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Thayoshop Amazon Affiliate Shop

2023-03-16T03:54:00.001+03:00

https://thayoshop.com/

Thayoshop is an online affiliate store that specializes in selling Amazon products. We offer a wide range of products from Amazon, including books, movies, music, electronics, and more. Our goal is to provide the best possible shopping experience for our customers, and we are committed to providing the best prices, selection, and service.

Thayoshop Amazon Affiliate Shop

2023-03-07T21:18:00.001+03:00

https://thayoshop.com/

Dead Hearts, Leadership Struggles and How to Break Free

2013-01-26T23:29:00.001+03:00

Dead Hearts, Leadership Struggles and How to Break Free: The longer I’m in leadership, the more I have to guard against my heart becoming hard.

Training For Effective Evangelism

2011-10-16T18:27:00.000+03:00

We are all called to be witness of the Gospel of Christ. This is what is commonly called The Great Commission - Matthew 28:19 – 20
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Acts 1:8 - But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Requirement to be an Effective Evangelist

1          Be Sure of your Salvation
2.         Study your Bible
3.         Learn to Pray
4.         Publicly Declare your Faith (Baptism)
5.         Be Faithful to a Church (Membership)
6.         Allow Jesus to Control your Life (Sanctification)

Spiritual Preparation:
You can not be effective if you are not spiritually prepare.

1. Pray and Worship God in preparation for outreach

2. Get the required resources

Styles of Evangelism

1. Confrontational Style – Confronting people on their sins (not very advisable)

2. Intellectual Style – Present the gospel to people by arguing intelligently

3. Testimonial Style – Give personal testimonies of life before and after salvation

4. Invitational Style – Come and see – John 1:46, Psalms 66:5

5. Serving Style – Offer service to attract people to church

What you do after evangelism

1. Follow up – Follow up the people you have evangelized.

2. Nature The new converts to grow in faith to full disciple hood

Living A Sanctified Life - Part 3

2011-10-13T07:55:00.002+03:00

Certain Things Cannot Be Done Until People Are Sanctified
2 Chronicles 30:1 – 3
1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel.
2 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month.
3 For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.

Righteousness Exalts
Proverbs 14:34 - Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people
Psalms 92:12 -The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

How To Access and Sustain Righteousness -
Last week we looked at three things:
1. Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness – Matthew 5:6, Isaiah 44:33
2. Engaging godly Associations – Proverbs 13:20, I Corithians 15:33
3. Craving for the baptism of the Spirit of Holiness - Ezekiel 36:27, Romans 8:14

Today we look at TWO more

4. Purging Ones Mind From Evil Thoughts
Matthew 15:19 – 20
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

5. Standing Strong in Prayer and Fasting
Matthew 26:41 - Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 17:21 - Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Enforcing Your Full Restoration

2011-10-07T06:48:00.000+03:00

There is full Restoration – case of the ten lepers - Luke 17:19 - And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee WHOLE.

Full Restoration just like the laws of the land must be enforced. Restoration is not automatic. It must be enforced.

God enforced restoration on creation by declaring “LET THERE BE…”

How Do You Enforce Your Full Restoration

Speak The Word – Speak The Heavenly Language
Matthew 8:8 - ….Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
Ecclesiastes 8:4 - Where the word of a king is, there is power:
Romans 12:2 - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Place Orders For What Your Need
Matthew 7:7 - 8
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Decree – Make Declaration
Job 22:28 - Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
Matthew 16:19 - And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Condemn – Condemn Any Contrary Force
Isaiah 54:17 - No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

The Ministry of Refreshment

2011-10-04T03:41:00.000+03:00

The ministry of Refreshment is the ministry of taking care of our brethren at the hour of their need.

Proverbs 18:24 - A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

What Jesus Said Concerning The Ministry Of Refreshment:
Mathew 25:31, 33 – 36, 40
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

40 - And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Example of ONESIPHORUS
2 Timothy 1:16 – 18
16 The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:

17 But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.

18 The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.

What We Learn From ONESIPHORUS

1. He used his resources to refresh Paul often

2. He was Not ashamed of Paul’s condition or suffering

3. He was diligent in his ministry of refreshment

4. He refreshed Paul again and again, in the city and out of city, in freedom and in prison.

Understanding The Power Of Thanksgiving

2011-10-03T07:20:00.003+03:00

There is Power in Thanksgiving

Psalms 92:1 - It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

Psalms 127:1 - Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Thanksgiving is a mystery – And we are STEWARDS OF THE MYSTERIES of God – 1 Corinthian 4:1

What Happens when We Thank God

1. Multiplication.
John 6:1-13 – Five loaves of bread and Two fishes Multiplies
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; AND WHEN HE HAD GIVEN THANKS, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, GATHER UP THE FRAGMENTS that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and FILLED TWELVE BASKETS with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

2. Reversal of adversity.
John 11:41-44 – Jesus gave thanks and Lazarus came back to life
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth

3. Perfection
Luke 17:12-19 - One leper returned to glorify God and he was made WHOLE
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

4. Protection From Harm
The bible says it is a good thing to give thanks – Psalms 92:1
And Saint Peter makes it clear to us that no one can harm us if we be followers (doers) of that which is good
I Peter 3:13 - And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

Praying For The Purpose Of God

2011-09-21T07:09:00.000+03:00

Why We Need to Pray For The Purpose Of God

Jesus taught His disciples to pray for the will of God
Luke 11:2 – And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Jesus Himself prayed for the will of God for His Life
Luke 22:42 - Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Jesus did nothing that was not in the will of God
John 5:30 - I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

John 5:19 - Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
God knows the beginning from the end.
Isaiah 46:9 - 10
9 ….I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
The purpose of God will Stand
Isaiah 46:10 - ….My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

1John 2:17 - And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever
Pray according to the will of God
1John 5:14 - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

The Joy Of Salvation

2011-09-16T07:42:00.000+03:00

Introduction

David knew the joy of salvation. (the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart – I Samuel 13:14)
Psalms 51:10 - 12
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Why Are You Saved?

1. To Receive Eternal Life
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 1:12 - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

To Have Life In Abundance Here On Earth
John 10:10 - The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Israelite case - Exodus 3: 7 -8
7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey
To Be Planted In His Vineyard (His House)
Psalms 92:13 – 14
13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

What Are Your Responsibilities?

To Learn From Jesus And The Scriptures
Matthew 11:28 – 29
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

2 Timothy 3:16 -17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
To Bear Fruits
John 15:16 - Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

John 15:1 - 2
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Matthew 4:19 - And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
To Serve God
John 12:26 - If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

Joshua 24:15 - And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Exodus 23:25 – 26
25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.

Fighting Spiritual Battles And Evil Dreams

2011-09-08T07:57:00.000+03:00

1. Our Battles are Spiritual
Ephesians 6:11 – 12
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

2. Spiritual Battles Don’t Care Your Status.
I Samuel 16:14 – 15
14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
15 And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

You Need A Strategy: Don’t Fight The Air.
1Corinthians 9:26 - I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

Strategies

1.Examine Yourself And Your Family
Psalms 26:2 - Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

1Corithians 11:28 - But let a man examine himself, …

2Corinthians 13:5 - Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. …

2.Get Help From An Anointed Man Of God
I Samuel 16:13 - Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward….

I Samuel 16:23 - And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

3. Hand Over The Battle To God.
Psalms 35: 1 - Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! (RSV) (READ ALSO Psalms 35:1 – 8)

Exodus 14:13 – 14
13 -And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

4. Praise God for Victory in Advance
2 Chronicles 20:22 - And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set “ambush” against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

Dangers of Dealing With Accursed Items

2011-09-03T23:07:00.000+03:00

A CITY or A HOME CAN BE ACCURSED
Joshua 6:17- 18
17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18 - And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
ACCUSED THINGS KINDLES THE ANGER OF GOD
Joshua 7:1 - But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
YOU CAN NOT WITHSTAND YOUR ENEMIES WITH ACCURSED THINGS
Joshua 7:11 - 12
11 -Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
YOU DO NO PERISH ALONE
Joshua 22:20 - Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.

1Samuel 3:13 - For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.{vile: or, accursed}

1Chlonicles 2:7 - And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
NEVER SACRIFICE OR GIVE TO GOD ACCURSED THINGS – SAUL EXAMPLE
14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
YOU BECOME ACCUSED BY PREACHING A CONTRARY GOSPEL
Galatians 1:8 - 9
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 - As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

REMEDY – ACTION TO TAKE

SANCTIFY YOUR SELF AND TAKE AWAY THE ACCURSED THINGS
Joshua 7:13, 15
13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
BURN THE ACCURSED THINGS
Joshua 7:15 - And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.

Servant of God - Fired or Hire

2011-08-27T19:33:00.000+03:00

Matthew 21:33 – 46
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.

37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

The landowner = God,
The vineyard = The people of God.

Work Done by The Landowner (God) on the vineyard:

He builds a wall of stones around the vineyard to keep animals out.
He digs a winepress in it.
Then he builds a tower so that watchmen can stand guard and warn against intruders.

This symbolizes how God deal with His people:
1. Builds them up
2. Prospers them and
3. Protects them.

Verse 34 - When the harvest time approached, He sent servants to the tenants to collect His fruit.

But the husbandmen are thinking “The landowner is never here. We are doing this to make OUR lives better, not his. So why should we hand over the produce.

So they seize the servants:

1. Beat one,
2. Kill another and
3. Stone a third.

This represents the leaders who persecute the prophets.

Leaders have always persecuting God’s prophets.

Jeremiah was beaten by leaders - Jeremiah 20:1-2
1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.

2 Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.

Uriah was killed by leaders - Jeremiah 26:20-23
20 And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:
21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;
22 And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.
23 And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
Zechariah was stoned to death by leaders - 2 Chronicles 24:20 - 21
20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.
21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.

People in positions of responsibility do not enjoy having their morals called into question.

STORY
A little boy had the same Sunday school teacher for several years. She ended every lesson by saying ‘and the moral of the story is…’ and the boy did not like it. One day he moved up into another Sunday school class. His mom said “How do you like your new Sunday school teacher?” The little boy said “I like her so much. She got no morals at all”

Jesus is teaching us here:

God hired you to share His message of love with the world.
But instead, you break His commandments, mistreat His prophets, and murder His Son.
So guess what? You’re fired! That shall not be your testimony. In Jesus name.

Vessels Of Honour

2011-08-19T18:26:00.000+03:00

Every body is a vessel.
2 Timothy 2:20 – 21
20- But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

You take personal responsibility to convert yourself and sustain yourself as a vessel of Honour.

Life is about responsibilities

21 - If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Our value depends on our purging.

Things to Purge yourself from.

Your words
Matthew 12:36 - But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Matthew 5:37- But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Ephesians 4:29 - Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers

Colossians 3:8 - But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Your Associations
1Corithians 15:33 - Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
Proverbs 13:20 - He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
Lust
2 Timothy 2: 22 - Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

1Corithians 6:18 - Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

1Corithians 6:19 - What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Where do you start?

By Examining Yourself
2 Corinthian 13:5 - Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
1 Corinthian 11:28 - But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.(talking about communion. Also worship, prayer etc)

God can help you examine yourself
Psalms 26:2 - Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.
Pruning
John 15:1-2
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Matthew 18:9 - And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

It Is NowTime To Use Your Identity

2011-08-18T07:10:00.000+03:00

Your Identity is important. God created you with a unique identity
Jeremiah 1:5 - Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Identity Crisis – People suffer from Identity crisis [Psychologist - Erik Erikson]
An identity crisis is a time in life when an individual begins to seriously look for answers about his or her values and identity.
The term is mostly applied in the transition period in the teenage years when kids begin to define what they will do as adults, and what their values are.

However, identity crisis may occur at any time of life, especially in periods of great transition.

· You have PRAYED and FASTED for so long. It is now time to discover your identity and use it to get your inheritance.

This is your identity:

You are redeemed
Galatians 3:13 - Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Revelation 5:9 - And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Isaiah 62:12- And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Isaiah 51:11 - Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
You are a son or a daughter of God the king of Kings
John 1:12 - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Romans 8:16 - The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
You are a priest and a king
Revelation 5:9 -10
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

How Do You Enforce And Enjoy Your Heavenly Identity

Place Demands
Matthew 7:7 - 8
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Decree – Make Declaration
Job 22:28 - Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

Matthew 16:19 - And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Condemn – Condemn Any Contrary Force
Isaiah 54:17 - No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Understanding Tithes And Tithing. WhyTithing is Good For You

2011-08-02T18:32:00.000+03:00

Introduction

The subject of tithe, how, when and where to tithe has been a heated debate for many generations in the body of Christ. Opinions are as varied as one can imagine. Different generations and different denominations understand the covenant of tithes and tithing differently. Even where and when the understanding is uniform, the practice of tithing is done differently from one church to another.

