Month: April 2015

If You Want To Be Blessed..

/ britjames10 / Leave a comment

“One person gives freely and yet grows richer, while another holds back what he owes and yet grows poorer.” (Proverbs 11:24)

I really could just stop right there, however I’m excited to share with you all how this principle just keeps working wonders in my life. If you want to be blessed, especially in the area of finances: My advice to you is pretty straight-forward, do it God’s way and pay your tithes and your offerings. It’s just that simple.

The 3rd week of April 2015 has been pretty eventful. I have been able to experience God’s Favor in action as a result of me following His principle of tithing.

Situation 1: There’s an item that I had been looking for online. Every where I looked, the prices were ranging from $660 up to $800. Once the store that I was originally going to get it from kept giving me the run around, my bff Jen suggested that I call the designer to see where else the item was sold in Georgia. I called New York City, and the young man named 3 places in North Georgia. The first place that he highly recommended sold the product, however it was out of stock. The second place didn’t have a website, so I called and spoke with the lady and she informed that she sold the product, however the “size” I needed wasn’t available in the store. She told me that she would call the designer and call me back with a price, I was about to tell her that I already did that, however I was a little aggravated so I didn’t bother. I gave her my cell number and told her thanks. I then went to the third place, and long story short, not only was the product in stock, but there was only 1 left, and yep it was in MY SIZE! That’s not all, the item was just $264.00 (do the math) that IS 60% off the original price of $660.00. AND to add a cherry on top, the shipping was FREE!! God’s FAVOR in action. 4/14/15

Situation 2: My girl RoXy (my car) had been giving me a little trouble for a few weeks, and we just couldn’t figure out what was going on with her. A few “car experts” looked at her, test drove her, all of them trying to figure out what was going on with her. My parents ended up taking my car to the Honda dealership, and because of how it was sounding some of the car experts were almost positive it was something going on with the transmission, and that I would need to be prepared to buy a new one. From the different options my parents received, they were told that if indeed it was the transmission that it would cost up to $4,000 to get it repaired. My mom called and told me and immediately I started to get a little stressed. Long story short, the next  day (Tuesday) my ma texted me and told me to call the Honda dealership to handle the balance of the car. As I was waiting on the service representative to get on the phone, I was expecting to at least have to dish out $2,000. The convo went something like this:

  • Honda: “Hello Ms. James, this is Brittany.”
  • Me: Yes, I’m calling to get the balance on my car repairs so that I can take care of it.
  • Honda: “$397.16”
  • Me: 3 9 7, as in three hundred ninety-seven??
  • Honda: “Yes ma’am, it wasn’t your transmission it was the sjkghakfsdfjkfs”
  • Me: Oh wow, I was expecting to give you WAY more than that, get this card number.. I’m ready to pay NOW!

After she said, it wasn’t your transmission, I didn’t hear anything else! My balance literally went from $4,000 to $400 ($397.16) which is 10%! God’s FAVOR in action. 4/14/15

Situation 3: At 12:43 on Wednesday afternoon, the entire staff received an email titled “Office Changes” from the Director of our program pretty much telling us that due to sustainability issues and threats of the funding for the Office of Adolescent Health being cut, that unfortunately she would have to start cutting with us. She basically told us, effective immediately our work hours would be cut in half, and for me that means my salary would be cut in half as well. I read and reread the email at least 5 times. I rehearsed the conversation that I was going to have with Robert and my mother. My mom is my financial manager, and I kept trying to think of all the ways we were going to make a $1.00 out of .50 cents. I have so much going on, monthly expenses, bills, a wedding to help pay for. . .I was like if it ain’t one thing it’s another. We were going to have to make some major changes. I was on the verge of a mini anxiety attack.

