BOOK NAME: "ALWAYS ABOUNDING" by John Avanzini GIVE EXPECTING TO RECEIVE Every time God shows me something in the Scriptures that shatters man's normal way of thinking, my first reaction is shock. Not long ago when I was helping in a telethon, I received just such a shock. Kenny Forman was delivering a message, and he made a statement that stirred my spirit. Kenny said: "It is God's way of giving...to give, expecting to receive something for the gift. It is a godly way to give to expect something for what you give!" Those words really jarred my entire system. His statements were exactly backwards from everything I had ever been taught. Every teacher who ever had an impact on my life had taught me I should give, but never expect anything in return for my gift. My mother and father had taught me that. All of my school teachers had taught me that. Bible college professors had taught me that. Everyone had taught me this very same principle-not the principle Forman taught, but the exact opposite. They taught me never to expect something back from something I gave. How could it be godly to expect something back from my gifts to God? When I began to study and search the Scriptures on this topic, how different I found the teachings and truths of God to be from the errors of man. Your Creator has always given, expecting to receive something in return! In the very beginning, God created man out of the dust of the earth. He breathed into man the great gift of life-God's second gift. But when God gave man life, He was expecting to receive something back for the gift. God was expecting man to give Him worship, reverence, love, service, and obedience. And if that first example of God giving, expecting to receive, starts to strip the cobwebs off your traditional ideas, then begin to digest the power of this thought: God's greatest gift of all, his most precious Son, Jesus Christ, was given by God with an expectation! When God sent Jesus Christ to the earth, He wanted something back from man. He expected to receive men and women who would become His children. Let this truth soak into your spirit: Expecting to receive something in return is a godly way to give. The truth is often shocking. You are probably saying: "Why, Brother John, that thought just goes against all I've been taught, all that I know about how a good Christian gives to others!" Now is the time for you to stop thinking man's thoughts. Learn now to hear God's Word, and think God's thoughts without putting a short circuit in your mind. If the Bible clearly teaches anything, it teaches to give, expecting to receive. Ask the Holy Spirit right now to remove the spiritual blinders and to help you see Luke 6:38 in a fresh way. You have read it many times before, but this time read it with the anointed eyes of truth: "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 [measure] withal it shall be measured to you again." I believe God is working on your spirit right now, and that you are beginning to understand His Word for you. Now look at what God says in Malachi 3:10. He says that when you tithe, He will "...open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing." See what God says in Galatians 6:7: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Give, expecting to receive. Expecting to receive something in return is a godly way to give. If you have financial needs, if you are sitting there staring at a stack of overdue bills, if you need something from God, then give something to God. If your house payment is past due, and you are wondering what to do, the Word tells you this: Today, this very day, give something back to the Lord. Give, and it shall be given back to you. I started this chapter with a shocking statement, so it is only appropriate that I should also end it with one. If you are currently experiencing a tight financial situation in your life, it is very likely that you have not been giving enough away-to God. "But Brother John, that just doesn't make good sense!" shouts the Skeptic. You are right. It might not make good sense, but it certainly makes God sense. Read what God says in Isaiah 55:8,9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." In God's world, the first shall be last. In God's world, the leader must be the servant of all. In God's world, you must give away what you want in order to receive it. If you want to receive from God, you must first give to Him. Paul understood this principle of giving to receive when he wrote in Philippians 4:15-17: "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." Paul understood the principle: expecting to receive is a godly way to give. He felt concerned when those he loved failed to apply God's principle in their lives. Paul knew the result of the application was fruit to their account. Every time God speaks in His Word about giving, He also speaks about what He will do as a result. Tithe, and the windows of heaven will open. Give, and it shall be given unto you. Let this message sink into your spirit: expecting to receive is a godly way to give. YOU CAN BANK ON HIS PROMISES Whenever I write about giving, somebody gets angry. But the one person who never gets angry when I write about money and giving is God. He is glad when I write about giving. He knows it is only when you give that He can begin to release His wealth back to you to meet your needs. If there were some thoughts in the last chapter that shook some of the shackles from your traditional thinking, then look at 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 in The Living Bible which contains a principle so powerful it will stagger you. Read this passage and make it part of your thought process, and it will change your life! But remember this-if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much. Every one must make up his own mind as to how much he should give. Don't force anyone to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes. God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more, so that there will not only be enough for your own needs, but plenty left over to give joyfully to others. It is as the Scriptures say: "he godly man gives generously to the poor. His good deeds will be an honor to him forever." For God, who gives seed to the farmer to plant, and later on, good crops to harvest and eat, will give you more and more seed to plant and will make it grow so that you can give away more and more fruit from your harvest. Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much.... What powerful verses of scripture! Begin now to grasp the significance of this principle. God tells you He will give you much fruit so you can "give away more" from your harvest. So often this part is not stressed in teachings about giving. Givers do get, according to the Bible. But they get to give again to His work! God wants to entrust His wealth to those who will wisely "give away more" for His purposes. When you plant seed money in the gospel ministry, into His fields for His work, then He promises it will bring forth a great harvest. When a farmer puts a seed in the ground, he does not get back just one seed. He puts that seed into the earth, the seed produces a stalk of corn, the stalk produces an ear of corn, and that ear produces hundreds of new seeds-all from one seed the farmer planted! That is why God is able to give you...everything you need and more (v. 8). "But Brother John," you say, "I simply cannot give to God. I have too many immediate and pressing needs." Quit listening to that old man. Quit listening to the devil whispering in your ear about scant rations, about doing without. What does God say? He tells you to plant your money in His work, in the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He tells you that if you will give to His work, then He will give you everything you need and more. Many of His people this very day are beginning to catch the vision of being bankers for God. They have learned that they literally cannot give too much away when they give in the name of the Lord. Each time they give an offering, and are in the will of God, He uses it for His purposes, and returns it multiplied to them to give again in greater abundance for His purposes. The cycle continues to grow, because we cannot outgive God, no matter how we try. During these times of economic chaos and unpredictable money markets, these "spiritual bankers" have found the secret to God's abundance, and they now bank on God, bank on His promises, and look to no other earthly bank for their source. By now the Spirit of God is already working on you as you read this book; you are not reading it by accident. I believe God wants you to know and understand His Biblical principles so you can begin to apply them in your life, and so He can begin to bless you in your giving to Him. In fact, He cannot bless you financially until, by your gift, you first release Him to act. You must first give, so He can return back to you. This "release process" applies not only to money, but to any area of your life. Every day, spiritual forces of faith and fear fight on the battlefield of your mind and spirit. You are constantly faced with decisions to trust God and His promises in faith, or to function in fear apart from His promises. Every day you make a choice: either you exercise faith and feast in the abundance of God's supply, or you give in to the devil and fear, and suffer personal famine. In Genesis 26, God's servant Isaac fought the same battle. There was a famine in his land. The ground was dry. Isaac had a need, but there was seemingly, no answer in sight. Fearful he would starve if he stayed in Israel, Isaac decided to go into Egypt to avoid the famine. In this situation, Egypt and Israel are symbolic for your life. Egypt stood for the world and man's ability. Israel stood for God-His ability, His supply. God warned Isaac not to go into Egypt! In fact, God instructed Isaac not only to stay in the land, but He instructed him to sow in the midst of famine, in the midst of hunger, and in the midst of drought. Now, Isaac had to make a decision. He could ignore God, give in to his fear, see only the circumstances of drought and famine, or he could see beyond his circumstances, exercise faith, and be obedient to God. He chose to stay in the land and sow. He chose to obey God. He chose faith over fear, obedience to God's promises over fear. Do you know that before God prospered Isaac, Isaac had to do one more thing? He had to put his faith into action! He had to sow seeds-precious seeds. Never are seeds more precious and valuable than in a time of famine, a time of personal need. By his actions, Isaac released the power of God in his life. The Word records that Isaac did sow, in the midst of drought, and God blessed him a hundredfold-in the same year! (Genesis 16:12.) Your choice is the same as Isaac's. You can release the power of God to meet the needs in your life. The example of Isaac provides two vital keys: 1. Choose faith over fear, and 2. Exercise your faith-bank on God's promises by your action. Read Ecclesiastes 11:1-6. It not only says to cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days (v. 1), it also says, He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap (v. 4). Now is the