The Grace to Give & Receive

©TLW Article
 
Before this year ends, many who choose to do what God’s Word prescribes will experience the true manifestation of being blessed and a blessing… as well as BE (manifest as) the lender and not the borrower. Take no mind of what month we are in…there is no time in the spirit realm – remember? You still have time.
There is a powerful promise in Genesis 12:2,

 “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you (with abundant increase of favors) and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing (dispensing good to others). (Amplified version)

This is a great year with ‘great grace’ to give. A great year for you to be self-sufficient like never before – possessing enough to require no aid or support from anyone or any place. God has called us to be the lenders and not the borrowers. I truly believe that this is a year that many will experience the true manifestation of this promise – actually see it in operation - once again, if they choose to.
It may not look like this is possible in the natural or as you look around, but don’t be deceived nor misguided in the ‘extra’ you are about to receive. God has made a time of ‘great grace’ available to whosoever will believe and do what He has prescribed in His word and obey what He speaks directly to their spirit. This is a time of a great anointing to be empowered to give like never before.  Do you believe that God is able to do this? Grace you to give like never before? Grace you with the ability to understand the principle of giving and His heart and purpose for it? I do. His Word tells us so in 2 Corinthians 9:8, 

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

A time to be furnished in every good work. A time to increase in giving – to be more charitable. A time to be blessed and a blessing. God has already blessed you with an abundance of favor and it is already settled in heaven that your name would be made famous and distinguished – as you dispense good to others – this is the prerequisite.
Yet, another powerful and simple to – the - point promise is in Luke 6:38, 

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Now I’m not saying go and give all you have immediately to those who look like they have a need or to the building fund at your local church or to your relatives, but what I am sharing is, use wisdom, not yours, but God’s. You need to give in this hour to receive what already has your name on it. God, by His Spirit will speak directly to you and tell you where and who to give to in this hour. He may have already impressed a particular person or place in your heart but you keep rebuking the thought. This should not be. He is attempting to release a harvest to you that you can’t even imagine or think of. Ask Him to show you again and make it clear what and how to bless this person or place. The benefits are in overflow and increase as you obey. Don’t expect to receive back from them or the place, but from God, remembering that He is the only Source.

“And (God) Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your (resources for) sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness (which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity). 2 Corinthians 9:10 (Amplified version)

So not only does God ‘our only’ Source provide us with the seed to sow or give but He also provides our food to eat – both spiritual via His Word and natural. How encouraging is it to know and understand what God has promised in Psalm 37:25, 

“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread.” 

Praise God in heaven and in the earth! While in the midst of all this love… He increases the fruit of His Spirit in us –righteousness - causing our hearts to change toward sowing/giving and being a blessing to others (along with any other changes needed). This righteousness increased in us will also remind us that we have been set free from any poverty, ‘tight wad’, Egypt rooted behavior and we are well worthy to receive from God and give… led of God.
Taking care of yourself and what belongs to you ‘only’ is part of the curse. We have been redeemed from selfishness. Galatians 3:13 reminds us that, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (NKJV)
The challenge and choker of the blessing flowing is that some have stopped being (actually living out) the blessing part - dispensing good to others. It’s like this… “Finally, I’ve got mine. I can pay my bills. I can buy many of the things I want. I can help my family, my kids and a few other relatives.” The ‘being a blessing’ part should not stop here. God has increased and will send increase for you to bless others. He will put someone on your heart to bless and they may not be a family member. You will know when He is speaking because you will not be able to get that person off of your heart. The test is will you obey His prompting to be a blessing – with His resources – that He gave you?
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,” when you have it with you. Proverbs 3:27, 28 (NKJV)
We are to have no earthly needs, knowing that by faith our every need has been met by God. But we do need heaven to manifest itself here in the earth. We need heaven on the earth for God’s kingdom to be made known in the kingdom of this world. Money does not come from heaven, but what you need to make some money does. Wisdom, power, revelation, understanding, creativity, witty ideas and inventions come down from heaven – from the mind of God Himself - into our minds and hearts. 

“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives power to get wealth that He may establish His covenant…” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

God is a Spirit. What He reveals to us He reveals to our spirit. What we receive and what God gives comes from Heaven – from above. The unbelieving, doubting, religious person will give man credit or himself for what he has received or done. Even John the Baptist - the forerunner for Christ - knew better than that, he shared with his disciples and the Jews in John 3:27, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”
“The Lord shall open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands; and you shall lend too many nations, but you shall not borrow.” Deuteronomy 28:12 (Amplified version)

God’s love, heart and covenant relationship is filled with promises like, “For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens, and return not there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.” Isaiah 55:10 (Amplified version)

The believer that has the God kind of faith should have plenty of seed to sow and more than enough bread to eat in this hour. Financial resources to help somebody else, a mind to share and plenty of The Word in their hearts and mouth to sow into the hearts of those who may be deficient of natural and spiritual food. If this is not the case, it is truly time for the church to re-evaluate stewardship, getting back in divine order and back in the purpose and foundation of all that God has made it available for – dispensing goods to others. People are always the focus of God’s heart and should be our focus as well.

I shared during ministry an example of something being clogged up. While we were away on vacation I decided not to work out as much as usual. Toward the end of our trip I had an ugly bump on my face. It came to my attention that due to my not working out and sweating my pores had become clogged. Long story short… I stopped doing what was beneficial for my body and that deemed great rewards as well. The same is true when it comes to ‘being a blessing’. Being meaning that you continue to be and the flow will continue. It will not be clogged up… the heavens should remain open on your behalf as a result of your obedience in giving. The heavens have been shut up in times past. Do not be deceived into thinking that it cannot be the same today due to disobedience and inconsistency in the ministry of giving.