I went to lunch with my mentee, and since she is also employed with this organization, I explained to her what was about to take place because it was going to affect her as well. We ate lunch and went our separate ways, but before I walked back in the office I said a prayer in my car and I ended it with “God let Your will be done.” I told myself that maybe this was God’s way of giving me a break to start working on some other things that I have coming up. Around 3:39 pm, my mentee texted me and asked me was I okay. I simply replied, “Yes I am. I trust God.” She then said, “Good. We know that you are Favored.” At 4:12 pm, I received another email from the Director basically telling me to disregard the email that she sent earlier; and that I could continue to work my present office hours. After reading that, I felt like running 3 miles in under 20 minutes!!! God’s FAVOR in action. 4/15/15

The outcomes of the 3 situations that I was faced with this week are why I gladly give Him my 10% and my offering every time I get paid! My Heavenly Father looks out for me!!!

Rewind, I’ll be honest and tell you that I’ve missed paying my tithes on time before and I most definitely regretted it; it’s like everything that could go wrong, DID. 2 flat tires, wardrobe malfunction, parking ticket, you name it and it probably happened to me during that period.

So please be advised that if choose not to pay your tithes and give your offering, the devourer will have a field day with your finances. First your washing machine will completely tear up, then your hours will be cut at your job, you will get laid off, you will get a speeding ticket, your energy bill will be twice as high, you will drop your cell phone in the toilet, you will get a nail stuck in 2 of your brand new tires, you will receive an unexpected bill, your Chi flat irons will stop working, you will misplace a 50 dollar bill, a shopping cart will run into the side of your car, believe me the devourer comes in many ways. It will be like pouring water into a bucket with holes at the bottom, you won’t know why your check is gone the day after getting paid and you won’t be able to explain where your money went. The devourer will suck you dry.

But on the bright side, if you obey this simple principle, God will begin to overwhelm you with His goodness. You will receive a warning instead of a ticket, your cousin will be able to repair your washing machine for free, you will get the opportunity to work overtime, you will get a promotion on that job, your boss will allow you to go home early and still pay you, the airline will move you to first-class, the balance of that bill will disappear, you will get a free room upgrade at the hotel, the bank will approve you for that loan, you will get a great parking space, you will receive an unexpected check in the mail, you won’t waste gas by getting stuck in traffic, the cable company will give you free premium channels for a year, the application fee for college will be waived, you will get a free meal because the driver before you decided to pay it forward, someone will give you a holy handshake after church, that dress you wanted will be 60% off, and you’ll get free shipping. God will keep the devourer off of your money, you will begin to see your finances work on your behalf, and you will experience God’s Favor in action like never before.

The Word says, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so that there will be food enough in my Temple; if you do, I will open up the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won’t have room enough to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!” (Malachi 3:10)  He wants us to try Him, He wants us to put this principle to the test! God wants “pour out on us an abundance of all kinds of good things.” As one version would put it.

Most times we’ll say we trust God with all things, but in reality we don’t. Because we must remember that our money is included in that “all things.” We want Him to enlarge our territory and bless us indeed and give us all this stuff, however we keep robbing Him. OUCH.

It’s strange how we like to point out that lying and killing and pre-marital sex are things that the church needs to put on front street and address, but we don’t want to include stealing. Let me sit this right here: every time we do not give God our first fruits, we are robbing Him; so that means we are stealing. A person that steals is a classified as a Thief, and because there is no such thing as being wrong and just a little wrong, that means we’re just as bad as the person spreading the lies and rumors, the person that’s murdering people with their tongues, the alcoholic, or even the adulterer. The Word says: “Will a man rob or defraud God? Yet you rob and defraud Me. But you say, In what way do we rob or defraud You? You have withheld your tithes and offerings. You are cursed with the curse, for you are robbing Me, even this whole nation.” (Malachi 3:8-9)

The clothes you are wearing, the car you are driving, even those inches in your head are all stolen property if you made the decision to spend your tithe money to purchase those things.

I said all of that to say this, with God’s way there’s no magic potion that you have to buy, there’s no “10 steps get rich quick scheme” that you have to follow. Anybody: and that’s man, woman, boy, girl, whether you attend church every Sunday or not, whether you sit in the pulpit or the pews, ANYBODY who obeys God’s principle of giving is eligible to experience His Favor and financial success. If everything around you is breaking down, tearing up, falling apart, and you’re spending more money than you’re making, or you’re having to borrow from Peter to pay Paul, the solution is simple: Start Tithing, start bringing your best offering.