time to take your eyes off your circumstances. If you are in famine, take your eyes off your fears. Put your faith in God's promises into action, and sow in your time of famine. God is faithful, and as you act, He will multiply your action back to you. God wants to make a mighty witness of your faithfulness, just as He did with Isaac. Nothing can stop God's promises, except you. Please do not misunderstand me here. God is all powerful; He can do all things. But this is His principle: You must act before God is free to bless your action. Isaac could have stopped the flow of God's abundance and supply simply by refusing to act, simply by refusing to sow his precious seed. If Isaac had decided to hoard his precious seed, he would have starved. The world teaches: "Hide your treasures; times are hard. Get all you can; can all you get; then guard the can." The Word teaches: They that sow in tears shall reap in joy (Ps. 126:5). When do you sow in tears? When the seed is precious, when the times are hard! These are not my words; these are not my ideas; they are from the Word of God. You can bank on His promises. TODAY'S TABOO TOPIC: TITHING By now your spirit is starting to grasp the necessity of giving so you can free God to act in your life with His abundant blessings. You are convinced you need to plant seed in order to begin to reap a harvest, and are now asking: "Well, Brother John, just how much seed money do you think I should plant? Don't forget, I've got the house payment coming due, and there are three other payments in the next two weeks. So, go easy on me, OK?" If you listen to the Word, your life will be easier. Read Malachi 3:8: "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein [how] have we robbed thee?..." Look at the answer: "...In tithes and offerings." Tithing is the first step toward receiving from God. For some strange reason, tithing seems to be today's taboo topic. In their eagerness to talk about a loving and gentle God, preachers seem to want to avoid the dear but strict requirement God has for His faithful stewards. Many would have you believe tithing is not for today. Tithing is for today! Many preachers feel tithing is too legalistic, and that it has to do with the Law. Tithing is not from the Law. In Hebrews 7:1-10, we see that Abraham (before the Law) paid tithes. He not only paid tithes for himself, but he paid tithes for Levi, who did live under the dispensation of the Law. We are Abraham's seed. Galatians 3:7 tells us that they that are Christ's are Abraham's seed. Abraham tithed for all of his posterity: for his natural seed, for his seed that lived before the Law and during the Law, and for his seed that now lives in the dispensation of grace. Tithing reached across the lines of the pre-law period and the patriarchal period. Then it extended into the Levitical era and it went on into the era of grace in which we live today. Jesus approved of tithing. In Matthew 23:23, referring to the Pharisees who had tithed in mint, cummin, and anise, Jesus made the statement: "These ought ye to have done [judgment, mercy, faith] and not to leave the other undone" (speaking of the tithe). This Scripture indicates very clearly that tithing is for our day. Many Christians believe the tithe is discretionary and that they can tithe whenever the mood hits them. But we saw earlier that to fail to tithe is to rob God. Read further what God says happens when you fail to meet your obligation to Him: "Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat [food] in mine house, and prove [test] 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 its fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts." - Malachi 3:9-11 Feel and understand God's Spirit in this. He warns His people not to take from Him what is His-do not rob Him. Instead He tells us to bring in tithes. Why? So He can make us poor? So He can see to it that we miss our next house payment? So He can watch our children miss the next several meals? No! So He can open for us the windows of heaven. Christianity goes through teaching cycles. Before the subject of tithing became taboo, preachers used to teach it as something you must do out of obedience, out of painful necessity. But read His Word! Once again, we see that the teachings of man often do not capture the spirit of the Scriptures. God does not ask you to tithe to punish you, to make things hard. God wants you to tithe so He can bless you. Grasp the totality of God's will for you. Tithe, so He can open the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing. During the time of Jesus, the government did not withhold taxes from paychecks. Many children of God come to me and ask: "Brother John, do I tithe on my income before I pay my taxes or after I pay them?" Let Jesus answer that question for you. Read Luke 20 25: "And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's." You decide who has top priority in your life. Does the government have first place, or does the Lord have top priority? Can you give the Lord the first fruits of your harvest if you have already given away the taxes? I believe if you think and pray about this matter, you will find that Caesar-that is, the government-certainly does not have priority over the Lord. The first fruits should not go to Caesar, but to the Lord God Almighty. Once you have decided that you need to tithe in order for God to bless you, and you accept that you will give one-tenth of your income, before taxes, toward His work, you still have another question to answer. Where do you tithe? Again, let's look at the Scriptures. They say to bring your tithe "...into the