What actually happens in the realm of spirit in the process of giving and receiving? When a person receives a present, he is in a position to receive more from the spirit of the giver than he probably is aware of. This is because the receiver of a present is open and vulnerable to the giver. He is open to whatever forces that may be motivating the giver, whether they be psychic, spiritual, angelic or demonic. The positive or the negative impartation, the blessing or the oppression, is channeled by the giver and accepted by the receiver.
The Lord had a reason for telling us, “Love your enemies, give to your enemies, feed your enemies. If someone wants you to give him something, then give it to him.” You must realize how vulnerable he will be to you. Likewise, if you take a present from a sinner or a demon-possessed person, you are then open to his evil. People who use devil power or witchcraft understand this principle, and will attempt to apply it. That is why any present that is received from such a person has to be burned. This is the only way that the object should be destroyed. Even a letter or a communication from someone who is demon-oppressed should be burned after it is read so that it will not have a harmful effect. Have you ever considered the number of people who are cursing God? God is as open to be cursed as any man. Thus, when someone gives Him curses, it is inevitable that the curser must be burned. You may not believe in eternal punishment; however, behind God’s whole plan of redemption is the elimination of the curse (Romans 8:19–21).
“And do not pass judgment and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you shall not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return.” Luke 6:37, 38.
This principle of giving applies not only to money, but to anything that you give or to any communication that you make. “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. And just as you want men to treat you, treat them in the same way. And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same thing. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend (note this stipulation when you give to an enemy), expecting nothing in return.” Verses 27–35a. You can give to your enemy, for you are not vulnerable in giving, but do not take anything back from him.
This explains why the Spirit may lead a believer at times to refuse a gift. It must also be the reason that Abraham was very careful about his sources of supply, as described in Genesis 14. Lot, Abraham’s nephew, who was living in Sodom, was among those who had been taken captive by the four kings who invaded the Jordan Valley. When Abraham heard of it, he went out and defeated the kings, bringing back the spoil and all the people who had been captured and taken into slavery. It seems that Lot would have learned a lesson from this and forsaken Sodom, but he went back.
After Abraham’s return from the defeat of the four kings, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. This was one occasion when Christ took a human form. We become aware of this as we read Hebrews 7. Melchizedek, who had … neither beginning of days nor end of life (verse 3), was not Christ as He was later born, but this was an appearance of Christ in human form.
And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tenth of all. (Abraham paid the tithe to Melchizedek.) And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.” And Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth” (this was a dedication to God), “that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.” Genesis 14:17b–24. The king of Sodom wanted to give Abraham a reward, but Abraham would take nothing from him. He did not want the spirit of Sodom to rest upon him. His three companions were permitted to accept the reward, for it was wages that they had earned. Abraham knew better than to take a single item from a sinner; he was going to be blessed by God with everything (Genesis 13:14, 15).
It is in the process of receiving a gift that one becomes vulnerable. Of course, this does not apply to payments or wages. Otherwise, many Christians would have to refuse their salary checks since most businesses are controlled by people who are not spiritual at all.
Unconsciously, people know these truths. In earlier generations, parents taught their daughters not to accept gifts from any suitor. It was all right to take some flowers, because they would wilt. But any significant personal present was to be rejected and returned. They were aware that the receiver of a gift receives more than the gift; something of the spirit of the giver is conveyed in such a way that the receiver is vulnerable to it.
Paul brought the instruction in I Corinthians 5:11 that believers are not to associate or even to eat with one who is called a brother if he is guilty of various sins. The breaking of bread is an exchange through which they are made vulnerable to the spirit of that person. This helps us understand why a young man who is courting a girl will take her out to eat and buy her presents. She does not realize how effectively this makes her open and susceptible to his intentions and plans in the courtship.
I Peter 3:1–6 is a passage instructing a wife how to relate to her husband if he will not receive the word of God. If he will receive her, then he will be vulnerable to her spirit. Thus, even without the word, he can be won by her chaste and respectful behavior. The passage does not say that she is to come to him in alluring clothes and a beautiful hairdo. It says that she is to come with a beautiful, meek spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price. It is the way godly women have adorned themselves since times past. She is adorned with a beauty that he cannot resist; it is a quality of spirit. This is wisdom; the wife is to find a way of giving of herself so that he will be vulnerable to her spirit. He has no defense against that. He may never listen to a minister; he may never even step inside a church meeting. Yet to the extent that he receives her, he receives her spirit. He will be opened up to God without a word because he has become a receiver.
Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Romans 12:17, 18. By loving your enemy, you build the only defense against evil that there is. When you open up to the hostility of another man’s spirit and respond to it with hatred, your defenses come down. Your guard comes down the instant that you begin to retaliate and create a concourse back and forth of vengeance and revenge, trying to get even with one another. Never attempt to pay back evil for evil to anyone, for then you will lose all your defenses and become open and vulnerable.
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19–21. Bypass revenge by refusing to take God’s prerogative of judgment in a situation. The minute that you take God’s right to judge an enemy, you are liable to judgment yourself.
Assume that a man does something evil to you, and you respond by judging him, thereby taking God’s prerogative of judgment. When God looks upon the man, He will not condone what he has done; but neither can He look upon you with favor, for in your arrogance you have taken His right to judge. You have tried to play God by getting your own revenge. “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” So you become as guilty as the other man, for you have sinned against God in taking His essential, basic right to judgment in the situation. But if you show love to your enemy, you leave the matter open to God and thus you bring it to an end. Then there is only one sinner in the situation; the man has sinned against you, but you have not sinned against him. As Proverbs 25:21, 22 teaches, by doing good to your enemy and giving to him, you heap coals of fire from God upon the head of that man because God will deal with him for his sin. But if you sin, God will deal with you, too. This matter of forgiving and having a forgiving spirit goes much deeper than most people realize.
Romans 12 is one of the few chapters on the gifts of the Spirit. It speaks of the different gifts and functions in the Body of Christ, describing some of them and how they are to operate. Then it goes into this passage: Be contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil… Verses 13–17. This is telling the believer to give a manifestation of love to others, something tangible, so that he is giving, so that he is channeling the spiritual blessing.
James 2:16 conveys the same thought. If you meet a brother who is hungry and say to him, “Be filled,” or one who is naked and say, “Be clothed,” your blessing is pointless because there is no gift to convey the love. In New Testament times a material object was often used as a channel to convey a spiritual blessing to an individual. A handkerchief or an apron would be blessed and sent to the sick. When it was received and laid upon him, his sicknesses were healed and the demons would flee out of him (Acts 19:11, 12). The object sent was a channel for the authority.
All it takes is a little token. This is why prayer cloths are important. When a physical object is blessed by an apostle or a prophet and given to an individual, he receives more than just the anointing on the cloth. If he receives the cloth with an element of faith, he is open to everything that the sender himself is. The importance of this principle of giving cannot be overemphasized, as it works for good as well as for evil. “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward.” Matthew 10:41a. When someone receives a prophet or an apostle, he becomes open to everything that the spirit of that individual can minister to him. Thus, if he receives the prayer cloth as from a prophet or as from an elder, the authority of the prophet or the elder comes through.
You cannot receive an oppression from an enemy by giving to him unless you are open to him. You can receive an oppression from him if you take what he wants to give to you. Therefore, you may be afraid that if you give to an enemy, you will get back something evil because you do not know how to give without opening up your heart. You will have to learn how, because as a giver you can screen out what the enemy would give to you. If you give in the name of the Lord, you bypass the responsibility or prerogatives of a giver.
Suppose that you are led of the Lord to give some money to someone you love. That love is going to take down your protective spiritual walls. What if that person is someone who would like to do you harm? Because you feel that it is in the will of the Lord, give him the money. But when you give it to him, say, “I give you this in the name of the Lord.” Then automatically that money becomes God’s money, and it is no longer yours; therefore, you bypass the openness to retaliation. This really works.
As we walk on with God, He will teach us how to give and give, but to give in the name of the Lord, as unto the Lord, so that we receive the reward. We do not realize how closely our giving is tied in with the rewards that come to us. On the judgment day, the Lord will say to certain ones who are the sheep, “Enter in. All these blessings are yours because you fed Me when I was hungry, clothed Me when I was naked, and visited Me when I was in prison.” Then they will say, “How did we do it to You, Lord?”
“Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
And to those who had refused to give, who had refused to feed or to clothe the hungry brother, the Lord will say, “You refused Me all these things.”
“When did we refuse You?”
“Inasmuch as you did not do it to a brother, you did not do it unto Me” (Matthew 25:35–46).