However, one thing is clear from the scriptures; tithing gives the “tither” access to heavenly supply. The Bible says

Bring ye all tithes to the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, 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. And all the nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:10 – 12)

Tithing is a mystery in the body of Christ. It is a mystery that connects the believer with a supernatural supply. Tithing connects the “tither” with an unlimited heavenly supply which The Bible refers to as “the windows of heaven.”

The aim of this book is to try shedding light on this important mystery which is extremely relevant in our walk with God. This book will try to educate and inspire the reader to be a committed “tither” based on the knowledge of the Word of God and not hearsay or false doctrine peddled by some people.

CHAPTER 1

ACCESS TO HEAVENLY BLESSINGS

The kingdom of God operate by mysteries which Jesus referred to as keys of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 16:19 - “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”

Jesus said that these mysteries are only understood by few people and not all. Luke 8:10 “And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.”

That is why not all Christians understand the power of tithing. It is the same reason why not all Christians will engage in tithing. In fact, some good committed Christians will fight the subject of tithing tooth and nail.

Because tithing is a kingdom mystery, whether we fight it or not, we do not affect its efficacy. Tithing is a commandment. When we don’t pay our tithes, we break God’s commandments.

Malachi 3:10 - “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house,…”

When God demands the payment of tithes, then tithing becomes mandatory. Payment of tithes is not optional. The Word of God equates failure to pay tithe to robbery.

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:8)

The first question in this verse is a very serious direct question. Will a man rob God and get away with it? The choice of words here is very important. There is a difference between ‘rob” and “steal’. You steal when no one is seeing you. Nobody can steal from God. He neither sleeps nor slumbers and His eyes run to and fro the whole earth - Proverbs 15:3-The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. So it is impossible to steal from God. One can only steal without being seen.

To rob means to apply force to take that which does not belong to you defying the law at any cost. One does not rob gently. You rob in the presence of the victim, without his approval. You take items of interest and worth by force disregarding the law.

This is the point God is demonstrating here. People, who refuse to pay tithes, literarily ask God to do whatever He wish and walk out on Him. Paying tithe is obeying the will of God. It is compulsory for all godly and righteous people to pay tithe. Tithe is important for the work of the Gospel.

Some ministers of the Gospel claim that paying tithe is remaining under the law. However, a careful look at the scriptures reveals that tithing existed long before Moses who received the law on behalf of the Israelites.

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all (Genesis 14:18 -20)

Abram loved the lord long before the Law was given to the people of Israel through Moses. In the above passage we see Abram paying tithes to Melchizedek who was a Priest of the most High God.

Abram must have paid tithes in obedience, honour and love for God. That is why the payment of tithes continued right through the period of the law, and even went beyond, to our present generation. Scripture attests to the fact that the payment of tithe is still relevant and important today. This is so clear in the following Scripture.

And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. (Hebrews 7:8)

The tithe that we pay here on earth is physically received by men (priests) but at that same time, a spiritual transaction takes place when Jesus receives it in heaven. Tithing is a spiritual mystery.

The account in Hebrews 7:1-8 shows that tithe is payable to Jesus Christ our High Priest today. So long as Jesus is still the High Priest today; so long as Jesus is still the High Priest of our faith; tithes must be paid.

No one is exempted from paying of tithes, not even Bishops, Pastors, Apostles and all other ministers of the Gospel.

Ministers of the Gospel in our days are not only expected to teach and preach on the payment of tithes, they themselves must pay tithes on their income. It is scriptural. It is demanded of them. They also need the windows of heaven to be opened to them for God to pour out His blessings upon them. The windows of heaven also pour divine revelation from heaven which makes the Ministers more effective in their teachings. A Minister who does not pay tithe will hardly access fresh revelations from heaven for his sermons. His sermons will remain dry. It is dangerous for a minister of the gospel to keep feeding his flock with dry messages. The purpose of a minister is to feed the flock with knowledge and understanding.

And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.(Jeremiah 3:15)

Jesus spoke about tithe

The words of our lord Jesus Christ are concerning tithe are well recorded in Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Jesus speaking concerning the Scribes and Pharisees said:

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” (Matthew 23:23)

This is also repeated in Luke 11:42

“But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone”

These passages are of great significance. They show where tithe ranks in God’s priority order. Jesus commended the Pharisees for the meticulous way they gave their tithes; but chided them for neglecting the weightier matter of the law, in which they prided themselves.

Jesus never canceled the payment of tithe. Neither did He in any way suggest the cancellation of tithe. Payment of tithes existed before the law came in, was upheld during the dispensation of the law and is still in force to date. The era of grace does not do away with the payment of tithes.

CHAPTER 2

WHY WE PAY TITHES

Why does God insist on the payment of tithes? Does He really need it? God Himself as a Divine entity does not need money; neither does He need clothing or any physical or material substance for that matter. He does not need them for anything. God is a Spirit (John 4:24). Spirit beings do not need physical materials such as money, land or houses.

God actual owns all the things we have including our own lives. The world and the fullness thereof belong to Him. He says if He were hungry, He would not tell us.

If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. (Psalms 50:12)

So why does God insist on the payment of tithes?

It is so that there will be meat (resources) in His house!

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house…”(Malachi 3:10)

Although God possesses all the wealth in the universe, the gospel will only expand to the extent that the people of God are willing and prepared to finance it.

When Jesus sent His disciples, He sent them without purse because the gospel is financed by the people receiving it.

“And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:” (Mark 6:7-8)

And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire…(Luke 10:7)

God chooses this method so that He can identify the people whom He can prosper and entrust them with the huge assignment of spreading His Kingdom by spreading the Gospel.

“Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.” (Zechariah 1:17)

Though God has all the resources available to Him, He has chosen this method of financing the Gospel so as to know whom to bless even more for the purpose of His Kingdom.

Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. (Malachi 3:16 – 18)

Paying tithe is wisdom. It is an avenue for distinction. It is the cheapest way to ensure God spares you during famine and other financial catastrophes.

Through tithe payments, God has thrown an open challenge to man. He says “Prove me now…”

May God prove Himself to you today when you start tithing!

CHAPTER 3

OPENING THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN AND REBUKING THE DEVOURER

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.(Malachi 3:10)

Since I started tithing faithfully in 2002, I have seen God manifesting His faithfulness to me in great dimensions. The sum total of all the tithes I have ever paid since 2002 are a mere fraction of the blessings I have received from God on the account of my tithing. I am the net beneficially. I see people arguing about paying tithe and I pity them because they don’t know what they miss by not engaging on this simple mystery.

Remember that we pay tithes from the blessings God has already given to us not from what we expect to receive. You are not expected to beg or borrow to pay your tithe. You pay tithes from your income. You pay from what has already come in. Never take a loan to pay tithes.

When we pay our tithes, we commit God to open the windows of heaven to shower us with heavenly blessings. These blessings may include, divine favours, divine ideas, divine revelations, physical rain etc.

Anything coming from heaven never leaves the ground the same. Heavenly blessings bring a lot of earthly transformation.

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:(Isaiah 55:10)

When you obey God by paying your tithes, you are inviting heavenly blessings which bring profound transformations on earth just as the physical rain does. A man who pays tithe will never lack seeds to sow nor bread to eat.

Secondly, when you obey God and pay your tithe, you enjoy the protection of God from the hands of devourer. There are many devourers including sickness, debts, conmen, robbers, court cases, bad governance etc

“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 3:11)

God has a protection scheme for His children. You only enjoy this benefit as you abide faithfully in the payment of your tithes. When you are disobedient in this, you are never free from minor accidents which end up consuming a lot of your income.

Let me try to paint a picture for you here.
You will be driving your car and you run over nails and get a flat tire; somehow your mechanic will negligent to repair a minor thing in your car and you will have to buy an expensive replacement; you overlook your car battery for some days and discover you have to buy a new one; your children run into minor accidents and you keep spending small and large sums of monies here and there; unexpected guests keep popping in your house wasting both your time and your resources.

By the end of the month you discover you have spent more on this seemingly minor accident and incidents than the tithe you would have paid. You end up spending the money you would have used to pay the tithe, plus disobedience fees, to the devil and his agents.

The easiest way to have a “devourers cover” over your resources is paying your tithes. Then you commit God to rebuke the devourer for your sake. It is worth it. Save yourself from trouble. You cannot rob God and get away with it.

CHAPTER 4

RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS OF ABRAHAM

“And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.” (Hebrews 7:9-10)

God has a covenant of wealth only with those that are born of His Spirit. Anyone born of the Spirit of God then qualifies to pay tithes.

In the above scripture, Levi, even though he was not yet born, was credited to have paid tithe through his great grand father Abraham. It stands to reason therefore that all the descendants of Abraham are to continue paying tithes since they had started paying thorough their forefathers. Jesus was categorical on this.

“They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham” (John 8:39)

Those who want the blessings of Abraham should be ready to exercise themselves in the works of Abraham. Abraham paid tithes, among other things, and so obtained the blessings of God.

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:13 - 14)

Every born again Christian is entitled to the blessings of Abraham through our blessed savior Jesus Christ, but he must engage himself in the works of Abraham.

I hope that those who claim that the days for the payments of tithes have passed away are not also saying that the days of Abraham’s blessings have passed away. They have not passed away! Rather we are beneficiaries of such blessings through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is important that every born again Christian be obedient and faithful in the payment of tithes. This is our duty. It is also an avenue to receive more blessings from God.

Let every born again Christian do the works of Abraham in order to enjoy the blessings of Abraham.

CHAPTER 5

PAYING TITHES FOR THE UNEMPLOYED

Every born again Christian has a gift that can be traded with to realize some income. Paul speaking to his spiritual son Timothy, urged him to stir up the gift deposited in him.

“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6)

I wish to do the same here and remind every Christian to look inside and stir up the gifts and the talents God has deposited in them and start trading with the same for their own benefit. These gifts and talents will bring them incomes from which they can pay their tithes. The house wives, students, unemployed and all those who are currently not in gainful employment should realize that they each have dormant gifts and talents that can bring income.

Gifts and talents in us are meant to profit us and the world around us. Your gifts and talents make rooms for you and connect you with higher authorities and powers. These rooms represent opportunities.

“A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men”.(Proverbs 18:16)

Once you discover and exploit your gifts and talents, you will always make an income from which you can pay your tithe from. The more diligent you are with your gifts and talents, the more profitable you become and the more income you get.

“Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men” (Proverbs 22:29)

Any diligent man will find something to do. Diligent people see opportunities in the midst of challenges.

HOUSEWIVES

When a woman gets married she does not in any way stop being a Christian. Nothing stops her from stirring up the gift of God in her. If only such a house wife will open up to the Holy Spirit within, she will realize there are untapped potentials within her lying dormant.

God expects her to bring this great profitable gifts to work to improve her life, that of her family and of the church. Housewives can use their God given talents to generate money yielding ideas and projects from which they can pay tithes. They also get monthly allowances and monetary gifts from their husbands and friends. These too must be tithed. No house wife is exempted from paying tithes.

In the days of our Lord Jesus Christ, women like Joanna and Susanna and many others followed Him, and ministered unto Him out of their substance. These women were married, yet they still had substance of their own to minister unto the Lord.

“And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.” (Luke 8:3)

Paul got to Europe by the help of Lydia who was trading with her God given skills.

And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.(Acts 16:14)

CHILDREN

Hebrews 7:9-10 settles the question of children paying tithes. Levi paid tithe even before he was born!
“And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him” (Hebrews 7:9-10)

It is advisable to train children to pay tithes so that when they grow up they will not depart from it. If parents give children in Sunday school offerings to give during their classes, they should not be denied the payment of tithes also. After all, children also receive gifts and other blessings. Children should be taught and encouraged to pay tithes from monetary gifts they receive.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6)

When you train up a child to tithe, you are indirectly teaching that child to be responsible. You are training the child to be productive. The child will be learning that not every coin that comes to his or her hands that must be spent. It is an intelligent way of teaching your children that every fruit in their hands has both food and seeds inside and that they should never eat both the food part and the seeds unless they don’t want to eat the same fruit tomorrow. In real sense, eating a fruit with its seeds can cause stomach upsets. May your children never experience life upsets because of eating all their blessings including their tithes!

