The Seventh of Seven Victories of the Generous Spirit
A few years ago a friend introduced me to a revolutionary idea. In our battle against the enemy, one of our greatest weapons is generosity. You may have never considered generosity as a weapon against the enemy. Neither had I. Here is the final one of the seven victories that we win every time we perform an act of giving that flows from a generous, Christ-centered spirit.
Victory #7 – I worship a God of abundance and I can never out give him
Finally, we have the opportunity through our generosity to affirm this wonderful truth that we worship a God of absolute abundance. It is so easy to slide into a scarcity mentality, always focused on what we don’t have. We look at the affluence of others with envy and become reticent when friends and peers advance ahead of us. These are signs of a scarcity outlook. In such a mindset we will never have enough, and therein lies the true deception. When we can be discontent in the midst of all that God has provided for us, we have allowed a spirit of scarcity to take over. This, too, is a grand lie.
We worship a God of abundance who wants only to provide for us if we will yield our lives to him. By our acts of generosity we acknowledge God’s unfailing abundance. And with it comes the second truth, we can never out-give God. He challenges Malachi, “test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven.” (Malachi 3:10) Throughout human history everything we know about God as revealed to us through Scripture and in the life of Jesus Christ tells us that at his very heart he is a giver; an abundant, gracious, lavishly providing, sovereign God. If we believe that, we can live in this world with the freedom to reflect that image in all of our acts of generosity. And when we do so, we will know daily victory in this ongoing battle.
What kind of life do you want for yourself? Do you recognize the chains that keep you in bondage, that rob you of the life God created you to live, that stress you out and wear you down? Are you listening to the lies of the enemy regarding money, possessions, power, pride and praise? Most importantly, do you want to be free?
The loving God who created you has an amazing vision for your life, and it includes a heart of a faithful steward that is opened up to the world through Christ-centered generosity. I pray that you will embrace that life today. It begins with a simple but profound affirmation, “It’s All His.” To God be the glory
