“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, “How have we robbed You?”
“In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, your whole nation, for you are robbing Me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, says the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it. I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that it will not destroy the fruit of your ground, and the vines in your field will not fail to bear fruit, says the Lord of Hosts. Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of Hosts.”
Tithing lays the foundation for financial success and abundance. Tithing from a heart of love and faith toward God begins to establish deposits with Him that can be used when you need them. Don’t wait until your back is against the wall before you use your faith in this area. Build your faith when things are going well. Learn to act on The Word now, and when the time comes that satan tries to pin you against the wall, you can smile and know you have it made. You’re a tither: satan’s power over you, financially, has been stopped.
When you stand on the covenant of God as a tither and exercise your tithing rights, satan has no chance against you. Malachi 3:11 says God has rebuked the devourer for your sake. If your back is against the wall financially now, don’t wait to begin tithing – you cannot afford to wait. The first 10 percent – the tithe – belongs to God in the first place. Verses 8-9 say, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse…” A person who does not tithe is robbing God and operating under a curse because of it. God is not the one cursing you. The curse was already in the earth because of Adam’s sin. God provided a way for the devourer to be rebuked from off your finances and all you possess. He promised that He would rebuke the devourer for your sake if you would do this. If you don’t have any money, find something you do have, and give it. There is no faster or surer way to break the curse.
When money begins to come into your hands, just take out God’s tithe and present it to Him. “Honor the Lord with your capital and sufficiency (from righteous labors) and with the firstfruits of all your income; so shall your storage places be filled with plenty, and your vats shall be overflowing with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10, Amplified Bible).
Remember, the Word says God gives us the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18) and that THE BLESSING of the Lord makes rich (Proverbs 10:22). When you tithe, God is giving you the 90 percent and receiving the 10 percent for His work in the earth to provide ministry for you. Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “And he gave some to be apostles; prophets; evangelists; pastors and teachers; for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.” You can never out-give God! He always gives back His 10 percent to see to it that you are perfected, equipped, and edified.
Jesus is the One who handles and receives the tithe. You are presenting it to Him. Hebrews 7-8 says, “In the one case mortal men receive tithes, but in the other he of who it is witnessed that he is alive receives them.” Pray and let the Lord of the tithe tell you where it should go.
The tithe, or tenth, is the money, but tithing is done with the mouth. Deuteronomy 26 tells you what to say as you hold your tithe before the Lord. In the new covenant you can build your confession based on what the children of Israel were told to say to the priest in those days. Jesus is now our High Priest to whom we bring the tithe. You can say something like this: “I was a sinner, held in bondage and in darkness by satan. I cried unto the Lord Jesus, and He heard my cry. He lifted me out of my affliction and oppression. He took me in and forgave me. He made me His through His shed blood and gave me authority over the evil one. Now I have brought the first fruits of my land that You have given me. I expect You, Lord, to set it before the Father and worship Him with it. Now, Father, look down from heaven, Your Holy habitation, in Jesus’ Name and bless me, Your son/daughter and servant, according to Your riches in glory. Bless my land (job) and cause it to flow with milk and honey as You have Promised in Your Word. I am Your very own child. You are my very own Father.” Now, praise The Lord and thank Him for your deliverance and authority over satan. Rejoice in all the good things The Lord has given you and your household by sharing them in the love of God.
Do your part in tithing, with the words of your mouth. Then bring the tithe to your High Priest, The Lord Jesus. Just like the earthly priests in the old covenant, He’ll take it and enter into the holy place in heaven to worship the Father with it. See your tithe with the eye of faith being taken by Jesus into the heavenly holy of holies. As you inject faith into your tithing, it comes back with Jesus’ administration on it, which then opens the windows of heaven and begins to pour out blessing on you until you can’t contain it. Make it a time of rejoicing and realizing anew the glorious things Jesus Christ has done for you. Thank Him for delivering you from a land of darkness and scarcity and bringing you into His promised land of plenty, mercy, joy, and peace. When you tithe in faith, you may soon find it to be one of the most exciting things you can do!
Kenneth Copeland Study Bible