In the natural, some fruits even when you eat them together with their seeds the seeds are discharged out of your system intact. Meaning they have not added any nutritional value to your body. That is what eating tithe does; it does not add to your life. It is passed to other people without your intention.

STUDENTS

There are many instances when students are beneficiaries of blessings that can be classified as income. A good example is when a student is also working part time or when a student gets some personal gifts from friends and relatives. What ought not to be tithed is that which does not belong to the student e.g. school fees, examinations fees, tuition fees, educational trip fees etc. However, pocket money should be tithed.

I know that pocket money in most cases is almost insufficient to cater for their needs, but that is the principal reason why they ought to pay tithes faithfully so that the windows of heaven will open for them also.

THE UNEMPLOYED

If you are currently not in a gainful employment, stop calling yourself unemployed. It is amazing to see some young people taking pride in calling themselves unemployed. This blinds them to all other opportunities round about them. They live pointing accusing fingers at the government or some relatives.

I want to let this group know that life is about production not employment. Live is about contribution not about status. If you can produce goods and services without being employed by any one, you are on your way to prosperity. Instead of looking so hard for a job, start looking for opportunities to be productive. Look for opportunities to meet the needs around your neighbourhood.

God hated idleness as is clearly demonstrated by these proverbs:

“How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man” (Proverbs 6:9 -11)

Jesus gave a parable of how the kingdom of heaven creates opportunities to help idle people and set them free from idleness.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.” (Matthew 20:1 – 9)

The kingdom of heaven is around you with all the opportunities to keep you busy and profitable. God is looking for idle people who can meet the obvious needs around you.

A young man by the name David Kuria saw the need for toilets in Nairobi Kenya a few years ago. The man is today a self made millionaire by simply providing branded toilets -IKO TOILET in towns and cities around the country.

I have heard of groups of young unemployed people joining together to start milk production business by buying one cow. Imagine a group of twenty youths owning just one cow to start a milk production business. There are numerous successful stories all around us that proves employment is not the only destination. Look for needs around you and find a way of meeting those needs. Ask God to open your eyes to discover these needs and how they can be met by you.

God keeps coming around to see if any is standing idle, and as many as He sees, He offers them an occupation (call it a job) in form of ideas that are simple and easy to implement. Sometimes, the simplicity of these ideas is what deters people from trying them. We wait for complex ideas which seem to never come and when they do, they are impossible to implement. There is wisdom in simplicity. Wisdom is discovering the law of gravity when you see an apple falling down from a tree. If you wait to discover the law of gravity by observing and making complex calculations on how the earth is sustained around the sun, you may never discover the law of gravity.

Arise and shine (Isaiah 60:1). Start something. Start from where you are. Start with whatever you have. Be creative. Be innovative. You are here to serve your generation. You will make it!

I suggest you put this book down now for a while and look inside yourself and around you. See the strengths in you which may include talent, gifts, education, and skills and then make a prayer. Pray in the spirit for the next 15 minutes, asking God to show you what to do with what you already have. God is ready and willing to help you out. He says,

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33:3)

God is set to show you the way if only you call unto him. He is even ready to show you some opportunities you don’t know about now. God is also set to lead you to profits.

“Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. (Isaiah 48:17)

Call on God now. You do not have any reason to be idle any longer. The Holy Spirit in you will surely show you the way to go. He will lead you out of the bondage of idleness and joblessness. It is absolutely your fault if you remain idle and unproductive from this moment on. Whatever you start, just commit it to God and He will establish it.

“Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” (Proverbs 16:3)

God is equally ready to bless your venture by blessing the works of your hands.

“The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. (Deuteronomy 28:12)

God will not only establish your venture and bless it, but He has a plan to elevate you to the top in your venture. He says;

“And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them” (Deuteronomy 28:13)

CHAPTER 6

CALCULATING THE TITHE

A tithe is a tenth. The tenth part of your income. It is ten percent of your income.You don’t owe God any tithes until he has given you a blessing in form of an income, a gift, wage earning, salary, commission, profit, produce from your farm or any other blessing he brings your way.

Abraham paid tithes on all the spoils from the battle field.

“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” (Genesis 14:18 -20)

This account is also repeated in the book of Hebrews.

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; (Hebrews 7:1-2)

Jacob entered into a covenant with God at Bethel that if he was blessed, he would give the tenth of all.

And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. (Genesis 28:18 – 22)

It was only when his blessing came, that he would pay tithe. You cannot pay tithe on what you do not have. No one is able to give what he does not have.

Payment of tithe covers everything that you can classify as an income or a blessing from the Lord. If you are employed and you earn a monthly salary, you owe God the tenth of your salary. If in addition to your regular employment you run a private commercial business in the evening after work, you owe God Tithes on the income from this additional business which is an additional blessing. You also pay tithe on the gifts you receive.

Knowing how to calculate your tithes is therefore important. I recognize that it is not always easy to calculate a tenth on every blessing. There are some blessings God will expect us to use our heart not our mind to calculate the tithe. For instant if your child gets a gift of a toy from a friend. You use your heart to calculate what you would give to God as tithe to keep the flow of these sorts of gifts coming.

The words of Jesus in the book of Matthew clearly demonstrate that tithing need to be done from the heart.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.(Matthew 23:23)

Calculation Methods

Let us now examine in details how tithes ought to be calculated for various classes of people by applying simple examples. I have intentionally left out the currency since this will vary from one nation to another. However, the principles remain the same.

(a) Employed people

Basic Salary - 10,000

Housing Allowance - 2,000

Transport Allowance - 1,500

13,500

Deductions

1. TAX (P.A.Y.E)- 30% of basic salary

2. National Social Security Fund – 200

3. Cooperative Society (SACCO) – 1,000

4. Loan Repayment – 1,500

Note: this is just an example. Taxation depends on governments fiscal policies which vary from one nation to another, while other items quoted may be optional in most cases.

From the above figures, the actual cash payment to this employee at the end of the month will be:

Basic                                                 -        10,000
Housing Allowance                 -        2,000
Transport Allowance              -        1,500

Gross Pay - 13,500

Less
P.A.Y.E. (30% of Basic Salary) - 3,000
National Social Security Fund - 200

Cooperative Society - 1,000

Loan Repayment - 1,500
Total Deductions - 5,700

Net Salary Paid - 7,800

Even though on paper this person has a total pay packet of 13,500, the actual take home is 7,800.

I recommend paying tithe on your actual take home amount. This is because this is what you have control over. So using our case above, the tithe payable is ten percent (10%) of 7,800. The tithe will thus be 780

However I will hasten to add here that if you prefer doing it this way, then it will be important for you to pay tithes on the benefits you draw from your cooperative society, National Social Security Fund and the loans you get.

The other common applicable approach is to pay tithe from your gross pay less government taxes which in our case is can be calculated as follows:

Gross Salary -13,500

Less

P.A.Y.E -3,000

National Social Security Fund -200

Net Amount to tithe on -10,300

Tithe to be ten percent (10%) of 10,300 which is equal to 1,030. This approach will then exempt you from paying tithe on loans and other refunds you draw from cooperative society etc.

P.A.Y.E and National Social Security Fund deductions are statutory government deductions that are deducted at the source by the employer and the employee has no control over that. In some countries or states we may have other additional statutory deductions.

Cooperative deductions and loan repayment deductions are all private arrangements. They are not statutory or mandatory. The deductions are made because the worker chose to enjoy those facilities. So those deductions should be considered as monies received and then returned back voluntarily.

(b) Self Employed Business People

Self employed and business people should start by establishing a trading cycle. This means they should know when they start a season or period of trading and when they complete it. A good example is closing accounts every end month to see profits made or analyzing a contract after completion to confirm profits made. Then tithe on the net profit realized not on the investment made. Notice that net profit is calculated by removing expenses from the gross profit.

Take the following example for better understanding.

If you buy a product at 10,000 and sell it at 15,000, you have made gross profit of 5,000. But this is not your net profit since you must have incurred other costs in selling the item. Let us take for instance that you spent 300 to advertise the item in the local news paper, 200 to repackage the item and, 1000 to transport the item to the buyer.

The net profit will be worked as follows:

Sale value -15,000

Less
Purchase Price      -10,000
Advertising           -300
Repackaging         -200

Transport -1,000
Total Cost -11,500

Net profit = Sale minus total cost = 15,000 – 11,500 = 3,500

The net profit is 3,500 which should be the basis of calculating your tithe. The payable tithe in this instance is ten percent of 3,500 which is 350

We pay tithe with joy and love and therefore the above calculations should not make paying tithe look like a punishment. The Holy Spirit will teach you and guide you on how to calculate your tithe with ease.

CHAPTER 7

HOW AND WHEN TO PAY TITHES

Money matters are serious matters. Money must be handled with care. Most of the wars fought by nations over generations have been mainly because of resources. Money represents resources and therefore anybody handling it should handle it with care.

Banks employ highly educated people with high moral standards to handle customer’s money. Procedures and systems in a bank are very elaborate to ensure the safety of every coin deposited there.

The Bibles recognizes that money is important and therefore need to be handled with care. The scripture says “..but money answereth all things.” Ecclesiastes 10:19

If you are working for a bank or any other financial institution, you must strictly follow the laid down procedure while handling monies passing through your hands. Likewise, there is the right way prescribed in the scriptures for the payment of tithes. Paying tithes is a form of worship to God.

The book of Deuteronomy has various scriptures that clearly demonstrate to us how we need to prepare and present our tithes.

And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God. (Deuteronomy 26:1 -4)

From these four scriptures, we capture the following things.

1. Tithe is paid as first fruit.
You give it priority over other things.

2. Tithe is paid at a chosen place.
The place is chosen by God. You don’t pay just about anywhere.

3. Tithe is payable by those who have been given an inheritance and a possession by God.
You don’t pay tithes from what you don’t have.

4. Tithe is paid to God through the priest.
The person receiving the tithe is receiving it on behalf of God and must be an ordained priest.

Reading further in the same chapter of Deuteronomy, we get more insights.

And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey (Deuteronomy 26:5 – 9)

In the above scriptures we discover the following:

1. Tithing gives us an opportunity to speak to God

2. Tithing is an act of appreciation to God.
We pay tithes to appreciate God for delivering us from our past and for giving us the things we are enjoying. We remind ourselves of the things God has done for us.

The scriptures further down reveal to us that tithing is a form of worship.

“And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you” (Deuteronomy 26:10 -11)

Verse 15 in the same chapter indicates that tithing is a prayer for more blessing.

“Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey” (Deuteronomy 26:15)

Verses 18 and 19 reveal to us the benefits of tithing. God singles out the tithe paying Christians and make them peculiar persons and blesses them high above other people.

“And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken” (Deuteronomy 26:18 – 19)

It is your turn to experience a turn around. It is your turn to be separated from the rest. It is your turn to be highly blessed above all the people around you.

ANONYMITY IN TITHE PAYMENT

Payment of tithe is not an anonymous affair. There is a group of people in church who do not want their identity to be known in money matters. They drop their tithes secretly, without marking it, and never say anything about it to anybody. Friends, this is the wrong way of doing it.

The scriptures in Deuteronomy 26 verses 2 to 4 give us insight on the matter.

That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God (Deuteronomy 26:2 – 4)

You are expected to go to the sanctuary and present the tithe to the priest. The priest is to take the tithe from your hands. In our days in which most people earn salaries or profits, you put your tithes in an envelope and present it to the priest (Our Lord Jesus Christ) in prayer in the church and drop it in the offering bucket, or the tithe box. You do not drop it without marking it. In the Old Testament they did not have to mark it because the priest took it from their hands directly.

WORSHIP WITH TITHES

While in the church, before you drop your tithe envelope into the offering basket or box, remember to be thankful to the Lord for giving you a new life and bringing you into the kingdom of His dear Son – the lord Jesus Christ. Be appreciative; be glad that you even have the opportunity to bless the Lord back with your tithes.

It is also important to speak over your tithe and praise the lord with a dance before dropping it in the offering basket. I actually recommend dancing with your tithes together with your family at home before you bring them to the church.

Tithe paying day is a day to remember how good God has been to you, how you were lost, and God through the Lord Jesus Christ, brought salvation. Take note also that each time you are paying your tithe, you have to ask God for His blessing upon the land where you are and to keep blessing the work of your hands.

