tithing

Abundance: Stories of Giving and Prospering

Giving and prospering go hand-in-hand. No doubt about it, giving is one of the key principles that can begin to manifest increase, once it is put into action. Yet when we are struggling with lack, giving is the last thing most folks want to do or even consider doing.

I’ll confess, I too had a hard time believing

that I would receive if I gave (especially financially).

When I first started tithing I was a single parent

of two, receiving no child support and always

running short every month trying to pay my bills.

I decided to give tithing a “try” but I really didn’t understand how it would be possible in my circumstances.

Now, I could go on to share a lot of details here about my own personal story, but I’ll just leave it at: GOD’s WORD is True! When He says give and it shall be given back to you in good measure – He is not kidding!

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:38 NIV

Stories of Giving and Prospering

I have read and heard many stories of people who have struggled with lack, and then managed to turned things around after applying the giving principle. Today I’ve decided to share some of those stories in order to provide some hope and encouragement.

STORY 1:

Paul, a husband and father, was attending a church service in which a special offering was being collected for a Haiti missions program. His heart said give, but his mind was thinking about his shrinking bank balance, his current financial struggles, and the needs of his own family. To give or not to give? Paul was torn between giving money or not, but decided to give the $100 that was impressed on his heart to give. He thanked God for the opportunity to give and asked God to use his gift to bless those in need. He also thanked God for always providing for the needs of his own family.

Paul went to work on Monday and received a promotion and pay increase worth many times the offering he gave the day before!

STORY 2:

Sharon was making minimum wage and having a hard time just paying her rent and other basic living expenses. She had committed years earlier to tithe. Sharon had consistently tithed until about a year earlier, when at some point her giving became random. Her heart was feeling heavy about not tithing and she asked God to help her as she recommitted to cheerfully and consistently tithing. She wrote a check and gave her tithe that Sunday during service.

Sharon’s mom handed her a card after service. (Prior to service, another lady at church had asked her mom to give it to Sharon and she almost forgot to pass it on.) Sharon opened the card and inside was $50 – more than double what she had just given.

I hear a lot of giving testimonials, directly or indirectly, by attending church. However, I also hear many stories of giving and prospering from individuals outside of church, and even non-Christians. Consider even some well known individuals through-out history…

STORY 3:

John D. Rockefeller, one of the world’s wealthiest men, was said to have given away $550 million dollars in his lifetime! He wrote to his son in 1924 and explained his practice of giving away money…

“…in the beginning of getting money, away back in my childhood, I began giving it away, and continued increasing the gifts as the income increased…”

Notice he gave more as he received more?

STORY 4:

Bob, an author, always believed giving was a scheme to get him to give money to the person who was telling him to give. So if he did ever give, it was like a miser. And of course his little giving resulted in little return.

One day Bob decided to test the theory of giving and he wrote a check to a speaker who had provided him with a lot of instruction and encouragement. Instead of the typical $5 he would normally give when he was in his scarcity and fear mode, he nervously and excitedly gave the largest single contribution he had ever given – $1,000.

The instructor was so surprised when he got the check that he called Bob personally to thank him. Bob said it made him feel like a million bucks! Then things began to happen…he got a call from someone asking him to co-author a book, and a foreign publisher wanted to buy translation rights and offered many times what Bob had given to the instructor as a gift!

Bob said that when he gave the large check, he sent himself a message that he was prosperous and in the flow.

Lack Equals Blockage – Giving Equals Flow

I’ve heard it over and over, in many different ways, from many different people…

If you have a lack of any kind: employment, money, friends, love, patience, joy, etc., then something is blocking the flow in your life. There is an abundance of all that you have need of in life and the best way to get it flowing into your life is to give!

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.”
Galatians 6:7

Christians should have a lifestyle of giving and be an example to others. We have been given so much and have so much to be thankful for.

Bottom line: Giving leads to receiving. The more you sow the more you reap – so make sure you are sowing what you want to reap. Begin to give to unblock any areas of lack and allow the abundant flow of giving and prospering into your life!

