Financial Giving and the Believer

Jan. 31, 2018 | By Creflo Dollar

Money can have a strange effect on people. It has the ability to reveal our character, and it can bring out either the best or the worst in us. Money is the least thing in the kingdom of God, yet it’s one thing that believers can struggle with the most. A wrong relationship with money holds us back, but refusing to let fear stop us from giving financially unleashes our God-given authority to make a powerful difference in others’ lives.

We can say we trust God, but looking at how we handle money can bring to light any areas in us that may need work. Wealth is just a tool to help others, and those with the right motivations give generously without any reservations. It can also act as a magnifying glass, bringing into focus any unknown character flaws. “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (Luke 16:10, 11, NLT ). An inability to handle a little thing like money wisely indicates bigger problems.

If we find that we trust God in all areas of our lives except in our finances, we can be encouraged knowing that He still loves and accepts us despite our character flaws. Our giving is an expression of our trust, and the more we learn to trust God, the less discomfort we’ll feel opening our wallets. Money is unreliable, as many who have trusted it have learned the hard way. “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10, NLT ). We set ourselves up to get hurt when we put too much trust in our wealth, and this isn’t God’s plan for us.

God wants to bless us financially, and bless others through us, but we block the process when we choose not to give. Giving is sowing a financial seed in faith but, even with the right motives, giving is hard when we eat up all our seed. “Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways  and  set your mind on what has come to you. You have sown much, but you have reaped little; you eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you do not have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages has earned them to put them in a bag with holes in it. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways (your previous and present conduct)  and  how you have fared” (Haggai 1:5-7, AMPC ). Managing our money wisely and living within a budget leaves us with more seed to sow, but we may need to tweak our lifestyle if we consistently come up short.

According to the spiritual laws of sowing and reaping, giving with the right motivation results in multiplied blessings in all other areas of our lives. Trusting God through our giving opens us up to receive from Him and enables us to become a vessel to bless others. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Having this kind of relationship with Him empowers us to spread the gospel in ways that command everyone’s attention.