40 Days of Prayer to Change America
(Day 20: Generosity)
"And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
--- Acts 20:35 (NLT)
God never has and never will need our wealth. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He is Spirit and needs none of the things we need. Giving to the Lord has never been about His needs, but ours. We need to honor the Lord with our wealth. Giving back to God is about restoring our understanding of God as our provider. It places us firmly under His care and Lordship.
When the church in a nation tithes to God and recognizes His provision, that nation is blessed. God is honored and we find ourselves in a place where God can begin to trust us with more because we are correctly using what He already has given us. Could much of the our nation's economic turbulence be caused by the failure of God's people to honor Him with their wealth? The average Christian gives 2.7 percent to his or her church! What might happen in our nation as we offer ourselves and our wealth back to the Lord?
- Ask the Lord if you are properly honoring Him with your wealth.
- Pray for a Spirit of generosity to well up within the church in America.
- Pray for God to be honored as we give abundantly and with right attitudes to Him.
PRAYER
Father, I thank You that You are the giver of every good and perfect gift. All that we have comes from Your hand. I am grateful to You. Help me, Lord, to honor You with my wealth and to give back with a joyful Spirit. Please pour out a Spirit of generosity within the lives of Your people so that You might be honored and our nation might be blessed. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
(reprinted from Charisma magazine)
INSIGHT: Too many people spend money they don't have, to buy things they don't need or want, to impress the people they don't like. The church of this nation needs to start spending that money on the less fortunate.