In tithing, you are laying the foundation for financial success
and abundance. You are establishing deposits with God
that can be used when you need them. Don’t wait until your
back is against the wall before you use your faith in this area.
Build your faith first when things are going well. Learn to act
on the Word now, and when Satan tries to pin you against the
wall, you can smile and know that you have it made. His power
over you financially has been stopped! When you stand on the
covenant of God and exercise your rights as a tither, Satan has
no chance against you. God will rebuke the devourer for your
sake. If your back is against the wall financially now, don’t wait
to begin tithing. You cannot afford to wait! The tithe belongs to
God in the first place. “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed
me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me” (Malachi
3:8-9). This scripture says that a man who does not tithe is robbing
God and is operating under a curse because of it. Start
tithing now! If you don’t have any money, find something you
do have and give it today. There is no faster or surer way to
break that curse. Immediately when money comes into your
hands, FIRST take God’s tithe out and present it to Him. “Honor
the Lord with your capital and sufficiency [from righteous labors],
and with the first fruits of all your income, So shall your storage
places be filled with plenty, and your vats be overflowing with new
wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10, The Amplified Bible).

Remember, the Word says that God gives us the power to
get wealth and the blessing of the Lord makes rich. In tithing,
God is giving you 90 percent and receiving for His work in the
earth 10 percent to provide ministry for you. “And he gave some,
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work
of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians
4:11-12). You can’t out-give God! He gives back His 10 percent
to see to it that you are perfected, equipped and edified.

This brings us to the question of where God’s tithes are to be
placed. Some think only churches are to receive tithes. This
would be true if their church is the source of their spiritual food
and growth. The Word says to bring the tithes into the storehouse
so that there would be MEAT in His house. A storehouse is where
the food is. I know thousands of people attending churches of all
denominations that receive no spiritual food whatsoever from
their churches. How could that be a storehouse?

Verse 14 of Deuteronomy 26, The Amplified Bible, says, “I
have not eaten of the tithe…or given any of it to the dead; I have
hearkened to the voice of the Lord my God, and have done according
to all that You have commanded me.” I would not consider
putting God’s tithe into a dead work. If you want to put money
in a church that is dead—not ministering to people—then put
your money into it, but it is important to put the tithe into a
storehouse that is feeding the life of God to the people. Many
churches and foundations serve as Satan’s reservoir to keep
finances out of the revival that is in the earth today.

To settle this question, since it is God’s money to start with
and since Jesus is the One who will handle and receive the tithe
(see Hebrews 7:8), pray and let Him tell you where it should be
put to work. I realize this is not too popular with some church
doctrines, but nevertheless, it is accurate. Jesus is Lord over
the finances of the Body of Christ! He is fair, and He is just in
the distribution of God’s tithe. When a church sees to it that the
people are fed, that church will receive its portion. When an
evangelist sees to it that the people are fed, Jesus will minister
to him his portion of God’s tithe. All the different ministries
qualify to receive from Jesus more than enough to fulfill their
particular calling when they feed God’s people.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries