[00:00:00] I want to challenge you today to discover the great reasons in God's Word that you would seek a giving heart. I call this breakthrough giving. Now personally, the desire to give was always hindered in my life because I was born back in those deep depression years, the 1930s.
[00:00:24] I saw poverty in its deepest form and I was then, as a result of that I'm convinced, was beset with a poverty mindset. And I began to pray God would make me a generous giver and He answered that prayer and changed my life. I learned that giving is one of the most liberating, joy-producing, and high-impacting disciplines in which a Christian can engage.
[00:00:52] Now researchers at the University of British Columbia recently found that giving money away actually increases a person's feeling of happiness. Hear that again, that they found that giving money away actually increases a person's feeling of happiness. So I would urge you, pray for a giving and generous heart. Pray for the discipline to give your best gifts to God's kingdom work. Once you start giving, you'll just never go back.
[00:01:22] The Holy Spirit will change you so you'll know how to become truly generous. Pray that you'll sow generously and give cheerfully. God will equip you to be a blessing to others. Simply stated, giving honors God. Have you read Proverbs 3, verse 9 and 10? Honor the Lord with your substance, with the firstfruits of all your increase. Then your barns will be filled with plenty.
[00:01:51] So I want to encourage you on the authority of God's word. Say goodbye to poverty. Say goodbye to a life of lack. I say give and God will give back to you. When God gives back to you, sometimes it'll be financial blessing. Sometimes it'll be with a fresh anointing on your life. Sometimes it'll be an intimacy with the Lord. And it's rewarding to see God's benefits.
[00:02:19] Now, I want you to meditate on these four words. My cup runneth over. Remember David's words in the 23rd Psalm. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over. Now, notice what it does not say. It does not say it could runneth over. It doesn't say it runneth. It isn't that definite.
[00:02:48] It doesn't say half full. It doesn't say full. It says runneth over. Thank God my cup runneth over with God's blessing. And there isn't that more than enough enough. So if you're going to live free from a hurting life because of lack of money, you must banish the words fear and impossible from your vocabulary. And then full hearted gratitude is the open door to abundance.
[00:03:17] So give your gifts in complete trust to the Lord. Give boldly, happily, and generously. In Acts 20 and 35, Luke quotes Jesus as saying, It's more blessed to give than to receive. And a thousand years before that, King Solomon taught the same thing when he wrote, A generous man will prosper and he refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
[00:03:45] Proverbs 11, 25. Now you as a Christian, if your discipline is a giver, You'll know these verses teach an important spiritual principle. If you want to benefit your soul, expand your heart, increase your joy, Then give generously. I love the scripture of Proverbs 11, 24 in the message translation. The world of the generous gets larger and larger. The world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.
[00:04:15] And I think those are good words. So I want to appeal to you that are hurting today. Not only hurting financially, but hurting spiritually and physically. God is a healer of broken hearts. And he wants to minister to you. Now, I can well remember the deep, deep hurts I had way back in 1961. Just the year before I had suffered the most hurtful event of my life to that time.
[00:04:44] I lost my home by repossession. And it was a sad event when I had to move out with no place to live. And for most of the next 14 months, my wife and five children and I traveled. Often having to sleep in very inconvenient times. And the hurts were severe. I mean, really hurting. And then God visits my life.
[00:05:09] I asked him the question, Lord, your word promises you'll supply all I need. But Father, for me, it's been one loss after another. Always an inability to cope with the financial matters. Some time it was those deep hurts of not having a home for my children. Other times it was the hurting of not being able to pay bills on time. Hurting, hurting financially.
[00:05:37] It was almost more painful than any physical pain I'd ever had. And then I asked the Lord that question. And he spoke to me by his Holy Spirit from Amos 3.3. How can two walk together except they be agreed? God revealed to me that I had unwisely been disagreeing with his word. I'd spoken lack and financial defeat.
[00:06:03] I would feed upon the sympathy of precious people who wanted to comfort me. And when they would talk to me about how disadvantageous it was not to have a home for my five children. And how things were so abnormal. Hurting, hurting just continued to multiply. And then when God spoke to me that if I wanted to walk with him, I had to agree with him by my words.
[00:06:29] It was then that God showed me that my own words had been my worst enemy. That I had spoken defeat and failure instead of God's provision. And in that visitation of God in response to prayer, he spoke to me how I could overcome those vicious hurts by which I had lived for quite some time. And it was then I wrote down a very simple affirmation that changed my life.
[00:06:58] I want to share it again with you. Never again will I confess I can't. For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Never again will I confess lack. For my God shall supply all my need. According to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Never again will I confess fear. For God has not given me the spirit of fear. But of power and of love and a sound mind.
[00:07:25] Never again will I confess doubt and lack of faith. For God has given to every man the measure of faith. Never again will I confess Satan's dominion over my life. For greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. Never again will I confess defeat. For God always causes me to triumph in Christ. Never again will I confess lack of wisdom. For Christ Jesus is made unto me wisdom from God.
[00:07:54] Never again will I confess the domination of sickness and disease over my body. For with his stripes I am healed. And Jesus himself took my infirmities and bare my diseases. Never again will I confess worries and frustrations. For I am casting all my cares upon him who cares for me. Never again will I confess bondage. For where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
[00:08:24] Never again will I confess condemnation. For there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. Thank God those 12 affirmations I have just shared with you were liberating truth that changed my life. I began to walk in the light of God's truth and praise the Lord miracle after miracle took place.
[00:08:50] God gave us a home that we had for 27 years there in Surrey. It was God's provision. He gave us a calling to a ministry to reach the nations and he was our provider. He spoke to the hearts of people who could hear his voice. And they've responded to share financially. To enable us to have the resources to reach out with the gospel in every nation possible.
[00:09:17] Well, it's continued ever since that time. Many years God has been our provider. And my beloved friend, if you are suffering and hurting financially, I want to pray a prayer of faith today. A breakthrough prayer to enable you to overcome your financial lack, your inability to cope with financial defeat. I want to encourage you to also know that you can overcome the hurt of physical ailments in your body.
[00:09:47] And the hurt of relationships that are broken. All these matters that bring hurt and suffer experiencing defeat and frustration. Oh, Father, I come in Jesus' name on behalf of every listening friend. Father, you see them in their negative circumstances. You see those who have a stack of unpaid bills they can't cope with.
[00:10:13] You see those, Lord, who are unemployed, who need a job desperately. You see those, Lord, who have their back against the wall because of hurting over financial defeats. I ask in Jesus' name that this be the day of a breakthrough miracle for each of them. That their provision will be made fulfilled by your wonderful promise. And I shall give you praise in Jesus' name. Amen.
[00:10:42] Michael Dell will tell you about a very helpful CD entitled, Are You Hurting? Let me just add that prayer. Father, I reiterate the words of Jesus. That indeed you'll keep each one who's under satanic power.
[00:11:11] To release today that they'll know of victory, provision, breakthrough for your glory and honor. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. And now, my beloved friend, my partner in God's work, my loving Christian, fellow laborer, I want to invite you to join me. Please break the silence of fear and uncertainty. And let's together say, Praise the Lord, amen.
[00:11:39] And hold up your left hand. As you touch each finger, you'll say a joyful Praise the Lord, amen. Will you join me? Praise the Lord, amen. Praise the Lord, amen. Praise the Lord, amen.
[00:12:15] Hallelujah. Praise the Lord, amen. Praise the Lord, amen. Praise the Lord, amen.