~Open in prayer~
Icebreaker
• Have you ever been in a food eating contest, and what did you have to eat?
• What is your favorite book of the Bible?
• What is your favorite season of the year and why?
MESSAGE REVIEW
The Blessing of the Lord was always meant to be something permanent and sustainable here on earth. It was never supposed to be something that comes and goes but was always something that man was intended to walk in continually. Still, because we now live in a fallen world, we must strive to understand how we can again walk in the blessing of God and what the results or the outcome of that will be in our lives. The Law of Divine portion can help us walk in the abundance of God and in his favor, or it can implicate the curse that follows everything you speak to, which produces a divine right to resist your for eating of what God has declared his. When we save and set apart what is Gods with a cheerful heart, God says we honor him, and he can’t help but open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing we do not have room enough to receive.
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!
•Read Genesis 1:26-28 God put his blessing on Adam and Eve, and as a result of that blessing, they were divinely empowered to 1 Be Fruitful 2 Multiply 3 Fill the earth 4 Subdue it, and 5 have Dominion over it. After God had blessed them, the Law of Divine Portion keeps these results intact and sustained in our lives as long as we do not eat what belongs to God. But unfortunately, as Adam and Eve found out when you eat what is God’s now, the earth has the right to resist all 5 of those things that God’s blessing has established in our lives. We were given the earth and everything in it, the world was created to respond to us, and now we find ourselves in a place that does not listen to our words but resists the things we attempt to do. What is a way that you’ve seen the blessing of God operate in your life? Describe the tension you feel when life seems to be resisting your every move.
•Read Psalm 8:1-9 The earth is groaning, waiting for a people of God who have the same blessing that Adam had on his life to come back into the earth and begin to fill it, subdue it, multiply and have dominion over it. The world was run and governed by our voice that was given to us by the authority of God to rule over it, but when we lost that divine empowerment, the Bible says in Romans 8:20 that the whole earth has now been subject to futility, not of its own will. The earth has been thrown into chaos through no fault of its own and is waiting for the sons and daughters of God to step back into the authority that God has given us when we walk in the blessing. When we walk in, it brings God’s Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. What are some ways you’ve seen the earth being thrown into chaos because we have not walked in the blessing of God the way we are supposed to? What are some ways you’ve seen the blessing of God restore order and peace back to a situation that would have been otherwise just a mess?
•Read Malachi 3:9-10 AGAIN BECAUSE THIS IS HOW WE GET THE BLESSING BACK! Adam sinned when he ate God’s portion and when that happened, he lost the blessing and the glory. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fallen short of the GLORY of God” Glory means the weight of God, so when Adam sinned, he lost the divine empowerment to prosper, and he also lost the ability to speak and have God back up what he said. It is essential for us to learn from Adam’s mistake; God is pleading with us to return to him so he can return to us, and then the Glory and Blessing that Adam lost will flow into our lives here on earth once again. But we must return to him with a correct heart posture; the bible says the Lord loves a cheerful giver and to not give out of compulsion. A bad attitude coupled with your giving is an offering that the Lord refuses to accept because it is not honorable. Proverbs 3:9-10 talks about “HONORING the Lord with your first fruits and your possessions” to Honor means to Respect, to speak well of, and to make glorious. Have you been Honoring to the Lord in your heart when you give? Have you spoken highly or spoke positively when it comes to giving the first fruits the Lord asks for?
•Read Mark 12:41 Jesus saw not what the people gave but HOW the people gave. That makes all the difference in the world to God how you give instead of giving out of obligation or religious duty. Jesus said the poor widow gave more than the rich because she gave all she had. The rich gave out of their ABUNDANCE, but what the poor widow gave was considered more because of her heart posture. After reading this scripture, I find myself asking who was the rich one in this story? How can we posture our hearts to Honor the Lord with not just what we give but how we give? What is more important how you give or what you give?
PRAYER FOCUS & REQUESTS
Ask your members if they have any prayer requests or praise reports. Discuss as a group if everyone understands this key of tithing and how it can be used or has been used in their lives.
TALK ABOUT IT.