May you be a cheerful giver and enjoy a life of growing prosperity!

Be Blessed to Be a Blessing –

Cheers,
Brenda

Do You Agree that Giving and Prospering go hand-in-hand? Do You have a Story to Share?

If So, LIKE, TWEET and SHARE with us – We’d Love to Hear from You!

 

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The Path to Wealth Best Seller Book Status on Amazon Kindle

“The Path to Wealth” Best Seller Book Status on Amazon Kindle

THE PATH TO WEALTH Best Seller Status

The Path to Wealth Book by TS LinscottI want to thank everyone for your support

in helping put this book on

the Kindle Best Seller list in December!

“The Path to Wealth” by T.S. Linscott

was republished in print form early 2011.

The ebook/digital version was then published on Kindle August 17, 2011.

Today, December 15th, four months later, it made #23 on the Kindle Best Seller list for Education-Finance!

Best Seller Status Screen Shots (click image for larger view)

The Path To Wealth Book Kindle Best Seller StatusThe Path to Wealth book Kindle Best Seller Status

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you again!

And may God’s powerful financial principles become a regular part of all Christian’s lives so that more and more may be blessed to be a blessing!

God bless you always,

Brenda

P.S. For those of you who have read the book, your ratings and reviews on amazon would be greatly appreciated! 🙂

 

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Tithe Rap Video – A Fun Look at the Important Principle of Tithing!

Tithe Rap Video – A Fun Look at the Important Principle of Tithing!

Tithe Rap Video

Here is a fun video that takes a look at the important principle of tithing.

As Christians we are often way to serious, and we have to remind ourselves to lighten up and have a good laugh once in awhile!

“God loves a cheerful giver.”
— 2 Corinthians 9:7

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse…and prove me now, saith the Lord, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
— Malachi 3:10

Enjoy this video and Have a Blessed Day!

Cheers,
Brenda

P.S. If you are looking for an excellent resource on tithing, you’ll want to check out “The Path To Wealth.”

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Tithing – The Secret Prosperous Ingredient in the Wealth and Abundance Recipe!

Tithing – The Secret Prosperous Ingredient in the Wealth and Abundance Recipe!

The Power of Tithing to Tap Into the Source of All Supply!

Tithing ProspersTrue wealth and abundance have a spiritual foundation.

God is the Source of all supply.

How do we tap into this supply?

We can tap into the abundant Source of all supply

through our giving of tithes.

This takes faith and action, just like prayer takes spiritual and natural steps to connect with God to request His help.

Who Do You Trust as Your Financial Source?

Tithing is a natural activity with a spiritual foundation. It requires faith and action. Believe that God is your source and supply and have faith that He will take care of you financially.

The tithe is our first fruits; the first ten percent of our increase. (Proverbs 3:9) And God tells us to bring all the tithes into the storehouse, which is His house. He even tells us to test Him in this and see if He does not poor out a blessing greater than we can receive. (Malachi 3:10)

Tithing is a step of trust and obedience that God will take care of your finances.

It’s Not About the Money, It’s About Your Heart

It has been said that there are over 2,000 scriptures in the Bible on money. That is a lot to say about money. But get this: The tithe is not ultimately about your money – it’s about your heart. God doesn’t want your money, he wants your heart.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 
— Luke 12:34

Our money is a reflection of who we love. And we can, on purpose, choose where our heart will be by choosing where our money goes. The tithe is about our attitude and honoring God!

Give the Best, Receive the Best

As previously stated, and worth repeating: God is the source of all supply. It’s important that we stop looking at people as our source, and look to God.

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”
— Psalm 24:1

Tithing is partnering with God and I’m sure you’ll agree there is no better partner to have than God. A sweet deal for sure.

God is the biggest giver and first gave to us freely and in abundance. All that we have came from God, and He wants us to be blessed coming in and going out. The giving of our tithes keeps us tapped into His flow of abundant provision.

