"GIVE, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. FOR WITH THE SAME MEASURE THAT YOU USE, IT WILL BE MEASURED BACK TO YOU."
Luke 6:38 (NKJV)
• It has been taught that Giving is the major key to financial breakthroughs in God's Kingdom, and it is!
- If your observation and experience do not agree with the above statement, it means something is wrong. There is no experience that can negate the truth of the Word of God (Luke 6:38).
• Note: If you did not receive back in the proportions of your Givings, there could be some reasons for it—which are:
(i) You may be living under a disobedience. That is, you may have not been faithful in what God has instructed you to do—in your assignment. Your Disobedience in one area of your life will spillover, spread out, to affect other areas.
- Giving of financial gifts will not make God overlook your disobedience or rebellion to the instructions given you by Him.
- Your obedience to the instructions given you, what you are commanded to do, is much more better than the offerings or sacrifices that you may bring to God:
22 So Samuel said: “Has 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 [offering], AND TO HEED THAN THE FAT OF RAMS. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king" (1 Samuel 15:22,23 NKJV). - Some even think If they did give their thithes and offerings, they could go ahead and live in Disobedience and God would still be blessing them materially.
- If you are giving in REBELLION and Disobedience, God would not be moved with whatever you give; Your Giving would not be honoured if you are living in rebellion to the instructions given you by Him.
(ii) If you are Giving and you are still living in Sin, the reward of your Giving might be hindered—farfetched or unlikely.
- God would not respect the offerings of those who know the truth and live contrary to it, and thus want to use their Giving to cover their unfaithfulness and sinfulness (Genesis 4:3-7; Acts 5:1-10).
- If you give to a minister who has strong anointing for financial blessings or the Ministry of such, God may honour the prayer or the covenant He made with the person and bless you in return—rewarded your Giving.
- Albeit; if care is not taken, calamity may strike. While you are enjoying the Blessing, plague may be sent along with the Blessing.
- God did honour the prayer of Moses for the people of Israel when they agitated for meat, he granted what they wanted, but not without negative repercussions.
- God, however, sent plague while they were still eating the meat. Because, their approach in asking for the meat (Numbers 11:4-6,10) was completely wrong:
31 Now a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. 32 And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 BUT WHILE THE MEAT WAS STILL BETWEEN THEIR TEETH, before it was chewed, THE WRATH of the Lord was aroused against the people, AND THE LORD STRUCK THE PEOPLE WITH A VERY GREAT PLAGUE. 34 So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving" (Numbers 11:31-34 NKJV). - If you cornered God by Giving or doing something for a minister of God or his ministry, and such did pray for you, that God would bless you and grant your request. God may answer the prayer, because of the covenant He has with His servant, but calamity may follow that Blessing.
(iii) Another thing that could make your Giving unproductive is, when you are indifferent to the Word of God (Zechariah 7:12,13).
- You know the truth quite all right, you know that which is expected of you as a mature believer, but you chose to indulge your flesh and live contrary to the truth you know (James 4:17 NKJV).
- As a result of this, God may not respect your Giving, offerings, because you are living in blatant rebellion or disobedience to the Word of God—the truth you know (Genesis 4:5-7).
- Note: the Sin in question at times might not even be a blatant Sin, but what you know to do or not to do, as a mature believer, which you ignored, because you wanted to indulge your flesh:
"THEREFORE, TO HIM WHO KNOWS TO DO GOOD AND DOES NOT DO IT, TO HIM IT IS SIN" (James 4:17 NKJV). - If God has been correcting you, calling your attention to a particular character defect which He wanted you to correct and change, but you have not heeded. Probably because your material Blessings has not been affected, because you are faithful in your Giving responsibilities in the Kingdom.
- God may stop the flow of the blessing, stop honouring your Giving, OFFERINGS, for you to correct that which He has been calling your attention to correct or change.
- It is like you are taking His goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering for granted:
4 Or do you despise the riches of His GOODNESS, FORBEARANCE, AND LONG-SUFFERING, not knowing that THE GOODNESS OF GOD LEADS YOU TO REPENTANCE? 5 But in accordance with your HARDNESS and your IMPENITENT heart you are TREASURING up for yourself WRATH in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Romans 2:4,5 NKJV).
(iv) Another thing that could be an hinderance to the receiving of rewards in your Giving or offerings is, when you sow your seed or offering in a wrong soil: places, ministries, or persons that has no fertility.
- Financial seed planted in a dry or unfertile land would not germinate and bear any fruit.
- For your financial seed or offering to bear fruits, produce results; it has to be sown in a fertile land, that is, a fertile Life: the person, minister, or ministry.
(i) Your tithes should go to your local church, where you are being fed with the Word of God—that there may be food in His house (Malachi 3:10).
(ii) You give offerings to other ministers and ministries which God has used in blessing you one way or the other.
(iii) You give to the ministries and Ministers that God has stirred your heart to partner with—with your substance or possession (Luke 8:1-3). - For your seed offerings not to be thrown away, or be wasted, without any returns; you have to be sensitive to God's leading on how He does want you to sow or give.
- A seed or offering sown or given without being circumspect or careful, could be sown wrongly—to a wrong ministry or person, and that would not produce any harvest or result.
• Some of the above highlighted or mentioned points could be the reasons for lack of returns in your Giving—the seed you had sown.
- If you had been experiencing no-returns at all, or low returns in your financial Giving, prayerfully consider and meditate or ponder on the things we have shared in this piece and do the necessary adjustments and corrections.
• You will not fail Jesus' name.
Peace!