Give Thanks

Psalm 50:14

Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.

1st Thessalonians 5:18

in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Oh my. Give thanks. Even when things are going wrong? Yes.......especially when things are going wrong. Anybody can be thankful when every thing is going alright. But when the enemy's attacking and you've reached the end of your rope; praise Him. I heard a good one. "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.......God hasn't forgotten you." I really like that. There are many times that we just don't "feel" like praising the Lord, but do you know that that is when it is most sweet to Him? Psalm 33:1 says...."Rejoice in the Lord all you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful." Is that cool or what? God wants us to be thankful for all He's done. Once you begin to praise Him and to thank Him.....all that you were worrying about.......just slips away. There is so much that we can learn about praise. If I were to begin a study on it.....it would take quite a while. If you have a reference edition bible (if you don't; I recommend getting one) look in the back and find all the references to "praise" and go and read them. Then look up "thanksgiving"......."thanks"....and so on. You will be amazed. And by the time you get to the third or fourth one, you may be shouting and praising Him. There is such freedom in dancing before the Lord, and letting go of all that's hindering us. There's nothing like it, and until you let go and just do it.......in praise and worship, you'll be missing something really sweet. Most of us danced before......why not for the Lord? Don't make excuses about why you can't..........just do it. Well folks, if I don't stop now, I might never.......hehehehe. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee glory. What a beautiful day this is!!! This is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it!!! Amen? Have a great and blessing filled day. FYI, there will be no more posts until monday. With Thanksgiving coming up, most folks will be away from their computers, and won't want them filled up with messages and whatnot. So have a splendid Thanksgiving, and remember the true meaning behind it. This holiday was called by the pilgrims after over a third of them had died before their time. It was a bittersweet day in which to give thanks for their lives, and their remaining children's lives. It was a celebration of life, and most of all, a day to give thanks to the Lord. TTFN and God bless.

Pastor James

Decree of Thanksgiving......George Washington

Thought ya'll might enjoy this. From the pen of George Washington:

George Washington 1789

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor -- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks -- for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation -- for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility [sic], union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed -- for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.


And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions -- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed -- to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn [sic] kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord -- To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease [sic] of science among them and us -- and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York
the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

George Washington

And Do This!!!

Romans 13:11-14

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

The time is definitely short. There are people dying everyday in their sins. Without trusting Jesus every one of them goes directly to hell. Do we get it? Do we grasp that concept, that truth? No one is immune to sin, and all who sin DIE. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) We have become complacent, bored, lazy, comfortable......whatever you want to call it......we became it. We can't expect the preacher to do it all. WE have to show Jesus' love, mercy, and grace on a daily basis. As St Francis said, "Preach the gospel at all times. And if necessary, use words." We, quite frankly, all due respect to St Francis, we do need to use words from time to time. But we shouldn't speak it, if we don't live it. How do we live it? By learning it from the bible, and obeying what's written therein. Are you going to be perfect, of course not.......but you can be better every single day if you strive to be. Now that I've made the decision to get off the bench and into the fight there have been more and more attacks. Personal, business, and ministerial attacks. It doesn't surprise me........it shouldn't. What happens when you rattle a caged animal's cage? Well, chances are he'll take a swipe at you. Don't be surprised nor fearful. Because greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world! Let's all get off the bench and get into the fight. The night is far spent, the day is at hand! Let's walk properly and soberly. No more arguing and envy.......LET IT GO. And then........let's go! TTFN and God bless. :-) PJ

Rejoice......your name is written in heaven!!!

Luke 10:17-20

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus had sent out His disciples. When they returned they were ecstatic that even the demons were subject to them in Jesus' name. He told them He had given them (yes and us) "the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." But He tells them not to rejoice in that. Jesus wanted them to realize that no matter what happens on this earth, their (and yes our) names are written in heaven. He wanted to make sure that they understood that their names were written in heaven before the miracles, not because of them.

We can see miracles in our daily lives. It all comes down to what we expect. What do we have faith for? Do we believe that when we pray it will be answered? Or are we still plagued with some doubt? One thing I like to say when I pray is, "Lord I am expecting great and mighty things, for You are a great and mighty God!" We should absolutely expect the supernatural everyday in our lives. We serve a supernatural God. God gave us an imagination for a reason. He wants us to see in our mind's eye that person healed, even though they don't look healed. We need to expect the supernatural. It shouldn't even be a "I wonder if it's going to happen?" type thing. No, we should KNOW that things are going to happen. On that note, I know things are going to happen tomorrow in the park. We're going to a local park tomorrow. I'm going to take the guitar and sing to the Lord. Please pray for us......that the Lord will prepare the hearts of those there, and even send those who are in need of a touch from the Master. I've been wanting to do this on a regular basis........and I am. Whether anyone comes with me or not..........I'm going. We need a revival to sweep through our city, and it's not going to happen by sitting around and doing nothing. No, two thirds of God's name is GO! I'm all for going to other countries and helping out folks, but we need to remember that there are hurting people right in our own back yards. Many times in our own homes. And I understand that in other countries folks are more open to the gospel......they're hungry.......starving for a touch from the Master. It may not be as exciting to witness in our own hometown, but Jesus commanded His disciples to hit their hometowns first......then go to the outermost parts of the earth. We're not always going to be preaching. Or at least not the way we expect to be preaching. God said He inhabits the praises of His people. So if we praise Him, what's going to happen? He's going to show up! In my presence there's not fullness of joy, but in HIS presence there's fullness of joy! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee glory! Many times we in the church are like folks at a buffet. We go there, gorge ourselves with great food, the word of God, and then we go home. Why not invite others to the feast? How about applying what we've learned in church, out there in the world? If our only purpose in getting saved was to go to heaven, we would have dropped dead immediately thereafter. No, our purpose is to share what Jesus has done for us. He has set us FREE!!! No longer are we slaves. How many criminals would refuse a pardon? Not the ones who claim to be innocent (although most do), but a real criminal. One who had done the crimes and was now doing the time. Jesus has set us free from that bondage we were in. Our sins enslaved us, and made us prisoners to the will of the devil. But Jesus has opened the prison doors....now accept His forgiveness and walk out of there. Go tell other prisoners that they too can be set free! Have a super duper weekend, and be sure and thank a veteran today. He/She risked their life for the freedoms we enjoy. TTFN and God bless. :-) PJ

What do you expect???

Psalm 5:11-12

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee glory!!! Those are shouting verses! Do you trust the Lord? Then rejoice, and again I say rejoice. Hey, maybe things aren't going so well for you right now. But remember, things are things. Everyone goes through things. One thing you can rejoice is about; is that the Lord is with you, and He will work it out for your good. Shout for joy, because the Lord Himself defends you! That's good news. Do you know what favor is? Things that shouldn't go your way, do go your way. It's hard to explain, but expect the favor of the Lord to be upon you. You are His child, and it is His good pleasure to bless His children. Jesus said that according to your faith, that's what you'll get, or have. What is our faith? Do we believe Murphy's law, more than we believe the word of God? Do we expect things to go wrong, or badly? Chances are, that's what you'll get, if that's what you expect. His favor is supposed to surround us like a shield. That's so awesome! Thank Him for that, and expect it in your life! Let's rejoice in the Lord, and know that He is on our side. There is nothing that we can't face, together with Him. Have a wonderful day, and God bless. :-) PJ

Justice for all

Deuteronomy 16:19

You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

Psalm 33:5

He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

Psalm 37:28

For the LORD loves justice,And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

