Text: Joshua 7
God commanded the Israelites not to take the accursed thing when they destroyed Jericho, but Achan disobeyed. As a result, when they went to fight Ai with 3,000 men, the tiny town defeated them and killed 36 men.
When an enemy prevails, our flesh is prone to fear and our mind comes up with reasonings. Both block our spirit from hearing the Holy Spirit. Joshua is on his face before the Lord and states they should have stayed on the other side of the Jordan. God tells him to get up on his feet. He puts his finger on the sin - taking the accursed thing. God was not with them when they went to Ai. He did not kill those men. The people of Ai killed them.
The Lord has given the earth to men. Psalms 115:12-18. When Satan came to get the earth, he went to man. Jesus came to earth as a man and took it back. Through Jesus, we again have jurisdiction.
Proverbs 3:9-10 - Tithing is not sowing. Tithing is honoring the Lord with our firstfruits. Deuteronomy 26:13 - The tithe belongs to God. It is one of those accursed things. If you withhold it, it becomes accursed. You cannot sow what is not yours. God has entrusted the least valuable thing to us - money. Bills exert outward pressure and inward desires on us. If the enemy keeps you from tithing, you cannot sow.
If I fail in the principle, does that mean that God will take from me? How many times do your children misuse your money/resources? Do you kill them? No. Neither does God. The men of Ai killed the 36 men. If you bring the firstfruits, God will preserve what you have. We cannot stand before our enemies while stealing what belongs to God.
The same person who sows is the one who has the right to reap. People miss their harvest because they don't know how to reap. Most in the Bible worked 6 days from sun-up to sundown. When you bring your tithe, the blessing is not automatic. The corn doesn't pick itself and go into the barn. The farmer has to work hard and reap it. We have to do our part in the process.
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