BRING ALL THE TITHES

If you properly understand the motive behind the payment of tithes, it will help you iron out so many malpractices that exist today among some tithe payers.

For instance, there are those who divide their tithes into four parts and drop one part each Sunday in church. By the end of the month, they figure they would have finished paying the whole of the tithe. This is not right. The tithe is not a normal offering. There is a different between tithes and offering. Let me remind you here what the scripture says:

Bring ye all the tithes(the whole tenth of your income) 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 (Malachi 3:10)(Emphasis mine)

It is all, the (whole lot) of tithes that must be paid once. You are not permitted to divide it. You cannot pay your tithes by installments. Pay it all at once.

This also answers the question of those that have more than one place of worship. Tithes are not divided to be distributed to more than one church. There are those who belong to one church and attend a fellowship somewhere else. Such people are not supposed to divide the tithe into portions, to give one portion to their church and the other portion to the other fellowship. Tithes must be paid in one place; where you are taking your spiritual nourishment. You pay your tithes where you are being feed spiritually. You can however, give offerings and other donations to other fellowships but not tithes.

WHEN IS THE TITHES DUE?

Tithe is due when you receive your income. If you are a monthly salary earner, you pay the tithe at the end of the month; if you are a self employed trader the tithes are due at the end o each trading cycle. So it could be monthly weekly or even daily if you are a daily wage earner.

To the daily wage earner, I suggest that you separate your tithe daily and keep it in a safe place and pay it over to the church on a weekly basis. It will save you the trouble of having to go to the church daily. You are not in bondage in the payment of tithes. Remember, God is watching your heart not the “anise and the cummin”(Matthew 23:23)

RECORD KEEPING

God keeps records.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.(Revelation 20:12)

God has a book with records inside. If God keeps records, we should also keep a record of our tithes. There are many advantages of keeping tithe records but one major one is being able to lift the records to God when you are making special prayers. Any time devourers want to strike, you lift up your records as Moses lifted up his rod to win battles (Exodus 17:9)

Your records will make you bold while approaching the throne of grace in prayers.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16)

CHAPTER 8

The Difference between Tithes and Offerings

Tithes
There is a distinct difference between tithes and offerings. They are mentioned separately throughout the Bible, even though the Lord required both to be brought to Him.

The tithe is the tenth of all the increase that God gives to you. What does "increase" include? "Increase" is everything that increases the value of earthly possessions that God places into your trust, whether it be earned income or gifts. A tenth of everything that is "increase" to you belongs to God in the form of tithes. The tithe of your increase is not yours to give to God; it is God’s for you to give to God, and it is a privilege for us to have it to give to Him.

If you own a business, your "increase" is what is called "profit". It is the gross amount of money you have earned, minus all business deductions. You calculate the tithe on that amount, your net earnings.

Offerings
Offerings are gifts brought to God beyond the tithes. The tithe was always ten percent of one’s increase, but with offerings, God gave His people some discretion as to the amount or number of offerings to bring. Their financial situation in life and the depth of their zeal for God was shown by their choices of offerings. Here are some of the offerings that God instituted in Israel for the people to bring to His servants.

1. THE FIRST FRUITS

There was the offering of "FIRSTFRUITS", which was a little offering taken from among the earliest of one’s ripening crops. This offering was not in the form of money but in the form of crops. It was a required offering, but the amount of "firstfuits" brought to God was never specified. The people had some discretion to decide the amount or the quantity.

There was the offering of the firstborn of female animals.

" All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. (Exodus. 34:19)

If the newborn animal belonged in the category of "unclean animals", it was not offered on God’s altar, but it still was His.

There was the offering of the firstborn child in every family. The firstborn belonged to God, whether animal or human. Instead of bringing to the Lord’s temple the firstborn child, the Lord required the Israelites to offer a certain amount of money instead.

2. “CENSUS OFFERING”

Though the term “Census Offering” is not used in the scriptures, every male was required to offer a small offering of money with him whenever God commanded the leaders of Israel to take a census. It was a uniform offering for all. The poor could not offer less, and the rich could not offer more.

“Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. (Exodus 30:14-15)

Census was rarely taken in Israel, but when one was taken, each male had to make this offering to the Lord.

3. SPECIAL PROJECT OFFERINGS

Occasionally, there were offerings taken from the people for special occasions, such as the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness as recorded in Exodus 25:1-8

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.”

Another good example is during the restoration of the temple in Judah in the days of king Jehoash as recorded in 2Kings 12:4-12

On these occasions, God’s people always responded with great generosity and joy. The children of God are the most generous people on earth. When Moses announced to the people of Israel that God had told him to collect an offering of materials for building a tabernacle in the wilderness, the people brought so much that Moses had to tell them to stop. This account is recorded in Exodus 36:5-7.

“And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.”

Never ignore church projects. If you want God to be involved in your projects, then go ahead and involve yourself in His projects.

4. THANKSGIVING OFFERING

God has provided a way for us to express our gratitude by commanding His priests to receive a Thanksgiving Offering from us on a willing basis.

And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.(Leviticus 22:29)

“Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High” (Psalms 50:14)

“And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.” (Psalms 107:22)

The psalmist asks a question in Psalms 116:12, thus:

What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

He answers the same question in verse 17 of the same chapter.

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

5. WELFARE OFFERING (GIVING TO THE POOR)

The blessings in our hands are not only for us and our families but also for the welfare of the less privileged around us. There will always be poor and needy people around us, and we have an obligation to offer help to them

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. (Deuteronomy 15:11)

When you give to the poor, you are indirectly giving to God.

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. (Proverbs 19:17)

The Word of God gives us confidence that If we give to the poor, we will not lack.

He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. (Proverbs 28:27)

Giving to the poor guarantees more that just financial and material blessing.

Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies (Psalms 41:1 -2)

These are the major offerings mentioned in the Bible. None of these offerings were "tithes". However, all of them rightly belonged to God, and it was robbery not to bring them to Him when it was time to do so.

6. SACRIFICIAL OFFERING

Sacrificial offering is giving a seed for the promotion of the kingdom of God or to a prophet sacrificially. That means the offering is “big enough” for you to feel it emotionally, spiritually and materially. This is not the regular tithe or normal offering. It a sacrifice that makes you really “feel” the cost as David did.

And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver (2 Samuel 24:24)

Abraham gave a sacrifice to God when he was willing to sacrifice Isaac. As a result, God swore an oath of blessing upon him.

And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:15 – 18)

Sacrificial offerings are usually sown in tears, but the result are sweet and so conspicuous to deny.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him (Psalms 126:5 – 6)

7. Prophet Offering

Prophet offering is an offering that you give to a man of God in appreciation of his service or in order to attract some of the virtues he carry. Jesus talked about it in Matthew 10:41

“He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.”

Prophets are God’s messengers sent to be a blessing to us. Everything you give to them attracts prophetic rewards. We provoke prophetic declarations from them every time we give them a prophetic offering, just like Jacob was able to provoke the release of blessings from his father Isaac, with the venison he prepare for him (Genesis 27:3 – 29).

Saul the first King of Israel took an offering to Prophet Samuel and he life changed for ever. He went to Prophet Samuel looking for some lost asses but came out of the presence of the prophet as a King.

“And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we? And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.”(I Samuel 9:6–9)

Giving to God’s prophet provoke prophetic blessings that cannot be bought with money.

The widow of Zarephath (I Kings 17:10 - 24) and the Shunammite (2 Kings 4:1-37) woman were two people that enjoyed prophetic blessings by reason of what they gave to the prophets.

The Philippians Church practiced this by sending prophetic offerings to Paul again and again as recorded in Philippians 4:15 – 19.

Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

It is also important to note that from almost all of the sacrificial offerings brought to God, the priests and their families were given a large portion of the animal for their food. It was their portion from God. When cattle were offered, the priest who actually did the work of making the sacrifice was awarded the hide of the animal as part of his pay from God.

From this we see that offerings of animals brought to be sacrificed to the Lord were part of God’s system of support for His servants the priests. As long as God’s people were obedient, they were happy and blessed, and as long as they were happy and blessed, they freely brought their tithes and offerings to the Lord. And when they did that, God’s servants always had more than they needed to live and provide for their families.

We no longer bring animals to sacrifice to God. The physical form that certain offerings took in the Old Testament no longer exists. But God’s servants and their families still need food, and God’s servants still use earthly money to do things they need to do for the good of the body.

In this New Covenant, God has not left His people with no way to express their gratitude for His goodness, and He has not left His ministers with no means of support from the children of God. The system of tithes and offerings is still vital for the spiritual health of the body, and I have never seen anyone with a right spirit refuse to acknowledge that.

It is important to highlight here that all offerings are only acceptable if they are giving from a willing heart. No offering that is given grudgingly is acceptable. Offering should be given cheerfully for God loves a cheerful giver.

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver (2 Corrithians 9:7) (KJV)

It also Biblical wisdom to choose your offerings wisely and give the best in the most appropriate way. This account in the book of exodus gives us a clear picture on that.

CHAPTER 9

Other Secret Keys to Abundant Blessings

Giving alone is not enough. God is our heavenly father not a heavenly banker. Don’t expect he will just prosper you simply because you are giving. There are other things you must put in order for you to fully enjoy heavenly blessings. Let me highlight just a few major ones here.

1. RIGHT ASSOCIATION

God blesses people who walk with and keep the right company. If you are faithful in your tithes and offerings but you walk with mockers of the same, you may not fully realize the blessings from your tithes and offerings.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Psalms 1:1 – 3)

You company can make you or break you. Walking with spiritually wise people will make you wise.

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed (Proverbs 13:20)

My advice is; keep off from the company of people who fight the practice of tithes and offerings. Keep off from people who despise anointed men of God. Friendship is not by force, it is by choice. Choose your friends and company wisely.

2. HONOUR YOUR PARENTS

There are many brethrens who are diligent in paying their tithes and giving offerings but they hardly honour their parents. Such people continue in hardship despite their diligence in kingdom practice. If you want to live well, honour your parents.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth (Ephesians 6:1 -3)

If you want to live long and enjoy life, you have no alternative but to honour your parents. It is a commandment not an advice.

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee (Exodus 20:12)

I know that some of our parents have done us wrong in the past. But that is the past. Let the past pass with the past. Don’t harbor offences that will complicate your life.

3. PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILY

The bible commands:

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel (I Timothy 5:8)

You can be sure God is not happy with people who have denied the faith no matter the quantity and the quality of their tithes and offerings.

It is the duty of every Christian man to provide for his family. This responsibility must be accepted and executed faithfully and joyfully. Every man must ensure that his family is well fed, clothed and have shelter over their heads. A Good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.

A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just (Proverbs 13:22)

Christian men are also expected to honour their wife for their blessings to flow unhindered.

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered (I Peter 3:7)

Let also remind Married Christian women that they are expected to submit to their husbands.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:22)

Submission here means respecting your husband as the head of the family and giving reference to him as such. This does not mean you cannot contribute your ideas and insights in the running of your home. As a matter of facts, you are bone of his bones and fresh of his fresh (Genesis 2:23) and therefore your input as a wife is very crucial in the decision making process at home.

The Bible is not talking of “foolish Submission” where you put your life in danger. May the Holy Spirit expound this to you!

4. PAY YOU WORKERS WELL

The bible is clear on this matter.

“….the labourer is worthy of his hire….” (Luke 10:7)

Don’t defraud your workers by paying them cheaply and paying them late. These two scripture below will settle your doubts on this matter.

Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning (Leviticus 19:13)

Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work (Jeremiah 22:13)

CHAPTER 10

Don’t Negotiate With God On Tithe And Offerings.

When God revealed to His people that ten percent of their increase (the "tithe") was His and must be given to His servants, along with the offerings, He was not negotiating a position. He was not trying to strike a deal with His people, asking for ten percent, but really hoping to finally get five percent from some of His people as a donation. God was not negotiating for tips from His people.

God’s words are pure and true. He means exactly what He says, no more and no less. He is so serious about the "tithe" (a word that means "a tenth part") and the offerings that He considers any of His children who fail to render their tithes and offerings to Him to be robbers. Robbers do not just steal; they steal by force.

Prophet Malachi was sent with this holy complaint to Israel: "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me, saith the Lord!" (Malachi 3:8)

This statement was received with some skepticism by God’s people, and they responded, "How have we robbed God?"

"In tithes and offerings" came the terse reply.

