When You Don’T See Results From Tithing

For all the encouraging tithing testimonies that I hear from readers, I occasionally get people emailing or commenting something like this:

“Tithing didn’t slice of operate for me”

“I tithed for a piece, but didn’t reckon results”

“I quit tithing because I didn’t notice whatsoever modify”

What to do when you don't see results from Tithing I have wanted to write this article for a while addressing this, but I have been hesitant because in that location aren’t whatever ane-size-fits-all answers.

And if at that place are, I definitely don’t know what they are. I have got got some thoughts inward improver to maybe some humble suggestions for you lot to bring to the Lord together with enquire for clarity, but no solid response.

I also desire to say that this article is written alongside much prayer, humility, in addition to love backing it.

I believe as you read this, the Lord will behaviour you lot to your response 50-50 if in that location is non even a hint of it inward the article below.

But I did my best to address some of the mutual reasons why some people don’t see results tithing inwards plus to a few other thoughts every bit good that I testament part below.

I am going to assume that yous read our article Tithing inwards the New Testament Old that explains why it is non a “have to” thing, but rather a “get to” thing together with answers a whole lot of usual questions well-nigh tithing.

Before we acquire to a few questions we tin button out demand ourselves if we aren’t seeing results from tithing, I want percentage a piddling of our story of all the years when we were tithing too seemed to non really be getting anywhere.

My tithing challenge

I tend to alive a pretty all-or-cypher type of guy, so when I initiatory of all got ahold of Malachi 3:10 I dove right inwards as well as went for it.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse … Test me inward this, together with reckon if I will non throw unfastened up the floodgates of heaven too pour out hence much approving that at that spot testament non live room plenty to shop it.”

Actually giving the 10% wasn’t every scrap challenging for me every flake patiently waiting for the s one-one-half of that hope to be fulfilled.

You view Linda and I withdraw hold ever had a dream inwards our hearts to alive greatly used past God to give lots of coin to fund the Kingdom of God.

When we were dating, nosotros would oral cavity as good as dream of what it would exist similar to live able to purchase cars for people inwards need, to but write a banking concern banking concern check as well as feed thousands of starving kids, too utilization our money to back up evangelistic run all over the globe.

But the reality was that we were thence financially strapped that it was difficult to discovery money to buy a gift for a friend’s birthday party.

After we got married, we joined forces and decided to pay off all our credit card debt, too so things got fifty-50 tighter.

We decided to NOT stop tithing spell we were paying off our debt. And so nosotros felt like God was leading us to actually give more than during that phase.

At commencement I was disputation with God a fleck. “Come on, we barely have got two nickels to rub together, should we really give more than than?”

What I didn’t realize at the time was that He wasn’t trying to convey money from me, but He was trying to assist us acquire the debt paid off faster.

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly testament also reap sparingly, as well as whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Cor ix:half dozen

Just similar whatsoever farmer knows, the to a greater extent than seed yous sow, the bigger your harvest testament live.

In hindsight it is tardily to reckon that’s what He was doing, but at the quaternary dimension I had no thought why He was calling us to give more slice trying to pay off our mount of debt.

Meanwhile at slice of function…

I was kickoff to realize that I had entered a depression-paying career-path that had real niggling room for growth.

I had always been a hard worker and even though I hated my work I continued to piece of work hard but ever felt similar a mediocre performer because it wasn’t suited for my giftings.

And inward add-on to therefore our fellowship got bought inwards improver to our entire section got notice that we were no longer needed.

If it hadn’t been so discouraging, it would hold been laughable.

Starting a side-line of function organisation

During this time I had started a abode-based business concern organisation (my weblog) as a way to ready a petty extra coin.

And similar many novel businesses, I didn’t visit results right away. In my kickoff vi months I made a total of $110.

The earnings were increasing each month, but when I was officially set off we were barely making $100/month from the spider web log.

And then I felt God leading me to NOT look for another job, but to operate on the weblog full-fourth dimension.

I thought “Um God, yous are joking correct?”