storehouse, that there may be meat [food] in mine house...." I believe the Bible clearly teaches that you bring it to your spiritual storehouse, the place where you receive your meat. If you belong to a good, Bible-teaching, Bible-preaching, meat- producing church-a place where you are getting fed-then you should bring your tithe into that place; that is your storehouse. I suggest you put your tithe in an envelope and follow the Bible's instructions. Send it to the storehouse from which you are receiving spiritual nourishment. WITH THE SAME MEASURE With great sorrow, I make this next statement . . . Most Christians do not tithe ! For many years I was confused as to the reason for this miserable showing. For a while I thought it was because non-tithers did not love God. Experience has caused me to change my mind about this. Since traveling worldwide and meeting millions of God's children, I am now convinced there is another reason. Most have simply been misinformed as to what the Bible actually promises the tither. The majority of non-tithers are in disobedience because of one simple reason. Their problem has been caused by what the King James Version of the Bible teaches in 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 This promise has never taken place. I am not saying God makes a promise He won't keep. Neither am I saying the Word of God is not accurate. What I am saying is that the King James Version does not translate Malachi 3:10 accurately. Please think this through with me. Have you ever met a tither who was receiving so much that he could not receive any more? You and I know the honest answer to that question is No! There are no tithers who have to turn down money or possessions because they have no more room to receive them. Actually, the very opposite of this is true. All the tithers I know or have ever heard of are not only capable of receiving much more from God, but they are actually expecting more from God. In all honesty we must conclude that something is desperately wrong with the translation of this verse. I must confess, I silently pondered the inconsistency of this verse for many years. Then one day, just as if a light had been turned on, God showed me the answer to the problem. It was the King James Version that made it possible for me to detect the error. The way the King James Version of the Bible is written is of immeasurable help to the serious Bible student. It has a code in it to alert the informed reader of any deviation from the exact words of the original manuscript. Every word in the translation that does not appear in the original language is always printed in italics. This allows the reader to instantly identify the word the translator has added to clarify the original text. It is a universally accepted rule of Bible interpretation that when a word is italicized in the King James Version, it can be omitted without losing the meaning of the original text. If you have not noticed, please notice now. Malachi 3:10 is one of the most italicized verses of scripture in the entire King James Version of the Bible. Seven of the last ten words are in italics. "...that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10 Notice how the meaning of the verse is completely changed with the removal of these seven words. With the italicized words in place, the text erroneously says that the tither will be given a blessing in so much abundance that there will not be room to receive it all. However, when these italicized words are omitted, the verse tells us when we open the windows of heaven with our tithe, it is not enough. After the tithe is given, there is still more for the tither to do. Look at the entire tenth verse again, but this time do not look at it with the traditional understanding. Look at it with your spirit open, allowing God to form His thoughts in your hearts: "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 not enough." Malachi 3:10 If you look closely, you will see that it is the Lord's house, not our house, that will be filled with meat (abundant supply) by our tithe. ...that there may be meat in mine house. See how our traditions tend to make the Word of God of no effect. In this book, italics are primarily used to show emphasis. Please refer to the King James Version text for the exact words italicized by its writers. "Making the Word of God of none effect through your tradition...." Mark 7:13 The plain teaching of the Scriptures is that God is not obliged to give anything to anyone until something has been given to Him. "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 Most Christians make the mistake of considering their tithe as a gift to God. According to the Bible, the tithe belongs to God. Those who tithe are simply returning to the Lord that which is already His. "...all the tithe of the land...is the Lord's; it is holy unto the Lord." Leviticus 27:30 Not only does the tithe belong to the Lord, but it is clearly stated that it must be returned to Him in a timely manner. If not, He charges the delinquent tither a very high interest rate. "And if a man will at all redeem aught [hold back any] of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part [20%] thereof." Leviticus 27:31 There it is in black and white. The tithe is the Lord's, and it must not be kept back from Him. If it is, God charges twenty percent interest! Let this sink down into your spirit. God does not owe anyone so much that there shall not be room enough to receive it when they tithe. The tithe is His already. Realizing this, let me help you to see just what giving the tithe does for us. It opens the windows of