If a man would steal from God, there is nothing that he would not do to any human being. You cannot trust any man who robs from God.

Some Christians do what God hates most. They try to find some middle ground between obeying God and disobeying God. They don’t have the love of God or the faith to bring Him the tithes that He has commanded, but they are ashamed to give Him nothing. They won’t obey God and pay all the tithes and offerings, but they would rather just give Him enough to silent their conscience and maintain appearances. But that "middle ground" is the worst of all choices. It would be better if they simply refused to obey God at all and gave nothing than for them to give just a part of what He has commanded. That is like tipping God, as if He were your servant, and as though you are doing Him a favour. It is like tipping God for His blessings. Some pride themselves on being big tippers, but if what they bring to God is not their tithes and offerings, they are still disobeying His commandment and they are still robbers.

Do not be foolish. If you will not bring God all His tithes and offerings, please don’t insult Him by "donating" a few bucks to His work. Jesus doesn’t need your charity or your pity.

Jesus wants us to either be hot or cold. He would prefer that we either obey God’s commandment and bring Him all our tithes and offerings, or just admit to ourselves that we are just sinners and go away and leave Him alone.

It is sinful to give God’s anointed servants a little tip now and then, just so you can appear to be doing something good. It is sin to bring God half of your tithe. It is stubbornness and rebellion. It is thievery. It is unbelief. It is unacceptable with God because He was not negotiating when He commanded the tenth part of your increase.

Tithing is a commandment, not a suggestion. When one young man asked Jesus what he must do in order to obtain eternal life, Jesus told him, " keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). If God had never commanded His people to bring their tithes to His servants, then it would be acceptable to do something else, but God did issue that commandment, and we are required to obey it.

One of the Ten Commandments is: "Thou shalt not steal." (Exodus 20:15) Should we construe that commandment to mean, "Thou shalt not steal, except from the Lord?"

We should be more afraid to steal from God than from anyone else. Besides, stealing is stealing, no matter who the victim is. If the money in your possession is not rightfully yours, then it is stolen money. Listen to Jesus. "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's." (Luke 20:25). Taxes rightfully belong to the government (Caesar). Tithes and the offerings belong to God. We make ourselves thieves if we refuse to give God what belong to Him.

CHAPTER 11

Releasing Tithes To The Storehouse

"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).

These are the promises of God to His children who obey Him on tithes and offerings. But those promises are not made to those who bring God’s tithes and offerings to just anywhere. The promises belong to those who obey the perfect will of God. Not just to bring His tithes, but to bring them to the place He has chosen.

The blessings that follow obedience to God concerning tithes and offerings are predicated on obedience to follow what God says on where, when and how to bring them.

God challenged His people to bring all their tithes, "to the storehouse". This was not just any storehouse; it was the storehouse He had commanded to be built to house the tithes and offerings that belonged to Him. It was the storehouse from which the families of His servants were fed. It was the storehouse controlled by the High Priest of Israel, not by the people who brought the tithes.

In both the Old and the New Covenants, once the children of God bring their tithes and offerings to God, they have no more responsibility concerning that money. As long as they exercise any control over that money, they have not released it at all.

There are many people, especially the very wealthy, who refuse to give any money to any religious organization over which they have no control or influence as to how that money is spent. In other words, they never really release the money to God at all. The money is never really out of their hands.

When you bring your tithes and offerings to a religious organization of which you exercise control or influence, you have not really released them. It is still under your control, to some extent; and if it is still under your control, then you still have it!

When you have brought God’s tithes and offerings to Him, you have done your part. What happens to His tithes and offerings beyond that point is not your responsibility. God will “deal very well” with the priests if they mishandle and abuse the tithes and offerings brought to them.

Never Pay Your Tithe to Priests of other gods

God’s heart was broken with grief many times when His children offered His tithes and offerings to priests of other gods. He was not grieved with them because he needed anything, but because they were sowing seeds for their own destruction by financing the enemies of their souls. Here is just a part of God’s heart-rending cry through Ezekiel (16:17-19):

“Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.”

God’s children were tempted and persuaded to hire the priests of Baal and priests of a hundred other gods, to teach them about spiritual things. Meanwhile God’s servants, instead of being encouraged in the work of the Lord by the tithes and offerings of God’s people, watched the servants of other gods prosper with goods that should have been theirs. It is like born again Christians taking their tithes and offerings to witches and wizards for enchantment and divinations.

Once in a while, a wise and godly man would ascend to the throne and would protect God’s children by enforcing God’s judgments. When that happened, when the people were directed to bring God’s tithes and offerings to the proper place, God’s priests were encouraged in their work, the truth of the Law was zealously taught, and blessings from heaven were restored to the Israelites.

Young Hezekiah’s first order of business when he became king was to restore the knowledge of God’s Law to the nation. He gathered God’s priests and other servants together and spoke kindly to them, exhorting them to do the work for which they were anointed by God (2Chronicles 28:1-11): "The Lord has chosen you", he said, "to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that ye should minister unto Him, and burn incense". After that was done, he commanded the people to come worship their God. And the people responded by bringing so many sacrifices to the temple that there weren’t enough priests to offer them all. Their helpers, the Levites, had to fill in for them (2Chronicles 29:32-36). Then Hezekiah issued an order that God’s people should no longer take God’s tithes and offerings to the priests of other gods but should bring them to God’s servants to encourage them instead.

Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD. (2Chronicles 31:4)

The people responded by bringing so much to the temple of God that special chambers had to be prepared just to store all the wealth that was brought. The following Scriptures from chapter 31 of 2Chronicles records this account.

And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. (2 Chronicles 31:5)

And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared them (2Chronicles 31:10 -11)

Thus began a happy and blessed time in Israel because there was a man on the throne who led the people of God rightly.

But when Manasseh, became king, all was changed again. God pleaded with His people through prophet Isaiah asking them why they kept taking His tithes and offerings to other gods.

“Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” (Isaiah 55:2 -3)

Brethrens don’t pay your tithes and offerings to witches and wizards. Don’t take your tithes and offerings to palm readers and astrologers. It will not bring satisfaction to you. It will instead provoke God.

Now that you know that it is God’s will to render to Him His tithes and His offerings, your next obligation is to find out where God wants you to bring them. If you bring them to a place or to a person who is not ordained of God, you are throwing God’s money away, or worse yet, you are financing the enemies of God and His righteousness. It is your responsibility, and yours alone, to determine where to carry God’s tithes and offerings, and it is an obligation that wise men take seriously.

CHAPTER 12

Tithing is Part of a Holy Life

Tithing is not gimmick. You cannot use it to force God to bless you. Tithing is acceptable to God only as part of a godly lifestyle. The blessings provoked by tithing come because of the kind of life lived, not because of the money given. You cannot live a sinful life and expect to be blessed by God just because you are tithing.

I knew of a man who made money by involving himself in illegal trades and dealings. He had been taught to tithe on all his increase from his early youth, and so he brought tithes from his trades and dealings to a servant of God. That man was foolish to think that God would accept such money, and when the man of God learned about the source of those tithes, he refused to receive them.

God is not needy. He is not begging to take whatever money men choose to bring to him. Moses told the priests not to allow the money earned by harlots and sodomites to enter into God’s temple. He said,

"Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” (Deuteronomy 23:18).

God is not a beggar. Nor is he like so many ministers today who beg for all the money anyone will give them, as if the kingdom of God is about to collapse because of shortage of money.

If a man’s ministry depends on enough money being sent to him, then money becomes his god. The work of the true God does not depend upon money.

It pains to see and hear Pastors and Bishops begging for money on television, pleading with viewers to help save their ministries as though God has failed and the devil is about to win and take over. Earthly possessions do not qualify or disqualify a man for the assignments in the Kingdom of God (call it ministry). The Holy Ghost can do much through a poor man just as He can through a rich man.

What is Worthy to Bring As An Offering or Tithe?
One of the fundamental rules concerning animal sacrifices in the Old Testament was that the animal had to be without any physical blemish.

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.” (Leviticus 1:2 -3)

When the people brought to Him animals with missing eyes or broken legs, or diseased, or some other blemish, the Lord challenged them to offer those animals to their governors who ruled over them at that time, to see how pleased those governors would be with such sorry gifts. He said,

" And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 1:8)

In this New Testament, it is the condition of the heart that matters. And the soul that brings tithes and offerings to the Lord in this New Covenant must bring them without any blemish of sin in his heart if he wants God to accept what he brings. Allow me to repeat: God is not needy. He is not a begging eager to take whatever money men choose to bring to him. It is an honor for us if God accepts our tithes; it is not an honor for Him if we offer them.

God demands purity of those who worship Him. When a person with a crafty, evil heart sings hymns, God considers that singing to be a sin. Solomon said thus:

"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.” (Proverbs 15:8)

The Bible is very clear about all those things. Don’t take to God a sacrifice that will bring a curse and not blessings. God will not accept just about any money. A pastor may receive the money but that remains an earthly transaction that will not attract heavenly blessings.

The righteous life includes honoring God with His tithes and offerings. No godly person is contented unless he is rendering to God what is His. When a wicked man brings money to the Lord, it cannot justly be called "tithes" because it is not of faith. It is more likely to be an attempt to bribe God and God cannot be bribed. The whole earth and the fullness thereof belong to Him.

“The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”(Psalms 24:1)

“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:8)

Those who bring money to the Lord can be divided into two groups: tithe-bringers and bribe-bringers. The tithe-bringers are only doing what is their nature in Christ to do. It is the nature of righteous people to bring to God what is His. The bribe-bringers are doing what the world has always done: they are trying to mask a sinful heart with deeds that appear to be upright but are not. Their giving is a crime, and it would be better for them not to give at all than to give with a sin-stained heart. They would be better served to use that money to buy a new car than to try to appear righteous with it. They don’t know that God is not mocked.

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”(Galatians 6:7)

Ask God to help you examine your heart and remove iniquities before you find yourself trying to bribe him.

“Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.”(Psalms 26:2)

CHAPTER 13

Here Men That Die Receive Tithes

In The Order of Melchizedek
We are told in the Bible that God made Jesus a priest in the order of the man called Melchizedek Hebrews 6:20.

Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

A thousand years before it happened, the Bible foretold that the Messiah would be that kind of priest as recorded in Psalms 110:4.

The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

But what do we know about Melchizedek, and what great deeds did he do, so that Jesus would be like him?

Firstly, Melchizedek appears only in four verses of the Bible, and therefore we know almost nothing about his background and life. This is one way in which Jesus became a high priest like Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:12-16). Neither Jesus nor Melchizedek had relatives who were priests of God; both were simply chosen by God to be who they were and to do what they did.

Secondly, the only two deeds that Melchizedek performed in the four verses of Genesis where he appears were (1) he received tithes from Abraham and (2) he blessed that great man of God. That’s all he ever did, as far as the Biblical record is concerned.

Now, if Jesus is a high priest like Melchizedek, the very least that he should do is: (1) Receive tithes from righteous people and (2) bless them. That is what Melchizedek did. It seems incongruous that we should be told that Jesus would be a high priest like Melchizedek but that he would only do one of the two things that we know Melchizedek did

Melchizedek was ordained by God to receive Abraham’s tithes, and because Melchizedek was ordained by God to minister for Him on earth, whenever Melchizedek received tithes down here, those tithes were received in heaven. The same is true in this New Testament.

"And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth." (Hebrews 7:8).

And if those men are truly men of God, then "there” (in heaven) he (Jesus) receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth."

This is the reason I stress so much to you that you should make certain that the hand into which you place God’s tithes and offerings is the hand of a man whom God has ordained to receive His tithes. Otherwise, you are subsidizing the lifestyle of "a robber", and helping to finance your own worst enemy.

Bringing God’s tithes and offerings to the wrong man hurts that man, as well as everyone else including God. It encourages that man to believe that he really is what he has been misled to think that he is. It enables him to continue functioning in a position for which God has not equipped him, which means that the tithes and offerings finance him to continue misleading himself and the people who trust him.

When God’s tithes and offerings are given to a man whom God has not sent, the money is used by Satan to poison the hearts of God’s own children.

If the man who receives your tithes and offerings is truly of God, then the tithes and offerings that he receives are received in heaven. If he is not sent by God, then you provide Satan with the means to abuse God’s people and to continue to confuse and divide the children of God everywhere.

CHAPTER 14

Two Evils

I have noticed two evils that prevent people from bringing to God His tithes and offerings.

