Offer a sacrifice to the Lord
n Joshua 8:28 to 32, we read about the time that Joshua attacked the land of Ai and killed their king. The Bible tells us that Joshua made sure that every building in the city of Ai was burned to the ground. He also made sure that the king of Ai was killed and hung on a tree. Later, he ordered the body of the king of Ai to be taken to the city gate and be buried in a pile of rocks. The rocks are still there and the town of Ai was never rebuilt.
When Joshua went to attack Ai, God said to him, “do not be Afraid, for I have given Ai into your hand”. Joshua did everything that God told him to do to the land of Ai. The king of Ai was hung on a tree because he was making himself a “god” and he wanted to be worshipped. So Joshua utterly destroyed him and all his alters where he was worshiped.
After Joshua had destroy all evil alters of Ai, he build an alter for offering sacrifices to the Lord. After the alter was built, Joshua offered sacrifices to please the Lord and to ask for His blessings. Most of us here are being attacked by evil alters in our marriage, in our career and in our finances. We pray and destroy the evil alters, when we are done we are supposed to build an alter where we will offer sacrifices to please the Lord and ask for His blessing.
Many of us are able to build those alters and offer sacrifices to please the Lord when it comes to our marriages, our careers and our business. But when it comes to our finances, we hold back our sacrifices. We expect God to bless us but we do not want to offer sacrifices to Him. The church is your alter, and its where you should offer sacrifices to please God and to ask for his blessing.
The reason why Joshua was success in all his battles is that he knew how to offer sacrifices to God. Joshua never asked God for blessings without offering a sacrifice. This is why he was the only man who has ever made the sun to stop, and this is why in his reign, Israel was never defeated. Many are suffering financially because they do not want to offer financial sacrifices to God.
When you give in the house of God, give out of your free will and give with a pure heart. Do not look back at what you gave and wonder where it is going to or how it is going to be used. The moment you look back at your gift, then you have not offered out of a free will. When you give out a free will, God will surely give you His blessings.
Some of you think that after you have given a good free will offering you don’t have to tithe any more. But I tell you today, you need to pay your tithe 1st and then offer your free will offering. You cannot substitute your tithe with a free will offering, because your tithe is an insurance for your finances. Some of you are facing financial attacks because you have not tithed, meaning you have not insured your finances.
I also hear people testifying of getting new jobs every week but I’m surprised that I don’t see any of them bringing their 1st fruits. I sometimes think it’s because people do not know what a first fruit offering is. The first fruit offering is an offering you offer to God out of the first produce of your harvest. In Proverbs 3:9 the Bibles says “ honour the Lord with your substance and with the FIRST FRUITS of your increase”. Meaning that whenever there is an increase in your finances, the very 1st increase you must give it to God as a first fruit offering.
When we understand the principles of God in relation to giving and offering, we will be blessed exceedingly and abundantly. We will understand what the scriptures say when they say “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them from all”. When you are a giver, even if you can face various challenges in your finances, you will overcome and you will be blessed.
As you give this morning, understand that you are not giving to human beings or to the church, understand that this is an alter for God and that offering is your sacrifice to God. So give your best and give from the heart.
To God be the Glory.