Ah justice. It seems nowadays that justice is only for the criminals and rarely for the victims. We have folks blaming everything and everyone for their crimes.....everyone that is, except themselves. No one wants to take responsibility. It was this, that, or the other thing that made them do it. Some may even say the devil made them do it. The fact is, everyone makes decisions as to what they are going to do. Some may not be sober enough to make a rational judgment, but somewhere they did make a rational judgment. This past weekend in San Antonio, Texas a young man who'd never been in trouble with the law (19 years old) decided he was going to get plastered (drunk) friday night. He got into his car and the last thing he remembers is going to a local burger place. He got onto the freeway GOING THE WRONG WAY. He hit a car head on with a family in it. The mother and the two year old died. When he sobered up and they told him what he had done he sobbed and sobbed. He will live with that the rest of his life and even though it was an accident it happened because he chose to drink and then drive. (Let me just tell you that could have been me. I drove like that too in the past.) For those two who died, there MUST be justice. Being drunk is the reason it happened, but it's not a valid excuse to give the family of the folks who died. More and more the laws of this land are turning against Christian morals and justice. When there is something that you can vote on that will make a statement as to what you believe, you'd better do it. In Texas today we are voting on some propositions to our state constitution. One is to define marriage in the state of Texas as between ONE man and ONE woman........and to NOT recognize any marriage from any state that is not one man and one woman. It's not only against homosexual marriage, but it's against folks having more than one wife or husband, or from marrying their dog, cat, or something else. The law does allow anyone close to someone (family or live in "friend") to be on their insurance, or to get benefits from someone as does a spouse, but they may not call themselves a spouse in the state of Texas and will not be recognized as such.
We are to love everyone and we aren't supposed to hate someone because they are different or don't believe what we do........but we shouldn't have to conform to less than 5% of the nation's population either (the national percentage of homosexuals in the US is between 3 and 5%......perhaps more or less in different areas but as a whole those are the numbers). I was appalled to learn how many sex offenders there are in the county I live in. I do believe there should be a distinction between a child rapist and an 19 year old with a 16 year old girlfriend.......although there wouldn't be a problem at all if they would abstain from sex until they are married. They recently caught a professor (in his 50's) from a college down here soliciting a 13 year old girl on line. Little did he know it was really an FBI agent posing as a 13 year old. We need to cry out for justice for the victims. There's too much focus nowadays on the criminal and his rights rather than the victim and their rights. If you let justice take a backseat to "feelings" and whatnot, you will punish the victim and praise the perpetrator. We cannot have that. We should not stand for that. Although more and more victims are being heard and tougher sentences are being imposed. I think the little girl's name was Jessica (who was raped by a known sex offender and then buried alive to die in the dark underground) from Florida that was killed a year or so ago. There are new laws being created in her name (Jessica's law) that mandate a 25 year sentence for anyone raping or molesting a child under the age of 14 or 13......not sure which. That's a step in the right direction. We as Christians should love both the victim and the one who did the crime. We should pray for both, but we shouldn't pervert justice in any form or fashion. I was molested as a child, but I'm not a molester. I was way screwed up for many years and did other crimes, but I made my choices. Like the drunk driver from SA I was caught........but not in an accident. I know, had I been in an accident that took someones life, I would have been held accountable and rightfully so. My mom and other family members, even folks I didn't know were praying for me. I used to get so mad because I didn't get away with anything. Ultimately God can forgive anyone.......yes anyone. Jesus died for the victims and for the perpetrators as well. I know it's kind of morbid but once in a while I read the last statements of death row guys who's sentences have been carried out. One thing that rings true in 99 percent of them..........they ask forgiveness not only of their victims and their families, but they seek God's forgiveness as well. Many did horrific crimes, raped and murdered old folks and children.........but God can, and does forgive them if they come to Him. Jesus said that he who comes to Me, I will in no way cast out." (John 6:37) Would they have repented if they were given life sentences instead of death? In general population many would have been killed by other inmates and would have never repented of their crimes......neither to the families or to God. Is it better that a guy spend life in prison and never repent or be sentenced to death which may ultimately cause him to think about facing God......and therein with that reflection cause him to repent?
We need to be careful that we're not so zealous for justice that we forget about God's forgiveness. There was a lady that was sentenced to death (here in Texas) for some crimes (she murdered a guy with a claw hammer while high on drugs) and that sentence was carried out a few years ago. She was born again in prison and shared Jesus with many on death row......and many came to know Jesus through her testimony. Her lawyers filed papers to stop the execution and many Christian leaders were in her corner so to speak. I'll never forget her words as long as I live. Her petition was turned down and someone was interviewing her. She said, "I know I took a man's life, and the law of the land says I must die for it. I was convicted and sentenced accordingly. It was a terrible thing that I did. But one thing I know.....I will pay for my crimes with my life, but I will soon be with Jesus because He forgave me. This punishment is for justice for the family. If the Lord thinks I need to still be here witnessing for Him, then I will be. But if it's my time to go be with Him, I'll not beg to stay here. And I am ready to meet Him in the sky!" She was executed a few days later. She took responsibility for what she had done. Even though she wasn't that same person anymore who took that man's life, she accepted her punishment. But death here, for a Christian, means life there......in heaven. Let the Lord lead you. If you wronged someone before you were a Christian, go to them and ask their forgiveness. Many years ago (early 90s) I used to go with someone and steal sports cards from a local comic book store. The man there was always really nice to us, but we stole from him just the same. In the year 2000 after having been following the Lord for almost two years, the Lord put it on my heart to go make it right for what I had stolen. He never caught me.........he never knew I had stolen from him, but here the Lord was telling me to go ask his forgiveness, and give him money. As I went in to his store, I was terrified. I was also very ashamed. I didn't know what words I would speak or even how to approach him. But I asked for him and he came out to talk to me. I confessed my crime to him. He just stood there looking at me. Then he fumbled around with his words, and said, "Ah that's alright.....those kind of things are write offs for me anyway." I could have left at that point, but that's not what God sent me in there to do. I wrote him a check (and it was more than I could really afford at the time $150 or more as I recall) and gave it to him. He was shocked. I apologized again and told him that Jesus loves him. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But it was indeed very rewarding. I've apologized to my relatives (mostly cousins) who were younger than I, and who saw the bad example I was. I wish I could have been a better role model. I was very messed up at the time and hated everything and everyone.......the last thing on my mind was being a role model. I can only be the best witness for Jesus that I can be now. I cannot change what I did in the past, I can only purpose in my heart not to ever be there again. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing. Justice is necessary, but forgiveness is always available as long as you're still breathing. Have a wonderful day and God bless. :-) Pastor James