Deuteronomy 11:17 warns “…lest the LORD’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.”

Luke 4:25 shares, “But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;” Amen or Ouch!

It’s time for the church to kick it up to another level of giving so that the receiving can be ridiculous and in overflow. Even new believers pay tithes and understand that by doing so… that the Lord of hosts has opened the windows of heaven and poured out a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:10). How much more should the mature saint desire to walk in this wisdom constantly and experience giving from your overflow - the amount that you don’t have room enough for?

Like little brats… you get one thing and you want another. Never satisfied… You are blessed with the red car, you want the blue car – no matter how much of God’s favor opened the door. It’s too hot! It’s too cold! Giving and receiving must come with much thanksgiving and no complaining.  To acknowledge and recognize you have already been blessed and you do have something to give - you must do all things without grumbling and complaining. God has blessed and due to who we hung out with when we were growing up or who raised us or a lack of the knowledge of The Word of God we can become unappreciative – even with the spirit of thanksgiving in us.

You do have something to give! Stop declaring that you don’t. You have what you say. As I mentioned earlier, whether it be The Word or financial resources, you have been equipped at this very moment to give. So, start or keep giving. For many, if you really start sharing the Word of God, you will see more resources come in. Sharing the gospel is a true portal for the release from heaven. Being God’s heart - people – He surely provides when you do so.
Just an observation… and don’t get mad at me… Some have wrinkles on their face not from old age but from a cultivated practice of frowning, complaining and grumbling. This is not the nature of God and should not be yours (if this is the case). Be mindful, 

“Do all things without complaining and disputing…” Philippians 2:14 and, “…in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)

Remember, God is in heaven and Jesus our Lord is seated at His right hand in heavenly places. We have been seated with Christ in heavenly places. As well we have a residence here in the earth because of our bodies and the Holy Spirit lives in us. With this supernatural connection we are equipped to receive from the Spirit of God and from heaven. Direct download – download of direction, instruction and wisdom to move forward with what God has placed in our hearts - whether it is to give or to create, which will in turn empower to give more.

God has placed vision, desires, books, businesses, ideas, and inventions in our hearts that should be acted upon. THE TIME IS NOW. THE KINGDOM IS NOW. NOW IS AN ACTION WORD… IT’S PRODUCTION – PRODUCTIVITY TIME!

You have not only been anointed to give, but you have been anointed to complete. Glory to God! This is the power given to you to get wealth, so that you can walk in ‘being’ a blessing and cause others to give thanks to God – due to your obedience and generosity – the meeting of someone else's need other than the norm. Do not limit God to your 9-5. He will allow you to remain in that mindset, but He is the God of increase and He has made a way for you to prosper and help to prosper others – spiritually and financially. Do not limit the hand of the Holy One as Israel did (Psalms 78:41).

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor; that through His poverty you might become rich. And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.” 2 Corinthians 8:9-11 (NKJV)

God has graced – anointed – you to give… which, in turn will cause thanksgiving to Him from another mouth other than yours. We have ‘all’ grace abounding toward us if we receive it. This grace and God’s wisdom will allow us to see how and what we have to give. We have been given all things richly to share. And, all that God has given has been given in abundance and overflow – whether we know it or not. We have more than enough. It may not seem like it, but you better know it’s true.
Even the Corinthians’ were being admonished and encouraged to excel in their giving. In 2 Corinthians 8:7 we read,

 “But as you abound in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us – see that you abound in this grace also.” 

What grace? The grace to increase your giving. The supernatural ability to do what God has called you to do. We also read in 2 Corinthians 9:11, 12 

“…while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”

The ultimate purpose of our giving is that God receive the glory that is due His name. We were created to praise Him and many are not praising Him the way He desires for them to praise Him due to selfish concerns.

When we walk in the understanding (meaning doing something with the wisdom we’ve received in this area) that giving is a ministry, we in turn cause others to walk free from worry, doubt, anxiety and fear concerning their ‘temporary’ circumstances. This will without a doubt lead to thanksgiving to God. The ministry of giving gives hope to know that every circumstance is subject to change. Sure, we want them to walk by faith and not by sight just as we are, but out of a generous spirit and the spirit of compassion (not the spirit of sympathy) we can be mindful that we were once where they may be and even if we didn’t ask anybody – for anything - when a blessing showed up right on time – through somebody - it was always welcomed and a reminder of God’s love.

He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. Proverbs 10:4 (NKJV)

What you have received from heaven you are to give to the earth and those that live upon the earth. You have The Word that you have diligently sown into your heart. Your faith has increased as a result of hearing The Word of God. So, you have an overflow of The Word in you. Give from your increase both from The Word of God and your financial increase. Having all faith without works is dead.
You can share and give the gospel to all creatures and tell them they need to get into the house of the Lord and learn to walk by faith just like you. But, I believe they will hear you more clearly and receive the word of faith that you are sowing if you also use your financial empowerment to at least meet a natural need at the same time.
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 

“Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? James 2:14-16 (NKJV)

Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?God desires to receive the glory that is due His name. When you actually walk in the ministry of giving this causes other people to open their mouths and give thanks to God. Even if they are not born again believers, once you bless them out of obedience to your covenant relationship with God they can’t do anything but say, “That was nothing but God… I want to know the God they serve!”

Let’s not run this race in vain. Let’s give what we have been given both spiritually and in the natural. Remembering that giving results in receiving… receiving more to give.

“Holding out (to it) and offering (to all men) the Word of Life, so that in the day of Christ I may have something of which exultantly to rejoice and glory in that I did not run my race in vain or spend my labor to no purpose.” Philippians 2:16 (Amplified)

©TLW Article