Believe for big and God will give you the supernatural.

When I returned from my trip, all of that changed. I was on fire! I went to Bible study and church every week and, when I wasn’t in town, I would catch the sermon on the Internet via streamingfaith.com. I listened very closely to the message the man of God was delivering.   It was always relevant to me at the time. I studied the Word everyday. It was suggested to me to read one of the modern translations (New International Version) for an easier read. My prayer life was enriched and I intentionally made a decision to try to surrender to God’s will daily. My entire outlook on life changed.

I realized that my life is not about me, but about me advancing the kingdom. What I had planned fit the world and what God has planned for me, fits the kingdom. I recognize my authority and accept my humility. Grace is greater than all sin. When he exposed my “stuff”, he covered me in grace.

I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. There is stuff that I cannot see that I am getting ready for. The prophets are speaking it into the atmosphere. I am just a vessel, and I try to be a walking manifestation of the invisible God. I truly believe God has given me a national platform as a stepping stone to have influence in the lives of nations. 

Please understand. I am not claiming to be holier than thou, nor am I claiming to know it all.   In fact, all of my newfound knowledge and understanding was taught to me by my spiritual father, Bishop Eddie L. Long (Senior Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church). I am just taking what I learned, applying it to my life, and sharing it with you. My prayer is that you can become just as excited as I am to experience the unconditional love of God.

Never lose sight of the fact that God is in control of your life. You must believe that God can deliver you. You need to put fear and doubt out of the way and believe in God. Faith works whenever there is faithfulness and obedience. Walking in obedience is difficult but necessary. Faith always requires some action and is understood to be boundless and timeless. Get rid of the fear and doubt by receiving the love of Jesus Christ.

Giving Back

Luke 12:48 (NKJ) says “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”

I’ve always known it was important to give back. I was the beneficiary of kindness when I was younger, and once I had the opportunity to impact the lives of others, it was a no-brainer. My husband and I are both very active in the community. We even get the boys involved. Each of us has our own non-profit organizations. Eric’s is Shoot 4 the Moon and mine is the DeShawn Snow Foundation. We understand fully that we are blessed to be a blessing. We strive to be rich in a way that is pleasing to God and we hope to bless generations. This is another reason I know that if we continue to be obedient, He will continue to bless us — He knows our hearts.

The great thing about giving back is that I ultimately end up helping myself more than I do the people I am providing the service to. It is almost as though I am healing my soul – especially with the young girls I help with my foundation. If you ever find yourself feeling emotionally low, I challenge each of you to volunteer at your local hospital, shelter, nursing home, etc. This is a great way of getting outside of your own pain for a while, and it encourages someone else at the same time.

Another way to give back is through your tithes and offering. Everything we own belongs to God. We are stewards of all that God entrusts us with. His trust includes money, our gifts and abilities, our minds and intellect, our bodies, and how we use our time.

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all.

Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. (1 Chronicles 29:11-12 NKJV)

We honor God with our tenth and maintain our covenant by obediently giving to God by faith. We are saying, “I trust in You; I believe in You; You are the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth.”

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this” says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:10a)

Tithe is ten percent of all your income (i.e. if your gross salary is $500 per week, your tithe would be $50 per week). This is “tithing from the top”, which is the “gross income—not net.” God expects us to be cheerful givers (2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Philippians 4:19). He wants us to give out of our relationship with Him. He has a special joy when we trust Him to supply our need.

It’s all about the Law of the Harvest. What you give out is what you will receive in return. You need to sow what you want to reap the most; place a demand on your seed (better health, increase in bank account, promotion on job). If you don’t like where you are, sow where you want to go. Don’t ever sow what you don’t want. Your seed must take root and develop a root system. Get rid of the roots of bitterness so that they do not come up and choke you. Also, sow privately and you will get rewarded openly. 

There is a seed time and there is a harvest time. Galatians 6:7-9 (NKJ) says” Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38)

Offering is an amount above the tithe that you give. Typically there are three: regular seed offerings, covenant partners, and love offerings.

1. Seed offerings are used to take care of the needs of the church.
2.  Covenant offerings are totally dedicated for eliminating the debt. (Exodus 35:21)
3. The love offering is an offering we give to the man of God (Senior Pastor) that is above our tithe and regular offering.

This offering is also a seed that is planted in the pastor’s life so that he will be able to take care of and provide for his personal needs and those of the family. It is one aspect of giving honor when honor is due. (Romans 13:7; 1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Corinthians 9:9-14) Some pastors receive this in lieu of a salary.

First fruit is an offering that goes to the Priest (Senior Pastor). We give a first fruit when we receive an increase or the first fruit of the promise of God. First fruit giving causes a blessing to rest on your business affairs. (Proverbs 3:9; Ezekiel 44:30) 

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