Both alternatives are voiced: there is the blessing for doing, but we often forget about the judgment for not doing. As children of God, we are responsible to be givers. If we are not givers where giving is needed, then we will be judged by the Lord for not having given to Him. That is how carefully this matter of giving and receiving is identified in the realm of the spirit. If you have this world’s goods and you see that a brother has a need, but you shut up your bowels of compassion from him (you close up all your emotions to him), then how does the love of God dwell in you? The love will not be there (I John 3:17). When you see a brother in need and refuse to help him because you do not want to give, then the Lord’s identity with that individual makes you guilty of having failed to minister to the Lord.
How does giving to God apply in worship and praise? If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. Now notice this: And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. I Corinthians 13:1–3. It is possible to give and still not receive back again if you do not give from your heart. Giving is not to be evaluated in terms of dollars and cents or objects given, because in real giving, something of your spirit is also conveyed with the gift. It would be of no consequence for you to receive a gift from an enemy if all you would receive would be the gift; but your enemy’s spirit comes through with that gift. It works the same way when you give to another person; your giving will profit you nothing, it will bring no return, unless your heart of love goes with the gift.
If a person stands in the congregation singing praises to God and speaking in tongues, but he does not have the real motivating flow of love in his words, then it means nothing at all. It is just so many words coming forth. But if his heart is in it, then he is not a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. There is something real in his praise when his spirit is in it, when love is behind it. A man can give all his possessions to feed the poor and give his body to be burned, but unless his spirit is moved with real divine love in his actions, it profits him nothing. This displays a basic truth: never give the church a single penny unless along with it you give love from your heart to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus… Colossians 3:17. Do everything with all your heart to the Lord, or it will mean nothing to you. Never give grudgingly or of necessity, but give with that cheerful overflow which shows that your heart is in it. Then, because you are sowing bountifully, you will also reap bountifully (II Corinthians 9:6, 7). When your heart is in your giving, the reward returns to you.
This principle should be understood, because God’s laws seem to be interrelated. The law of the tither works. Yet very few people realize that they must not violate the first commandment while they are fulfilling the law of tithing. The law of tithing says that ten percent belongs to the Lord (Leviticus 27:30–33). We are to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse… Malachi 3:10. But if you do that grudgingly, as a legalistic requirement, then you will miss the real requirement of the law which says that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). This is the first and greatest commandment. That love is to be in your giving. Bring the tithe to the Lord with all your heart, never grudgingly or because it is required. Never be coerced into it. When you do it with all your heart, then the blessing comes back to you.
We ought to have joyful songs of worship and praise when we come to bring our offerings, realizing that the purpose is not just to maintain the church finances. Giving is a part of worship. It is part of a procedure of blessing that we are bringing back upon ourselves.
He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed. Proverbs 19:17. Proverbs 28:27a reads, He who gives to the poor will never want. Learning to give to the poor, whether he is a brother or not, is to open up the windows of heaven upon yourself. This is the kind of giving that God will bless. He says that you are lending to Him, and He will repay. When it comes time to help the people in the church who are in need, do you feel that the church has too many other important projects that need your support? Never forget to give to the poor. The New Testament tells that Paul was constantly taking up offerings for the poor saints who were suffering in various localities. Now, also, the Lord is requiring believers to channel a part of their giving to help the poor.
The times of trouble, of recession and persecution that are coming upon the earth, will throw many brothers and sisters into problems. Concerned believers should be seeking ways of shipping food and clothing and of sending money. Churches should become geared for it right now, so that they will be prepared when the need arises. Then, whether it is brethren in a foreign country or those in a nearby city who suddenly find themselves in great difficulty, the churches will be ready to give. This is what the Lord is talking about. If You sow bountifully, you will reap bountifully. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed. II Corinthians 9:8.
It was to the generous Philippians, who had given and given, that Paul wrote: And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19. Wouldn’t you like to have some good credit with the Lord right now? It would be better than having any kind of national currency because you can trust God, but it is not certain what you will be able to trust in human resources. This process of giving embraces many deep laws that are interrelated. It is the key to our prosperity and our security, to having blessings come back to us time and time again. Would you like to have the Lord give you more? Would you like to be a better giver yourself? That is the better desire, because the Lord will give you more if you become a giver.
What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. Every problem that is named here is involved with the human spirit of taking, which is lust. Lust does not want to give; lust only seeks gratification. Whether it is the lust of the flesh or a greediness or a covetousness, it is all a struggle to get things. There is a constant grabbing and a desire to get something, yet one always fails to obtain.
