Last night I had a dream in which and old man, who represented God, said that I owed Him 100 pennies.
I apologized and handed Him 99 and started looking for the last penny.
As I was searching fot the one penny, I found 2 dimes, so I said:" Here, take these" and He Said:"All I need is one more penny".
Then without speaking, He told me:"It is up to you if you want to give extra, for the more you give, the more will be given unto you. For if you want more than enough, so you can share with others, you need to give more than you can and more than it is required." Then I woke up.
As I was pondering His words, The Lord said:"Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes".
So I went and read Isaiah 54:2 and what The Lord impressed on my Spirit were these two sentences : "Do not hold back" and "strengthen your stakes".
I knew The Lord was speaking about tithing, and giving. All that is required is 10%, but we are meant to be generous givers and if we want to receive more than enough so that we can freely give to others, pay their debts, buy them cars, build orphanages, make a difference in the Kingdom, we need to give more than we can, we need to feel stretched, uncomfortable, we need to use our faith! Just like the widow that gave all that she had.
Mark 12 :41-44
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
It doesn't go on to say if she was blessed financially or not, but knowing how the laws of the spirit work, I have no doubt she was. Sowing and reaping works in the Spirit just as it works in the natural.
Galatians 6:7-10
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
In the Strongs Concordance to not hold back means, to not: withhold, keep back, keep for oneself, keep from, hold in check, refrain, spare, reserve. So don't keep for yourself, give without holding back, without fear of not having enough.
To strengthen (your pegs), means to: strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be firm, be secure, restore to strength, sustain. By stretching our tent and pulling our chords, we will strengthen our pegs. By stretching our faith by giving more than we can, we will strengthen our foundations. We will grow from faith to faith and our capacity to give and believe will grow more and more. God will never leave us or forsake us. If He tells us to give something, you can be sure He will provide for your needs, over and abundantly what we ask or think! Recently He Has challenged me many times to give all I had saved, to others, and I always obeyed, sometimes very reluctantly, with tears streaming down my cheeks, but I did it in obedience to my loving Father. Even if I haven't seen the finacial fruits yet, seeing and hearing the happiness and surprise in those people's faces was enough joy for me, and I know that He Is faithful and will reward me at the opportune time.
The 2 dimes in the dream, represent the old widow's copper coins, which were all she had to live on, but they also represent the number 20.
From "The Biblical Meaning of Numbers from One to Forty" by Dr. Stephen E. Jones.
The number 20 in Hebrew is Kaph, which is a palm, an open hand. It signifies giving freely with the palm up, or covering sin with the palm down.
It also means expectancy and redemption. Gen. 21:38, 41 Jacob waited expectantly 20 years to get possession of his wives and property before being released and also took 20 years for Jacob to be redeemed from bondage.
We need to give freely and expect The Lord to move in our lives. The act of giving generously, releases our blessings and redeems every aspect of our lives.
Giving is not an option!
Malachi 3:8-12
8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!
“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’
“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
We need to obey, obedience is better than sacrifice.
1 Samuel 15:22
22 But Samuel replied,
“What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
The Lord rewards our obedience, He Is faithful, He Is just, He will always, ALWAYS provide! He Has provided for my family in miraculous ways! We came to Canada with literally nothing! We had $2,000 in our pockets, that we spent for my husband's immigration application. The first year in Canda we made $9,000! The Lord Has blessed us with 4 beautiful, talented children, a thriving business and another one in the works. We have gone through the hottest fires, the deepest valleys and the wildest storms. Battled poverty, depression, health issues, things that I wish no would would ever have to go through! The closer I got to God, the more I saw in the spirit, the more attacks came! But you know what?? Those times in the wilderness, prepared me for the battles ahead and boy did God ever give me victory!!! I know that this is a very challenging time for many of us, but the Lord Is telling us:
Now is the time to sow! The time to stretch your tent! Strengthen your pegs by giving me your best! Lay the foundations! Put me to the test! Am I not God?!
I am telling you what I told my people long ago!
Haggai 2:15-19
Look at what was happening to you before you began to lay the foundation of the Lord’s Temple. 16 When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten. When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty. 17 I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy everything you worked so hard to produce. Even so, you refused to return to me, says the Lord.
18 “Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day when the foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid. Think carefully. 19 I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you.”
Hallelujiah!!
Comments