Author Archives: Dianne

Tithing

Tithing, Giving and the Scriptures: It’s Not What You Think [Part 14]

Posted on by Dianne

Amos and Tithing to Idols (Amos 3:12-4:7)

    3:12Thus says the Lord: “As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion Two legs or a piece of an ear, So shall the children of Israel be taken out Who dwell in Samaria—In the corner of a bed and on the edge of a couch! 13Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,” Says the Lord God, the God of hosts, 14″That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground. 15I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; The houses of ivory shall perish, And the great houses shall have an end,” says the Lord.

    4:1Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, “Bring wine, let us drink!” 2The Lord God has sworn by His holiness: “Behold, the days shall come upon you When He will take you away with fishhooks, And your posterity with fishhooks. 3You will go out through broken walls, Each one straight ahead of her, And you will be cast into Harmon,” Says the Lord.

    4″Come to Bethel and transgress, At Gilgal multiply transgression; Bring your sacrifices every morning, Your tithes every three days. 5Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, Proclaim and announce the freewill offerings; For this you love, You children of Israel!” Says the Lord God.

    6″Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities. And lack of bread in all your places; Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord. 7″I also withheld rain from you, When there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, And where it did not rain the part withered.”

The prophet Amos, speaking for God, lists tithing and sacrifice to idols (at Bethel and Gilgal) as one of their crimes against Him. Clearly, it was not just tithing that was important.

"Practical Christianity", supernatural

Soulical Warfare

Posted on by Dianne

Soulical warfare refers specifically to us humans, and must be fought with weapons more powerful than the field of battle; we can’t use soulical weapons to fight soulical battles. The soulical battles involve overcoming the world, the flesh and the devil in our individual lives. These enemies can only be overcome through spiritual weapons made available through dependence on God.

Hedz Up

[Hedz Up] Get Through It!

Posted on by Dianne

Things are getting busier and busier. Because you’ve developed the habit of hearing God, and testing what you hear, it’s okay to focus on what is at hand and be comfortable with relaxing your routine. Be wise, though, and sensitive to the slightest prompting from the Lord to get your attention. He may speak to you even more clearly, more profoundly even though you are busiest. Then return to your quiet routine, checking with Him regarding any changes.

Overcome with quietness and vigor.

Have a great week!

Other Authors

OUR UNCHANGEABLE GOD by Ray Prinzing

Posted on by Dianne

“If we believe no, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself.” (II Timothy 2:13)

“For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?”    (Romans 3:3)

Certainly, we recognize that faith is a necessity in the life of a believer, for “without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him”, (Heb. 11:6).  But whether we believe God, or do not believe, that does not change God’s character.  He is still the God, Victor over all.  Were it possible for our unbelieving attitudes to have an effect upon God’s operations, then unbelief, not faith, would be the stronger.  If, in our unbelief, we “limit the Holy One of Israel”, we do bring a restriction into our own lives, which God will then have to deal with.  Paul once wrote, “Our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.  Ye are not straightened in us, but ye are straightened in your own bowels”, (II Cor. 6:11-12).  We become bound in ourselves, but God is not bound by us.  His purpose shall be accomplished.

But, praise God, it is, as we do believe, open up our heart to trust and rely upon Him, that His victory begins to work in us in an experimental way.  God was all-victorious before the ages of sin and selfhood began.  He knew what was going to happen, for He planned that it should happen, and He has always been in total control, restraining what He did not purpose to use, and causing what He did purpose to use.  But He not only is God of the past, He is God of the present, “by Him all things consist”, (Col. 1:17).  The word “consist” coming from the Greek word meaning “to put and hold together”.  Things can only fall apart to the extent He plans for them to fall apart, for He holds all the boundaries, holding together all things, working out His plan in perfect order.  And, obviously, He is God of all our future, so that ultimately all things will have been worked together into our good, and for His praise.  Past, present, future – forever He is God!

Hedz Up

[Hedz Up] Decide

Posted on by Dianne

It’s time to make that decision. You’ve been feeling like you need more information, that circumstances aren’t perfect. But this is one of the many times when regardless whether you feel ready or not, the time to decide has come. The Lord says you have enough information for the decision at hand.

Decide, and move forward.

