Kingdom financial principles are strategies that guide you into a lifestyle of fruitfulness, financial wholeness, stability, and prosperity. The principles are organized according to God’s giving plan. The art of tithing begins with a renewed mindset on kingdom financial principles that centers on giving, also known as sowing, demonstrated by seedtime (principle) and harvest time (promise). The renewed mindset focuses on V.O.W. S. (Value, Obedience, Willingness, Stewardship).
Value: is described as relative worth, merit, importance, or the regard that something is held to deserve. Each person places the ultimate worth or importance on something or someone that we care about. When we value something or someone we place high priority, we love, cherish, and appreciate it. We will go to great length to guard, protect, and keep safe that which we value. At the hospital, I intently watched my brother hold his firstborn child for the first time. He held his daughter as a rare precious jewel, careful not to drop her. As he held the newborn in his arms, he protected her head, swaddled her, and gently began rocking her. Why? He loved her instantly and valued her as priceless. Our mindset on operating in financial principles should be valued at the highest regard and importance. Giving should be done effortlessly, as an active part of our lifestyle, and never compromised.
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| The Art of Tithing |
Obedience: is a learned behavior symbolized by freedom of choice. The key to obedience is the calculated choice to comply with or follow instructions, commands, or wishes. There are consequences or rewards for every choice we make. For example, the traffic law requires vehicles to stop at every red traffic light. There are two choices when a vehicle approaches a red traffic light: stop the vehicle to keep safe and avoid an accident or run the red light and receive possible damaged car and/or traffic ticket. Our mindset regarding giving should be an act of obedience, acknowledging there are great benefits and rewards to obeying and operating in financial principles. God rewards every willful act of obedience. Obedience is our lifeline to God’s best. “If you are willing (consent, hearken, yield to, accept, to desire) and obedient (hear with attention, listen, give heed, grant request), you shall eat (receive, consume) the good (that which is the best, joy, prosperity, goodness) of the land (territory, region, district, city, state). But if you refuse (turn away) and rebel (resist), you will be devoured (ate, consumed, destroyed) by the sword. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” (Isaiah 1:19-20 KJV)
Willingness: is the readiness and availability to complete voluntarily with cheerful consent and eagerness. We should look forward to giving as it represents an opportunity to invest and sow into our tomorrow. Willingness towards giving has everything to do with the condition of your heart. “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT)
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| The Art of Tithing |
Stewardship: centers on recognizing and acknowledging that God is the Owner of everything and we are called to be faithful stewards and managers. Stewards are accountability partners with God who manage, oversee, and administer God’s property while taking responsible for guarding all assets and redistributing on behalf of the Owner. This connects the blessings back to the Source, El Shaddai, representing the absolute claim that God is the complete sustainer of life, satisfying, and supplying all for His people and we have complete dependence on God to meet our needs not ourselves.
