that are not just buying toys but are building what's in the heart of God . But here's the thing that I just heard .
So for us , because we're pastors and everything is in the church for us and we're encouraging people what we have to do in our personal lives , if we're going to be blessed , to be a blessing I mean we're taken care of by our church but if we want that pressed down , shaken together and stuff like that , we're out starting businesses and investing and doing
things believing God that he is going to provide for us , just like everyone else . But for the person who doesn't tithe , for the person who doesn't give to God , that isn't generous .
They probably have to do the opposite that you've put all of your money in that business and , you know , in the kids and in the schools and in all of that stuff , and you've gotten the fruit . It's a good fruit , but that's just what you can do .
If you can reverse what we did and start putting not all of your money but a portion of it , the portion that's God's , the 10% into the kingdom of God , into the church of God , the local church , you're going to see God move in your life and it can be your best year financially . Yeah , yeah , yeah .
And so man , Proverbs 11 , 24, . Tell me what you think about this . It says there's one who scatters yet increases more , and there's one who withholds more than is right , but it only leads to poverty , Mm-hmm .
The one who scatters .
Yet increases more . And then there's one who withholds more than what's right , but it only leads to poverty Withholds more than what's right .
I don't want to be that person .
Well , to me it's talking about two different kinds of people , and you have to just decide what kind of person you want to be Absolutely . The first person is the person who withholds more than what they should . Is that you ? And then the second person is the person who scatters more , or they probably give more than what they should .
It says so , one who scatters , yet they increase more . One withholds more than what is right , but it leads to poverty . And so if you're the kind of person that you're not giving how God's word tells you to give , you're actually hurting yourself . And then there's a person who gives more than probably what they should , but it only leads to their increase .
I want to be the first kind of person . Everyone has to determine that . Proverbs 11 , 24 , in the message it says that the world of the generous gets larger and larger , but the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller .
I don't know about you , I don't want to be stingy and I just feel like , for whatever reason , there's just people that say they love Jesus , but they hold on . They just hold on to too much . And God is like man if you let go of what's in your hand .
I'm going to let go of what's in my hand and what I found out is that what's in God's hand Is always much better than what's in our hand . But if you hold on to everything that's in your hand like this , that means that God can't put nothing in it . You clench fist it , man . If you can open up your hand like this Now .
You're open to receive the best from .
God , it's just like , you know , with our kids . They always think they're so close , whether it's a toy or a cookie or whatever it is mine , mine , mine and they don't understand , they don't want to give it up because they don't have art . You know , they're just , they're babies .
But I think that we are babies when it comes to god and the way he thinks and things like that . I think we're just like those little two-year-olds . We have our hand , mine , mine , mine but god is like look , I can do so much more .
And family . If you don't mind , can we just define generosity for a moment ? Generosity is simply when you live with an open hand , and the reason that you live with an open hand is because you have an open heart . And so , when your heart is so filled up with faith and love for God , you can't help but that love and faith will move those fingers open .
And so generosity is not just about you giving money , but money is a very important part of your generosity . Generosity can be you giving your time , giving your advice . It's for you leading a small group , it's for you having a listening ear .
And what would happen if the church had more generous people , not people like well , I ain't got time for that , well , I got this going on
¶ The Power and Purpose of Generosity
. See , I think the reason that sometimes we're stingy is because of selfishness . Selflessness , where it's all about somebody else , causes us to live big hearted , it causes us to live open-handed . And that's the world of the generous . It gets larger and larger . We're in a season right now , where it seems my world is getting larger and larger .
I believe it's because 25 years of just living with a big heart and an open hand that's what it leads to . I'm not going to say it's going to be easy , it's not going to happen overnight , but we're just committed to that as a lifestyle , and so I want to be generous in every area . Hopefully , this podcast is generous .
It's just us taking out our time and everything that we've learned and let's pay it forward .
Let's just pay it forward . Let's just put it out there and see who it helps .
That's what generosity is . How about this one baby , Hebrews , 13 and 16 , it says and don't forget to do good and to share with others , for with such sacrifices God is pleased .
Anything jump out to you In any way . I think it basically recognized that giving is a sacrifice and it's something that's honorable , you know , like . It's like , yes , lord , you know , yes , I'll sacrifice for you , this is my sacrifice , but then also that it's honorable .
It's like , yes , lord , yes , I'll sacrifice for you , this is my sacrifice , but then also that it's honorable . I mean that it pleases the Lord , and so just very simple yeah , I like it that it says don't forget to do good .