It is so encouraging that I don’t just have to look at God move in the lives of others, I am a living witness to what He can and will DO. The Favor of God is AMAZING. Nothing that happened to me this week was just a coincidence. Everything that happened was orchestrated by God. He knew all along what the outcome would be, He just wanted me to remember The Source and lean on Him. I feel like I’m looking at the bottom of a Belk’s receipt; I saved a total of $3,996.00 with just the first 2 situations. And every time I think about that 3rd situation, I can’t help but THANK!!!! (Those savings are classified, I’m grateful not crazy lol)

Every time I’m obedient and I release my 10% and give my offering, He returns to me 100 fold blessings, pressed down, shaken together, and running over as my Bishop likes to remind us. I’m sharing my experiences with you, in hopes that you will be motivated to start trying these methods in your own lives. And if you are already working the principle, GREAT! I want to encourage you to keep it up! Tithing is a simple principle that so many people try to complicate. “If you give, you will get!” I learned a long time ago, that God can do more with my 10% than I could ever do with 100%. Put Him to the test, and watch Him bless you. Good things will come to you like rain falling from the sky. You will have more than enough of everything.

~B.

“Remember this: The farmer who plants a few seeds will have a very small harvest. But the farmer who plants because he has received God’s blessings will receive a harvest of God’s blessings in return. Each of you should give whatever you have decided. You shouldn’t be sorry that you gave or feel forced to give, since God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

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The Next Big Thing

/ britjames10 / Leave a comment

One evening, I was talking to my mentee and she asked me a question about Palm Sunday. I gave her the whole story about the “Triumphal Entry” and how everyone was so excited to see Jesus coming into town, so they took Palm branches and they began waving them as they worshipped Him shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David” but within just a few days, their Hosannas would change to cries of “Crucify Him.” Those who glorified Him as a hero would soon reject and abandon Him.

Wait. “Those who glorified Him as a Hero would soon reject and abandon Him.” Wow, He was crucified by the same people who were just praising Him.

So then I started to think on that, and I applied it to today’s time..

In certain situations, it is usually the people who aren’t the closest to us that usually began to pat us on the back first. In some cases, it is usually the strangers that immediately start to support us, and root for our success, while secretly the people who claim to be in our corner, the people who KNOW us are wishing for our downfall. 

Think about Jesus and how he rode in at the beginning of the week (Matthew 21) and everybody was singing His praises “Go Jesus, Go Jesus, GO;” however by the end of the week (Matthew 27) not only were those same people saying “crucify Him,” but one of his disciples, betrayed Him and another one of His closest disciples turned his back on Him by denying Him. I can only imagine what He must have felt like during the moment when He was at His lowest. The people who He called friend were nowhere to be found. Isn’t it funny how people just switch up on you like that? Ok, maybe it’s not funny … but I’ve always wondered how and why as people, we’re able to do that with such ease. That is the main reason why we can’t get so caught up in the praises of others that we start living off of them, because if people would turn their backs and betray Jesus, the Savior of the world, imagine what they would do to us. We have to be careful because when those praises stop, and believe me they will, it will have a negative impact on us. I read a quote that said: “If you live off a man’s compliments, you’ll die from his criticism.”

Switching gears ..2015..

We live in a time where people tend to flock to whatever is popular, whatever is poppin, and whoever is riding into town in the candy apple red Ferrari, they want to associate themselves with the next big thing. It’s kind of like a kid at Christmas time, they receive these expensive, shining new toys, and they will play with them for a few days, but as soon as the new year rolls around, and the newness wears off they are usually no longer interested in the toys that they just received; they hear people at school talking about the new (NEW) toys, so they immediately start to want something else. I’m here to tell you, people are just like that. We like to watch the new television shows, and shop at the new stores, and try the new products and dine at the new restaurants, and attend the new churches with the new Pastors, but after a while when the momentum dies down, we tend to be on the lookout for what’s coming next.

