FIRST THING FIRST 2

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 (AMP)

• God is against some in what they do, whilst they thought they were being fought or stood against by someone else or the devil.

• If the devil was against someone, the person would be delivered through prayers If he or she comes to God. However, If God is the One who is against the person, who would deliver him or her from God:
  "IF one man does wrong and sins against another, God will intercede (arbitrate) for him; BUT IF A MAN DOES WRONG TO THE LORD, WHO CAN INTERCEDE FOR HIM?" (1 Samuel 2:25 Amps).
• When you give to God, His work, as He commanded, you should try to observe or check or pay attention to the events that follow what you did.
• I heard some who said they do give to God, but do not always take it to heart to observe whether they receive anything or not.
• God Himself wanted you to observe things that happened in your life after you have given, or honoured Him with your substance—money or material things.
• God told the Israelites who returned from exiles, and were reluctant in the Giving of their resources and the building of the Temple of God, that they should take notice of the day which the foundation of the Temple was laid, from the day onwards, what would happen to them:
  15 ‘AND NOW, CAREFULLY CONSIDER FROM THIS DAY FORWARD: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord—18 ‘CONSIDER NOW FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, FROM THE DAY THAT THE FOUNDATION OF THE LORD'S TEMPLE WAS LAID—CONSIDER IT: 19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. BUT FROM THIS DAY I WILL BLESS YOU’ ”(Haggai 2:15,18,19 NKJV).
  THIS same principle was mentioned in the book of Malachi about tithing (Malachi 3:10).
• I have heard it said by some people that when you give to God and you are expecting and observing to know If He would bless you back or not, It means your motives are wrong. That you had given only because of what you wanted to receive from God not because you truly love Him. This is not True!
• Although some do that, they give only to be thinking of what God would give back to them in return. But a Believer who gives with a good heart, with love for God and His Kingdom, can be expectant, watching, or waiting on God to receive the returns or the Blessings of God as a result of what he or she has Given.
• It is not a Sin to expect back from God, after you have given to Him. Since you had not given solely because of a selfish reason, but you wanted to know or see the Faithfulness of God, in order to strengthen your faith, build your trust in Him the more, and share your testimony with others.
• Whoever has given and experienced the Faithfulness of God would have the courage to share the principle with others, because he or she knows that It works.
• I emphasize this Principle in my Teaching because I know It works, I have seen and experienced God's faithfulness in Giving. In fact, in my family, we sow special Seed every week, and this has been the tradition or custom in my family. God has been faithful over the years.
• The truth is; If you actually give what touches your heart, that is, If the Giving is sacrificial, you would want to know the outcome, what follows your seed-sowing.
  IF however the Giving is casual, you might not bother about the outcome, what follows it, because the Giving did not touch you, you did not have the feeling that you have given anything, in the first place—because what you gave was not substantial. In other words, you did not know that anything left you, because the Giving was not Sacrificial enough.
• Someone who gave a substantial amount of money to God and His work, like half of his or her monthly income, such would want to check out, or observe, whether what he or she Read in the Bible, or heard preached by the ministers, was actually true.
• When you give sacrificially to God, you moved or provoked Him to work in the matters of your life. This principle that we share here, was the secret behind Solomon's wealth (1 Kings 3:3-5).
• Casual Giving can take you no where. Give what will get or attract Heaven's attention.
• That said, give according to your size and capacity. God is not asking you to give what you do not have, He knows your size: "WITH WHATEVER CONTRIBUTIONS YOU HAVE. Since you are willing to do this, ⸤remember⸥ that PEOPLE ARE ACCEPTED IF THEY GIVE WHAT THEY ARE ABLE TO GIVE. GOD DOESN'T ASK FOR WHAT THEY DON'T HAVE" (2 Corinthians 8:12 GOD’S WORD Translation).
• The widow who gave two lepta which Jesus considered to have given more than every other person in the temple that day, was not rated according to the quantity, the amount she gave, but what she had left after the Giving (Luke 21:3,4).
• Other people in the meeting gave out of the abundance of what they had, but the widow gave everything she had. Others who gave were still having more left at home, but she did not have anything left after her Giving, she did give all:
  1 WHILE Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 THEN a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “THIS POOR WIDOW HAS GIVEN MORE THAN ALL THE REST OF THEM. 4 FOR THEY HAVE GIVEN A TINY PART OF THEIR SURPLUS, BUT SHE, POOR AS SHE IS, HAS GIVEN EVERYTHING SHE HAS" (Luke 21:1-4 NLT).
  IT is not about the quantity you give, but the quality! Have you given all? Is the offering sacrificial?
• As you give priority to God's work, His Kingdom on the earth, He would move you to the realm of abundance and preserve all that belong to you.
• Consider your ways and endeavour to change If you have not been committed and faithful in the things of the Kingdom—God's work.

• You will not regret at the end in Jesus' name.

• Should there be any ailment in your body, that is cursed not in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
• No more Affliction in your life in Jesus' name.
  Peace!

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!