We never forget to do bad , but why do we forget to do good ? That's true . I'll be like , hey , have you been giving consistently ? Oh , I forgot . Like well , automate your obedience then . Yeah , like you know what I'm saying , set up automatic giving , just like you have automatic bill pay . Make it important to you we have so much technology .
Automate your obedience . Like , don't forget to do good for these sacrifices . God's well pleased . Yeah , so giving is not supposed to be something that's easy , and I think a lot of people say , well , if I had more , I'd give . Well , you don't understand .
Giving starts off as this huge sacrifice , sacrifice is when you give up something of value for something that you deem to have greater value . It's not like back in the day when I came up in the old school church and the first offering we give a quarter , and then the second offering I give a dollar . I go to church .
We reach in the bottom of now I will be in the nightclub making it rain . I'm talking about in the VIP section . Like free drinks for everybody , big Willie , like making it rain you knew me back then making it rain . Then come to church and give a dollar and 50 cent , all right , and I thank God for the dollar and 50 cent .
I'm not talking about down your seat , if that's just where you are , but where I was is that I was giving God the least and the last . It wasn't a sacrifice . It wasn't like I was saying you know what ? I'm not going out tonight so that I can give to God . I'm not going to buy those designer jeans so that I can give to God .
See , the way that you start giving is that you have to sacrifice . You got to move God from the bottom of your budget to the top . He doesn't want to be after you pay your cell phone bill and pay your gym membership and put your kids in private school and invest in your stock portfolio . He wants to be at the top of your budget . What does that mean ?
That something else has to be sacrificed . So I might sacrifice that Caribbean cruise that I was going to take , but thank God , I'm obedient to his word . I'm going to sacrifice that new car that I was about to buy , but thank God that I'm obedient to his word .
About to buy , but thank God that I'm obedient to his word , and there are a lot of people that are driving nice cars , when you should own the dealership because you don't understand that he'll give seed to the sower and he'll promote you in a way .
There's so many people that they drink Starbucks coffee instead of giving to God , when they should own the coffee shop , and it's time for divine turnarounds . I'll give you one more Proverbs 11 , 25 , it says time for divine turnarounds . I'll give you one more . Proverbs 11 , 25 it says a generous person will prosper and whoever refreshes others will be refreshed .
So once again back to the biblical word of prosperity . It is not an ungodly word , it is not a negative word . It can actually be the blessing of God when managed correctly .
Yeah .
The scripture teaches that a generous person will prosper . So you say what does my giving have to do with how God will prosper me ? He connects it A generous person , open heart , open handed , you're going to prosper . It's a promise from God , and if you refresh others , you're going to be refreshed yourself . I love it , man . It's a divine connection .
So here's five things that we have to know about generosity . Are you ready ? I'm ready , all right . Number one generosity comes from a heart of faith and love . Let me say it again Generosity , it comes from a heart of faith and love . Generosity is love in action . How many y'all know , talk is cheap .
People say oh God , I love you , lord , I love you , lord , I love you . And we can sing songs about it , but he doesn't look at how we sing to determine where our heart is . He looks at our money , for where a man's treasure is , shows us what he really loves . Generosity comes from a heart that's filled that . I trust God with this .
I have faith in God to take care of my needs . Number two generosity is like a laxative for your soul , the laxative of generosity . It pushes out greed . It pushes out lust of money . It pushes out worship of mammon . It pushes out all of those toxins . Why are you laughing ?
It's because you said laxative .
It is a laxative for your soul . Number three we are more like God when we're generous and we're more like the devil when we're stingy . Let me say it again we're more like God when we're generous , for God so loved the world that he what Gave . Christianity is founded in generosity .
God , the Father , sowed his son Jesus as a seed to produce a harvest of sons and daughters . The whole thing that we believe was seed time harvest . We are more like God when we're generous . We're more unlike God when we're not . Number four generosity is not what we have to do , but what we get to do . They say , well , do I have to tithe ?
I get to tithe . Do I have to give ? I get to give . The attitude has to be adjusted . This ain't a bill , y'all . This is not a tax . This is what we get to do . Now there's a principle that I believe that our giving should start at 10% . It should start , it should start , it should start , it should start that means that it doesn't stop at 10% .
It should start at 10% . I think some people are giving it 10% , like , oh , I've made it . I'm like , okay , you're beginning . So right now , like I said , our giving is set at 16% as a start .
