Honor the LORD with your substance, and with the first fruits of all your increase: So shall your barns be filled with plenty and your presses shall burst out with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10
The Bible has the answers for our financial blessing and well-being. Over 2000 scriptures speak to us about God’s plan for financial well-being. God has given directives concerning His blessing and good stewardship of money.
If we will fulfill our destiny in life, we need God’s blessing to do it. If we pass on a legacy to the next generation, we need to practice good stewardship of finances. Directions for both financial blessing and stewardship are spoken of in the Word of God.
There are four key principles to Biblical financial blessing: believing, giving, stewardship, and work. To have lasting wealth, all of these need to be observed. The first principle is that of what we believe. The scriptures clearly state God’s desire for His people in the physical and financial blessing realm.
Principle # 1: Believing
God wants us to prosper. We must take a Biblical perspective if we want true and enduring blessings from God. Our faith must firmly be established in what the scripture teaches. Here are a few examples:
Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. III Jn 2
But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
For we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that even though He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. II Corinthians 8:9
God is able to make all grace about to you that you always having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work. II Corinthians 9:8
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
But you shall remember the LORD your God for it is He that gives us the power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 8:18
Let them shout for joy and be glad that favor my righteous cause, yea, let them say continually, The LORD takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. Psalm 35:27
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1
The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but those who trust in the LORD shall not lack any good thing. Psalm 34:10
It is evident from these scriptures and hundreds more that it is God’s will for His people to walk in financial blessing. If we don’t know the will of God concerning true financial blessing, it will be hard for us to operate in it at the level God wants us to.
Principle # 2: Giving
The second principle that we want to address is giving. Oral Roberts defined this as one Biblical key to financial blessing in his book on seed faith. He said that it is necessary to give to receive. In other words, we must sow a seed to reap a harvest. Many scriptures address the principles of giving and receiving. Here are just a few:
Give and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, for with the same measure that you meet it will be measured to you again. Luke 6:38
It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35 (b)
No church communicated with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. Philippians 4:15
There is he who scatters and yet increases; and there is that withholds more than is sufficient, but it tends to poverty. The liberal (generous) soul shall be made fat: and he who waters others will be watered also himself. Proverbs 11:24-25
He who sows sparingly, will reap also sparingly, and he who sows bountifully, will reap also bountifully. II Corinthians 9:6
Ultimately, if anyone is going to live in Biblical financial blessing, they must be determined to be a giver. Studies have shown that only about 20% or fewer people who consider themselves Christians practice the Biblical principle of tithing: giving 10% of their income. Other studies show that nearly every Fortune 500 company, if not all, practices generosity and gives 10% or more of their income to charity. If believers want to operate in more blessings, they should practice the scriptural principles of giving. Giving is tied to receiving.
Principle # 3: Stewardship
Many scriptures teach stewardship and Biblical money management. This has been taught over the years by several Christian leaders. When my middle son Andrew graduated from high school, one in my church gave him a book by Dave Ramsey, which listed ten principles of Biblical financial stewardship. Andrew read the book in two days and then told me, “Dad, you do everything Dave says to do in this book.” I asked my son what the principles were, and he quoted them to me (Andrew has always had a brilliant mind). I replied, yes, I do, everyone.
I teach these principles and many more in my book Provision, Releasing Supernatural Increase in your Life. The most basic principle I teach in Biblical stewardship and money management is the 10/10/80 principle. Many leading financial consultants teach this principle. It is simple: give the first 10%, save the next 10%, and live on 80%. If people practice this simple principle, it will lead to long-term financial blessings.
The Bible teaches the tithe principle: giving the first tenth of our increase. The first place tithing is spoken of in scripture is in Genesis 14 when Abraham returned from battling with foreign kings who had taken his nephew Lot and his family and goods from the city of Sodom. Abraham received a blessing from Melchizedek, king of Salem (Jerusalem, the city of Peace), giving him a tenth of the spoils.
In Genesis 28, Jacob ran from his brother Esau and left the land after receiving the blessing from Isaac, his father. When he fell asleep that night, Jacob had a vision of a ladder going into heaven and angels ascending and descending on that ladder. He committed to give God a tenth of everything that God would give him.
Jacob probably didn’t have more than a staff and a loincloth when he ran for his life. But He met God and committed to giving a tenth of his increase to God. When he returned to the land about 14-15 years later in Genesis 32, he gave his brother Esau a gift of at least $750,000.00 in our current economy. Jacob also met God that night in Genesis 32, and his name was changed to Israel. Israel means that as a prince, you have power with God and men and have prevailed.
Tithing was practiced as a principle in the law of Moses. There was a blessing associated with tithing, which is spoken of in Malachi 3:10-12. A blessing is associated with giving no less than the first tenth of our income to the places God directs us to give it.
Tithing is spoken of in the New Testament book of Hebrews, chapter seven, verses 1-10. When we read it closely, we can find that Abraham’s gift (tithe) settled the debt of the Levitical priesthood. The Levitical priesthood was established about 400 years after Abraham lived. We could say that Abraham’s gift settled the debt of many generations.
I believe that Jesus’ gift settled the debt of every generation. I am a tither; I practice giving over 10%. However, I do not give as a debt that I owe. I like to give as a seed that I sow. Seed has a future. The Bible speaks often of seedtime and harvest. It is a principle from Genesis that goes clear through the New Testament. It’s working for me today, and I believe it will work for anyone practicing it.
In the area of stewardship. The second thing that we need to do is save at least 10% of our income. This can be done in several ways. Some may be a savings or stock account or adding principal to a house payment. If we want a biblical financial increase, I believe these first two principles of giving and saving must be firmly established in our lives.
Another principle in stewardship is that our housing costs should be no more than 35% for long-term financial blessing. It can be a little higher for a short period, but if we want to prosper long-term, we must keep our costs within reason. If your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall.
A close banker friend once told me that there are two kinds of people: savers and spenders. He said usually, savers save more than they need to, and spenders spend too much. In dealing with people, I have found that to be true. We can operate in God’s financial blessing system when we practice good financial stewardship. You can find many more scriptures on financial stewardship and blessing in my book: Provision, Releasing Supernatural Increase in your Life.
Principle # 4: Work
If you don’t work, you won’t eat. II Thessalonians 3:10. My dad’s renditions.
Growing up, I heard that scripture a thousand times if I heard it once. Work is part of the process of receiving Biblical financial blessing. Proverbs recites many of these principles in the realm of diligence and slothfulness. Laziness is never blessed!
Here are a few scriptures that reveal these principles:
He becomes poor who deals with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent makes rich. Proverbs 10:4
The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute. Proverbs 12:24
The soul of the sluggard desires and has nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. Proverbs 13:4
The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one who is hasty only to want. Proverbs 21:5
See a man diligent in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. Proverbs 22:29
Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds. For riches are not forever: and does the crown endure to every generation? Proverbs 27:23-24
I believe with everything in me that God wants people to prosper. I believe He wants them to live in physical and financial blessing. I believe that anyone who believes what the scripture teaches in this realm has an opportunity to grow and live in God’s blessing. If we want to prosper in God’s way, these four keys can help us: believing, giving, stewardship, and work.
May God Bless you as you allow His Word to direct you in every realm, including principles of Biblical financial blessing.
