Why should we tithe? This message explains what the bible says about tithing.

Tithe means the top most part, top of the heap.

Melchisedec is mentioned in Gen 14; 18-20, Psalms 110:4, Hebrews 5:10; 6:10; 7:1-10. Melchisedec is the King Salem or Jerusalem (peace) means the King of righteousness, King of Justice. He is a representative figure of an earthly king and a heavenly priest. He was made like unto the Son of God Heb 7:2,3. He is the Priest of the MOST HIGH GOD. He appears simply as one that lives: a fit type of him whose priesthood and kingly state endure forever (Christ). There is no record of Melchisedec ancestors. He is a priest without family lineage, which means without record of his genealogy. Melchisedec is a type of Christ who is an eternal being really without beginning and ending (Isa. 9:6-7, John 1:1-2, Hebrews 1:8).

Abraham was returning from the military victory and Melchisedec met him and blessed him, The Great Father, The Friend of God, thus acknowledging his superior spiritual dignity.

It was customary among ancient nations to give a tenth of the spoils of war to the object of their worship. Tithes were paid to Melchisedec as the Priest of the Most High God.

The giving of the tithes for religious purposes is at least four hundred years older than the Jewish Law Gen 28:22. In Hebrews 7:1-10, the author points out to us that tithing was not from the law. There was no law that commanded Abraham to give to Melchisedec. The offering of tithes that Abraham gave was an act of homage, reverence, subordination, love and faith. Tithing is an act of ones response to the object of his worship out of love, reverence, and faith.

If there were ever a strong passage on stewardship, it is Hebrew 7:1-10. Hebrews 7 presents three things about God’s design for giving. (1) Tithing is an eternal principle 7:2-8.God instituted tithing into the affairs of men before the law and it continued after the law. Giving is not a law. Tithing is not a legalistic requirement for us. It is an enlargement of the grace of God in our hearts. (2) Tithing is a perfected principle. It is perfected as we bring the tithes and offerings to the God of faith and love in gratitude to honor him for what he has done for us. If we are not willing to give a tithe we need not pretend we are going to serve him in all his commands. We need not act as if he is Lord (head, in control) in our lives. We need not tell people we have submitted ourselves to him if we are not willing to come up to that bare minimum of tithing. The tithe is perfected also because God gives back to us what we give to him Luke 6:38. The principle is simple, if we want to receive we must first give. This is a principle a principle of life that applies naturally, spiritually, and financially Mark 8:35. The physical world lives by the principle of give “You have to spend money to make money. ”We give time to our jobs to gain a check. The farmer gives his time to plant seeds to receive a harvest, Genesis 8:20-22, “As long as the earth remain there shall be seed time and harvest.” (3) It is a blessed principle. The word blessed means happy, fulfilled, satisfied, peaceful, contented. Acts 20:35, the very giving of redemption came from the heart of one who said it is more blessed to give than to receive John 3:16. 2 Corinthians 8:1-3 the Macedonian believers were experiencing bad times in great trial of affliction, but continued to give. They gave and the grace of God was bestowed upon them, they begged for the privilege to give.

The tithe is God's regular possession. We are stealing if we withhold the tithe or what belongs to God Joshua 7:20, Malachi 3:8-11. Is there a THIEF among us? Galatians 3:13-14, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law…that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ." (Galatians 3:6-7 Amplified )

It is not the money itself, but the affection that we have a tendency to attach to it that snares us. "For where your treasure is, is there will your heart be also" Matt 6:21. There is a relationship between the heart and the dollar. Whatever we love we support John 14:15. Drug addicts support their habit, Alcoholics support their habit, yet we say we love God but struggle to support the things of him. Mark 12:30 "And thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength this is the first commandment. If we gave with that kind of love toward God, it would mean that all of our income would be tied up on Him. It would be like a junkie who spends his grocery money and rent on his habit. This is true, but God knows that the number 10 in the numerical system is a symbol of the whole. We count by tens, and our number system is based on tens. When we give 10% it is a symbol of the whole. It represents our highest priority as God. It is hard to worship like that if that is not how you feel toward God.

The bottom line is that God doesn't need our money. What makes him happy is the fact that He knows that there is a tie between your giving and your heart, in other words it is the thought that counts. The Bible teaches that the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. The cattle of a thousand hills belong to the Lord. See we need him, because everything belongs to him.