1. Covetousness

The first of the two evils that most often prevent people from obeying God in tithes and offerings is covetousness. Covetousness people just don’t want to part with the money. They cannot admit to themselves that God’s tithes and offerings really do belong to God. They consider God’s tithes to be their money. Instead of considering the great and many blessings that fills their lives from God, they can only imagine the things they could buy for themselves if they kept God’s portion.

When Israel was leaving Egypt, they had no idea what to expect from God when they would finally meet with Him at Mt. Sinai. While in Pharaoh’s palace, Moses told Pharaoh that he did not know what God would require of them in sacrifice (Exodus 10:24-26). The gods of the nations, including Egypt’s gods, could be brutal in their oppressive demands on people, even demanding that they sacrifice their little children in the flames. Israel did not know whether or not Jehovah would prove to be the same. They had to be ready to turn over to Him all that was theirs.

Facing this unknown, Moses could not agree to Pharaoh’s demand that the Israelites leave all their herds behind while they went to meet with Jehovah. What if, when they arrived at Mt. Sinai, God required the Israelites to sacrifice every cow, goat, and sheep in their possession, not to mention their children? He could have justly demanded that they surrender everything they owned because He created all things, and everything Israel possessed was from His merciful hand. Everything belongs to the Creator. So, when the Israelites left Egypt, they left with everything they owned. And when they came to the foot of fiery Mt. Sinai, the Mountain of God, they came trembling. Fear shook Moses himself to the bone (Heb. 12:21).

When the terrified Israelites heard God’s commandments at Mount Sinai, they must have been astonished at how little in the way of religious ritual and sacrifice He required. A tithe -- a tenth! -- of all their increase, and then offerings at certain times, was all that he required of them.

Misinformation about the Old Testament in our time has prevented this generation from realizing that God’s Old Testament people failed in their walk with God, not because God was so heavy-handed and demanding, but because He required so little of them that they could not believe it was enough. Basically, Israel failed in her walk of faith because she was “more religious” than God was. One place of worship was not enough for them. One altar was not enough for them. One God, as it turned out, was not enough for them.

2. Pride and rebellion

The second evil that prevents people from rendering to God His tithes and offerings is pride and rebellion. To bring tithes to a man of God is to confess that there is a higher authority that you are submitting yourself to. To an unruly heart, that confession is difficult to make. The saints are always to render tithes to those who are "over you in the Lord", to men who by God’s choice rule among the saints. A proud, authority-despising man cannot humble himself to do that. It is distasteful to a rebellious man to confess, by bringing tithes to a man of God, because pride and stubbornness reign in his heart instead of Christ.

Those children of God who despise the authority that God has instituted in the body of Christ should not expect God to put them in authority. Your ability to remain under authority is what qualifies you to be placed in authority.

The centurion in the gospel of Matthew chapter eight demonstrated this very well. He understood that he had authority over others because he was under authority himself.

“For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.”(Matthew 8:9)

Paul tells us to be subject unto the higher powers because every power or authority is given by God.

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Romans 13:1)

When Abraham brought to Melchizedek the tithe of all that he had recovered from the slaughter of the kings, he was making a confession that Melchizedek was higher up on the spiritual ladder than he. The author of Hebrews points this out by reminding his readers that Melchizedek blessed Abraham, not vice-versa.

“And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.” (Hebrews 7:7)

My friends, if you are bringing your tithes and offerings to a man who is unable to bless you, then you are bringing them to the wrong person. If a man is not able to bless you with something from God, why would you even consider bringing God’s tithes and offerings to him? Ask God to relocate you to another church or ministry where your spiritual needs will be met.

Jesus said to render to Caesar (earthly government) the things that are Caesar’s (taxes) and to God the things that are God’s (Luke 20:25). One of the things that belong to God is the tenth of all your increase along with offerings that he demands. There has never been a government on earth so stupid that it would tolerate its citizens refusing to pay their taxes.

Every earthly government understands that citizens who withhold their taxes are undermining the government itself. Those people are, in fact, enemies within the house, using money instead of swords to bring the government down. No society on earth can have peace without having a government, and no government on earth can exist without receiving taxes from its citizens.

Those in the body who refuse to bring to God His tithes and offerings make themselves the enemies of the kingdom and government of God. If earthly governments are wise enough to recognize that rebellion against taxation is a threat to the safety of the nation, shouldn’t we assume that God is wise enough to recognize that those who refuse to render tithes are a threat to the peace of His people?

Refusing to pay your tithes and offerings is rebellion which the Bible says is the same as witchcraft.

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…”(I Samuel 15:23)

Covetousness and rebelliousness are the two principal causes for people’s failure to bring to God what belongs to Him.

Even if there is another reason, it can only be a reasoning born of evil. It is the will of God that His people bring to Him His tithes and offerings. Whoever in the body of Christ is not doing it is not doing the perfect will of God.

CHAPTER 15

Giving Without Gimmicks

When we have brought to God His tithes and His offerings, we should understand that we have not given God anything. His tithes and His offerings are His to begin with. We are just doing our duty of bringing to God what is already His. It is good to do our duty, but we must understand that by doing our duty, we are only being faithful handlers of God’s possessions, and avoiding becoming robbers.

In the Old Testament, God gave permission to His people to bring gifts to Him that were beyond the requirement of tithes and offerings. Even when people wanted to do that, however, God set the standards; He has never accepted just anything that people decide to bring Him.

But if one among His people wanted to bring a gift to God beyond what was required, or if he wanted to help a needy brother or sister, God allowed it. Concerning such offerings and alms, Jesus said simply:

“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”.(Luke 6:38)

Concerning this opportunity to give beyond what was required, Paul told the saints in Corinth,

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6 - 9)

It is a waste of money to give with half a heart. You will regret that you gave, and there is no reward from God for that. It is a waste of money to give because you have been made afraid not to do so, or because someone has made you feel guilty if you do not give. There are many ways and tactics that religious men have invented to pressure people into giving when it really not in their heart to give.

When people are pressured by such tactics, they afterward invariably regret yielding to the pressure, and their hearts are further hardened against generosity by a feeling of being taken advantage of.

We all need to be made aware of the blessings that follow obedience to God’s laws concerning tithes and offerings, and giving beyond that. But if it is not in a person’s heart to do those things, it is evil to pressure him to give because tithes and offerings are not acceptable to God if the person bringing them doesn’t really want to do it. It is a matter of the heart.

Where is your heart concerning God and money? That is the only real issue. God sees the heart before He see what you have brought to Him.

“…for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7)

The Lord knows that we are made of dust and stagger sometimes in our walk of faith. But He continually challenges us to trust Him. Often, it appears, He has more confidence in us than we have in Him. One of the challenges that He believes we can meet is the one He issued to His children through Prophet 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.” (Malachi 3:10)

Every commandment of God is intended for our happiness. If we walk in His ways, the end will be joy forever. There are fears to overcome, difficulties to endure, and snares laid for us. But we belong to God, and He is mindful of every step we take. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Believe His word. Don’t stagger because of unbelief and fear. Walk in His ways and you will live forever in peace. Jesus gave us the following comforting words:

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

We will never out-give God. We cannot overtake God in giving to us. He gave His only son for our redemption.

Giving to God tithes and offerings is remembering God for giving us what we already have. The Israelites were commanded to be doing it so that God can establish His covenant with them.

“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” (Deuteronomy 8:18)

Be courageous, and believe God. He has promised us that He will care for us forever if we simply trust Him in this evil and greedy world. We express our trust in Him by giving our tithes and offerings.

CHAPTER 16

Summary

This is God Himself speaking and He is saying, "Prove Me in this now." This is the only time in the Word where God instructs us to prove Him, and it is the one area where most people have withdrawn from proving God.

Tithing was instituted under the Old Covenant as a way for God to communicate His blessing to His people. The word tithe means "tenth or ten percent."

Proverbs 3:9 says;

"Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase."

Tithes are to be given from the first fruits, which mean they are a priority. A person who does not tithe is robbing God and is operating under a curse (Malachi 3:8 – 9). The first fruits of our income belong to God; it is not ours to use to pay bills no matter the urgency of the bills.

Tithing is different from offerings. The tithe is your ten percent that God commands us to give. Gifts and offerings are above and beyond it. Some people want to give "as the Lord leads them" instead of tithing as commanded. But the Spirit would never lead you against God’s Word. The Word commands you to tithe.

Tithing is not only an Old Covenant command, but also a New Testament blessing and privilege. Hebrews 7:8 says, " And here men that die receive tithes; but there He receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth."

In the Old Covenant, God's people would place their tithe—the first fruits of their increase—in a basket, present it to the high priest, and say to him, "I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us” (Deuteronomy 26:2 -3). They spoke their redemption while giving their tithes.

Colossians 1:13, tells us that we have been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of his dear Son. Therefore as believers, we are living in the kingdom of God. We have entered into our inheritance in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the High Priest of the New Covenant. When we take our tithes to Him and speak our redemption, He receives them and then presents them to the Father.

When we stand on our covenant with God and exercise our rights as tithers, we lay a foundation for success and abundance. Satan has no chance against us. Tithing rebukes the devourer! When we resist Satan in the Name of Jesus, God's rebuke is in action against the devourer.

Where you place your tithe depends on where you are receiving your spiritual food. God says to bring the tithes into the storehouse. That is where the food is; where a pastor, an evangelist, an apostle or some other ministry is in operation. When you give, you are not giving to an individual, but to the kingdom of God.

CHAPTER 17

Answering Some Questions on Tithes and Offerings

I will try to give answers to some questions presented to me on Tithes and offerings in the course of writing this book. These are just a few sample questions and answers that I hope will help the reader get more insight on the subject of Tithes and Offerings.

QUESTION 1
Is tithing something that was for old testament people like Abraham and those under the law of Moses?

ANSWER
Jesus said, "If Abraham were your father, you would do the works of Abraham."

“They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.”(John 8:39)

We know that one of the works of Abraham was to render tithes to Melchizedek, an ancient figure of Christ (Psalms 110:4). Abraham’s children live as Abraham lived. Tithing was not simply a commandment that was given under the Law. Abraham and Jacob lived hundreds of years before the Law was given, and they both offered their tithes to God. Righteous people have always known what is right to do, and have always done it. They did not need the Law of Moses; they were "a law unto themselves." Actually, according to Paul the Law was not made for a righteous man

“Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,” (1Timothy 1:9).

QUESTION 2
Is it true that there is a blessing which comes from tithing?

ANSWER
Tithing is one of the principal means by which we acknowledge God and His blessings upon us. It is obeying His commandments not as convenient but us commanded. Tithing is telling God that we do not want to be wise in our own eyes. Tithing is telling God to direct us and to establish His covenant in our lives.

These few scriptures will illustrate this wisdom:

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine”. (Proverbs 3:6 – 10)

Do you want your barns to be filled with plenty? Do you want to remember God for giving you power to get wealth? Then, you know what to do. Just do it.

QUESTION 3
Why does the flesh sometimes struggle with the issue of tithes and offerings?

ANSWER
God’s system of tithes and offerings works against the flesh’s natural desire to strive to be rich and to hoard up wealth. The system of God teaches us to be like God, who gives liberally to all. The system also teaches us that what comes to our hands is not just intended for our welfare, it is also meant for others. Jesus advised His Disciples to watch and pray in order to overcome the weakness of the fresh.

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.(Matthew 26:41)

QUESTION 4
Some people objects paying tithes because they think they make too much, or too little money to bring tithes and offerings. Is that in order?

ANSWER
Some people claim that they make too much money to bring tithes and offerings to the Lord; others say they don’t make enough. Nobody earns either too little or too much money to obey God. We came to the earth naked and we will leave the same way. Any increase in your life whether much or little is supposed to be tithed.

QUESTION 5
Is there any judgment against, or punishment for those who refuse to render their tithes and offerings?

ANSWER
Moses taught Israel thus:

"And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD.” (Leviticus 27:30)

It is dangerous to treat what is holy as unholy. It is dangerous for an unauthorized person to touch what is holy unto the Lord. Uzzah touched the ark of God and was struck dead for his indiscretion.

“And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God” (2 Samuel 6:6 – 7)

The sons of Eli lost their heritage by mishandling God’s offerings (1 Samuel 2:12 – 17). Such stories teach us that a child of God will be in some serious trouble if he holds on to God’s tithes and offerings. They are, as Moses said, "holy unto the Lord". It is also true that if someone takes God’s money into the hands of a minister not sent by God, then he has put that minister into a dangerous position. The minister is not ordained to touch holy things. What belong to God must only be given to those whom God has ordained to receive it.

