Have you ever thought about a criminal or bandit who robs a bank or breaks into someone’s house to get money? This type of act is regarded as a major crime and if caught they would go to jail. They are committing a crime of a greater magnitude to get money to buy something of less value. For example food, clothes, watch, television and the list can go. If they stole what they wanted to buy the penalty wouldn’t be so great on them if they get caught. It would be classed as a misdemeanor and if caught they would get a fine or a suspended sentence.

We as Christians are quick to pass a personal judgment on people who are caught committing a crime. We are sure they will go to jail and we don’t spend too much time thinking about them. We know they deserve the penalty. The criminal is more aware of their action than the Christian. The criminal knows, “do the crime and get caught means you do the time”. Do the time means go to jail.

God can not lie or cheat because He is holy!

We are made in God image and likeness. Image deals with the fact that we look like God. Likeness deals with the unknown inner workings of God in us to bring us to the place of being like Him in our nature or attitudes. I look at people and I can see God but until I spend some time with them I won’t know if they are like God. To be like God you need to move in these 15 areas with purity of heart.

Honesty

1.    Holiness    

2.    Righteousness

3.    Graciousness

4.    Truthfulness

5.    Life        

6.    Love        

7.    Eternal

8.    Mercy

9.    Faithfulness

10.    Goodness

11.    Sovereignty

12.    Wisdom

13.    Jealous

14.    Glorious

15.    Trinity

Is it a virtue of God to lie or cheat?

The answer is NO.

There is no such thing as a good lie or a white lie. They are all lies and the penalty is the sentence of eternity in hell.

Cheating is also a sin by unjust means and you can lose your eternal life.

Proverbs 1:15 My son, do not walk in the way with them! Keep back your foot from their path, 16 for their feet run to evil and make haste to shed blood. 17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird, 18 And they lie in wait for their own blood; they watch secretly for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains unjust gain; it takes away its owners' life. (MKJV)

God has set out the judgment and price for any lying or cheating. The eternal outcome or the sentencing on any disobedience or sin can be changed now.

It is the judgment on sin from God that had happened at the beginning of time that changed the whole legal position of man. We must judge ourselves and not leave it to another, for others don’t have to live with the outcome. Taking responsibility for our Christian walk rests with us.

God has already set in place His judgments and these can not be changed. The only thing that can be changed is our standing, whether we want to stay in sin or not.  Whether we want to adjust our thinking to bring it into line with God’s word, knowing God’s judgments are final. Our judgments with Godly leading can avert a final destruction or lose under God’s judgments.

God does not want to judge any of us. He wants us to assess our own condition. Of course He has given us His guidelines to follow. He wants us to build a life that will not be burnt up in the fire but come out as pure gold.

The purpose of the judgments in the Bible is for personal introspection and to confirm the receiving of the crowns when we go home to be with God.

Robbing God

This scripture IS NOT for the world or the criminals in the world, IT IS FOR THE CHURCH, YOU AND ME!

Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, In what have we robbed You? In the tithe and the offering! 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the nation, all of it. (LITV)

Many in the church rob God and that is not me saying that. Read above and you will see it is God who is saying it. Many in the church have problems, sickness and a sense of hopelessness because they have robbed God.

In the past I have said you are free to give and you are free not to give, but you must understand it is beneficial to give. The reason is simple, the WORD OF GOD states we should give.

Hebrews 4:6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter into it, and those who formerly had the gospel preached did not enter in on account of disobedience, (LITV)

Disobedience

Our salvation is based on our confession of Jesus Christ as Lord for the forgiveness of our sin plus nothing.

Malachi 3:10 Bring all the tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. And test Me now with this, says Jehovah of Hosts, whether I will not open the windows of the heavens for you and pour out a blessing until there is no sufficiency of room to store it. (LITV)

God’s word states again, “Bring all the tithe into the storehouse”. If we fail to give or pay what is required is it an act of disobedience?

The answer is simple. YES.

Is disobedience to God’s word a sin? YES.

In the story of Job in the Old Testament who was a righteous man had a sin in his heart. This left a little opening in Job’s life through which Satan tormented him.

If we walk in obedience the benefits out weighs anything that may come against us.

Malachi 3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for you, and he shall not destroy the fruit of your ground against you; nor shall your vine miscarry against you in the field, says Jehovah of Hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land, says Jehovah of Hosts. (LITV)

How then does God bless His believers who give of their time or money or food or help etc? It is by His protection over our work and the increased productivity. We still need to work and provide for our families first, and then for the brethren and those in need.

If we are not sure of this dynamics of giving because we are afraid of losing or missing out, it’s OK to put God to the test in this area. When we test God, God opens the windows of heaven and pours out a blessing. That means we will have increase in our life.

The teaching of generosity, tithing and paying what should be paid is not only about how much we give. It is also about our attitude towards giving and accountability to God.

It is God who supplies our total income. Total income means all we earn.

Do we tithe on our basic wage only? NO

Do we tithe on our extra work only? NO

Total means the complete amount, anything less is robbing God.

Traillblazer Ministries

We run churches, Bible College and help young people with their education, which all cost money.

We at Traillblazer Ministries are not dependent on anyone giving into the offering or fees of the College course to maintain our work but we do have needs. We are a faith movement and we believe in, “Not asking for gifts or people to become partners on our website or in any correspondence”.

However we do present an opportunity to the saints by passing around an offering box, so that we don't stand in the way of God blessing the saints.We believe we must as an act of faithfulness to God and you our disciples explain this important dynamic of faith in God, which can change our life.

We trust in God alone supplying all our needs by His Spirit placing on peoples hearts a desire to support this work. If funds don’t come in we close down and move on to another place. On most occasions God has placed on peoples hearts to send gifts to help with a particular venture. As I have stated we don't have an approach of asking but we do receive financial gifts which we do need to run our programs. On very few occasions gifts have not come and the venture has fallen flat. Some may say we failed. We don’t think so. It’s a good way to know God’s will at that time. It might change and work later, so we don’t have to give up.

We work within the limits God sets and we need to maintain our faith in God to supply by not asking man which is faith in man. We are working in a developing nation and we get many request from rich nations for finical support, to me this is not faith but marketing.

If all things are done unto the Lord then there comes a blessing whether it works or doesn’t, “For as we sow so shall we reap”.

Conclusion

Many in the Universal Church have problems, sickness and a sense of hopelessness because they have robbed God. How do we overcome this? Be a person who is a blessing to others.

Based on the number of people attending Church in the west. Most people on the average give less than 8.5% of their income. From this amount which is in the Billions of Dollars, less than 1% percent of offering gets to missions. This in itself is an alarming characteristic but then consider this factor, of this tiny (1%) amount 75% of it is spent in the USA and other western countries.  

Don’t try to be blind to the word of God.

Follow Malachi 3:10 – 12 to let God do what He does well and liberty will follow.

Food for Thought

Is money a part of the curse that Adam received after not repenting? It was called work!

Are we able to take a curse and bless with it?   Yes but that means to break old thinking which is to break the curse. How to do that is give it away!

Write to me and let me know your thoughts.