heaven. It is a universal practice among men to close and lock the windows and doors to keep thieves out of the house. Is it any surprise to find that God does this same thing? As long as a person robs God of the tithe, the windows of heaven stay tightly closed over his life. While the windows of heaven are closed, the increase of God is blocked. Look again at God's promise to open the windows of heaven over your life each time you faithfully tithe: "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...." Malachi 3:10 Every time you tithe, the windows of heaven open. God then stands ready to pour out a blessing. But remember our three important words, "that not enough." Something more is needed. God says it is not enough to simply open the windows of heaven with your tithe. Everything in heaven won't just start tumbling out through those windows. The blessings must be poured out. The words poured out speak of a measured amount. In Ferrar Fenton's translation of this verse, he refers to the windows of heaven as the sluice of heaven. A sluice is a special water gate used to measure specific amounts of water from a reservoir. It allows water to be measured out to the community according to the portion it has invested into the reservoir. God does not pour out the same amount of blessings to everyone who tithes. Each tither must establish the measure God is to use. Go back with me to Malachi 3:8 and notice the last words of the verse. ..."Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings." Malachi 3:8 Here is the missing key. God is reporting a twofold robbery. There is not just a robbery of the tithe, but there is also a robbery of offerings. The measure of the blessing God can pour out is always established by the measure of your offerings. Look with me again at God's greatest offering scripture: "Give, and it shall be given unto you...for with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." Luke 6:38 Your tithe opens the windows of heaven. Your offering determines the measure God can use to bless you. If you give your offerings with an eyedropper, you have bound the hand of God to bless you with an eyedropper. Whatever measure you use when you give to God, He is bound by His Word to use that same measure when He gives to you. If you use a teaspoon, God must use a teaspoon to bless you. If you give offerings to God by the cupful, He will joyfully be able to bless you by the cupful. This principle works right up to the train load and beyond. Let me encourage you to begin giving with this new understanding for just six months. If you do, you will never stop. Begin by returning the tithe to God from every increase. Then add to this a generous offering. The missing ingredient in the lives of most tithers is the offering. When the tithe is faithfully given, and the offering is generous, then Luke 6:38 will be fully realized: "For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." Luke 6:38 In case there are any who do not believe it is proper to omit the seven italicized words in the King James Version of Malachi 3:10, I would like to suggest you check the following accepted translations of this verse. The Berkeley Version, The Jerusalem Bible, The Douay Version, The New English Bible, Ferrar Fenton's Version. You will find that none of these say there will be a blessing so great that there shall not be room enough to receive it. SIX STEPS TO A PROPER OFFERING Before you can decide the right amount of money to give in an offering, you must know there is a definite difference between your tithe and your offering. Remember, the tithe is not a gift to God. Neither is it a part of your offering to God. The Scriptures say the tithe is always the Lord's property. When you pay the tithe on your increase, you are simply returning to God the portion of your income that already belongs to Him: "...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 There should not be any difficulty determining the amount of your tithe. The Hebrew word tithe literally means "tenth," and the Scriptures clearly show that the tithe is ten percent of your increase. The Bible confirmation of this can be found by comparing the following verses of scripture: "...And he [Abraham] gave him [Melchizedek] tithes of all." Genesis 14:20 "[Melchizedek] To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all...." Hebrews 7:2 Without question the tithe is ten percent. All Christians should give ten percent of their income to the Lord each time they are paid, or any time they receive an increase. The offerings are a totally different matter. "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 Every Christian is required to give offerings, according to this verse. A proper understanding of this chapter will greatly increase the return you experience from your giving. You will learn to let God guide you in giving the amount He desires you to give. It should not be supposed that every offering will be the same dollar amount. Each time an offering is given, it must be considered as a separate event. Many Christians make the mistake of setting a standard amount to give for certain types of offerings. For instance, they might give $20 to every visiting evangelist, $30 to every missionary, exactly $5 each week for Sunday School, and so on. This is an easy habit to fall into. It is also a very destructive one. Realizing the exact amount God wants you to give in each offering is of the utmost importance to you. As you learn to discern His will when you give, you will find yourself participating in the full abundance of God. After 31 years of Bible study, most of which have