Tithe – A Fence Around Your Garden

I once had the thought, no, let me correct myself, my wife once had the thought that we should grow a garden. We were young, new homeowners and when it came to gardens, we were not especially gifted. We picked a really nice spot in our yard which we thought would make a nice place for our new little garden. The only problem with the spot was that our yard bordered the woods. To keep the garden out of the way, we planted it against the woods on the west side of our yard. Without realizing it, we had tucked that garden up close to the woods and out of the sunlight. We didn’t realize the importance of sunlight to the garden and its growth. Our hopes were high as we worked the soil and purchased the seed.  A few weeks later the seed came up and everything looked great. However, we noticed that the plants were not gaining any height.

We were not aware that the rabbits and other animals living in the woods and along the brush were munching on our baby plants at night. Before long our garden was ruined - all except one pepper plant which did produce one miniature pepper and one corn plant that grew to about a foot high with a miniature two-inch ear of corn on it. We began to ask people who knew how to garden what was wrong. Every one of them laughed when we explained where we planted our garden. You see, it really did not matter what we had hoped to produce in the garden, it was cursed from the beginning. The garden was positioned in the wrong place, and this caused it to be subject to animals that consumed the entire garden.

Simply put, your tithe is just like a fence placed around your garden to keep the animals from devouring it. Likewise, it is similar to planting your garden in a well- watered, sunlit field.

When Israel was complaining to God about their provision, telling Him how it was eaten up and lost, the Bible says Malachi brought the Word of the Lord to them concerning the reason. Malachi explained to the nation of Israel that they were robbing God in tithes and offerings. (Malachi 3:8) He goes on in verse 9 to explain the result of this action.

Malachi 3:9-11 “You are under a curse-the whole nation of you-because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

The tithe allows God to intervene on your behalf and stop the enemy from stealing from you. Like a fence around your garden, the tithe sets a spiritual invisible fence in place, and this stops the enemy from munching any time he wants to.

Most Christians are living paycheck to paycheck. They want more than just provision, they want overflow. The tithe by itself does not bring the overflow. Remember, God told them they were robbing him in tithes and offerings. Offerings were given above the tithe, usually from something that they grew: animals or crops.  The offering is what grows inside the invisible fence of the tithe. We get to eat it or we can sow from our increase to produce a larger harvest in our lives. I hope you can see that our prosperity flows from what we grow and give our offerings from; what we grow inside the fence of the tithe.  In other words, if you were a real estate agent and you wanted your business to grow, you would be sure your fence was up (the tithe) then you could give an offering from the income that your garden (the business) produced into the Kingdom’s work here on the earth.

Without the tithe, anything you try to grow does not really produce lasting results. Similar to my natural garden, everything I tried to grow without the legal invisible fence just does not produce an overflowing result. I found myself always living hand-to-mouth, not to mention the enemy had access to my stuff.

On the other hand, many Christians tithe but still do not see the results of overflowing increase. They have their fence up, but they are not growing anything inside the fence. They have a mistaken idea that the increase they are looking for will just show up - this is wrong thinking. You have to do something in that garden, you have to put your hand to something with faith, and God will make it grow.

In closing, your tithe belongs to your local church, not to a friend that needs groceries or even to Faith Life Now. Your tithe belongs in your local church.  You can, however, sow your offerings anywhere you want. Remember, offerings are given from something that you produced or gained and are given with your free will. Typically, offerings are to help promote the Kingdom of God and His work in the earth and are given with a heart of thanksgiving.  Something very special happens when you give offerings!

2 Corinthians 9:10 “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and INCREASE your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”

God is very interested in seeing his Kingdom advanced and has given us a promise that if we sow (to His purposes), He will bring an increase in seed back to us so that we can continue to make an impact in this world and then give again.

The second thing about offerings you need to be aware of is that it does make a difference where you sow that seed. In a sense, when you send that offering you are making a partnership with that ministry.  In other words, you would do well to sow into a ministry that is going the direction you want to go, a ministry that walks in faith and has an understanding of Kingdom finances and one you feel God is leading you to support.

Once you have your invisible fence up (tithe) and you are sowing into the kingdom (offerings), you still must walk out what the Spirit of God shows you. Your money is not in heaven, it is in the marketplace!  We believe God will give you new concepts, ideas, and direction on where and how to capture the money you need, but it all starts with the tithe!