That is why we have to be sure that people are not putting us so high up on a pedestal that they start to worship us like we are a god when they think we are “the next big thing.” Because not only is allowing others to “worship” you a very dangerous place to be put in, but people will discard you once the newness wears off. We must place God in the front of us because He is the one that opened the door and made the opportunity possible. Remain humble and always point people to God; instruct them to look up. I know that in the moment, the extra love and the palm branches may really boost the ego and make you feel all good on the inside; however we must be mindful of our purpose and our assignment. We must remember to be thankful to the one that equipped us with our gifts and talents, and remind others to do the same. Because what are you going to do when you stop hearing all of those, “good jobs” and “way to go’s” or when those pats on the back don’t come as often? What are you going to do when people start criticizing you or questioning you? What are you going to do when your family and your close friends become skeptical and don’t sing your praises to others? Is that going to slow you down? Are you going to allow discouragement to creep in? Are you going to stop working towards your destiny? Are you going to just forget your purpose? Are you going to abort your mission? Or are you going to encourage yourself, pat your own self on the back and keep it moving.

Believe me; I know it’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement of people giving you a round of applause, however just remember that it is just as easy to get bummed out and knocked off course when the people around you take a break. It’s easy to get discouraged when all of the noise dies down, and people move on to the next hot trend. That is why we must be Purpose Driven and not People Driven.

For it is much better to be brought down by people, and exalted by God; than it is for God to knock you down like Humpty Dumpty and people try and try to put you back together again.

I truly believe that those times of silence are God ordained. I believe He orchestrates those moments for us to remain humble and focused on the task at hand. He doesn’t want us fully relying on others because He is the Source. He is the one that we should be striving to please, not people. I feel that in those instances God is trying to teach us something. I believe He is testing us to see if the crowd goes away will we still do His will. When people stop posting about us on social media, will we still use our gifts and talents to do what’s right. When our support system breaks down, and our friends get to busy to encourage us, will we find a way to continue to move forward. Just as Jesus had to go through the highs and lows of being praised and then being rejected in order to complete His assignment, we must be prepared to do the same thing. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Jesus, and I’m sure it was difficult for Him to accept that some of the people He thought had His back would be the very ones to turn their backs on Him; however He knew that He had a greater task at hand. He knew His purpose and what He had to do in order to fulfill it.

We must remember, people will change like the wind however God is consistent; He will never fail us. He wants the very best for His children. Let us not get caught up in the hype because remember, the yays can become nays in the matter of a few chapters, or should I say a few days. (Matthew ch. 21 & 27)

Yes, I know it feels good, and honestly, motivation and encouragement can be helpful to us; so please be sure to tell people Thank You and let them know you appreciate them for the nice compliments and gestures. However let’s be sure to honor the Gift Giver and encourage others to do the same. Let us continue to talk to Him, and build ourselves up with His word. Just as we work on our physical bodies by eating right and going to the gym to exercise, we must continue to work on our inner-selves by reading the Word, communicating with Him, seeking Him for direction, and surrounding ourselves with honest people who want what’s best for us.

Be sure to work for a cause, and not for the applause.

I want to encourage you to find your purpose and commit to working towards it whether you have a crowd of people to cheer you on or not. Don’t concern yourself with how fast others are running their race: Allow God to set your pace, so that when the time comes He can place you on a platform for the world to see; let Him promote you. Don’t allow doubt or negativity to bring you down, and get you off focus: Allow Him to prepare a table before you in the presence of your naysayers; let Him elevate you. Don’t get so caught up in the “likes” on social media: Allow God to go before you and make your paths straight, so that you will be ready to walk in the open doors that will bring you before important people in the “Real World.” Be steadfast, and allow Him to make you The Next Big Thing. (Luke 14:11 AMP)

~B.

“Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” (1 Peter 5:6)

 

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