God never fails... period. He never fails nor shames those who trust Him.do you have any to share my faith is weak in this area due to my debts
Several years ago I had a HUGE amount of debt. HUGE I was single. I started panicking when the market tanked in 2008 -2009 and everyone was getting laid off. I was living paycheck to paycheck. My job was laying off people every week. I was terrified I was going to be next and was going to end up on the street. I didn't have extra money to pay my tithes so I didn't( many people will frown on this but this was what I had to do) and you know what? I prayed to God to help me out of this mess even though I couldn't pay my tithes. God still blessed me. I was never laid off, I got on of the biggest bonuses that I ever received, I received raises every year and I got promoted twice.
How did I get out of debt? I went on a strict budget. I followed Dave Ramsey's plan, which is the reason I am completely out of debt now. I put every extra dollar I had onto the debt. I stopped shopping and stopped going out. And little by little I got out of debt. It was scary and but I believed God.
Even though I didn't pay the 10% tithe, I did give offerings whenever I could. But when I paid off half of my debt, I started paying my tithes again. I have been paying them faithfully ever since.
Just remember that God loves YOU. Pray and he will open doors that you didn't know could be opened.
Thanks for sharing your storySeveral years ago I had a HUGE amount of debt. HUGE I was single. I started panicking when the market tanked in 2008 -2009 and everyone was getting laid off. I was living paycheck to paycheck. My job was laying off people every week. I was terrified I was going to be next and was going to end up on the street. I didn't have extra money to pay my tithes so I didn't( many people will frown on this but this was what I had to do) and you know what? I prayed to God to help me out of this mess even though I couldn't pay my tithes. God still blessed me. I was never laid off, I got on of the biggest bonuses that I ever received, I received raises every year and I got promoted twice.
How did I get out of debt? I went on a strict budget. I followed Dave Ramsey's plan, which is the reason I am completely out of debt now. I put every extra dollar I had onto the debt. I stopped shopping and stopped going out. And little by little I got out of debt. It was scary and but I believed God.
Even though I didn't pay the 10% tithe, I did give offerings whenever I could. But when I paid off half of my debt, I started paying my tithes again. I have been paying them faithfully ever since.
Just remember that God loves YOU. Pray and he will open doors that you didn't know could be opened.
In 2012, I was drowning in debt. I also was in the worst romantic relationship of my life that drained me financially. God was speaking to my heart, to just start tithing.
So, in late October 2012, I gave in. I put 10% of my bi-weekly gross pay in the offering plate. And as long as I live, I'll never forget what happened the next week.
I went to my apartment's website to pay my rent, which was due on November 1st. I usually paid $880. Well, that day it said amount due : $535. I was like wth, there must be a mistake. I sat there for like 30 minutes talking to myself. Should I call and ask management if it's right? Or should I just pay it and act like nothing happened? I called the office at my apartment and spoke to a leasing agent. I just said I was calling to check to see if the amount I owed was correct. She looked at my account on her end and said, "yup, your remaining balance is $535." I hung up, paid $300 less in rent and screamed "Thank you, Lord!"
I remained consistent, paying tithes biweekly. And the blessings were unreal. Raises at work and I got 100% telework permissions. Sooo much money in my bank account that I just felt relieved about money. And the kicker is that although I was with a bum boyfriend who didnt pay for anything, his MOM started doing BIG things for me. She bought us dinners and paid for our vacations. I have since left that dude. But, it was just amazing to see how God still think took care of me.
Just start giving something. Trust me! The blessings will overflow.
Oh. My. God., sis! You are so spirit-led with this testimony. Today, my REAL life best friend whom I've known and I were talking about studio apartments that were cheaply priced at the EXACT price $535 and casually speaking about how there are cheaper places way, way outside of New York in CONNECTICUT. Sis, you are so amazing! I'm leaping like a baby. Did you read it, baby! I pray that God continues to bless you so you continue to be whole in mind and body.
Awesome! I'm so glad that I could help. It's always tough putting yourself it there. But, if I can help somebody, I know I did my job.
God bless you!
Maybe I'm overthinking this (I do this a lot), but I seem to have noticed a strange correlation between when I do tithe, and when I don't. It seems like when I do tithe, my money seems to last longer even though I'm on a extremely modest budget. I bet all of us can relate in some type of way how it feels to have more bills then money. Remember, God loves a cheerful giver. I cannot stress this enough. God doesn't want you to feel "obligated" to tithe, he wants you do it because YOU want to. Give what you can, when you can. Eventually, you'll be in a place where you want to tithe more than 10%. I made a conscious decision that I'll give no matter what, even if it's only a few dollars. Somehow, I always have enough. Then I'm like thanks, You're the real MVP
It's definitely in the attitude! Have an open and grateful heart.
That is a powerful testimonyIn 2012, I was drowning in debt. I also was in the worst romantic relationship of my life that drained me financially. God was speaking to my heart, to just start tithing.
So, in late October 2012, I gave in. I put 10% of my bi-weekly gross pay in the offering plate. And as long as I live, I'll never forget what happened the next week.
I went to my apartment's website to pay my rent, which was due on November 1st. I usually paid $880. Well, that day it said amount due : $535. I was like wth, there must be a mistake. I sat there for like 30 minutes talking to myself. Should I call and ask management if it's right? Or should I just pay it and act like nothing happened? I called the office at my apartment and spoke to a leasing agent. I just said I was calling to check to see if the amount I owed was correct. She looked at my account on her end and said, "yup, your remaining balance is $535." I hung up, paid $300 less in rent and screamed "Thank you, Lord!"
