Following are my teaching notes from a biblical teaching that I did on a LIVE broadcast.
It’s time to Speak!
If you’re tithing all the time and you’re broke, isn’t that an oxymoron? How can two opposites exist at the same time? This tells me that you’re not in agreement with God’s word.
But don’t worry; we’ll get you on the right track here real quickly. Now, let’s get to the root. Tithing is good and brings blessings, so if you’re in lack, it’s because of wrong thinking and wrong speaking.
Note: If you are thinking wrong, you’re going to believe wrong, and when you believe wrong, you’re going to speak wrong and eventually take wrong actions.
That means, if you’re tithing right now, you’ve probably thought of stopping tithing because it’s not working. (thinking wrong)
What do you call a corn farmer that refuses to plant corn? It doesn’t make sense does it? How can a corn farmer get his corn if he doesn’t plant it? It’s the same thing with you. You are a child of God but if you are not planting, you’re believing wrong.
People want to hear from God, but they are hearing from the devil and they don’t even know it!
It brings me great pleasure
… to expose the enemy and to equip the saints to fight back. The part of you that says tithing is not working, that’s the devil!!! Boom! He’s exposed! But you might be saying, “But that was my thought!” Um, no it wasn’t. Did you know that not all of your thoughts are YOUR THOUGHTS? That’s right. Just because you have a thought doesn’t make it yours. What I just told you, MOST OF THE WORLD DOESN’T KNOW! The enemy can induce thoughts into you to provoke you to get you to start thinking wrong and eventually acting wrong. This is knowledge.
Note: It’s worth repeating. Did you know that the enemy — demons — have the ability to induce thoughts into you? Ponder that for a moment.
Hosea 4:6 (KJV) “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”
Some people go throughout the day at the mercy of any and all thoughts that they get! We have anywhere between 6,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. Many of those thoughts can be negative — from 80% to 95%. No wonder there’s a struggle.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV) “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; …”
Just because you have a thought, doesn’t mean you have to own it. You can treat it like the New York Stock Exchange ticker tape. You know those stocks you see at the bottom of a newscast that scroll along the tv? When you have a good thought, say, “Okay, I’ll take that.” But when you have a bad or negative thought, then say, “I don’t accept that thought.” Now, you don’t need to go along all day and repent every 10 minutes. That’s not what I’m talking about. A sinful thought is not sinful to you. A sinful thought, again, is not sinful for you, but it’s when you engage that thought that it becomes a problem.
You can tithe, but If you’re operating in unbelief and fear then the door is wide open for the enemy. Now you understand why certain things in your life are happening.
By renewing your mind, you can start having some fun. What is God telling you? You might ask what God’s voice sounds like. Okay, I’ll tell you. God’s voice sounds just like you. Yup. That’s right. You’ve been hearing from Him! The alphabet of Heaven is the Word of God. Get into the Word of God and Heaven’s vocabulary will be released to you.
Start declaring God’s promises for you. When you are doing this you are framing your future. Declare everyday the promises of God and watch things begin to turn around.
Story Of the Kerr Mason Jars
Thru this story you will realize :
- It’s not about where you start in life
- You were not built for excuses (enemy) but for victory
Do you all remember the great fire and earthquake that rocked San Francisco back in 1902? Remember that? Of Course not; but this is why we can’t let stories like this die away. We must retell these lost stories to uplift us and to propel us forward in faith.
A man named Alexander H. Kerr from a small town in western Pennsylvania was poor and didn’t even have enough money to even feed his family.
DID YOU KNOW:
- Crying about it doesn’t necessarily move God
- Complaining for the sake of complaining definitely does not move God
- GOD WANTS TO HEAR HIS WORD IN YOUR MOUTH!
- GOD WANTS YOU TO TAKE ACTION STEPS OF FAITH (LIKE WHEN A BABY STARTS TO WALK)
- GOD HAS INVESTED HIS WORD AND HIS WAYS INTO YOU, NOW ACT THEM OUT
The economy was very bad in 1902. There were very few jobs, that didn’t pay well at all, that were available to meet the needs of Alexander’s family.
One night, there was a TENT MEETING! (sound familiar?) Tired, broke, and hungry, Alexander Kerr went to the tent revival in his hometown. That night he went before the altar and got saved. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord, and he felt pressed to make a covenant with God. He didn’t even have enough for the seed offering they were calling out. That was another problem, for what little money he did have, he needed food for his own family. But he gave a tithe offering anyway and with his tithe he told God that if God would deliver him and his family from the poverty that they were living in that he promised he would continue to give his tithe unto the Lord.
Soon after that he found employment working in a glass plant.
Note: Some of you are working at a place that will give you ideas and ways to make it even better!
He kept his promise and was faithful in his tithing. He quickly rose up the corporate ladder.
Note: You see, you don’t have to step on folks or stab people in the back just to rise up the ladder. Allow God to move on your behalf. You do your part — show up to work on time, work hard, pray, etc. — and watch God. Watch God! I’ve been promoted twice at times when the company had a hiring freeze. I was promoted when they advertised for a new position, but they had me in mind already and were just going through the motions due to legal issues. That’s called favor!
When you do what you’re supposed to do, God will co-labor with you EVERY SINGLE TIME!
