You can easily learn to hear from God.  Jesus clearly explained in John 10 that His sheep know His voice.  You can learn to recognize God’s voice and hearing from God will become part of your daily life.    Over the years I have talked a lot about hearing from God because of its importance in my life.   Perhaps this sounds obvious, but I could never overstate the importance of hearing from God.   While this sounds like some sort of mystical or high-spirituality type practice, in fact it should be a part of everyone’s daily life.   Hearing from God should be clear, easy and regular.   We just need to learn how it works. Many people approach spiritual topics such as this with the perspective that it will come by some special revelation or divine interaction.   Perhaps one day you will hear God’s booming voice or you will have some spectacular vision of Jesus talking with you.   But rather than hoping for a miraculous spiritual occurrence, we should simply start studying God’s Word on

Everyone understands that a huge portion of physical reality can’t be seen with the human eye.  Perhaps most importantly, we can’t see the air we breathe.  Isn’t that amazing, we can’t even see something that our bodies depend on constantly.  This natural realm, all that consists of what we might perceive with our physical senses, contains many other important substances we can’t see.  But there is another entire realm that we can’t see or perceive with our natural senses, the spiritual realm.  I know even the phrase “the spiritual realm” sounds weird and you’re thinking about skipping this teaching, but the importance of spiritual reality cannot be overstated.  The spiritual realm is actually the higher realm, the more important realm, with authority and power over the natural realm.  Even a basic understanding of the spiritual realm will dramatically improve your life and faith journey. I’ve heard people discuss the spiritual realm before, but I’ve never seen a teaching from any

[Here is this full teaching combined into one post.]   Most people have heard the Bible contains more than 2,000 verses regarding money.  Most people understand that the Bible says A LOT about money.  But very few people agree on what the Bible actually says.  When you put all 2,000 verses on the table, if you were to fit them together like a puzzle, what do they say?  Do they make a clear picture of God’s will for your finances?  Actually, they do!   Let me first show you what the picture looks like, and then I will show you how to get started on the path to seeing that picture in your life. 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 talk a lot about money.   They are directed to Christians, and they explain God’s will for our financial lives in no uncertain terms.   First of all, we should understand that Jesus became poor so that we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).   That should come as no surprise when we understand His substitutionary sacrifice on the cross.   He became sin so that w

The Bible is clear that God wants to bless us financially.  But God doesn’t want to just rain money down on us from Heaven, God wants us to learn and operate in His economic system, His system of seedtime and harvest.  God, as the Lord of the Harvest, gives us various seeds that He wants us to sow.  These seeds further God’s will in the earth and bless others.  From these seeds, God brings harvests into our lives.  These harvests produce blessings for us and more seeds for us to sow.  This is His economic system, and it’s His only economic system. Tithing, gifts to the poor, general offerings, and first fruit offerings are all forms of “seeds” we can sow.  As I explained last time, in God’s amazingly brilliant economic system, we increase financially, bless others, honor God, and draw closer to God all at the same time. Now let me say something very important.  In this teaching series we have focused on money, but “seeds” can take many forms.  God may tell you to forgive someon

I’ve been showing from God’s Word how God wants to bless us financially, and how God created an economic system for us to work in.  As we operate in God’s financial system, sowing seeds that produce harvests, God will see to our financial increase. We should discuss the accusation that we who talk like this are only giving to get or trying to greedily manipulate God’s systems for our own gain.  I would like to address that point a few ways. First of all, if these Bible verses and systems don’t work as I’m suggesting, then they just won’t work, and you can then quit and do what you want.  At worst you are out a few bucks that probably went to your church.  Because of how my parents raised me, I’ve been a tither and a giver my entire working life.  I can honestly say from 20 years of experience that these systems do work to increase you financially, and really they are the only explanation for my financial life.  But while the systems do work, if you are only using them to increa

God helps you get money / gives you money (in various ways) and then asks for you to give it back (in various ways) so that you can honor God, bless others and get more money.  Maybe that sounds crazy, but if you have read the first six installments of this message then you would understand how we got here.  God wants us to tithe, give to the poor, give other offerings and give first fruits offerings all as forms of “seeds” that bring various “harvests” into our lives.  God’s economic system works through “seedtime and harvest” and we need to start integrating these concepts into our financial lives. The last type of offering or giving to God that we will discuss is the first fruits offering.  Some people suggest that tithing is a form of the first fruits offering because we bring the first 1/10 of our increase to God, but I believe they are actually different concepts, and the first fruits offering is something we should all understand and give (when applicable).  As with the othe

