INTRODUCTION

There was a time when I struggled with tithing. I have heard all the arguments about Tithing not being part of the new covenant or that God doesn’t need our money, but they just left me with a whole in my faith. Well, a couple of years ago, I came to a point where I had to make a decision. This is an account of that decision and what God did.

THANKS FOR THE GIVING

It was the Sunday morning before Thanksgiving and I was sitting on the edge of my bed. In my hand before me, I held the tithe money. This money represented all the money I had left before my next paycheck, which was a week and a half away. To complicate this matter, my wife and I had calculated that we had just enough food to last us until Tuesday night. Forget about Thanksgiving because that was out of the question as we did have money for it. So, there I sat staring at the money. If I was to keep it, I would be able to supply money for food with even a meager Thanksgiving dinner. However, I knew that if I did that, I would close the door to God’s blessings. I would be walking in disobedience and only God knew what could happen from that. Also crossing my mind was that if I used the money I could just ask for forgiveness afterwards and all would be fine, well, sort of because God does say that we reap what we sow. And it just keep rolling around and around in my head.

So, there I sat with the decision before me. I closed my eyes and said a prayer telling God that I was going to go to church and hand in my tithe. Furthermore, I was not going to walk around telling everyone how I needed money, but to leave it in God’s hands and let God be God. I ended the prayer honestly feeling no better then before I had prayed, but I did have a determined spirit to make sure to tithe.

Nothing happened before or during church service except that I did hand in my tithe. I would love to say that I handed it in completely happy, but the truth was that I was not sure that my family would be eating past Tuesday. In my logical mind, I felt that God would fail me because I had told God that I was not going to go running around the church telling everyone how desperate my situation was hoping to garner enough sympathy to have someone hand us money or collect money for us. It all seemed hopeless.

At the end of service, the Pastor asked me if my family could use a turkey for Thanksgiving because the church had gotten some to hand out. I told him that I would and he then put me in contact with a deacon of the church. My excitement for a dinner on at least one more day was quickly dashed when the deacon began to explain this complicated issue dealing with the turkeys. I wound up leaving church not really sure if we would have a turkey or not.

Two days pass and through this complicated issue we had still not received a turkey and to be honest I had written off that it was coming. But while my mind was caught in the physical of what God could not possibly do, God was moving on our behalf and something amazing was just about to happen.

Tuesday night about 6pm, I received a call from the drummer of our church. He told me that the deacon had spoken with him and he had our turkey. I was excited and we set to meet at the church and have me get the turkey from him. It was just as I was about to say goodbye that the drummer said something that I will never forget.

“Um, I was wondering if you could maybe use three turkeys?”

My mouth hit the floor and to be honest I must have turned as pale as a ghost because my wife suddenly asked me what was wrong. I couldn’t answer her, I couldn’t answer anyone because I knew that with three turkeys while it might be tight, we could stretch it towards my next paycheck. Somehow I said yes to the drummer and feebly tried to tell my wife what was happening. I then left to meet the drummer at the church.

When I arrived, he was there waiting for me. As we transferred the turkeys I asked him how he had come to have three extra turkeys. He told me that his wife did not like turkey at all. However, she shopped at a local grocery that handed out a free turkey every time there was a purchase over $50. So, she would grab one knowing that God would put someone needy in her path. This particular Thanksgiving time she had been unable to find someone to give the turkeys too and wound up with three extras sitting in her freezer. And if this was not enough, these turkeys were not small by any means. In fact, the smallest, and yes I am saying the smallest, was 26lbs. I thanked the drummer and told him the testimony and departed from home.

We now had enough to be able to feed our family and although I was already praising God for the wondrous thing he had done, He was not finished yet. Wednesday afternoon there was a call from the deacon’s wife. She had started a new job and where she worked had put together Thanksgiving dinner packages to give out to needy families. Now remember, I did not say anything to anyone about our situation. However, this deacon’s wife said that she felt that God was telling her to get one of the packages for us. We gladly told the deacon’s wife to bring over the package.

We were amazed at what God had done, but He was not finished yet. When the deacon’s wife arrived, she brought in the “package” which was several bags of groceries including a turkey and ALL the fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner including several pies and side dishes and when I say everything I mean everything. We told the deacon’s wife our testimony and we all praised God for his providence.

In all, we ate all four turkeys having turkey in just about every style of preparation there was all the time praising God for his more then adequate provision for us because we were obedient and faithful to what he called us to do.

SCRIPTURE

The word here translated loyalty is the word checed {kheh’-sed} which some translation take to mean mercy. It can mean that, but here I believe that God is speaking about obedience, faithfulness, and loyalty which are possible translations of what I believe the original Hebrew is speaking of. The reason is that God tells us to do things because God is simply looking for willing servants, empty vessels, that are ready to be used by him for his will. And when we do follow what he tells us, when we are loyal and faithful and obedient, God never fails to make sure that we have what we need.