David is an encouragement to us in that he prepared with all his might to give. Giving is an act of worship and thanks to the God who provides for us. And think about it: As children of God we have the Holy Spirit living in us and He is not stingy. Our giving is a sign of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

Remember: A man’s harvest in life depends entirely on what he sows. God loves a cheerful giver because it shows our heart is right when we give. And as we tithe and give generously, God shows up on the scene and does things money can’t do. He shows us the secrets to unlock wealth and abundance.

May God multiply your faithful giving of tithes and offerings and shower your life with growing prosperity!

Be blessed to be a blessing –

Cheers,
Brenda

P.S. “The Path to Wealth” by TS Linscott is now available as an affordable soft cover book.

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The Path To Wealth by TS Linscott

“The Path To Wealth” by TS Linscott

The Path To Wealth Book Review

The Path to Wealth Book by TS Linscott“THE PATH TO WEALTH”

by T.S. Linscott

This book was first published in 1888 with the complete title:

“The Path to Wealth; or, Light From My Forge.”

Revealed within the pages of this

valuable book you’ll find powerful,

timeless teachings regarding God’s money laws…

  • A DISCUSSION OF GOD’S MONEY LAWS
  • THE RELATION BETWEEN GIVING AND GETTING
  • CASH AND CHRISTIANITY

The teachings in this book are provided in a series of ‘talks’ that take place in a blacksmith shop over 100 years ago. The discussions include important insights into monetary principles from God’s Word; which continue to reveal to us today How to Acquire Wealth and Have Financial Success!

In this wealth and financial success book, author T.S. Linscott, shares the dynamic tithing truths that have helped thousands of others discover the ‘secret’ of supernatural growing prosperity.

The following is an excerpt from pages 80-81 of “The Path To Wealth”:

“A good deal of our preaching, our thinking, and even our devotions, either vaporize or spiritualize God’s promises. Our natural unbelief tends to put off the fulfillment of them until we get to heaven or sometime in the future. Unbelief hates literal and present tense promises. But these promises are literal and material; they are for here and now; they are to be enjoyed on earth; they challenge us to a contract or bargain with God.

As stated before, He promises money for money; you pay me a tenth, says God, and I will give you earthly and material blessings. I will give your fingers skill as mechanics; I will incline employers toward you; you shall get the highest wages; strikes shall not affect you; I am with you, and will see that you are provided for.

I will make you prosperous as businessmen; I will incline you where you can make good bargains; I will send the people around to you to buy; while the man next door, who neglects My cause may become bankrupt, this curse shall not touch you. I will look out for your bills when they are coming due; I will see that your bank account is sufficiently large; in a word, I am your partner and will look out for the interests of your business.

And to you thinkers, who earn your living by your brains, I will make your thoughts clear; I will give you the holy impulse to originate ‘thoughts which breathe, and words which burn;’ your productions shall stir men’s hearts; your works shall be in demand; I will make people buy the productions of your heart and brain; only pay me your tenth, and you shall be cared for.

Seed time and harvest shall never fail you farmers; I will bless your crop; I will multiply your stock; the blight and the mildew shall be kept from your farms; remember, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will do to you as I did to them, only remember me as they did.

I will give health to all of you; death shall not take away your little ones; they shall live to a ripe old age; I will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

These are the blessings promised by God in the Bible. Who among this company will this day pledge his tenth to God?” (end of excerpt)

“Are You Tired of Going in Circles Where Your Finances are Concerned?”

In days of economic uncertainty, it is important for everyone to get a working knowledge of truth to prosper.

You can prosper by using God’s spiritual principles in your finances!

The source of all financial abundance is God and with Him there are no limits. Trouble is, too many people are slow to learn the principles that will cause them to excel financially.

Get your thinking clear on how to work them and you’ll no longer use words like recession, poverty, and lack.

In order to receive financial abundance from God, we must do our part. If we do our part, He’ll do His part and meet our needs according to His riches in glory.

Most people don’t like to hear about tithing and it puts them in fear. But you’ll have no problem tithing if you see God as your source of supply.

The tithe is seed money of wealth and is compared to sowing. The more a person gives, the more that person receives. Financial prosperity is one benefit of tithing. It puts us in partnership with God.

