“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
Thoughts on Stewardship
Lesson No. 4 from Genesis
Let no man say that he has made you rich except Almighty God!
Foundation Scriptures: Genesis 14 verses 18-24
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. 21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’–24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” Genesis 14:18-24 NKJV
There was a battle that occurred between nine kings —four on one side and five on the other. In the process, Sodom and Gomorrah were plundered of goods and people and Abram’s nephew, Lot, and his family and possessions were taken into captivity. Abram heard about it and took his servants—318 of them—and attacked, routed, and ran them off. He took back the goods and the people, including Lot and his family. When Abram returned, he was met by the king of Sodom. The king asked for the people back, but told Abram to keep the goods for himself. Abram flatly refused. He said, “I promised God that I would take nothing that is yours, so that you can never say that you made me rich!” God had promised Abram that He would greatly bless him and He had. Everything Abram had was given to him by God and God alone would get all the glory.
1. The hand of the Lord is on Abram’s life
a. Abram goes with his servants and kills the enemy and plunders them.
b. He meets Melchizedek—priest of the Most High.
c. Melchizedek blesses Abram and Abram gave a tithe of everything that he had taken.
d. The Priest blessed Abram and Abram paid a tithe in worship to God for his deliverance.
e. Then the King of Salem came and wanted to make a deal with Abram.
Abram declared: I WILL NOT TOUCH EVEN A SHOE-LATCHET—I WILL NOT TOUCH ANYTHING THAT IS YOURS. LEST YOU SAY I HAVE MADE ABRAM RICH. IN OTHER WORDS: “LET NO MAN SAY, “I HAVE MADE ABRAM RICH,” EXCEPT ALMIGHTY GOD.”
Pastor Adonica’s thoughts:
Abram’s faith was in God alone. He had followed God out from his home and family, had made God his source and supply, and he would never again trust in man or the arm of the flesh. We are the children of Abraham if, by faith, we have received Jesus as Lord and Savior. We must fill our heart and head with the Word and promise of God. We must see God always as our source and supply and not man. If you get your eyes on man and expect people to meet your need you are bound to be disappointed, because they will let you down. Some people use others to get what they want or steal from them, because they see that as the only way to get what they want. God says let the thief steal no more, get a job, and give to those who are in need. Get your eyes on God. See Him and Him alone as your source. Ask Him to meet your need. Expect Him to answer your prayers. Don’t drop hints to people. Don’t ever look for God’s provision to come through a particular avenue. Let God meet your need however He sees fit and praise Him for it!
Pastor Rodney’s thoughts:
Over the years I have watched a very interesting scenario develop between certain wealthy people and ministries. It is as though, on the one side, these wealthy individuals desire to give, but they also want there to be strings attached. They want to dictate exactly how that money will be used. Now, it is possible to give a designated gift for something specific, but that is different than trying to call the shots and manipulate the minister or the ministry. Many a preacher has lost the anointing because he became dependant on someone other than God Almighty to direct and to guide him. Over the years I have walked away from millions of dollars that had strings attached, because I realized that the day I gave in and trusted in man to meet my needs, I would lose the anointing as well as the ministry. Remember, when you give, you are not giving to the preacher or the ministry, you are giving to God. Remember that no one person or one thing is your source of supply except Almighty God. He is your source of supply. Don’t compromise your integrity. Let no man say that he has made you rich except Almighty God!
Prayer and Confession:
Father, please help me to always keep my eyes upon you and to realize everyday that you alone are the source of my supply.