CONCLUSION

I would like to encourage everyone of two things. First listen and obey God, your life will never be the same and will never be without the peace of God. Second, regardless of what you have heard, try following the commands to tithe and do so with a cheerful heart and see what God might open up in your life. However, no matter what you do, know that we serve a great and awesome God. If you have not taken time to get to know God then allow me to encourage you to do so today. Don’t wait because you never know what tomorrow will bring and I am sure that everyone could use God in their life right now. If you want to know God you can email me and I would be glad to share him with you.

Until Next Time,

I want to thank the great guys over at My Life Ministries (http://mylifeministries.org/) for encouraging me and hosting this blog. If you haven’t done so yet, hop over to http://mylifeministries.org/ and take a look around. Join the forums and become part of the family.

Also, if you have a testimony, email it to me at testify {at} fireknights {dot} net. I would love to hear it and I may just post it here on the blog.

INTRODUCTION

I am very excited this week. The vision of FireKnights is to save the lost and inspire the saved to move in Christ. The vision of the Round Table Report is to have those who move in Christ share their testimonies so that we can all be lifted up in praising God and realizing that God does in fact work miracles in this day and age, in essence to equip the saints for the work of Christ. This week, my dear and closest friend, Kevin, sent me a testimony of what is happening in his life and I am just bubbling over to post it here and share this with everyone.

TO BEGIN WITH

About two weeks ago my wife Kim and I moved from Oklahoma City to Washington D.C., where she’s working on a two-month temporary assignment. We’re amazed at how God has worked things out to get here, as well as how He’s provided for our needs consistently.

TESTIMONY

The Wednesday before we came here (just two days before we started the drive), we still hadn’t found a place to live. Then Kim browsed Sublet.net one last time to see if there was anything suitable (read: affordable), and there was a new listing that was pretty much ideal for us. Instead of paying $2,000-3,000 for a one bedroom apartment, we’re now renting a two bedroom furnished basement from a family in Alexandria for only $1,200 a month. (We know, it sound ridiculously expensive, but compared to the other options, it’s practically as steal.) As if that wasn’t enough, the wife of the family also volunteers at a church daycare, so our 4-year old son Kyler was able to sign up for half days after the very first week. Couple that with the fact that the basement is pre-stocked with toys, games and DVD’s and the family has a ten-year old who loves to play with Kyler, and we can’t stop shaking our heads at how much God has blessed us in the move here.

On a side note, we’re still seeing what’s going to come about in the way of finances. Our primary motivation for the move was to make money. Because her job pays her an extra $250 a day ON TOP of her standard salary, we were supposed to be making an extra $6-8,000 out here. Unfortunately, just before we moved out Kim received a company- wide memo which basically stated a massive change in the policy. Now her company will only reimburse employees for “actual expenses” up to $250, instead of giving the employees the option of finding cheaper alternatives and pocketing the extra. (Bottom line? Next time we’re stayin’ in the Ritz if we’re not making money and it’s covered… as will every other employee on temporary assignment. All this policy does is ensure people will spend the entire $250, but instead of the employees getting the extra cash options, it’s just going to be funneled to the hotel people…)

At any rate, the $250 a day has now dwindled to, say, $60 (for food allowance). :\ So we might still make a little bit of money, but not a lot. Still, we know that God is in control of the situation, and whether He wants us to make a buttload of money or just one cheek’s worth, we’ll go along with His plan. The verse that keeps coming to mind is Psalms 112:7.

SCRIPTURE

Making less money might SEEM like a bad thing, but we’re looking at the small picture. There might well be another reason we’re out here, why He’s opened the doors to bring us here these two months. Perhaps it’s to meet people, or get some kind of experience to use in the future, or maybe there’s going to be a huge tornado in Oklahoma He wanted us to escape. Who knows? But we’re resisting the impulse to look at our situation from a wholly negative viewpoint.

TO END WITH

We’re just little people, with eyes that can only see so much, you know? There’s more to life than the physical world around us, and the sooner we keep this in the forefront of our minds, the sooner we can relax and trust in God’s ability to guide us faithfully.

CONCLUSION

Awesome testimony Kevin and thanks for sharing. Remember if you have a testimony drop me an email at rtr@fireknights.net with “Testimony” as the subject and share what God has been doing in your life. Yours may be the next one to appear on the Round Table Report.

Until Next Time,

I want to thank the great guys over at My Life Ministries (http://mylifeministries.org/) for encouraging me and hosting this blog. If you haven’t done so yet, hop over to http://mylifeministries.org/ and take a look around. Join the forums and become part of the family.