I remained consistent, paying tithes biweekly. And the blessings were unreal. Raises at work and I got 100% telework permissions. Sooo much money in my bank account that I just felt relieved about money. And the kicker is that although I was with a bum boyfriend who didnt pay for anything, his MOM started doing BIG things for me. She bought us dinners and paid for our vacations. I have since left that dude. But, it was just amazing to see how God still think took care of me.
Just start giving something. Trust me! The blessings will overflow.
@bellatiamarieI'm reading this book entitled "What Happens When Women Say Yes To God" by Lysa Terkeurst and I just read something that made me think of this thread....
"God wanted to teach us that when we tightly hold on to the things of this world, we not only lose the desire to give, but we lose the ability to receive more as well. Did you catch that? If we hold all that we treasure with our hands open and our palms facing upward, we are telling God we recognize it is His and we offer it up freely to Him."
I don't have a specific testimony but God has poured out some serious financial blessings upon my life that I correlate directly with my practice of faithful tithing. Tithing is a true test of trust in God. Giving in general is becoming a way of life for me and God is rewarding me in many areas of my life. I ain't rich or perfect or anything like that but I'm blessed... beyond measure.
I'm reading this book entitled "What Happens When Women Say Yes To God" by Lysa Terkeurst and I just read something that made me think of this thread....
"God wanted to teach us that when we tightly hold on to the things of this world, we not only lose the desire to give, but we lose the ability to receive more as well. Did you catch that? If we hold all that we treasure with our hands open and our palms facing upward, we are telling God we recognize it is His and we offer it up freely to Him."
I don't have a specific testimony but God has poured out some serious financial blessings upon my life that I correlate directly with my practice of faithful tithing. Tithing is a true test of trust in God. Giving in general is becoming a way of life for me and God is rewarding me in many areas of my life. I ain't rich or perfect or anything like that but I'm blessed... beyond measure.
@levette ... So happy for you.Okay so last month I did tithe and things kinda clicked for me... I was able to go on a pre planned trip with my child and the money stretched.. i usually paynsomething but this time paid the 10 percent
Praise God for your faithful heart...I've increased my tithe from 10% to 12% and it has definitely reflected in my earnings and I'm able to save some money now as well. I am a hardcore believer in tithing because it works just like God said it would. I have suffered from extreme debt when I didn't tithe many years ago plus everything around me seem to break down.
It was rough until I started tithing again and I will do it no matter what because God's interest is 20% which I would rather not pay if I can help it. So I tithe faithfully, afterall, the 10% is not my money, it's His. I also give an offering separate and apart from the tithe and sometimes an additional seed offering.
I can testify to how tithing turned things around for me.
The last 4 years have been a living hell for me. I got divorced after the Lord told me to get out of my marriage. I know some would argue this and say God hates divorce, which He does, however if you knew the cirumstances, you would understand why He told me to run.
Long story short, God wanted to use this time to work on me and I didn't listen. He literally had to knock me down to get my attention. Once He did, it was on. My faith has grown a million fold. I've got a relationship with God unlike any I've ever had before. Sometimes the Spirit would be running over me so much, I felt like people would get a shock if they touched me! As you can imagine, as soon as God started moving in a huge way in my life, the devil came running. Sometimes, the satanic onslaught was so bad, I would literally spend every waking moment in my head, on my knees, in my car, wherever, praying. I mean it was BAD...I just trusted God and spent more time in my Bible, in church, and in prayer. Satan attacked everything, my health, my finances, long time friends turned on me without warning...the list goes on and on.
Now I will be the first to admit that I have always been lazy about paying my tithes. I was seriously on the verge of financial collapse and serious about being obedient to God. So I began paying my tithes faithfully and without a single qualm. It didn't bother me in the least bit to do it. Especially after the Lord led me to Malachi 3:10 one night while reading my bible. It's not my money. Strangely, things didn't turn around immediately and my finances continued to downspiral. It finally dawned on me one night, that God was testing my faith. Stretching my faith "muscle" so to speak. I had indescribable peace while all this was going on. And the Lord would do little things for me to encourage me. Like my dryer died which I couldn't afford to replace, and my friend just up and bought me one. I spotted a wind chime one day in the store that I loved, and a friend, out of the blue, brought me a beautiful cross wind chime. One day I was dying for a peanut butter sandwich and I walk down to the kitchen and right in the front of the cabinet was a brand new unopened jar of peanut butter
Please believe me when I say that things were SO SO bad in my life. Stuff kept coming at me left and right. I have 2 kids and a mother that I take care of so you can imagine my stress. I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. And then, out of the blue when I least expected it, God turned things around in a way I never would have dreamed. I was about to lose everything and instead, He gave everything back and then some. And He isn't done yet. Something else is getting ready to happen. I've learned to read the signs, lol. First, it seems like God goes silent when something is going down. I've learned that when God is silent, so long as I am living righteously, then that means He is up to something on my behalf. I've also learned that during those "silent" periods just before the blessing, the devil goes on the attack. And he has been working on me like crazy. Someone keeps screwing nails in my tires so that I have to replace them (3 nails so far), among several other things. Instead of focusing on how the devil is kicking me, I'm excited to see what God has planned for me next. I can't wait!!
Sorry this was so long, I just hope it encouraged you. I went from being days away from homelessness to extra money in my checking and savings account as well as keeping my home and everything else. Trust and have faith and most of all, obey God, including paying your tithes. He will deliver you when you least expect it and better than you could ever dream of
Read Malachi 3:10