Choose

Joshua 24:15

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

1st Kings 18:21

And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.

I know most of you reading this are born again, bible believing Christians. But many times we choose not to believe. We believe for salvation, but not so much for healing and deliverance. How can you have one without the other. Or perhaps we believe for those things, but not for provision. It is God who gives us the ability to obtain wealth. And the purpose for that wealth? Well, it's to further His Kingdom. My heart's desire is to be able to be a blessing to all of those who are doing God's work. I don't focus in on "my" ministry only, because it's not mine. It's His ministry. He gets all the honor, glory, and praise. I mean, what is the worth of one soul? Just one? Jesus would have died for just one. Would we sacrifice and hit the streets, nursing homes, and parks for "just" one soul? I hope your answer is yes. We can't make it a numbers game. "This one is more successful because there were __________ saved and _______ healed." No, even one changed life is enough. I've got to get that into my spirit. We all do. You may not see any fruit from your labor. But perhaps you planted seeds that will later be watered, and ultimately harvested elsewhere. Is he who harvests more important than he who plants or waters? Of course not. We are all part of the body of Christ. A foot cannot become a hand or vice versa. We all have our parts to play. You can't say, "Well, I only do this, so I'm not important in the ministry." Every part is necessary. Even if you're sweeping the floor, or cleaning the toilet in the church, you are a VITAL part of that ministry. You may think it insignificant, but if you do it as unto the Lord, and with all your heart, He will bless you mightily. Let's get excited about the things of the Lord. I know sometimes we can get into a rut........same thing, same time, same people...........over and over again. Let's not get into that rut anymore. We are meeting with the living God! The Creator of all that is, was, and will be! He is WORTHY to be praised. Eeeeeeeeee glory! Stand up and shout GLORY! Praise the name of the Lord! Choose this day, and every day, whom you will serve. Make it clear to yourself, to the Lord, and to the enemy whom you will serve. Don't falter or waiver. Stand in the power of His might. Because "it's not by might, nor power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6b) Have a wonderful weekend and God bless. :-) PJ

Who's first???

Philippians 2:3-11

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Our main goal in our walk with Christ is not to be lifted up, but to lift up Christ. God gets all the glory, and He gets all the credit. Without Him, I am nothing. Ah, but with Him, I have the righteousness of Christ. Many times I catch myself being selfish, and having that "me first" attitude (especially in traffic). We all see it everyday, and it sometimes latches on to us.......or at least to me.....I can only speak for myself here. Jesus taught us that the one who wants to be first, will be last. The one who is last, will be first. Jesus came as a servant of all. The day I start thinking the ministry is about me......is the day I need to be out of the ministry. I'm doing my best to put others first in my life. It's tough. The church ministry, the online ministries, and my two businesses keep me pretty busy. Some months it's not unusual for me to work 7 days a week every week of the month. October was like that. I had one day that I was able to take off. I'm not complaining......I'm thrilled that things are going well enough that I'm not sitting around twiddling my thumbs. My goal is to get my CDs published well enough that I can keep afloat so to speak, and live off the residuals it brings in. Then I'd like to record another one. Hopefully I can be a blessing to many, many more folks. Maybe soon I can finally buy that missionary friend of mine that van he so desparately needs. Let's look out for others' interests as well as our own. Have a wonderful day and God bless. :-) PJ

To give or not to give........