So, yea, he quickly rose up the corporate ladder and was making larger and larger sums of money.
Note: This is where a lot of people fail. This is where people FORGET GOD. “I GOT WHAT I WANT; I CAN TAKE IT FROM HERE, GOD.” NOOOOO! DON’T FALL INTO THIS TRAP. AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, YOU HAVE TO BE JUST AS VIGILANT AS YOU WERE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MOUNTAIN BECAUSE AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN YOU HAVE A DESCENT ON ALL SIDES. KEEP DOING WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING AND GOD WILL BRING YOU HIGHER.
By 1905, he had made and saved enough money in the glass industry to take out a loan to purchase a small jar manufacturing plant in downtown San Francisco, and he STILL continued to be faithful in all his tithes.
Well, in 1907, a major earthquake struck San Francisco. Thousands of people were killed. Hundreds of buildings were reduced to rubble. And what the earthquake did not touch, the great fire did, and burned down the rest. Whole city blocks were destroyed by fires that burned uncontrollably thru the downtown area.
Back in Pennsylvania, word of the San Francisco earthquake and fires were on the front page news. The newspaper. Remember the newspaper? Some of you don’t, lol. Alex Kerr had invested his whole life into this jar factory. One of his financial advisors cried and told him that they were ruined (note: the voice of the enemy). At that moment, Alex Kerr raised his fist and pronounced (we call it declare) that, “I cannot be ruined because if I am ruined, then God is ruined, and God cannot be ruined.” His very own advisors thought he was crazy if he believed that God could save them from this financial downfall. Some of his advisors quit right there on the spot because they thought (the enemy), “How can I get paid now?”
Alex Kerr traveled by train from Pennsylvania to San Francisco, California. It took two weeks to get there.
Note: What do you think he was doing on that train the whole while? I’m pretty sure he was declaring!
After arriving, Alex Kerr had to take a horse and carriage to get to the neighborhood where his factory was located. As they drew near his factory, they were amazed at all of the destruction that took place — stores that weren’t there anymore and houses and buildings just gone. Whole city blocks were leveled down. It looked worse in person than all the photographs he had seen.
Finally, they arrived at the plant. The chain link fence that surrounded the factory was burned black. But … but … but God! Everything inside the fence looked normal! As far as they could see, there was no damage at all. Now mind you, this was a jar factory. They used all kinds of flammable materials. They had huge propane tanks, but none of them ruptured. They also had oil, and we all know how flammable oil is! As they entered the storehouses and the warehouses, they saw that nothing was touched. Even the windows were still intact, and nothing was broken. Even in a room full of tens of thousands of jars, not one jar fell over and broke during the earthquake, not one! But yet the earthquake and fires ravaged the rest of the city.
Note: It pays to be righteous, to follow God’s way. So what if you’re the only believer. You be that salt. You be that light. Wherever God has you right now in this season, you BE THAT LIGHT!
In the years to come, Alex Kerr became the third largest manufacturer of jars. Yes, those very Kerr mason jars your grandmother or great grandmother used to preserve peaches and whatnot in — those classic jars. And later on it was reported that they made so much money that they were giving God 90% for the tithe and keeping only 10% back.
Note: Alex didn’t wait until he was in trouble to start tithing. He was tithing all along! This released protection on his behalf.
Malachi 3:10 (KJV)
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
Malachi 3:11 (KJV)
“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.”
What do you call that earthquake or that fire?
The devourer.
Now in 1902, was that the Old Testament or the New Testament? It was New Testament. Even though Malachi is in the Old Testament, this promise from God has not expired! It still works! Malachi has an Old Testament promise that still works in the New Testament! Don’t you want part of this? Aren’t you tired of doing things your way? TRY GOD’S WAY, AND PLEASE DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. THIS IS A LIFESTYLE!!! The problem with doing this at the last minute is this: you don’t want to start sowing in a season where you need the harvest ASAP. Makes sense. Start sowing continuously for a continuous harvest.
Where do I tithe?
- Tithe where you are being fed. Where are you being fed? Is it with this ministry? Is it where you go to church? Where are you growing and learning?
- Tithing sets you up for success. By being obedient and aligning yourself with God’s word, you can expect God to move on behalf of your family. Tithing should be done out in the open with your significant other — your wife or your husband. You should be in unity and agreement. If not, then pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help.
What did we learn?
- Control your thoughts. It’s hard at first, but it does get easier with time and by renewing your mind with the word of God.
- Believe in your seed! God will do what He says. Just believe that in due time your blessings are coming.
- Call it forth. Speak what you want, and frame the future you want as if you have it. Thank Him! Use scriptures to call forth your blessings.
- The testimony of Alex is your testimony as well because you belong to the same body of Christ as Alex. Believe it!
- Tithe consistently. If you’re starting from a place of need, then tithe 2% and work your way up to 10%. Obviously, the bar has been set pretty high. I’ll tell you honestly, I’m believing to not only tithe a million but to tithe 90% and keep 10%. Doesn’t that stretch your faith? I know it does mine! But you know what? Why not?
If you are being “fed” by this ministry, you can pay your tithes and/or sow seed into our fertile soil HERE. Thank you!
I love you all!
Pastor/Coach Jeno
