We had received very little tithes for the first half of the year and I had been juggling our money from one bank account to another to pay the bills. Finally, in desperation, I placed a prayer cloth that Brother Branham had prayed over in my Bible at Matthew 6:25-34. Every time a bill came due, I refused to worry about where the money was going to come from, but just started thanking God that He was our provider. And He was. Every single bill was miraculously paid. Sometimes, I had to take it out of savings. Sometimes out of our account that was for our yearly taxes and insurance, but it was paid!
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Last month, I was really struggling with giving money to missions, since we don't have a church building ourselves. We have quite a few people who call and ask for money. One person had called several times in a week and I was thinking that they should pray and trust God the way we have to do. Needless to say, God dealt with me about my attitude.
Joel announced that the following Sunday he would take a special offering for the believers that this certain brother called about. I talked to Joel about it. He explained that you can never outgive God. Every time you give, God gives you something better. I agreed, but I didn't want to give something, just to receive something. That Sunday, I was reading my Bible before church and I read I John 3:17.
But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
I knew Joel was planning to give something, but I felt to take $20.00 out of "my" grocery money to give, too. You see, it didn't hurt me, for Joel to give the money that I wouldn't need, but grocery money is very dear to me. God was asking ME to give.
The next day, our septic tank alarm went off, meaning it needed to be pumped. I called and they came. I wrote out the check for $135.00, knowing that there was not that much money in the account. Joel would be home in less than an hour with his check and I would just have to take the money from my grocery money and deposit it for the septic company. Isaac took the check out and was back in a matter of minutes with the check in hand. It read, "VOID...MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
I couldn't hold back the tears. God had provided once again.
The next day, we received the bill for our taxes. "Lord, you know, I haven't spent that money frivolously. I used it to pay the bills, when we didn't have anything to pay them with. I don't know how you're going to provide $1900.00, but I know you will. You've done it so many times for us this year.", I prayed. The next Sunday, the tithes that were paid to Joel was $2,000.00!
2013 has been a year of testing. I pray that God has found us faithful.
2013 has been a year of testing. I pray that God has found us faithful.
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