been spent in the area of Biblical economics, I have found six simple steps that will help guide you in determining the amount you should give in each offering. If you faithfully follow these steps, I can say with confidence that you will always know exactly how much God wants you to give. Step One: You must have a willing mind. If you are not of a willing mind, it is impossible for God to guide you. God never drives His children. It is always the devil who tries to drive us. God always leads His children. As long as your mind is not willing, you cannot give a proper offering. In one of his letters to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul stated that willingness was a requirement for giving a proper offering: "For if there be first a willing mind...." 2 Corinthians 8:12 Proper giving always begins with a willing mind. The greatest offering ever recorded in the Bible was given when only the willing-hearted were allowed to participate: "Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart." Exodus 35:5 The amount of that offering was so great, the Bible says it was more than enough. It was so much that the people had to be restrained from giving: "...The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment...Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing." Exodus 35:5,6 If you put a limit on the amount you will give to God, you do not have a willing mind. In this state of mind, you will not be able to give the amount He wants you to give. Only when you are of a totally willing mind will you be able to give a proper offering without reservation: "For if there be first a willing mind..." 2 Corinthians 8:12 Step Two: You must only think of the good things. Most Christians make a terrible mistake when they are deciding how much to give in an offering. They allow their minds to be filled with the wrong things. Instead of concentrating on the things they have, their mind wanders to the things they do not have. For instance, they will begin to think about the new tires they need instead of concentrating on the automobile God has given them. When your mind is fixed on your needs, there is a natural tendency to lower the amount of money you are willing to give God. You must fix your mind on the good things God has already provided for you. If you do this, you will have a tendency to give the amount God tells you. That is why the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians to give according to what they had instead of according to what they did not have.: "...it [the offering] is accepted according to that a man hath (his blessings), and not according to that he hath not [his shortage]." 2 Corinthians 8:12 It is reasonable to assume that if your mind is full of the blessings God has given you, your spirit will be much more open to His instructions as to how much to give. God wants you to give according to the good things He has given you, not according to the shortage Satan has caused in your life. Do not penalize God for the devil's work. Reward your God according to the blessings He has already brought you.: "...it is accepted according to that a man hath." 2 Corinthians 8:12 Step Three: You must determine the amount you give will be given cheerfully. The spirit in which a gift is given always has an effect on the person to whom the gift is given. Some people are able to make you feel bad, or even guilty, when they give to you. Some even give with a martyr's complex. They actually put on a long face and sad eyes as they tell you in great detail of the tremendous sacrifice they are making to give you the gift. They will let you know you must be very careful with what they give you, for they will suffer much for giving it to you. God has no pleasure in an offering given in the wrong attitude. This is made clear in this scripture: "...cheerful givers are the ones God prizes." 2 Corinthians 9:7 TLB "...God loveth a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7 The Living Bible says God prizes cheerful givers. The King James Version says He loves cheerful givers. Both translations make it clear that He prefers receiving from those who give cheerfully. Think how you would feel if a person who made you feel bad every time he gave you something asked you how much he should give you. Even if you did need something, your answer would probably be, "Oh, no. I don't want you to give me anything." You would answer this way to keep from having to feel bad after receiving from him. I believe God has the same attitude toward grumpy givers. He will be reluctant to tell them how much to put in an offering. If you want to enjoy the status of one of God's preferred givers, you must remain cheerful while giving. God is eager to reveal this exact amount He wants given if He is speaking to a cheerful giver: "...cheerful givers are the ones God prizes." 2 Corinthians 9:7 TLB Step Four: You must refuse to give when man puts pressure on you. It is better to give nothing than to give an amount someone pressures you into. This does not mean that when people emphasize the urgency of the need, they are putting pressure on you to give. They may simply be relaying to you the pressure they are under. If your pastor tells you of an emergency need, this should not be considered pressure. If he emphasizes that everyone will have to give a generous amount, he is simply giving you vital information about the size of the need. Pressurized giving takes place when psychological force is used to cause you to give more than God is telling you to give. The Scriptures are clear on this matter. Do not feel guilty if you do not give when pressure is