God has given us principles to follow in order to reach our wealthy place. He has made those principles known through His Word. For us to build wealth according to God’s plan, there has to be a proper foundation. A proper foundation for a tall building needs proper digging to ensure sustainability. The Lord has given us some commands in His Word for us to obey. One of those commands is to tithe according to Malachi.
“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” (Mal. 3:10). And verse 9 of Malachi speaks of curses that come upon him who does not obey this command.
But there is a question and here it is, “Why do some believers who tithe remain broke?” They still have not entered into their wealthy place. This deserves an honest answer. This means the tithe does not bring the answer. But it is still very important. There are some adjustments to be made for us to enter our wealthy place. Once those adjustments have been made, you will enter the land of the rich.
“The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Deuteronomy 28:8).
The Lord shall command the blessing. This must be serious with God. A storehouse refers to your bank account or your investments. The Lord commands a blessing and He does not stop there. He further commands a blessing on whatever you SET your hand on. That may be your business or your job. Do something that is of value to people. Do what benefits people and they will buy from you.
Understand child of God that there is an enemy, the devil. As you move towards your wealthy place the enemy will not just roll over and play dead. He will try hard to stop you without giving up. The reason is that he knows what that means to him. Now let us look at how to lay the proper found for your wealth:
1) Use proven weapons- the Word of God to fight your battles
When Goliath was mocking the Israelites, David came. He knew the covenant he had with God and that Goliath did not have it. He decided to face him. King Saul tried to give him his armor but David had not proven it so he did not use it.
“And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:38-40).
There is a battle going on in the financial world. You therefore need proven weapons as there is no time for unproven ones now. The Word of God has been proven to be working now and again. Jesus proved it when He was tempted by the devil. But the question is, “have you proven it yourself?” David had proven his weapon. That is why he talked about killing a lion and a bear. Now, it is time for you to put the Word of God into a test. Prove it yourself in your own life. Is the Word of God real to you? Is it stored within you? Child of God, it is time. Rise up and start believing in the Word. Use it. Prove it.
2) Do not be high-minded
What is that? It is a charge to the rich. This will help you put the proper foundation on your way to your wealthy place. Do not think of yourself more highly than you should.
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high- minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves A GOOD FOUNDATION against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” (1Timothy 6:17-19).
The Lord has given richly all things to be enjoyed. REMEMBER to enjoy every MOMENT of your life? Be willing to distribute, support towards good works. Remember to support the Kingdom of God. By so doing, you are laying a good foundation for yourself.
If you follow God, He will make you rich. Never make earthly riches your number one priority. How can you see if money is priority number one in your life? If it is difficult for you to part with money and support the work of God, you have made money a god. God is ready to give you the kind of house you want, the kind of car you want, and the kind of clothes you want. But you need to prove to Him you are not going to get taken with pride and arrogance and conceit.
“All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.
And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, TO HUMBLE THEE, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” (Deuteronomy 8:1-3).
Note that the word “Humble” is the opposite of high-minded. Do not wait for God to humble you. Humble yourself. God wants to take you into your wealthy place. The Apostle Peter also talks about this issue of being humble before God.
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6).
3) Don’t Put Your Trust in Uncertain Riches
Why are riches of this world referred to as “uncertain riches?” It is because they are temporal. They can be lost anytime. Finances are an earthly institution. No one can go with it to heaven. When you die you go naked. It does not matter how much wealth you had accumulated. So we are encouraged to trust in the living God.
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high- minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.”(1 Timothy 6:17). After Paul admonished the rich on the issue of avoiding being high-minded, he cautioned us about trusting on uncertain riches.
The Old Testament has something to say about trusting in uncertain riches.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. (Proverbs 23:5). Our eyes need to be set on God. Then we will receive an anointing to prosper. That will catch money because money has a tendency of developing wings to fly away.
May I conclude that knowing that there is a wealthy place for you is the first step. As we have highlighted, there are necessary foundations to be put in place. Those foundations will enable you to enjoy your wealth in a sustainable way. Follow the principles of success that God has put in place. That will help protect you from the enemy who always seeks way of hindering and destroying you.
Blessings in Jesus Name!