Celebrate Freedom Teaching Letter June 2011
I pray this letter brings encouragement to you, as you journey towards celebrating freedom in every area of your life. I’m so excited that last month we passed the $1,000,000 mark! This was a wonderful marker on our corporate journey of Celebrating Freedom, and to think we did it in less than six months is simply amazing!
In my last letter, I encouraged you to apply the spiritual law that’s enacted when you consistently tithe to your local church. When we choose to consistently tithe, it “opens the windows of Heaven” and “rebukes the devourer” (Mal. 3:8-12). It allows the seeds we sow above our tithe to increase and multiply back to us many fold. I also previously wrote that I believe you should consider consistently giving towards your three-year faith goal, as doing so keeps your heart focused on the promises of God. This month, I want to share the benefits of consistently sowing above your tithe, which includes consistently sowing towards your Celebrate Freedom faith goal.
One of my favorite passages when it comes to the benefits of consistently sowing is found in 2 Corinthians 9:6-11: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace (favor) abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:’ He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
This passage is probably familiar, but have you ever taken the time to really examine the spiritual laws and promises outlined in it? I’ve personally had to stand on this passage many times when giving above my tithe seemed like a foolish financial move in the natural. But, I’ve always found that when I sowed despite the financial pressures in my life, God not only provided for my needs, but He provided more than I needed, which in turn gave me even more seed to sow.
We were all raised under an earth curse system that trained us that it’s only safe to give or sow generously if we have extra money, or once we’ve become financially secure. But this is in contrast to the Kingdom principles Paul is reminding us of in the above passage. In the Kingdom, we’re made “rich in every way” only after we’ve learned to apply the spiritual laws of sowing cheerfully in faith. We learn that sowing generously shouldn’t be a one-time event, but a lifestyle for those who seek to prosper God’s way. We should be living in abundant financial overflow with more than enough!
Although we’re told in Malachi to “test” the Lord by bringing the full tithe to Him, I don’t believe we can sow in faith with a “testing the Lord” mindset. I know Christians who have become frustrated with God as a result of “testing” Him in the area of sowing and reaping. Instead of searching the scriptures, then standing on the many promises of God by consistently sowing in faith, they simply sowed to see if it really works, and when their financial situation didn’t appear to change quickly, they became frustrated. Others have sowed in faith, but then once the seed was sown the enemy came to cast doubt on the process and on the future harvest.
The key to walking in abundance is in understanding the process of time that takes place from when the seed is sown and when we actually see the harvest. During this time we have to guard the field (our heart) and watch over the seeds sown by consistently searching the scriptures for the promises of God.
I want to encourage you to consistently sow in faith each time you receive a harvest of income or financial increase. After a period of time, I believe you’ll be consistently walking in the greater harvest. I believe this is one reason I saw my income increase over 900% in just five years. I had committed to consistently sow a percentage of each paycheck I received (above my tithe) into the Kingdom. Each time I received more income, I was also able to sow more back into the Kingdom, which resulted in a larger harvest down the road. This has had a compounding effect on my income, which I’m still experiencing to this day.
When we simply test the law of sowing and reaping, or when we wait to see a harvest before we consistently continue to sow above the tithe, we risk not recognizing the harvest when it comes as it might be months from the time we sowed for that harvest to come. But know this, the laws of the Kingdom don’t change, although sometimes it may take longer than expected to reach the full harvest.
Make sure you’re standing in faith on the promises God has given you, continually water the seed with the Word of God, and make sure to consistently sow in faith.
Together, as we learn to consistently sow into the Kingdom we will Celebrate Freedom!
Tim Howe
Campaign Director
