(go to table and minister from there)
Breaking Free Of The Curse!
Look over to your neighbor, and say to them;
‘I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be cursed anymore! Today, I’m breaking the curse!’
Shout! “I’m breaking the Curse!”
Take a good look at the table in front of you. You will see several different types of foods.
(an 8 foot table was set up down front in sanctuary, with fruits and/or vegetables on it, each with a different amount in its respective group.)
Hint: Leave space on one end of table for ‘tithe’ of foods to be placed.
¨ Potatoes ~ These will represent ‘flow’ ~ or money. ‘somebody say MONEY’
¨ Grapes ~ These will represent your talents, abilities, or giftings. (personal note~when crushed, they produce wine for the Master’s use!)
¨ Carrots ~ These will represent our prayer time, or intercession time. The carrots, as they grow, grow like a root into the soil to get to the fertile soil and find the nutrition they need to mature to fullness!
¨ Apples ~ These will represent discipleship. Planting seeds into others that will help them grow strong spiritually so they in turn can produce more apples. (fruit begetting fruit)
¨ Oranges ~ These will represent your time given in worship, (forsaking not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some . . .) and adoration to the Father.
(Take the time to divide out a tithe, or 10% of each of the different foods, and set it on open end of 8 foot table. Continue to reveal insight as the Holy Spirit and your own creativity leads.)
As you can see, when you are obedient to God, and I hope that you can see that there are many, many ways to be obedient, that the tithe, or 10% leaves you with an abundant amount to take care of your needs.
If I could take the time to represent to you how 20 fold return and 60 fold, and 100 fold returns worked, you would be amazed at how abundant life in obedience is. I will trust you though, to do the multiplication of what is left to find that blessing of return in your own life.
I’m sure if I asked about fruitful returns, we could go all day, and end up running and shouting all over this place!
Let’s just give a little time for those who have received a return on faithful giving to just Praise the Lord a little in His House!
This week. I was blessed in my spirit when two folks handed me their tithes to bring to the church because they were unable to get to service on Sunday. 1 person in particular ended up shouting and praising the Lord in the Spirit, because when she handed me the tithe, the Lord touched her in a miraculous way for her obedience!
(offer personal testimony of God’s blessing upon your obedience in tithing and giving.)
Someone again, shout, “I’m breaking the curse!”
When we fail to give God what belongs to Him, we rob God. This causes the curse to come upon us. Obedience in giving, frees us from this curse.
Malachi 3: 7 -12 7Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, `How are we to return?’ 8"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, `How do we rob you?’ "In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12"Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
Bondage. Today, I’m speaking to many people who aren’t much different. Some of you are in bondage as well.
o Today, you can be freed from your bondage.
o You can be loosed from that bondage,
o You can be released from that tight band of constraint that has rule your life for way too long!
Listen on and see if you don’t find a little of your own profile in the Children of Israel.
The children of Israel have been in Babylonian bondage for 70 years. They are now returning to Israel. God uses the prophet Malachi to rebuke them for their many sins.
One of those sins was that of failing to give God what belongs to Him.
God told the Children of Israel the tithes are His property. “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s: it is holy unto the LORD.” (Leviticus 27:30)
God said that withholding tithes and offerings is equal to robbery. One of the ten commandments is: “Thou shalt not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)
Further, because Israel did in fact rob God, they came under the curse and were not able to enjoy the Lord’s blessings.
Ask yourself a tough question. Am I blessed or cursed as I look at my own giving record?
The good news is that we can all break free from the curse by being obedient in our giving.
Imagine the power of our obedience in giving. We set the stage for our financial future; either a blessing through obedience, or a curse through disobedience.
As for me and my house, I choose blessing!
1 Chronicles 29:10-18 David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, "Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. 14"But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 16 O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 18O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.