We are told to bring the tithes into God’s house and then test Him and see if He does not open the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing on us that we don’t have room enough to contain it! (Malachi 3:10)

Tithing is a step of obedience and trust that God will take care of our finances. God promises to pour out a blessing to the tither.

I truly believe tithing is a key to living a godly, successful, and prosperous Christian life.

“The Path to Wealth” book has been republished and is now easily available in an affordable print version.

In it many of the common questions people have about tithing are addressed and answered, such as:

  • Is Tithing Still For Us Today?
  • Who Should Tithe?
  • Is a Person In Debt Obligated to Tithe?
  • If God is the Source of All Supply, Why Does He Need My Money?
  • Where Should the Tithe Be Given?
  • How is the Tithe Calculated?

In “The Path to Wealth”, Linscott also points out many of the biblical advantages of tithing.

God put it on my heart almost two years ago to republish this book, and it is my earnest wish and prayer, just as it was of the original author, that this book may be productive of good, and lead many a person to ‘bring all the tithes into the storehouse’ in response to the demand of God.

“Where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.”
— Luke 12:34

You can find out more and purchase the book here:
The Path to Wealth by TS Linscott

May you be blessed to be a blessing!

God bless you,
Brenda

Growing Prosperity Productions

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Dave Ramsey Town Hall for Hope Meeting

Dave Ramsey Town Hall for Hope Meeting

This post is a bit delayed, since the Dave Ramsey Town Hall for Hope meeting was on Thursday 4/23. I wanted to blog sooner but I had surgery the next day on Friday and have been recovering…

Now that I am back on my feet and playing catch-up, I want to help pass on this much needed message of hope. Our church hosted the Town Hall for Hope telecast and it was encouraging. With so much doom & gloom everywhere you turn regarding the current economic condition, a spirit lifting message of hope was gladly received.

Dave has a real back-to-basics, common sense approach to not only financial affairs, but life in general. He presents it with a positive and humorous outlook and includes clear steps of action. It is always great to leave a meeting “feeling” better, but if you don’t also leave knowing what action to take, the feelings will fade and nothing in your life will change!

There was a lot presented that night and some others have put together great summaries and reviews. Just do a quick search online. You’ll also want to check out the Town Hall for Hope website at www.townhallforhope.com that has additional resources. I’m assuming a video replay will be available soon.

I do want to make note of the action steps Dave left us with though…

3 Steps for those Struggling with Hope:

1. Get Up & Take Action! – Don’t rely on anyone else or the government to fix your problems. Take control and take personal responsibility of your future in all areas and start with yourself and get your own house in order.

2. Don’t Take Part in Loser Talk!!! – Stop listening to all the negative loser talk from people that are going to suck the life out of you and keep you in fear. Get around people that are positive and going to encourage each other and at the same time hold you accountable. Speak hope. (Dave cracked me up when He said “The average millionaire can’t tell you who got thrown off the island last”. :0))

3. Start Giving! – Giving takes the focus off yourself and this does wonders for your hope. Giving of your time or money helps change your mindset for the better. America is #1 in giving, but we can do even better.

There is a family at our church that shared how they were $60k in debt and within a few years after going through Dave Ramsey’s course, they recently became debt free!

It always helps me to hear of others that overcome. I stepped out into full-time self-employment a year ago and also started taking some online classes. So with the added expense of classes, mixed with cost of starting a business and temporary drop of income…on top of already being a single parent of two teenagers, lets just say my personal financial situation is not where I want it to be.

I’ve never stopped giving of my time and money though. Never stopped tithing and putting God first. I truly believe my situation is changing for the better everyday. :0)

My favorite verse is Hebrews 10:23 from the NLT:
“Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.”

Here’s to the growing prosperity in your life as you keep your hope in God!

Cheers,
Brenda

P.S. I’d love to hear your comments on this meeting or if you’ve used any of the Dave Ramsey materials.

You can also find new and used deals on the majority of his products from The Total Money Makeover to Financial Peace University, books, software and DVDs at Dave Ramsey Resources

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