General, Tithing

Tithing, Giving and the Scriptures [Part 7]

Posted on by Dianne

The Tithe for the Priesthood & the Poor (Deuteronomy 14:22-29)

22″You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. 23And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, 25then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. 27You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.

28″At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. 29And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.”

Here additional circumstances regarding the tithe are clarified; for those who lived a long distance from the center of the nation, so that the animals would not be up to traveling the distance, or the grain spoil en route, the Israelites could convert their tithe (grain and animals) to their value in currency (gold and silver), take the money “to the place which the LORD chooses,” and purchase there whatever is necessary to be able to celebrate the feast. Admonishment to include the Levites is repeated.

A third tithe is specified; every three years, the tithe of the year’s produce (not animals) was to be put into a community storehouse. This was to be a resource for the local Levites, and those who were in need (the stranger, orphaned and widowed). The one bringing the tithe did not partake of this tithe, neither was it dedicated to the Lord. THIS TITHE WAS SET ASIDE TO REPLENISH THE SUPPLY FOR THE PRIESTHOOD AND THE NEEDY OF THE LAND.

"Practical Christianity", spiritual

Spiritual Environment

Posted on by Dianne

The environment inhabited by God is what we can refer to as the “spiritual environment.” This is where He dwells, and because we are in Him, this is truly where we already dwell (in spiritual places). Because we have not had our spiritual senses tuned, we often don’t realize the reality of where we already are, and so often misunderstand what our Father is doing and saying. We feel out of place here on earth, but instead of understanding that the reality we yearn for is available for us now (in spirit), we focus on the supernatural realm, which we can partially understand, investing in a future heaven-state. In this way we put off till “someday” what God is doing in us and through us today!

"Knowing God"

Knowing God?

Posted on by Dianne



“Knowing God” Podcast from June 26

Take a moment and share any challenges you’re having in knowing God, recognizing His Presence or learning to know Him. Or any breakthroughs you’ve experienced lately, say in the past month. I’ll comment publicly or privately, if desired or requested. Or if you’d just like to put it out there that’s fine too :).

Reminder: Please use plain English and avoid religious jargon.

Leadership

[Leadership] “Lone Rangers” Welcome

Posted on by Dianne

Leadership is a solitary endeavor.

Though there are likely successful leadership ‘teams’ out there, within that team there is still one leader, a driving force, one who sets the agenda, provides the vision, maintains the motivation, etc. This is the leader.

Instead of running from being singled-out, as we depend on God to free us from ourselves, we will also need to embrace His leadership characteristics that are being formed in us. We must be willing to be singled out, accepting both praise and arrows, embracing our authority and responsibility.

Don’t be distracted by those who warn against being the ‘Lone Ranger.’ If I recall correctly, the Lone Ranger was very effective at what he did.

We are destined to rule and reign here on this earth — each of us, individually. This will only be a corporate ruling and reigning as more and more learn to rule and reign individually.

Ask the Lord if there is an area in your life in which you have avoided making changes because it would have put you ‘out-of-step’ with others. If so, ask Him what you need to accomplish this change, then ask Him to provide what you need.

Report back with any results, questions or challenges…

Other Authors

TILL HE PLEASE by Ray Prinzing

Posted on by Dianne

“I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.” (Song of Solomon 2:4)

There are times which all believers pass through when it seems as if He is veiled from our consciousness, He has hidden Himself, and all of our earnest cries of “where art Thou, Lord?” awaken no response. We search the Word for a quickening, and find none. We pray, but the words seem so empty. The storms seem to mount in intensity, and we are reminded of the record, when Jesus was asleep in the boat, while the great storm raged about Him and His disciples. We would seek to awaken Him. “Master, carest Thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38). It is then this verse from the Song of Solomon comes softly into the heart, “stir not up, nor awake my love, till He please”. If only the disciples had waited a little while longer, no doubt He would have arisen in His own time. Even if He had slept on, would the boat have sunk when He was resting therein? “He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:40).

Methinks that one of the deep processings of God is this ‘silence of God’, and our learning to TRUST AND WAIT, wait without fretting or complaining, but sustained by the knowledge that He is mindful of us, even when He is not pouring in revelation, or flooding us with blessing.

No need to pound the altar, to storm heaven, to press the Spirit into action, to command, demand, and insist that God meet us at our own ‘timings’. We come to that place of surrender where HIS WILL is all that we desire, and if He pleases to remain silent, then what pleases Him pleases us, also. His ways are best, and His timings are perfect. This is not an inworking of grace to be taken lightly, nor will it be understood by those who clamor for action, but it is for those who have experienced His inner rest and peace, they know they are His, and all is well.

Hedz Up

[Hedz Up] Persistence and Change

Posted on by Dianne

This week recognize that there is a time to persist, push your way through, and a time to change your direction. Check with God to see if there is any area in which you may need to modify, either increasing focus and energy or altering direction or dropping the project altogether. Our persistence does not come from our own strength but from our new nature being one with His, therefore His plans and motivation flow to our soul and even our body. If you need strength, ask. If you need wisdom, ask. If you need comfort, ask. All are available now.

General, Tithing

Tithing, Giving and the Scriptures [Part 6]

Posted on by Dianne

The Tithe of the Feasts (Deuteronomy 12:5-19)

5But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. 6There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the Lord your God has blessed you. 8You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes— 9for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. 10But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, 11then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord. 12And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you. 13Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see; 14but in the place which the Lord chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.