QUESTION 6
What is wrong with having tithes and offerings both total up to one tenth of your income?

ANSWER
Our offerings must come from our nine-tenths because the one-tenth belong to God already.

CHAPTER 18

Some Final Thoughts

God is not in need. You are the one in need. God does not want the money He gives you to supply the needs of your family and yourself. He does not want you to borrow money to give to Him. He does not want you to give away another mans money.

God is only demanding tithes and offerings from the money that He brings into your hand. That is not too much for anyone to do.

Someone once said that the tithe is the basket in which God puts and deliver to us the money we need. If we fail to bring Him the tithes and offerings that are His, we fail to bring Him the basket to put what we need. Tithes and offerings are our fishing nets to fish out blessings from our heavenly father.

In Conclusion
If you don’t tithe, your life will remain tight.

Money is a bad master but a good servant. If you let money dictate your life, you are handing over yourself to a terrible dictator. Tithing is one major key to turn money from a master to a servant. The choice is yours!

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD (Joshua 24:15)

As for me and my house, we have made a choice to serve God with our tithes and offerings.

Reference books

I am greatly indebted to the knowledge and the wisdom I drew from the following books and materials authored by my spiritual fathers and mentors. It is indeed true, that there is no self made man. Every man is a product of other men. If you get any light from this book it is because God privileged me to be like the moon reflecting light from other sources.

1. Authorized King James Version Bible(KJV)

2. Pillars of Destiny – By Bishop David O. Oyedepo

3. Understanding Financial Prosperity - By Bishop David O. Oyedepo

4. Hidden Covenants of Blessings – By Bishop David O. Oyedepo

5. Breaking Financial Hardship - By Bishop David O. Oyedepo

6. The effective Minister’s Wife – By Pastor Faith A. Oyedepo

7. Building a Successful Family - By Pastor Faith A. Oyedepo

8. The Leadership Secrets of Jesus – By Mike Murdock

9. Seven Keys to 1000 Times More – By Mike Murdock

10. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

Good Things Come to Those Who Ask - By Jack Canfield

2010-06-25T13:38:00.000+03:00

Asking for what you need is probably the most underutilized tool for people. And yet, amazing requests have been granted to people simply because they've asked for it!

Whether its money, information, support, assistance, or time, most people are afraid to ask for what they need in order to make their dreams come true.
They might be afraid of looking needy, ignorant, helpless, or even greedy. More than likely, though, it is the fear of rejection that is holding them back. Even though they are afraid to hear the word no, they're already saying it to themselves by not asking!

Do you ask for what you want or are you afraid of rejection?
Consider this: Rejection is just a concept. There is really no such thing as rejection! You're not any worse off by hearing no than you were before you asked. You didn't have what you asked for before you asked and you still don't, so what did you lose?
Being rejected doesn't hold you back from anything. Only YOU hold yourself back. When you realize that there's no merit to rejection, you'll feel more comfortable asking for things. You may just need a bit of help learning how to ask for what you want.

How to Ask for What You Want
There’s a specific science to asking for and getting what you want or need in life. And while I recommend you learn more by studying The Aladdin Factor, here are some quick tips to get you started:

1. Ask as if you expect to get it.
Ask with a positive expectation. Ask from the place that you have already been given it. It is a done deal. Ask as if you expect to get a “yes.”

2. Assume you can.
Don’t start with the assumption that you can’t get it. If you are going to assume, assume you can get an upgrade. Assume you can get a table by the window. Assume that you can return it without a sales slip. Assume that you can get a scholarship, that you can get a raise, that you can get tickets at this late date. Don’t ever assume against yourself.

3. Ask someone who can give it to you.
Qualify the person. Who would I have to speak to get... Who is authorized to make a decision about... What would have to happen for me to get...

4. Be clear and specific.
In my seminars, I often ask, “Who wants more money in their life?” I’ll pick someone who raised their hand and give them a quarter, asking, “Is that enough for you?” “No? Well, how would I know how much you want? How would anybody know?”
You need to ask for a specific number. Too many people are walking around wanting more of something, but not being specific enough to obtain it.

5. Ask repeatedly.
One of the most important Success Principles is the commitment to not give up.
Whenever we’re asking others to participate in the fulfillment of our goals, some people are going to say “no.” They may have other priorities, commitments and reasons not to participate. It’s no reflection on you.
Just get used to the idea that there’s going to be a lot of rejection along the way to the brass ring. The key is to not give up. When someone says “No”— you say “NEXT!” Why?
Because when you keep on asking, even the same person again and again...they might say “yes”...
…on a different day
…when they are in a better mood
…when you have new data to present
…after you’ve proven your commitment to them
…when circumstances have changed
…when you’ve learned how to close better
…when you’ve established better rapport
…when they trust you more
…when you have paid your dues
…when the economy is better
…and so on.
Kids know this Success Principle better than anyone. They will ask the same person over and over again without any hesitation. (can you relate?)
Getting a good perspective on rejection and learning how to ask will make a world of difference for you as you work toward your goals. Practice asking and you'll get very good at it! You'll even speed your progress by getting what you need, or improving yourself in order to get it later.
Make a list of what you need to ask for in all areas of your life, and start asking.
Remember, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE… if you dare to ask!

© 2010 The Canfield Training Group
All Rights Reserved.

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Coaching For The Top

2010-05-20T19:57:00.000+03:00

There are many ways to get to the top. EILEEN LASKAR writes on executive coaching and how it can help you achieve results and performance improvements that last.

By Eileen Laskar

EXECUTIVE COACHING is a relatively new trend that has been growing and gaining popularity over the last two decades. Broadly speaking, it is about helping people improve their capabilities and effectiveness so they can achieve results and performance improvements that last. As such, it is a strategic resource for thrifty executives who want to achieve unprecedented performance while facing challenges in improving their skills.

There are various fields of executive coaching with the most popular and oldest being Life Coaching. Others include Career Coaching, Spiritual Coaching etc. Executive Coaching is becoming a popular back up and sometimes replacing management consulting as a tool for driving organizational development.

Role in top management circles

Executive coaching is an efficient, high - impact process that helps high - performing people in leadership roles improve their results in ways that are sustainable. It is an ongoing relationship that offers a support mechanism in terms of helping the executive generate important insights, gain clarity, have a focus and make decisions to improve performance. As a result, the executive, who hires an executive coach, achieves results usually linked to improved profits, organizational effectiveness, better leadership, career success among others.

An executive coach sometimes has to intervene more or less the same way a sports coach does and make observations, provide tools and frameworks, share experiences, motivate, move the conversation forward and sometimes give tough reality checks.

Owing to its success, executive coaching has been adopted by top performing organizations including Fortune 500 Companies as an Organizational Development (OD) and Human Resource Development strategy with outstanding results in terms of enhanced productivity, talent management and retention, quality management and overall reduction of hiring and recruitment budget.

Why an executive coach?

The current professional environment is characterized by stiff competition at the individual and personal levels. Executives are constantly pursing growth, improvement and change and this constant re-engineering in terms of content, process or context (CPC) alongside the daily competing demands can be overwhelming. The CPC forms the three key pillars for executive coaching engagements and also provides three key reasons why every executive needs a coach.

Content oriented executive coaching engagements are characterized by the coach sharing knowledge and expertise about specific areas of business for example marketing, business planning and financial management. Process oriented engagements are geared towards addressing organizational needs and transformation processes. The coach as such supports the Executive in laying out a structure and an action plan to get things done for example culture transformation, productivity improvement and organizational restructuring.

Context engagements focus on the individual and help them improve their behavior and attitudes so they can become more effective and successful. Examples of this kind of engagement include building the capacity of the Executive to be more assertive, improving relations, improving decision making, mobilizing of staff and managing teams. While every engagement has a combination of all the three, there is always one domain that is over riding and predominant in every coaching relationship.

Every executive will at one point or the other face challenges related to one or more of the CPC elements and hence the need for an executive coach to offer insights, a support mechanism, facilitate a shorter learning curve and achievement of the ultimate results.

Coaching process

The entire executive coaching process can be condensed into four main steps:-

1. Assessing the executive’s situation and their ability to be coached – this is done through in-depth inquiry, interviews with colleagues and formal assessment tools. The outcome of this phase of coaching is a well defined gap between where the Executive (client) is and where they want to be.
2. Defining the specific desired outcomes or goals – The metrics will be used to measure the progress, inclusive of time-lines. As noted earlier, the metrics will differ depending on whether the gap is content, process or context oriented.
3. Exploring alternatives and designing the most appropriate intervention, including the scope and structure of the coaching process – This includes both the content and the delivery mechanism and also setting expectations for both parties.
4. Coaching program implementation, review and follow-up – The latter is particularly important to ensure sustained coaching/performance gains.

The outcome of executive coaching are determined by the gap analysis and as such, no standard outcomes. Examples include personal branding and enhanced visibility, optimal career choices, enhanced productivity, staff retention, effective succession planning, all which are dependent on the nature and scope of the engagement.

Executive coaching versus management consulting

While management consultants are analysts and tell people what to do, executive coaches employ diverse approaches that help their clients set direction and get results while collaborating with other people. An executive coach facilitates his/her client to gain their own insights while s/he (the coach) is in the background as ‘a shadow leader.’ That way, the learning is baked into the process. An executive coach will not deliver long, elaborate presentation and reports. Instead, they will work with executives to build on their own talents and use those talents to take results and organizational capabilities to the next level, according to where they are willing and able to go.

Based on my experience as a business development consultant who switched over to the coaching model, these two models are different in their approach and outcomes. However, a management consultant can deliver the content oriented training and consulting and use coaching as a tool to ensure implementation and consistent follow-up.

Coaching is based on trust and value and anyone seeking to engage a coach should have enough trust in their capability and should carefully evaluate the value they are likely to gain from such as an engagement. At all times, ensure that the metrics and the progress towards the same are very clearly spelt out from the onset. Just like with any other new field, executives are advised to be careful in deciding whom they engage as their executive coach so they get maximum value from the process and achieve desired personal and organizational developmental outcomes. One of the easiest ways to do this is to ensure that the selected coach has the necessary and recognized credentials. Some reference from the specific credentialing organizations and bodies such International Coach Federation (ICF) amongst others would also be useful.

Since coaching is not a cheap service, feel free to discuss any concerns and matters arising along the implementation phase and even disengage should you feel uncomfortable with the process, progress, and outcomes. After all, coaching engagements do not have final exams; every single session you have with your coach should add genuine value.

Executive coaching is not…

- A therapy to ‘fix’ anybody

However, in some contexts, there is a room for influencing the Executive so s/he can embrace more empowering beliefs and values to facilitate them get the results that they want.

- Interim management

A coach does not step in to do the job for the Executive. Instead, an executive coach is a ‘shadow leader’ working behind the scenes to help the Executive succeed and improve in ways that are sustainable and long-lasting.

- A ‘crystal ball’ that magically provides answers

Instead, a coach will occasionally intervene and provide advice when appropriate. However, most of the time, the coach will engage in a dialogue with the Executive and design or customize a tool that works for their unique context.

Eileen Laskar is an Executive Coach & Founder, Centre for Business and executive Coaching (East Africa) - CBEC-EA

E-mail eileen.laskar@cbec-ea.com

Interview Strategies To Get You Hired On The Spot!

2009-07-26T18:12:00.012+03:00

This is an extract from Intellect Career Centre: http://www.careercentre.co.ke/

The fact that you have been selected for an interview means that your CV and profile has been found competitive for the role on offer. Your focus for the interview therefore is to prove to the employer/recruiting authority that indeed you are the "best fit" for the role on offer than any of the other candidates.

Always remember that an interview, regardless of the shape and form it takes is a career defining moment; it can be a "bridge" that links you with your dream job/career or a "barrier" blocking you from the pleasure of earning what you really desire and deserve.

One of the biggest secrets to successful interviews lies in the preparation process.
Below are the 8 strategic interview preparations steps that can make you get hired on the spot!

Step 1:
Review the role you are to be interviewed for and fully understand the context of the job on offer, its significance to the organization, and the specific deliverable.

Step 2:
Research about the organization and ensure a thorough understanding of its core business, its current challenges and opportunities and how the advertised role fits in.

Step 3:
Carefully review job application documents to ensure consistence of purpose, strategy, theme and personal communication tone.

