Priority One

Nehemiah 10:³⁵ “We promise to bring the first part of every harvest to the Lord’s Temple year after year—whether it be a crop from the soil or from our fruit trees.”

A lot of people are confused about tithing and there is a lot of abuse on tithing. But the truth is, it does not change the fact that tithing is a principle legitimately engraved in the Word of God. I shared with you yesterday that I have been tithing for as long as I can remember. I also give my first-fruit; first-fruit is a sacrifice at the beginning of the year where you do not just give the first ten percent, you give a hundred percent. It is a personal walk; first-fruit is a personal revelation that flows from a relationship with God. For the people who plug into first-fruit, their testimonies are always mind-blowing. I have several first-fruit testimonies of my own and I will share one with you. In 2012, I had a lot of bills and so I said to God, ‘You know my responsibilities; please this year permit Your boy not to pay first-fruit.’ He did not say anything; He did not say pay or don’t pay. However, I was determined not to pay.

Then a woman came to my office, she brought her first-fruit for me to pray over. As I was about to pray, she said, ‘Wait, Pastor, let me tell you the story of my first-fruit.’  When she had finished telling the story, we prayed, and she left.  Then I said to myself, ‘And you are the Pastor! This woman has more faith than you.’ I did not need an angel to tell me God was talking to me. So, against all the odds, I made up my mind to pay my first-fruit and I paid it. That year, God miraculously stopped the rent I was paying in the place I rented in Chicago for nine months. If that was the only thing God did, it would have been huge. But God went way beyond and on the 12th of September, the second anniversary of God’s Favourite House, that was the gift that God gave me. Guess what? God’s Word to us in the year 2012 was Establishment.

If someone [who by the way has not walked with God on this level] comes to me and says that first-fruit is an “Old Testament principle”, would I even listen? It does not make any sense. I am enjoying a very sweet orange; you cannot taste the orange, but you are trying to convince me that the orange I am enjoying is sour. Unfortunately, some people have put down their oranges. Why am I sharing this with you? It is not because I want to squeeze your pocket. In fact, people have accused me of doing a disservice by not speaking about these things. I prefer to speak the Word of God with integrity so, let him that has an ear hear.

The Word of God is cumulative and it’s important for us to keep God’s Word, His promises before us so that we can experience the fulfilment. The emphasis for this season is Create, and every one of us will receive an amazing surge of creative power and ability in the Mighty Name of Jesus. My definition of creativity or to create is the ability to merge the practical and the imaginary, a seamless merger between the intuitive and the pragmatic. Please read Exodus 33:1-11.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for making Your ways known to me; as I honour with my first-fruits and tithe, establish me by Your hand, in Jesus Name. Amen!