2011, a Year of Adventure
Giving, Healing, Miracles, & Spirituality!



Giving to God. 20/12/10.

When we talk about giving, our attention is automatically drawn to the area of finances, but I believe God is challenging us to look at our giving in all areas of our lives. There are three realms of giving that I believe for 2011 are key in this area.

1) The giving of ourselves to God.
We have spoken about pressing into God in a new way for many years now, but I believe the excuses for not doing it have run out. It was always Gods original intention from creation to dwell, be intimate and commune with the very vessels he made in his own image, “us”, but consistently barriers are placed in the way, whether it be sin, not believing or feeling we are worthy enough or generally we allow ourselves to be so caught up in life that we do not allow ourselves to take time out.

We try so hard to do the right things, but do not
allow ourselves to be still. In the society we live in
we are made to feel that if we are not doing some-
thing, then that is wrong. If we look at Jesus, he
often withdrew himself and in those times, when he
was resting, being still, he was communing with his
father. In Psalm 46 v 10, we are told to “be still and
know that I am God”. Just maybe it is as simple as
that. Quieting ourselves and secluding ourselves at
times from the busyness of life and allowing God to
be who he says he is. By being quiet, communing
with him and allowing him in those times to work
on us and bring greater revelation of the things of
him will benefit us all greatly. Too often we strive
and try to do the right things to see God work, whether it be reading the word like a book, quoting scripture out loud whilst pacing the floor or mobilizing things in our own strength.

I believe the times of the 5 minute dabbling in the Holy Ghost of being quiet are not sufficient now, but we have to be willing and prepared to be still for longer periods and also be prepared to not like everything you hear, but God only wants to move us on to higher plains in the spirit realm and wants the blockages which stop that to be gone.

A.W. Tozer writes in his book, the worship driven life and I quote: “Our activities should be ordered in such a way as to leave plenty of time for the cultivation of the fruits of solitude and silence”

2) The giving of ourselves to one another.
If there is one thing over the years I have
seen played out in church circles it is
when people have begun to move to the
fringes and do not interact with the body,
causing those people to leave because
they do not feel part of the whole. In
some cases the body is blamed for not
being loving enough or did not do enough
to encourage those people to interact
more, but ultimately if life is flowing
through every joint, ligament, limb then
falling away from the body is not possible.

I believe this year God is calling us to give ourselves to one another, as a sign that, we truly want those around us to know that he is real by our love for one another. This will be a sacrifice of time and a real testimony of us putting others before ourselves, which I believe will bring a blessing to the body as a whole.

We are truly in an Acts point where daily those who believed interacted with one another, sharing, encouraging and making sure needs were met. What a testimony in the society we live if we could demonstrate that not one person lacked, whether it be physically or spiritually.    

We all know that God likes agreement and unity and the greater interaction of ourselves, one to another will help that to blossom.

3) The giving of finances.

In the economical environment we live
in, it does not surprise me that God is
calling us to be givers in a way that we
may never have before. I know that
there are many where finances are tight
and say they cannot afford to give, but
we have to recognize that we really do
limit God and our own potential if we
take this attitude.


God tells us to not test him, but the verse in Malachi 3 v 10, God makes a statement about tithes and offerings. “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my temple. If you do, says the Lord Almighty, 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! Let me prove it to you!

If a farmer stored all his grain for himself in his barns and did no planting, how could he ever expect to receive a harvest, or if he paid for the pleasures of life with all the money he got from selling his grain, again there would be no investment which can sustain him financially for the future. How many people sow or invest nothing in terms finances into tithes and offerings and then wonder why a failed harvest is the result. On many occasions God gets the blame, but actually it is the one who did not sow who should take responsibility.

There are so many verses in the bible regarding
finances and the blessings that come from man-
aging them Gods way. We have to remember that
if we feel pressurized or reluctant to give this way
then it is pointless even trying to start. God likes
it if we give cheerfully.

We are only kidding ourselves if we profess to say
that Jesus is Lord of our lives, but will not allow
him to be our finance director. God gets you to
invest in a system which cannot be shaken,
ultimately leading to a bountiful harvest. We have
to recognize that just because we sow money, it does not necessarily mean that is the crop that will come forth, but there are so many areas that once we start to sow we open up, like protection, healing. If we are faithful in tithes and offerings then God will entrust more to us as we have proven that we can be trusted. We have to consistently check our motives in terms of finances. If we think the kingdom way, then we open up a realm of blessing that the bible says “cannot be contained” or “pressed down, shaken together and overflowing”, but if we think selfishly or materialistically for self gain in terms of our finances and sowing, then basically we are closing the door on the kingdom way and opening up our field of finances to come under attack from anything which would seek to devour it. 


Positioning myself and giving to God

I did not feel a liberty to share this yesterday morning and was being sensitive to the people in the body who may be struggling in the area of finances.

I wanted to pick up on the word Keith Jeffery shared regarding “Please God”.

A little over a month ago, I was at home alone and had been trying to create the opportunity for a few days to press into God and seek him, but with work, family life, and general life things had found it difficult to position myself for any length of time.

I was pressing into God in terms of my youth being renewed as I have been fighting some virus which was wearing me down and if I am honest was beginning to concern me. I felt lead not to pray, worship, or do anything apart from “be”. I layed there for an hour and my spirit began to be lifted to the point where I felt my body gaining strength. I felt lead to speak in tongues and when this began, the spirit lead me to pray in the spirit for others. I sent a text to someone who popped into my mind, asking them what they needed a break through in. I received a swift, but blunt text saying “finances”.

I then began to evaluate my reasons for going
self employed and one of them was to be a
blessing to others and I have always felt that I
would like to support couples, who I know things
are tight for in terms of finances, but they are
faithful in their giving and also their ministry.
Clare and I have always been able to do this to
some extent, but not the scale I feel it should be
at and now that we have no income from Clare,
we have been restricted even more, although we
have been able to continue faithfully in our tithes
and offerings and still been able to bless.

As I evaluated things, I clearly heard in my spirit God say “you are very good at trusting me for your needs to be met and you are a testimony of that, but in terms asking me what you want, you never have done” and then he said “what do YOU want to earn in the next 12 months”.  I was blown away and humbled by GOD. He trusted me to ask for an amount, not for mine and Clare’s gain, but for blessing others, as was my original intention 6 years ago.

Immediately a figure popped into my head, which is 1/3 more than I currently earn. I know some people would struggle in terms of what I am sharing, but it fits nicely with the “Please God”.

Anyway as a testimony to this encounter, 2 days later I had a conversation with someone who I work closely with and they said “I want to bless you and give you a gift, so on your December invoice I want you to put this figure on”. Basically the figure was 5% of what I had asked God for!

I hope this encourages you as much as it has me and if you wanted to read this out anonymously as a testimony and to confirm what the prophets are saying, and then you have my permission.

I feel we are in a season of seeking God by being lead by the spirit, but the responsibility is on us to make the time and space. The 5 minute dabbling in the spirit is not enough and we have to be willing to be there for some time. I believe this is part of being a true worshipper.

Pete gave me a Tozer book to read (KEYS to the Deeper life) and he talks about how we don’t need revival but a reformation by the spirit and that textualism is a big thing in the church meaning, that if we have a word for something we automatically assume we have that thing, but actually it is the spirit which brings revelation and confirmation, not head knowledge. 

Be blessed,
James

photos by G. Butler
"He quietly sleeps peacefully knowing his Father has the wheel."
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