Step 4:
Set your interview objectives that are coherent with the advertised role and prepare a portfolio of accomplishments that show cases your unique selling proposition (USP).

Step 5:
Script and internalize a powerful "infomercial" which sets a strategic tone and focus for your interview in line with your personal objectives

Step 6:
Prepare strategic questions to ask your interviewers, which should further demonstrate your resourcefulness and understanding of the organization and the role on offer. This enhances the conviction element.

Step 7:
Practice! Practice! Practice! Visualize yourself in the role on offer, generate practical questions, and prepare crisp responses. Remember, preparation without practice leads to sub-optimal performance.

Step 8:
Prepare your physiology enhancing portfolio - Get an executive folder and organize all your certificates, testimonials, executive writing pad and a pen, the invitation email / letter. Dress right and be there in time.
From the steps above, it is clear that casualness in interviews will definitely lead to casualty!

Don’t be Casual. Be Strategic.

This article was extracted from: INTELLECT CAREER CENTRE. Get more tips from their website: http://www.careercentre.co.ke/. Get a personal career coach from them too.

Wherever you are, there is a place called forward. Keep learning to move forward.

Learn more from e-wise
http://e-wise.blogspot.com/

Life Paradox - More which is Less

2009-07-13T17:57:00.002+03:00

From George Carlin

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Article By
George Carlin

Home Business - Be Your Own Boss

2009-07-02T17:07:00.008+03:00

Starting any kind of business requires Planning, Proper Capitalization, and some Hard Work. However, a Home Business presents certain Opportunities that can make the start up processes quicker and more straight forward. The following seven steps can be used by anyone to help start a successful, home based business.

1 Go With What You Know:
When determining what business to start, take a personal inventory of your skills, background, hobbies and interests. Use this inventory and start thinking of business ideas that can leverage your existing skills and knowledge. Having some background or experience in your future business will help take the guesswork out of a majority of decisions you will likely face.

2 Focus on Self Discipline:
With the proper self discipline, personal productivity will skyrocket when working from home. Home based business owners are usually free from pointless meetings, needless presentations, and lurking colleagues. However, other distractions abound at home. If you do not already have a quiet place to set up your home office, make sure to create one. Set expectations with your friends and family that your privacy, when working in your home office, should be treated with the same respect as any formal office setting.

3 Form a Legal Entity:
Make your home business official by forming a legal entity. You do not need to establish an expensive and complex corporation. In many cases, a sole proprietorship will do. File the necessary business forms and licenses with your local government agency and make it official! Not only will your business be in good legal standing, you will take your start up efforts more seriously after this step is complete.

4 Set and Follow a Schedule:
Home based businesses come with a tremendous amount of freedom and flexibility. This is why we love them! Make the most of your time by setting and following a routine schedule. Keep in mind that your daily routine may not necessarily look like the typical 9-5 workday. Set a schedule that works for you and your customers. When possible, arrange working time to match the hours of the day you are naturally more alert and productive.

5 Keep Accurate Records:
Maintaining accurate, up-to-date financial records is an important part of running any home based business. Proper bookkeeping will increase your visibility into business cash flow and will help reduce the possibility of a tax audit. Keep in mind; never commingle personal and business finances! This is a common mistake for new home business owners and can introduce a host of financial liability issues down the road.

6 Start with a Service:
Consider starting a service oriented business. Compared to product based businesses, service businesses can usually be started much more quickly and with less start up money. Service businesses eliminate the need to manage inventory, complex fulfillment, and sales tax. Since most services are performed at an external location, running your service business from your home is typically quite easy.

7 Fund Your Business Properly:
This final step applies to every business and is equally important for all. Before starting your home business, carefully plan out your expected start up costs, ongoing expenses and revenue projections. If your home business will be your sole source of income, calculate your short-term living expenses as well. Make sure that you have enough personal savings to cover your living expenses while you establish a positive business cash flow.If your dream is to own your own business, get started today!
Starting a home based business does not have to be a complicated, drawn out endeavor. Put excuses to the side, make up your mind to get started today and do it! Following these simple, seven steps will help you realize your dreams of home business financial freedom

Wherever you are, there is a place called forward. Keep learning to move forward.

e-wise

Learn more by visiting: http://e-wise.blogspot.com/

Personal Branding - 9P’s Tips Towards an Effective Personal Branding

2009-06-12T09:37:00.006+03:00

Personal Branding is a must for any one with a big dream. Personal branding project the image you want to be associated with. It is a tool for personal marketing. A tool for personal growth.

Here are a few tips towards personal branding. They have helped many people to be exceptional in their profession or business.

1.Punctuality

-Demonstrate respect for people by respecting their time.
-There is little respect for people who do not keep time; they are unreliable and weak brands.
-Not keeping time can be offensive to a person or certain cultures, and it can cost you meaningful relationships.

2.Passion

-If you are a sweeper, sweep exceptionally.
-If you teach, teach with a passion.
-Be passionate about what you do.
-Show up on time and passionately deliver your services.

3.Provide X-tra ordinary service

-Promise what you can deliver, and deliver more that you promise.
-Be reliable to your customers and team.

4.Package your self a new constantly

-Think globally act locally.
-Maximize available technology for your operations.

5.Pass the Painter test

-A painter who is paid on a daily rate does not habitually miss work or exceed a deadline.
-A painter who does a shoddy work cannot be recommended.

6.Power

-Exercise power that is far beyond what is vested in your employment. Assume more power than people thought you deserve. It is easier to adjust downward than upward.
-Demonstrate the virtue of your human ingenuity and authority.
-Take appropriate action. Powerlessness is indeed a state of mind.
-You have probably noticed that people who joint an organization and demand to change the carpet in their office, walk with an element of “pride”, demand their rights etc are most often the people who perform well in their positions.

7.Personal Morality and Credibility

-This is the highest form of authority, it gives you access to people and places that formal authority may not.
-Credibility comes from trust.
-Bribe kills your self-confidence and self-worth no matter what your reputation.

8.Promote yourself

-This can be a constant source of information and communication.
-It will give brand visibility.

9.Professionally grow and upgrade your skills

-Wherever you are, there is a place called forward. A place called growth. A place called profit. Learn to grow. Learn to upgrade.
-Read voraciously. Read variety of materials.
-Anticipate the future. Position yourself for the future. Future proof yourself.

Importing From China

2009-05-26T19:21:00.003+03:00

Imports from China can boost your business and improve your bank account.

China’s economy is consistently growing and improving. Importing from China is becoming very easy these days. You can conveniently import in small or in bulk quantities. Freight forwarding and other freight services are readily available.

Importing from China have not only made items more affordable, but very convenient for the businessmen all over the globe.

However, you need caution!
It is very important to find quality products or services provider from China since there are many suppliers in China who sell cheap products with questionable qualities. Invest time to find those suppliers who sell products at reasonable prices and give some form of quality assurance. It is not very hard to find a supplier who sells products with your specs. You can have a list of potential Chinese suppliers for a particular products in a few seconds by use of search engines e.g. Google.

There are also many available consultants with whom you can consult for advice on Chinese products, suppliers, trade, markets, Logistics etc.

There are many business communities or groups in china which are available to provide all the information regarding rules and regulations on products from china. You can directly speak with one of the suppliers in these communities/groups and get all the information about suppliers from that group. Such information may include, product brand names, prices, liability, feedback, popularity etc. Connections with the suppliers are the most important tools or resources for any business man.

Imports from China will ultimately leads to greater sales in your home market. It will equally help your business to sustain for a longer period in your home market. You will also sell better products at reasonable prices as compared to your competitors.

To learn more:
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Tips On How To Take Meeting Minutes

2009-05-22T17:11:00.005+03:00

Any meeting requires proper meeting minutes to ensure proper documentation of decisions and clarity on actions to be taken. Good meeting minutes need to comply with a number of soft and hard criteria, which are summarized below:

1) Preparation:
Make sure that you sit next to the chairperson, so that you can easily clarify or confirm items. You should also have the agenda printed on paper in front of you. Collect the material to be presented in advance, this will make it easier to understand the contents and you don’t need to collect them after the meeting which can cause delay in distributing the minutes.
In case you have to take the minutes for a large meeting where you do not know every person, it is good to circulate a paper, where everybody inserts his or her name.

2) Use a Template:
Using a template has the advantage that all meeting minutes have a similar look making it easy to read and understand them. It also improves the quality of meetings since it is less likely that you forget some formal aspects of the meeting minutes. As a minimum the template should include the following information:

•Name of the meeting
•Date and time of the meeting
•Location of the meeting
•Minutes submitted by (your name)
•Minutes submitted on …
•Participants
•Participants which are absent or arrive later
•Status: Draft / Final
•Agenda item
•Agenda item number
•Name of topic owner
•Category (Task, Decision, Information)
•Due Date (for actions)
•Person in Charge (for actions)

3) Categorize Items:
Each item in the meeting minutes should state if it is for information, for decision or for action.

4) Include Attachments:
Make sure that all material presented is included in the minutes. If you want to check minutes much later it will be much easier since everything is stored together.

5) Confirm Your Understanding:
Each time an agenda item is closed you quickly jump in and confirm what you included into the minutes. With this method you make sure that everybody is aligned and reduce future corrections of the minutes.

6) Circulate The Draft First:
Before you send out the final minutes you should share the draft with the participants so that they can correct it. After this has been completed, you can send out the final version.
In case your meeting room allow to fix a second projector, you can write the minutes on the second screen during the meeting and ask the participants to confirm the contents on the spot. The minutes are completed when the meeting ends and you can immediately distribute them.

7) Store The File:
Store the file with the minutes in a common place. Ideally the file name includes the date, so that the files automatically sort chronologically.

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Tips on Managing Meetings

2009-05-22T16:47:00.007+03:00

Meetings are an important tool to align and coordinate multiple People/Departments in an organization. Each meeting requires a chairman or chairwoman who steers this process in order to ensure that the meeting is held in an efficient way without wasting the participant’s time. The following rules help you to become a good meeting chairman.

1) Confirm the objective of the meeting:
Everybody needs to be aligned on the purpose of the meeting at the beginning. This reduces unnecessary side discussions. Teams also work better when having a common goal. I therefore recommend starting each meeting with a greeting and the statement of the objectives for this specific meeting.

2) Define key roles:
Every meeting requires three key roles to function.
- The chairman moderates the meeting and manages the time and the agenda. It is his/her responsibility to start and end the meeting on time.
- The administrator(secretary) takes the minutes and records decisions and action items. In the ideal case the administrator also follows-up on the action items to make sure that the responsible persons implement them. If there is a follow-up meeting the administrator reports on the implementation progress.
- The participants contribute to the meeting with their ideas and also are responsible for the implementation of tasks. Never assign tasks to people who are not present at the meeting. If the task itself cannot be completed by any of the participants assign someone to delegate it to the appropriate person. Since the participants are supposed to contribute with their thoughts it is important to reduce distractions. Don’t allow people to use their laptops or mobile devices to check or write e-mails during the meeting.

3) Summarize at the end of each agenda item:
Confirm all action items and decisions made at the end of each agenda item. This ensures that you can really close the item and helps the minute taker too. You might also ask the minute taker if he has any questions. The better the minutes are the less work you will have later in checking them.

4) Write and confirm minutes during the meeting:
I have seen a company that had two projectors with two screens in each meeting room. One screen was to share the presentation material related to the agenda. The second screen was usually reserved for the minute taker and every participant confirmed that the wording of the minutes correct. This procedure allows agreeing on the minutes during the meeting so that there is no necessity to send around drafts for confirmation. This saves time to all participants and the implementation of actions and decisions starts immediately after the meeting.
If you do not have the space or budget for such a technically perfect solution you can also help yourself with a large display on the meeting table or by reading the wording of the minutes loudly at the end of each agenda item.

5) Close the meeting on time:
As a general principle you should close each meeting on time, regardless if you are the chairman or a participant. As a chairman people will very soon know you habit and act in a way that in a way that allows finishing all items within the planned time. As a participant you can state that you have to go to the next meeting or that you scheduled a phone call. Finishing a meeting on time is not only a good time saver but also a courtesy to all other participants who have busy schedules too.

6) Properly close the meeting:
When the meeting come to an end properly close it. Thank all participants for their contributions and confirm the most important decisions and action items. If you know that the ream requires another meeting on this project or topic immediately arrange the schedule for the next meeting. With everyone at the table it requires significantly less coordination effort. What usually might take up to an hour or more will be completed within a few minutes.

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