FIRST THING FIRST 1

3 THEN the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai:
4 “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?
5 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!
6 You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!"
Haggai 1:3-6 (NLT)

“IS it time for you yourselves to live in your [expensive] paneled houses while this house [of the Lord] lies in ruins?"
Haggai 1:4 (Amps)

• Your priority had to be right, in walking with God. You must know the first thing that should be put first.

• You have to know what should be attended to first when you are blessed by God and want to spend or make Use of the money.
• God can become your enemy when you failed to honour Him with what He has blessed you with (Haggai 1:9-11).
• The blessings of God in your hand are meant to pass through your hand, and not for hoarding. You, as a Believer, are the channel through which God wanted to pass His resources for the work of His Kingdom on earth:
  9 HONOUR THE LORD WITH YOUR POSSESSIONS [wealth], And with the FIRST-FRUITS OF ALL YOUR INCREASE;
  10 SO YOUR BARNS WILL BE FILLED WITH PLENTY, AND YOUR VATS WILL OVERFLOW WITH NEW WINE" (Proverbs 3:9,10 NKJV).
• If the blessings with which you are blessed with are diverted to other things, or used for personal purposes, you would be allowed to suffer for it—the misuse of His resources:
  9 “YOU LOOKED FOR MUCH, BUT INDEED IT CAME TO LITTLE; and when you brought it home, I BLEW IT AWAY. Why?” says the LORD of hosts. “BECAUSE OF MY HOUSE THAT IS IN RUINS, while every one of you runs to his own house. 10 THEREFORE THE HEAVENS ABOVE YOU WITHHOLD THE DEW, AND THE EARTH WITHHOLDS ITS FRUIT. 11 FOR I CALLED FOR A DROUGHT ON THE LAND AND THE MOUNTAINS, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, AND ON ALL THE LABOUR OF YOUR HANDS" (Haggai 1:9-11 NKJV).
• If you refused to release what God has channelled through you for His work, the heavens above you would be shut (Haggai 1:10,11).
• The money provided by God and channelled through you; If such is used contrary to God's plan and instruction, or His intended purpose, you would have problems on it (Haggai 1:9).

• When the Israelites returned from the Captivity, they concentrated on building their own houses and neglected the house of God—the temple.

• They failed to remember that their release was orchestrated through the rebuilding of the Temple.
  THE instruction God gave to Cyrus was mainly about the rebuilt of His Temple in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:22,23).
• Of course, If the Temple would be rebuilt, It had to be the Israelites, thus, Cyrus made the proclamation that those who wanted to go and do it should be released and their trip be financed; both the work and whatever they would need (Ezra 1:1-4).
• Because of the neglect of the house of God, the Temple, they were not making profits in their farm produce, their businesses. In short, God was against their progress and wellbeing because of the neglectfulness or dereliction (Haggai 1:9).
• A Believer blessed materially by God, who refuses to give for God's Kingdom purposes, would have a regret.
• The Jews who returned from the exile were blessed in what they do, mainly because of the rebuilding of the Temple; but they did not consider it necessary or important to build God's house first. Instead, they concentrated on the building their own houses.

• What have you done for God? What have you contributed towards the expansion of God's Kingdom on the earth?

• Many of those who are asking for God's Blessings have nothing in their thoughts or plans to reciprocate the good gesture of God If He did bless them.
• A Believer's wealth that is not used for God and His Kingdom would eventually leave, or lead the person to destructions.
• Whatever you give out of what He has blessed you with, makes His blessing rests on the remainder, and makes it relevant and useful for you.
• When God's portion is not given to Him and His work; an access is indirectly given or granted to the devil, through that act, to make a field day on the Blessings of such a believer.
• When you give or contribute nothing, or meagerly, to God's work on earth, you tend to spend your money on irrelevant things which you would not be able to account for, you would not really know how you had spent the money: "YOU HAVE PLANTED MUCH BUT HARVEST LITTLE. YOU EAT BUT ARE NOT SATISFIED. YOU DRINK BUT ARE STILL THIRSTY. YOU PUT ON CLOTHES BUT CANNOT KEEP WARM. YOUR WAGES DISAPPEAR AS THOUGH YOU WERE PUTTING THEM IN POCKETS FILLED WITH HOLES!" (Haggai 1:6 NLT).
• When you tithe your incomes, give to the projects commanded by God in your local church, give to the missions, the Needy, the ministers and the ministry which God had used to bless you, or the ones you are stirred by God to give to; you definitely would experience God's hand of favour.
  GIVING is the pattern through which God promises to bless those who are His (Luke 6:38).
• A Believer who obeyed not the principle of the Bible about Giving would not experience the faithfulness and favour of God in that area.
• A Believer can set God against his or her business or work; finances, family, or whatever belongs to him or her, If such denied God their resources—money or whatever.
• God's pattern of blessing those who walk with Him is through the Giving of their substances (Luke 8:1-3).
• A Believer who wanted to be blessed materially had to obey the principle through which the Bible specify that the believers in Christ would be blessed.
• You cannot expect God to bless you when you live contrary to His Word, but follow the patterns of the world. If you followed the pattern of the world, you would not experience God's favour in your finances.
• You can, through your actions or attitudes, set God against your business or whatever work you do and finances, If you denied Him your resources—money:
  9 YOU look for MUCH [harvest], BUT IT COMES TO LITTLE; and even when you bring that home, I BLOW IT AWAY. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house, which lies in ruins while each of you runs to his own house [eager to enjoy it]. 11 I CALLED FOR A DROUGHT ON THE LAND and the hill country, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands” (Haggai 1:9,11 Amps).

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

• Should there be any ailment in your body, receive your healing now in Jesus' name.
• Whatever is contrary to your health is completely uprooted in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
  Peace!
  TO BE CONTINUED

STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. Ask that He will write your name in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

• If you took the steps As highlighted above, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!