By Pastor Pete Norris

You can have things or things can have you.

There was a young boy who had his hand stuck in a priceless antique vase. Everyone was frantically crying and asking the paramedics if they could get the little fist out without breaking the vase. The little boy whispered and said, “Would it help if I let go of the penny?” Sometimes, we are holding on to the penny when God has bigger and greater things for us.

The prosperity message is valid. No matter how much you may object or argue against it, it is still in the Word of God. Deuteronomy 8:18 tells us – “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth...” God gives us the power to get wealth. If you think that your achievements are your own, stop and think again. God gave you a brain. He gave you hands. He gave you the breath in your lungs. He gave you ability and ideas. Remember the Lord is the source.

Why would God give us wealth? Deuteronomy 8:18 -- “...that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” We won’t have a problem with prosperity if we understand that it fulfills the purpose of God’s covenant.

Remember that Abraham was blessed with wealth and influence as well as heirs, and that he had a mighty impact on his world in the name of God. God’s blessing and prosperity upon Abraham and the Jewish nation enabled them to increase and inhabit the land.

God can bless you wherever you are. There was a man who said “Brother Sumrall, if I had one hundred thousand dollars, I would give it to you.” Brother Sumrall answered, “You don’t have one hundred thousand dollars, but you can give from what you have. Let God bless what you have.”

Many people want God to bless what they don’t have. God is not going to bless your intentions. He blesses actions. Start with what you’ve got, whatever it is, and God will work with you. He will go every single step of the way with you and bless you like you have never been blessed before. Proverbs 3:9 reads – “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.” Does that mean you will be blessed so that you can give God something? Yes, that is what this is saying. It is so very important for parents to teach their children to tithe. Train them that setting aside that 10% honors the Lord. Teach them what is God’s and what is theirs. That is the problem Adam and Eve had. They had the whole garden, but they wanted God’s one tree. They wanted to keep the tithe.

Honour the Lord and praise Him. Are you praising God with your tithes or are you giving grudgingly? Honor him with the firstfruits of all thine increase. Give to God first, not last. Do you give to God only when you feel good? Do you give to God only when things are going well? That means you don’t honor Him when you feel bad or things are shaky. Give consistently, not according to your emotional roller coaster. Give the firstfruits and you will always have something left. In Proverbs 11:24, the Word says “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” This scripture tells us that when people hold on to their blessings, that it leads to poverty.

Mike Murdock teaches, “If what you have in your hand is not your harvest, it must be your seed.” We all know that this is the giving time of the year. Please allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Don’t be selfish this Christmas but sow that seed and help God meet the need. I would like for you to think about How good God has been to you and your family this year and give a seed according to your need.

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