PUTTING GOD FIRST 5

Luke 12v16-21: “Then he spoke a parable to them, saying: The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully and he thought within himself, saying, ‘what shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this; I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

You are welcome back once again to our discussion on putting God first. I trust that you are gaining wisdom and insight on the concept of honouring God. Today, I will begin to share with you the areas of our lives that we need to put God first. Obviously, God wants to be first in every area of our lives but the areas we will be considering are just to serve as a guide and help us in honouring God in our lives. So, in what areas are we to put God first?

AREAS TO PUT GOD FIRST IN YOUR LIFE:
1. In our finances. God ought to be first in our finances because there is nothing you have now that you did not receive from the Lord. This is the absolute truth because except the Lord builds the house, they labor or vain that build it. Is God first in your finances or last? Do you give him what belongs to him or you just give him leftovers? The answers you give to this question will reveal whether you honour God in your finances or not! Proverbs 3v9-10. God is not a beggar; this is why it should not be a struggle for you to surrender your finances to Him.
– Honour God in your tithes/offerings. (Malachi 3v8-12). It’s something you ought to do cheerfully. Are you joyful in your giving?
– Obey God in your giving. You should be able to obey the voice of God with regards to our finances (John 2v5). Do you struggle with obeying the dictates of the Holy Spirit when it comes to your finances?
– Give God your best in your finances. True givers are generous givers. Do you readily make sacrifices in your giving to God and His Kingdom? (Proverbs 11v24-25). The answer you give to this question will determine where you are on the ladder of honouring God in your finances.

My dear reader, it’s important that you put God first in your finances if you really want to enter into the fullness of your financial heritage. I know that the world has painted a contrary opinion about God not being interested in our finances but, that is a lie from the pit of hell.
On the contrary, God has great interest in your finances and if you observe most of Jesus’ parables, you will notice that they were about money matters. So, you can never go wrong when you obey God in your finances. I see the order changing for the better for you from today as you put God first in your finances.

Other Scriptural Reference: (James 1v17; 1 Timothy 6v17; John 3v27; 1 Corinthians 4v7; 1Chronicles 21v24; Mark 12v41-44; 2Chronicles 31v5-12, 21; Malachi 1v6-14).

Prayer for Today: Father, please help me to honour you in all of my financial dealings in the name of Jesus, amen. Help me to glorify you in my finances from today.

CONFESSION: Lord, I acknowledge you as the Lord over my finances. You are the owner of everything I have. I am just a steward. I declare that by your grace and mercy, I will honour you in all my financial transactions. You are the potter and I am the clay. I will enter into the fullness of my financial heritage. I am a lender to nations and I’m not a borrower. Money answers to every need and purpose in my life. I do not lack anything good because I honour the Lord in my life. Glory be to God for all my needs are richly supplied accordingly to his riches in glory.