Also, if you have a testimony, email it to me at testify {at} fireknights {dot} net. I would love to hear it and I may just post it here on the blog.

INTRODUCTION

Lately, I have been a bit off. What I mean is that I have not been myself. Things, stuff, have gotten in the way and made my schedule not busy, but strangely hectic causing things like reading the word and praying in the spirit sporadic at best. Two days ago, I made the commitment to God to change that. The reason is simple; I want all or nothing of God. For me, I have never been into doing something half way and this recent season since I have been sick with the Pancreas attack has made me disgusted with myself. Some of this comes from feeling like I am not being used of God and that somehow the work of the kingdom is passing me by and I don’t like this feeling. So, I prayed to God to change all of that. I told him that I give him my everything and if he can use me do so, but that his will be done in my life. Of course, God did not leave me stranded there in prayer, instead he came and filled the room. I knew that something changed again in my and it amazes me that no matter how long you walk this walk, when he comes into you a fresh and a new, it is awesome.

That said, I had an interesting encounter this evening and I thought that I would share it.

THE WAITRESS

I had heard a man once say that before the waitress/waiter left their table, they would ask if there was something they could pray for them about. I loved this idea and began to do just the same and had some very interesting encounters with both believers and non-believers. However, over the last several months, I had gotten away from that mostly because we had not been going out coupled with my blah feeling.

Tonight, for reasons that are not pertinent to this testimony, my family and I were out for dinner at a sit down restaurant. I had already determined to ask the waitress if there was something we could pray for her about before entering the restaurant and had brought with me a tract that shared the simple message of Jesus and how to accept him as savior. When the waitress had come over and took the drink order, I was in the bathroom with my son who is potty training. I had thought that I might have missed my chance, but determined in my mind that I would not let the enemy win. I asked God to provide an opening. As the situation would happen, we received our appetizer before we got our drinks. This afforded a conversation starter when the waitress returned.

I opened by discussing the appetizer breaking the ice, as this was my first interaction with her. As she was ending her waitress duty portion of the conversation, I popped out the question. “We are about to say grace, is there anything we can pray for you about?” I have always been amazed that everyone has an answer to this question, and our waitress tonight was no different. She immediately asked us to pray for her son. I asked her son’s name (which was a very pretty, or handsome I should say, name). I discussed the origin of her sons name and she shared how she just loved the name. I told her we would pray for her and her son and she left the table. We said our grace and lifted her and her son up in prayer. My daughter noticed, that the waitress seemed to pause to hear us pray. Whether she did or not, something was moved in the heavenlies as we prayed for her family.

Later, during the meal when the main course had arrived, I had another opportunity to begin a conversation asking her if she attended a church or not. She explained how she had been brought up in the north and did not find the southern church of her denomination appealing. She further stated that she had begun to look for a church and then her work began scheduling her to work on Sundays knocking church out of the picture at least for the moment. Our conversation ended again as she had to attend to other tables, but I could sense that there was a Godly connection being made and knew that this was not over.

As I prayed to myself about what to do next, I felt the presence of God and heard a still small voice telling me to write our name and number on the tract that I had brought for this occasion. I followed what God had told me. Following this, the waitress returned and this time she began the conversation talking about how she desired to go to church and get connected with God again. I briefly shared about a relationship with Jesus Christ which gave me the opening to hand her the tract and tell her that if she ever needed prayer, or a play date for her son, or anything that she could give us a call. I do not know if you have seen the look on someone’s face when you break down a wall and get on a personal level with them, but that was the look that we received. I talked to her about our church and how we have a Wednesday evening prayer service and that she was welcome with her son to come out. She was very receptive and then again had to attend to other tables.

When she returned again, she began the conversation by telling us how glad she was to have met us and that we were making a difference in her life. She told us that she would check out the church and would give us a call in the future. I could tell that she was sincere and genuine in her statements.

We left the restaurant on a Godly high because once again we knew that we were where we were supposed to be doing exactly what God wanted us to be doing at that moment.

SCRIPTURE

Whether or not the waitress will ever call or set foot through the doors of our church or any church, it was important that I was ready to speak with her about Jesus Christ. It is equally important that we be sensitive to the Holy Spirit to know who God is leading us to cross paths with that will need to hear about the hope that is within us which is Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION

I would like to encourage everyone next time they are in a restaurant to ask the waiter/waitress if there is something you can pray for them about. You might be surprised whom God puts in your path to share with.

Until Next Time,

I want to thank the great guys over at My Life Ministries (http://mylifeministries.org/) for encouraging me and hosting this blog. If you haven’t done so yet, hop over to http://mylifeministries.org/ and take a look around. Join the forums and become part of the family.

Also, if you have a testimony, email it to me at testify {at} fireknights {dot} net. I would love to hear it and I may just post it here on the blog.