Well , 10% is what's required .
The 10% .
That's not yours . You're just giving back to God what's His . But when you go over , the 10% . Now you're dipping into what's yours and you're saying this is my sacrifice to you .
And for those of you all who you know , you just have a challenge with the tithe . If it's Old Testament , new Testament , that's crazy . But I'll give you one piece of advice for whoever it's for Jesus , the only time he talked about the tithe he affirmed it Matthew 23 , 23, . He says this you ought to do without leaving the others undone .
Jesus teaches us to tithe Hebrews 7 , verse 1, . It says now , men that were tithed received tithes , but there he receives them . So when you tithe , you give to Jesus . The only time the tithe is talked about in the New Testament is talked about as a known commodity , of something that we ought to do as a standard .
Tithing in the Old Testament wasn't just a 10th , it was more like 24% or something . It was this kind of tithe and this kind of tithe . So it's a principle , it's not a law . It's not like if you don't do this then you're not saved , or something like that . It is a great financial principle of where we start in our giving .
And if you're here and you're like man , I just got a problem with that Well , it's okay . What is your giving then ? What's your giving plan ? What is it ? Is it 5% , 3% , is it nothing ? What is it ? I feel like in grace under grace in the New Testament , it should be well beyond the tithe . But whatever it is , why don't you just pick something ?
Pick something and be consistent , okay $5 . Okay , be consistent in $5 until God gives you faith for six . Okay , you say 6% . Okay , be faithful at 6% . I believe it should be 10% . If you're not there with it , that's okay , but what is it ? It should be something . If that's where my heart is , you know what I'm saying .
If a generous person will prosper , what is it ? Anyway ? Number five , last but not least , is that generosity can change lives . So the reason we have this podcast on today is because somebody gave . The reason we have this building and lights on is because somebody gave .
The reason that we're able to give I think over $300,000 to $400,000 invested into missions is because somebody gave . We're able to take care of people in Africa and Dominican Republic and around the world . We're able to do all kinds of different things , and so I think what people need to know is that your giving it does change lives . It really does .
Your giving it changes lives , and so my hope is that you will do some things in the earth that you will have eternal rewards with , and I just love giving . What about you ?
I love it too .
Anything else you want to ?
add to that today . It's good .
Now , this is what I believe about you . I believe that you're not stingy . I do . I believe that you are a crazy generous person , or you wouldn't have made it to the end of this podcast . I do . I pray all the time .
Let God , let people who need our podcast find it , help them grow closer to you and closer to the people that you've placed in their life . And what I know about our crowd , the people who are part of this spiritual family , is that you love God and you don't want to do nothing other than go over and above .
What I know about you is that you have a giving problem . You probably give too much . You know why ? Because that's our problem we probably give too much . But at the same time , what does that really mean ? Can you really out beat God giving ? No , you can't , ok .
So I just want to say thank you for being amazingly generous , but I will give you an opportunity to give . If you feel like you have been blessed by this , we would love for you to partner with us , not just through prayer and your prayer . It does mean a whole lot to us . We want you to partner with us from a financial way , a tangible way .
We want to . Here's our goal . We want to see 1 million marriages around the world get better . God has given us a vision , in combination with our podcast and also our church , where it's like $100 million that we need to build the campuses and do the missionary work around the world .
And if God is leading you to sow into this , we just believe it's good ground . And so there is a link that you can give to in our show notes . Be blessed in your giving . If you're the planning kind of person and you want to drop a big one-time seed that will just transform everything , we will receive it .
¶ Special Events and Updates
We have a year-end offering called Super Sunday . That happens on the first Sunday of every year . This year , I believe , it's happening on December the 8th . If you want to plan for that as well , it'd be a great time for you to fly into Orlando . Use the mailman as your usher , give electronically just whatever God tells you to do .
That's all we want you to do . Just do that . All right , if you're new to our podcast man , hit the subscribe button so that you can be the first to get the content as it is released . We release a new episode every Thursday at 3 pm . We have some things that are happening . We have our 25th year anniversary gala .
We'd love for you to join us , if you want to come in on July 3rd . We have a better marriage boot camp where we can help your marriage get better through a 90 day journey . The link to all of that will be in our show notes . Hey , and if not , we'll just catch you back next Thursday and we got a good one coming for you then We'll see you then .
Okay , we love you guys . God bless you Peace .