God will never tell you to do something that He will not equip you to do. If your heart is truly after God, then giving just happens. God expects us to take his Word at face value, and not compromise on what he commands, only then will we receive the blessings he has promised. We must feed the finances of the local church as we do our bodies. The church must be viewed as a place of blessing, a place where our hearts are tuned in to the will of God. When we tune in to God we can re-establish the financial stability and learn to apply the economical Biblical Principles (laws that never change).

Everyone pay tithes, they just don't pay them to the Lord. Some end up paying them to the mechanic. Others pay them to the dentist, the doctor, or some other misfortune. It is a fact that God doesn't bless those who disobey His Word. There is a penalty for extortion. That is what is meant when Malachi 3, says "you rob God through tithes and offerings." Then those same people will spend the tithes on clothes for church or other things and call it prosperity. It is dangerous and unwholesome.

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? Ye are cursed with a curse: For ye have robbed me, even this whole nation" Malachi 3:8-9. God calls it robbery when we do not pay tithes. Those who do not maintain their commitments and make excuses are extortionists, embezzling the funds that God has entrusted to their care. You see, we are not the owner, just the stewards. God says, that the tithe belongs to him. Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on (Habakkuk 2:6).

Gods only request is that we be faithful to give him a dime of every dollar that he gives us. It only becomes a struggle when you think you are giving God what is yours. It is not enough to understand that you will be blessed when you tithe, though that is true. Greater still you must realize that God blessed you with something for you to tithe upon, and it should be set apart on I Corinthians 16:2. Woe unto you, if you take the ninety percent, he has given you, and then rob him of the tenth he required of you.

You must pay tithe off the top Malachi 1:6-9.People who feel like they can't worship through tithing feel that way because they have not prioritized their lives, and allow debt to overwhelm them. The first thing we need is a desire to worship God through tithes. If our desire towards God does not change, neither will our attitude about giving. No one is delivered from anything they enjoy. If you desire to be organized economically and supportive of the ministry that helped to change your life, or feed you soul, God will help you to overcome the bondages of debt. Begin right now to ask God to help you to bring your life to order. Release your faith! You will be surprised what God can do with "not enough", whether it is not enough education, opportunity, or whatever. Remember what he did with not enough food? He took two fish and five loaves of bread and fed a multitude. Allow God to break you like he did the fish and loaves of bread (Matthew 6:30-34).

When we tithe we are actually in business with God. Most partners want 50%.God only asks for 10%. The discipline of committing tithes helps us to be consistent in how we pay others. It is a matter of honesty, discipline, and integrity. The tithe is holy unto the Lord. The term holy in scriptures simply means consecrated. It was set apart for a divine use. The tithe is holy, and it should be set apart for God. The act of setting apart is an act of honor and worship to God. It is an act of worship that expresses what he is in our life. The word worship means that we portray his worth in our lives. Money is his wealth entrusted in our hands. The integrity of our stewardship in tithing blesses him. It is tragic when we raise our hands to worship, and sing songs, then when it comes down to our treasures, we hide from God.

DAILY PRAYER OF FAITH CONCERNING
TITHING AND GIVING
FATHER GOD, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR LORDSHIP OVER MY LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. HE IS MY SAVIOR, HEALER, PROVIDER, AND REDEEMER.

FATHER I LIFT MY TITHE, AND OFFERING UNTO YOU. LORD JESUS, TAKE MY TITHE AND OFFERING AS A WORSHIP. I BRING THE FIRST FRUITS OF MY INCOME TO YOU AND WORSHIP YOU AS KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. I SET MY HEART IN FAITH TO RECEIVE A 100 FOLD RETURN.

FOUL SPIRITS OF POVERTY, LACK, AND DEBT, I BIND YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS. YOU CANNOT WORK IN MY SPIRIT, MY MIND, MY BODY, MY MARRIAGE, MY BUSINESS, OR MY FAMILY. I DECLARE THAT THE DEVOURER IS REBUKED AND THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN ARE OPENED, FOR MY FAMILY AND I. WE STEP NOW INTO THE INHERITANCE, WHICH GOD HAS SWORN TO GIVE US. I LOOSE PROSPERITY NOW IN THE NAME OF JESUS TO WORK IN MY SPIRIT, MY MIND, MY BODY, MY MARRIAGE, MY FAMILY, MY BUSINESS, AND MY FINANCES. IN JESUS' NAME!

Study these scriptures daily: Deuteronomy 28: 1-4, Genesis 22:14, Exodus 15:26, Psalms 23:6, Matthew 16:19, Mark 23:6, Titus 1:4, Hebrews 3:1.(Declare these scriptures in your prayer time).