You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures (on your lusts). James 4:1–3. You are trying to satisfy yourself with what you ask. Realize that you stand in your own way when you pray selfish prayers.
God never intended to create dead ends in His gifts. He intends that everything He gives should flow through channels. He does not give the gifts of the Holy Spirit to you so that they will dead-end in you and be used for your own personal need. He gives you the gifts of the Spirit to be used in ministering to others. It is a true law of the Body of Christ that the Body makes increase of itself through that which every joint supplies (Ephesians 4:16). Your brother cannot bless himself, but he blesses you when he gives to you; then you in turn bless him. In the Old Testament, the anointing oil was never to be applied personally upon a man’s own flesh. He could put it on another man, but he was not to anoint himself with the anointing oil. You are not to minister to yourself. You give and keep on giving; and as you do, your need is met too.
You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? James 4:4a. In I Corinthians 6:16 Paul said, “Do you not know that the man who is joined to a harlot is one flesh with her?” This is why one of the greatest pitfalls of our society today is promiscuous sexuality. There is no quicker way to diffuse the demonic spirits in their influence and thus reduce the whole society to a unified oppressed people than through the exchange of sexual intercourse among the people. When you enter into the course of adultery, whether it is sexual adultery or spiritual adultery, immediately a hostility from God comes against you.
Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. Verses 4b–10. This is all part of one picture. You want to give to God, but you are not to give so as to create the wrong spirit.
Suppose that two people live together. One is a good Christian with many admirable qualities; the other is an unbeliever, oppressed by a demon of lust. As they relate to each other sexually they do not realize the bonds they are creating and how those bonds will constantly bring down the spiritual level of the Christian. This will happen every time. The idea that people must have sexual fulfillment is wrong. Because that belief has been built up in our society in so many ways, both consciously and unconsciously, people have come to wrong conclusions and drives. The drive for sexual fulfillment is more of an acquired drive than it is basic. The body was not made for fornication; it was made for the Lord, according to I Corinthians 6:13. That Scripture stands, regardless of what anyone says. Basically, the body was made for the Lord.
God made Adam for Himself. He saw incidentally that it was not good for Adam to be alone, and so He created a wife for him. He brought the wife to Adam, who called her Eve because she was to be the mother of all the living. This was God’s answer for the loneliness of Adam’s heart. However, God’s first purpose was to walk and talk with Adam. Adam was made for God, and everything else that came out of the male and female relationship was secondary to man’s spiritual function and purpose. Consequently, the greater percentage of marriages today are not happy. This appears to be true even of the majority of Christian marriages. The reason for this is that they are elevating marriage out of its place. When marriage is reduced to being a function that is subordinate to the great drive of pleasing the Lord and serving Him, then marriages will be much happier than they are. Anything that people do in which they put God first will have a blessing on it. Anything! God will bless any job that He gives you to do if you do it with great love in your heart. In James 4 we see how a man who has the wrong motivation will bring strife and conflict, causing problems for the people around him. He never gets what he really wants because of his wrong motivation. The same problems can arise when you are doing any sort of work for the Body of Christ, especially work that is very demanding. A deacon may be required to do work that at times is very menial. It is easy to become discouraged with such a job, because nothing will be coming back from his efforts if they are not done with a right spirit. When the twelve apostles wanted some men to take care of the widows in the daily administration of food (Acts 6), they did not tell the people to find men who knew how to organize and who were experienced in cooking and serving. They said to find men who were full of the Spirit and wisdom, who would be full of faith and full of love, because they intended for the widows to receive more than just a serving of food. They knew that when these men served the food, their spirit, their faith, and their love would be coming through also. This was the wisdom of God, that giving would be a part of the ministry.
Regardless of what you have been called to do, you cannot serve God and do the will of the Lord unless you are filled with the Spirit of the Lord, unless you are conveying something more with your gift or your ministry than just the simple act of service. You must be giving in your spirit, because the person who receives from your hand is immediately vulnerable to what you have to minister. This conveys the idea of what real giving is.
The people in a church who are open to the pastor and who listen to what he says are blessed by the word that he brings. But there are people who do not have to say a word in order to bless you. They just come up and hand you a song book or pass out a bulletin to you. When you receive it from their hand, you are immediately open and vulnerable to them. Then they will take advantage of that openness to reach you with a blessing. You will begin to glow with that blessing, because they knew that in that exchange of a gift there is an open door to bless.
Give! Become a giver! You do not know how much God can channel through a heart that is really giving.