Have a great week!

Tithing

Tithing, Giving and the Scriptures: It’s Not What You Think [Part 13]

Posted on by Dianne

Nehemiah and Enforcement of the Law (Nehemiah 12:44-13:14)

44And at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered. 45Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son. 46For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. They also consecrated holy things for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them for the children of Aaron.

13:1On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God, 2because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3So it was, when they had heard the Law, that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel.

4Now before this, Eliashib the priest, having authority over the storerooms of the house of our God, was allied with Tobiah. 5And he had prepared for him a large room, where previously they had stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, which were commanded to be given to the Levites and singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests. 6But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Then after certain days I obtained leave from the king, 7and I came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. 8And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room. 9Then I commanded them to cleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.

10I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field. 11So I contended with the rulers, and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place. 12Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse. 13And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouse Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren.

14Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its services!

Nehemiah relates some political intrigue regarding the leadership, both political and religious, which contributed to the apostasy of the nation. He gathers together the (genealogically) appointed leaders and puts them back to the work they are supposed to be doing, as well as gathering the Levites, calling them to return from working in the fields instead of ministering to the Lord. He also records how he clears out the storeroom for the tithe, restores it to the Levites, asks the Lord to remember him for his good deeds, and condemns Israel for having failed to keep God’s commandments (immediately following this section Nehemiah gets on their case for working on the Sabbath, so he is definitely not picking out one area of the law to emphasize.)

"Practical Christianity", spiritual, supernatural

Supernatural Warfare

Posted on by Dianne

Supernatural warfare, often erroneously called spiritual warfare, is waged between the inhabitants of the supernatural realm. This would be angels, demons and humans. As in all areas, warfare here is strictly under the control and direct supervision of God. Though we often differentiate between these realms, God does not, except to accommodate our current understanding: He is not nearly as picky about our using the right terminology and methodology as we are. He is sovereign as much here as anywhere, and has no battles to be fought or won. We, on the other hand, mistakenly believe this is our home, and spend much of our thought-life and energy dwelling on its terrain.

Leadership

[Leadership] Out in Front

Posted on by Dianne

We have to change our idea of Leadership from being primarily related to having followers, in ministry of some kind, to primarily related to setting an example. We embrace the knowledge that we are going first — trailblazer, pilgrim, mistake-maker and risk-taker. Though we may never see who comes behind, we leave a clear trail for others to follow, knowing some, or one, will, one day, follow.

We are all leaders because we are all of His Spirit. Be deliberate in leaving a trail, in setting an example for others to follow. As you depend on God, He will make His way clear.

Other Authors

ONE IN HIS HEADSHIP by Ray Prinzing

Posted on by Dianne

“Grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)

There is a spiritual realm of dominion and control, not a position that is selfishly grasped, but a position filled by those prepared by the Lord. “Keep on fostering the same disposition that Christ Jesus had. Though He was existing in the nature of God, He did not think His being on an equality with God a thing to be selfishly grasped,” (Phil. 2:5-6, Williams).

“And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, (Heb. 5:4). One can always find a few self-appointed apostles and prophets in the land. Those who would like to prophesy others into some kind of a position, as if by saying so would cause them to qualify. But let it be clear, OVERCOMERS are not self-proclaimed reactionaries, they are carefully prepared by God through much purifying “To him that overcometh…”implies that there will be a sufficient amount of obstacles placed into your pathway for your overcoming, so that having gained the victory you qualify for the crown. If the difficulties seem to be piling up in front of you, take it as a sign from the Lord that He purposes to make you an overcomer. Consider the trials as a token of the personal attention of God in your development.

You are sitting alone in the desert, the Lord is talking to you only by these pressures; He is testing you with trial and tribulation, and yet you feel so dry and dead, no feelings, no morsel of fellowship for a long time, and then one comes along boasting of their many works and the causes they are promoting. Don’t envy them, don’t measure your life by theirs, and don’t let their activity place you under condemnation because you aren’t engaged as they. Many a star falls out of its place and blazes across the sky in a spectacular display, but it burns itself out, and plunges into darkness. God is bringing forth developed disciples that will qualify to share His throne, which will abide in the place He appoints for them, to rule in righteousness.