2nd Corinthians 9:6-14

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written:

“ He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”

10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, 13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, 14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

God is a giver. He has always been a giver, and He expects us to give as well. God's financial plan is the best in the world. Better than any CD or 401K plan. 100 fold is a 10,000% return. There are smaller returns........30 and 60 fold (3,000% and 6,000%). If we sow sparingly, we will reap sparingly. I don't care how you look at it, or what you have against "prosperity" messages.......God's way of doing things works. I give into God's kingdom and He rewards me for it. Now, money doesn't drop from the sky, but sales are up and things are going well. The bible says if we don't work, we don't eat. I figured out that all I have belongs to God, I'm just a steward. If I want to live in poverty I can. If I want to live in abundance, I can. It's up to me, and my actions. If I'm not paying my tithes, and I'm not giving offerings.........I'm not going to be blessed. Sowing seed in good ground is also important for the return. Support your local church FIRST, and if you want to give offerings to other ministers or ministries, that's up to you. I know that you've heard people say, "All that guy wants is your money!" We've got to be so careful, because when we speak against a servant of God, we speak a curse over ourselves. I learned long ago, if you don't agree with a minister or bible preaching ministry, pray to the Lord about it. But don't question them out loud to anyone else. (I spoke with someone yesterday afternoon who was quite down on many ministries, questioned their motives, and thought it was all about the money for them........sad.) Even when Saul had gone mad, and was demon-possessed, David refused to lay a hand on him. Why? Because he was the anointed of God, and he REFUSED to talk bad about him, or harm him in any way. (Now if there is someone in ministry hurting children or doing sexual things with adults or anyone else for that matter, the authorities need to get involved, but if your only thing against them is how they preach or what they do.....be careful.) There are people out there who give tithes and offerings and do all that I mentioned above, but they speak curses over themselves because of their judgment of other ministers or ministries. And they wonder why they are never blessed. In the bible poverty is a curse, not a blessing or a way to be more holy. Many folks want to tell you Jesus was broke. If He was broke, why did He have a treasurer? Judas was the treasurer. Whenever we care more about the dollars in our pocket than we do about the Lord, we're in trouble. (This is the only country in the world that has "In God We Trust" on their money.....did you know that?) Did you know that many times clerks in stores or elsewhere may not charge you enough money, or may give you too much change back in order to see if you really love God, or if you love the $$$ money more? When we're undercharged for something or given back too much change, we shouldn't have to think about whether or not we're going to give it back, or pay the right amount. It should be automatic. You'll get some funny looks when you come into a store and try and give them more money because they undercharged you. Sometimes they'll tell you to go and don't worry about it. God doesn't have to steal from others to bless me. A cashier who counts out the wrong change will have to pay for it at the end of their shift. (Been there, done that.) Maybe she's a single mom and is barely making it.....and she gives you change for a $100 instead of change for a $10. That means those babies may not eat tonight. But some will say God blessed you that way? No way buddy. There is a thief mentioned in the bible, but it's not God. When I was having some tough times some years ago, different brothers in the Lord would just come up and hand me a check or some cash and say, "The Lord told me you needed this." I would weep and weep. Praise God that now I can be that kind of blessing to others. If you're not blessed, you cannot be a blessing. God will provide for His children. Be a giver, as He is a giver. Give, even when it hurts to do so.

2nd Samuel 24:21-24

Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”
And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”
22 Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. 23 All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.”
And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
24 Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

David understood that a sacrifice wasn't a sacrifice if it cost you nothing. I can't pay your tithe, and you can't pay mine. I have to pay mine, and it has to be the first fruit, not of what's left over after everything else is paid. That's not first fruits, that's left overs. Let's be cheerful givers. If you feel someone is twisting your arm to give, or you give it just to shut someone up........keep it. Don't give it. God loves a cheerful giver. Have a great day and God bless. :-) PJ