Spiritual Weapon: Offerings to God
Monday, January 5, 2009 at 07:05AM Offerings to God are the fifth weapon listed in my 12/29/08 post, "W.E.A.P.O.N.S. of Spiritual Warfare".
How can money given to churches and Christian organizations be seen as a weapon?
For those of us who over the last two years donated money to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, John McCain or some other candidate, didn't we see our donations as a way of arming our presidential choice against the attacks of the opposition?
You may say that God doesn't need money because He is spirit. He may be spirit but His people have earthly needs and even Jesus accepted donations to feed and clothe and house Himself and His followers while He was here. As my husband-pastor says, salvation is free but ministry costs. God may not need dollars to defeat Satan, but we do. Let me clarify: God has already defeated Satan by sacrificing His own Son and raising Jesus from the dead. But we still fall under Satan's influence unless we fight back, and part of the fight is to put our money where our faith is.
We can support the cause of God with our offerings and tithes, or we can support the cause of the devil with our money.
When we buy things like drugs and liquor and pornography that we shouldn't have, or spend money on cars and houses we can't afford and put ourselves into unnecessary debt, we support Satan's cause of keeping us defeated and divided from God.
Read Malachi 3:8-12 in the King James Version of the Bible for a lovely elucidation on the subject of tithes and offerings. When we pay our tithes we demonstrate our belief that we and all of our possessions belong to God. When we give offerings that amount to more than our leftovers, we visibly confess our love for the Lord because we are helping His work on earth succeed.
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."-Matthew 6:21
Where does your money do the most good? From whom have you received the most good? Whose cause most deserves your support?
Next: Names of God
Reader Comments (2)
This is so true.
Not only does giving into God's kingdom help Christian families with needs, it also helps evangelistic ministries to spread their nets wider.
This blog and others like it are an online presence for Jesus to be injected into the hearts of the readers so the blinders can come off of their eyes.
Be sure to give to whoever the Lord leads you to give to.
Be obedient so that you don't end up having a hard heart and not hearing from God in the future. Remember, if you disobey Him now, don't complain later that God isn't talking to you. He is, but you can't hear him.
Happy New Year!
God may not need dollars to defeat Satan, but we do.
This is so true, and so very needed in the Body. I have heard that not all those attending church give regularly. The reasons may be different for each one, but giving of our finances to those that do the work of the Lord is essential, it´s like filling the car with gas to keep going.
Blessings to you, and Happy New Year!