POVERTY IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO BE DISHONEST (2)

3 John 1:2 (AMPC)
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.”
 
Dear people of God, poverty is not an excuse to be dishonest because God has promised spiritual, financial, and material prosperity to all His children in His Word in today’s main Scripture reading.
 
Take note that there are conditions for every child of God to prosper, which is that you believe what God has stated by acting in faith in giving to the work of the Gospel as we saw in the first part of this post.
 
Consequently, God would not suspend this condition because of your poverty. Rather, He expects that you would believe His Word and do exactly what it says to get the exact same result He has promised.
 
It is therefore inexcusable for any genuine Christian to claim poverty as a reason not to pay tithe – 10% of your income as a salary earner or 10% of your profit as a businessperson or 10% of monetary gifts you receive from others.
 
All these monies must be from a legitimate source to qualify the tithe as acceptable to God to elicit His promised blessing.
 
There are people who will claim that there are Christians and even non-Christians who prosper without paying tithes.
 
For a GENUINE Christian to prosper without paying tithes is not possible because that would mean God told a lie in Malachi 3:8-12 and we know God cannot lie.
 
If someone professes Christianity and appears to be prospering without paying tithes, such individual is either stealing or engaged in unrighteous activities to generate income.
 
Recall in the first part of this message, we understood that the devil hinders genuine Christians from prospering by selling them a deceptive message through his ministers that tithe paying or giving to the work of the Gospel is not compulsory.
 
The devil does this to place the genuine Christian under a curse (Malachi 3:9) and ultimately hinder the genuine Christian from receiving God’s promised blessing of prosperity and any genuine Christian who buys this false message or pay tithes partially (less than 10%)  or pays irregularly (does not pay on every income) will NOT receive as expected.
 
Therefore, if the devil discovers a professed Christian is engaged in illegitimate or unrighteous labour and is not paying tithes, he (the devil) would not bother hindering the person’s finances because he knows such individual is already in his camp and destined to an eternal damnation unless he or she repents and makes restitution as appropriate.
 
For a non-Christian who is prospering, such individual is already in the devil’s camp because everyone needs to be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ to enter heaven so the devil would not hinder such person.
 
It is therefore ignorant to point to a non-Christian as prospering without paying tithes because unless he or she repents to accept Jesus Christ, he or she would end up as the Lord says in Mark 8:36-37 (AMPC), “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life [in the eternal kingdom of God]?
 
37 For what can a man give as an exchange (a compensation, a ransom, in return) for his [blessed] life [in the eternal kingdom of God]?”
 
If you are currently poor and suffering as a Christian, do not engage in dishonest acts to get by because you would be offending God.
 
Rather, ask God in prayer to show you the problem and do exactly what He says to get out of the poverty.
 
Take note that whatever God tells you must be consistent with His Word so don’t go doing what your mind tells you contrary to God’s Word and claim it is God Who told you because that, again, is a dishonest act.
 
Jesus’ coming for His children in the Rapture is imminent. Are you His child or are you born again? Are you ready for Him?
 
Come to Jesus Christ the Word of God today and now, for tomorrow or later may be too late for you.
 
May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Holy Name, Amen.
 
Gabriel Ama.