15″However, you may slaughter and eat meat within all your gates, whatever your heart desires, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, of the gazelle and the deer alike. 16Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it on the earth like water. 17You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or your new wine or your oil, of the firstborn of your herd or your flock, of any of your offerings which you vow, of your freewill offerings, or of the heave offering of your hand. 18But you must eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God chooses, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all to which you put your hands. 19Take heed to yourself that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

The Israelites were instructed as to where to go to give their tithes (wherever the tabernacle/presence of God was), and the manner in which they should be eaten (as a family/nation, with rejoicing, especially including the Levites). Unlike the tithe described in Numbers, which was given to the Levites, this tithe was consumed by the ones doing the tithing, and was not specifically dedicated to the Lord. THIS TITHE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FEASTS AND FESTIVALS.

"Practical Christianity"

Spiritual Senses

Posted on by Dianne

The spiritual realm has its own set of senses that function there. When God originally created Adam in the garden, He breathed into them His own life; He made them a living soul. He breathed into them zoe; a part of Himself. Before they were lowered, the man (image of God), and then, after they were divided, Adam and Eve, had the spiritual senses required to have perfect communion (communication to the degree that all their needs were met just by being with Him) with the Living God.

Because we humans have a tendency to believe everything revolves around ourselves, we have transferred our ideas of our senses as we experience them today onto the senses Adam and Eve must have experienced with God in the garden. They walked with Him, spoke with Him, saw, felt, heard and probably even smelled His presence, and were heard, etc., by Him in return. Who knows what it was truly like? But we do know that after they sinned, and God’s Spirit was withdrawn from them, they no longer had the senses necessary to commune with Him on the level that truly satisfied their deepest needs.

What loneliness and desolation they must have felt! On their own for the first time in their lives (we have no idea how long they were in the garden before they sinned), they suddenly had to rely on their soulical and natural senses to try to meet their needs on all levels. God must have seemed a million miles away; even if He appeared to them, all they had left were their natural and soulical senses, poor substitutes for the spiritual senses indeed!

But they muddled through, learning to use what they had, though obviously mis-interpreting their surroundings and God’s dealings with them at every turn. And so it is today — because the senses we are often relying on are still the wrong ones.

Through Christ we became spiritual beings, and the true spiritual senses are now again available. But in order to experience them, the other senses, both soulical and natural, have to be seen as the substitutes (sometimes idols) that they are. Spirit speaks to spirit, and God did not pay that great price to commune with us over the telephone, or even Face to face, but Spirit to spirit.

Leadership

Leadership Series: Recognizing Your Character & Developing Your Skill

Posted on by Dianne

On Thursdays we will be investigating two aspects of leadership as we learn to rule and reign now: Character and Skill. As a spirit being, you already have leadership character; you don’t need to ‘mature’ into it, receive a ‘mantle’ or a word of prophecy, or even feel like you are or want to be a leader. You ARE a leader. Our challenge during our time here on this earth is to develop the characteristics into leadership skills. Fortunately we know that God is already doing that on His schedule. But as in all things He wants us to be joining Him in His work (you). So we will be looking at developing some specific leadership skills so that you are confidently available when the Lord calls upon the leader in you in a particular situation.

To start with, ask the Lord if there is anything regarding leadership He’d like to discuss with you, perhaps a wound received at the hands of a leader, or because you were/are a leader. Or perhaps you don’t want to draw attention to yourself. He may give you a goal or project related to your training. Regardless, let the Lord speak to you, comfort and encourage you, in His own way.

As always, if you have any challenges or questions, you can either email me or post a comment and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Adventure Awaits!

Other Authors

MORE “AS, AND YET” by Ray Prinzing

Posted on by Dianne

“As chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” (II Corinthians 6:9-10)

“As chastened, YET NOT KILLED.” Chastened – to be child trained, with all of its disciplines. Many see only the rod, and all they can talk about is the rod, till they think they must be some awful children to need such discipline. Better to see that God has purposed to develop us for His special purposes, hence all the extra love and attention from His hand. And we are not killed. It is not to diminish, but to enlarge our capacity for greater degrees of fruitfulness and glory of His life.

“As sorrowful, YET ALWAYS REJOICING.” There is a godly sorrow; which worketh repentance, a change of mind, until we are clothed with His mind. We also know what it is to be sorrowful over the conditions of darkness and unbelief around us. Yet, through it all there is a rejoicing because of that kingdom soon to be manifest, because we rejoice in the knowledge that God has it all under control, because though “weeping endures for a night, joy cometh in the morning”.

“As poor, YET MAKING MANY RICH.” So stripped of all self’s resources we have no confidence in the flesh. We can of our own selves do nothing. Yet, because of CHRIST LIVING WITHIN, there is that which flows out to encourage, strengthen, edify, and yes, to make others rich in Him.

“As having nothing, YET POSSESSING ALL THINGS.” The more we are processed by His grace, the less we lay claim to anything. No more “my ministry” or “my gifts”, but we go out as He bids, carrying neither script nor purse, and yet there is that abounding of His grace so that we truly possess all things and have no lack. He has become our sufficiency. How simultaneously one can feel so empty, and yet so full, is a fact almost beyond explanation. Out of our nothingness and into His fullness. Only those who experience it know so great a paradox. He truly is our wonderful and bountiful Supply.