God wants you to have more than enough money and God wants you to integrate your spiritual and financial lives.  As we have seen, giving money to God brings you into God’s economic system, and there are several Biblical ways to give to God and His Kingdom.  We have talked about tithing and gifts for the poor, and now let’s talk about general offerings. General offerings are different from gifts to the poor or the tithe.  Offerings are freewill gifts to God and His works that are over and above your tithe.  While it’s true that tithes and gifts to the poor can both be marked under the general term “offering”, we want to differentiate the term to further understand God’s economic system. While tithing and gifts to the poor both invite God’s blessings and produce wonderful “harvests” in our lives.  We should primarily associate our “seedtime and harvest” economic endeavors with general offerings.  2 Corinthians 9:6 should be at the forefront of your mind when thinking about general

As we have seen, God wants to bless you financially.   To integrate your financial life with God’s economic system, God wants you to give Him some of your money.  God is then going to give you “harvests” on those “seeds”. Today we will briefly discuss giving to the poor.  As with tithing, giving to the poor is not a legal requirement.  You will not be cursed or go to hell if you never give to the poor.  However, God wants us to be ever mindful of the poor as we consider our finances.  I find Leviticus 23:22 (and other similar passages) very interesting as I consider giving to the poor.  Whenever your receive financial increase in your life, you should be ready to share with the less fortunate.  God is going to attach you to specific ministries and works for your regular giving (for me its Grace Family Church, Schools for Haiti, Inc., Andrew Wommack Ministries and Bill Winston Ministries).  Some of those may help the poor (like Schools for Haiti).  But God also wants you to have s

God wants you so blessed financially that you have enough to always be generous toward God and His Kingdom.  The only way to involve God in your finances is to give Him some of your money, but God wants to bless those gifts and return a “harvest” to you on those “seeds”.  We could categorize the various ways we give to God as follows: (1) tithing, (2) gifts to the poor, (3) first fruits offerings, and (4) general offerings.  We will discuss each of these in turn, and today we will briefly discuss tithing.  I’m going to summarize an hour’s teaching into a few sentences, so I encourage you to study these verses I mention. While tithing is mentioned in the Jewish law (Leviticus 27:30), the practice does not originate there.  Tithing is the customary tax for the king (Genesis 14:20, 1 Samuel 8:15,17), and this custom was established long before the Jewish law.  Tithing to God appoints God as the King of your life.  Please read Genesis 14 and 15 carefully, as it’s a fascinating story,

God’s plan for your financial life is that you have everything you need and such abundance that you can always give generously to God’s endeavors throughout the world.  This giving will bring others to Christ and glory to God.  (2 Corinthians 9:8,11) The only way to involve God in your finances, or to integrate your spiritual and financial lives, is to begin giving God some of your money (Read all of 2 Corinthians 9).  God doesn’t need your money for any reason (Psalm 50:9-12).  However, God invites you into a financial relationship with Him.  He wants you involved in His economic system to bless you and others (See Philippians 4:17, for example).  God’s economic system functions by seedtime and harvest.  When you bring your money into God’s economy, giving it to His Kingdom, God receives that as a seed.  God then gives you a financial harvest on that seed.  Let’s see that concept in God’s Word.  (2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV) – “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap spar

Yesterday I showed you God’s plan for your financial life. God wants you to have more than enough so that you can be blessed and help others. When you help others at His direction, they will know it’s coming from God and they will glorify Him. (2 Corinthians 9:8,11) How do we start integrating our financial and spiritual lives and seeing God’s will in our finances? Take some time to review Bible verses on money (using Google if needed). God wants to bless you financially, and God wants you to give Him some of your money. The idea of giving God money is where many people have problems, especially because they probably heard this from a preacher. But forget about the preacher for now, just focus on the Bible. Here is the key – God is not telling you to give Him your money because He needs it. Rather, God is inviting you into His financial system (examples, Psalm 50:12, Malachi 3:10-12) That’s right, God doesn’t need your money. God’s true works (including your church, hopefully

Most people have heard the Bible contains more than 2,000 verses regarding money.  Most people understand that the Bible says A LOT about money.  But very few people agree on what the Bible actually says.  When you put all 2,000 verses on the table, if you were to fit them together like a puzzle, what do they say?  Do they make a clear picture of God’s will for your finances?  Actually, they do!   Let me first show you what the picture looks like (today), and then I will show you how to get started on the path to seeing that picture in your life (tomorrow). 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 talk a lot about money.  They are directed to Christians, and they explain God’s will for our financial lives in no uncertain terms.  First of all, we should understand that Jesus became poor so that we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).  That should come as no surprise when we understand His substitutionary sacrifice on the cross.  He became sin so that we might become righteous (2 Corinthians