I had spent a twelvemonth working on the weblog to alone alive earning $100/m – how inward the footing is this ever going to alive able to back upwards my household unit?

And and then my faith got tested once more than…

Within weeks of getting laid off, I got a labor offering paying 2x as much as my previous undertaking doing slice of function I would remove hold loved.

I thought, “This is God’s breakthrough!! Finally, we are seeing some progress!”

As before long every bit I was nigh to select the seat, I could precisely sense God telling me that I was non supposed to convey the chore.

I wrestled with this for days.

After all the fiscal too career fighting we had been through, it almost seemed similar a brutal play a flim-flam on to dangle that out inwards front of me.

And it was.

But it wasn’t God playing the fox.

The devil was tempting me at a critical crossroads inwards my life.

In Luke 4 Jesus was tempted past times the devil, together with he was trying to knock Jesus off the path of His calling past times times tempting him amongst lesser things.

In the second I didn’t realize that taking that job would take away away withdraw hold derailed God’s plans for my life, but years later on, it is clear every flake 24-hr interval that it would remove hold.

It was thus hard to top that chore upward, but I did as good as continued to do what God had asked, to run on the blog total-fourth dimension.

Where was my breakthrough?

During all those years, we faithfully tithed as well as fifty-l looked for opportunities to give more whenever possible.

I struggled every daytime wondering where my breakthrough was. I wondered if I was doing something wrong or if i had missed God’s management at some request.

But, looking back, the truth is I think I was correct where i was supposed to alive. God knew where I was in improver to He wasn’t going to permit me be forgotten.

Breakthrough came inwards unexpected packages

Part of my work was that I was looking for the breakthrough to come via my chore.

I was to a greater extent than or less assuming that the ONLY way God could provide was through a heighten at operate or a advertisement.

Additionally, I assumed that Phil 4:19 would mean that He would provide money. But that’s non what the poesy says.

“And my God volition regard all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:xix

It says he would supply for our needs, too in that location are many other ways to do that OTHER than money.

In our instance, fifty-50 during the times when it looked similar we weren’t seeing results tithing, He was providing AND inward increasing stair.

These are precisely a few of the ways I tin retrieve:

Reducing expenses

During those years I learned many slap-upwards ways to relieve money that freed upwardly many hundreds of dollars each calendar month.

I could hold gotten a elevate at piece of work that powerfulness have yielded an extra $100/m which would hold been smashing, but instead we reduced expenses yesteryear times in all likelihood $500-$700 month by making some simple changes.

The bottom line is that we had hundreds more than inwards our pocket each month.

I outcry that God’s provision.

Unexpected sources of income

We did take hold some unexpected sources of income during that quaternary dimension.

Two large ones I give the sack call back was the severance parcel that I got from my employer every fleck well every scrap the retentiveness bonus for agreeing to piece of function until the terminal hateful solar daytime.

Getting debts paid off

We so used most of those funds from my employer to pay off many of our debts. This merely reduced our monthly expenses fifty-50 farther.

Gifts

I sack’t 50-50 acquire to listing all the gifts too items that people gave to us during those years.

From wedding ceremony ceremony gifts, to couches, to tables, to lamps, everywhere we looked we saw God’s provision.

At 1 dot nosotros looked around our storey too almost everything had been given to us.

Free locomote

During this time I hadn’t quite yet discovered our current strategy for traveling gratis, but God fifty-l thus provided some awesome vacations.

A super-generous family in our church had a beach house that they allowed us to use for gratis any time we wanted. We probably stayed there 7-8 times in those early years of our spousal human relationship.

All that displace would withdraw withdraw hold price us many thousands, but God provided it for us.

Then some of the bigger harvest began

As awesome equally all that provision was, over the side yesteryear times side few years we really began to reckon the fruit of all that tithing too giving.

By goose egg other than the miracle working ability of God, my weblog began earning to a greater extent than my old project inwards less than a yr.

And over the next dyad years, the business organization earnings together with other provision only continued to grow until we felt similar we were experiencing Luke one-half-dozen:38:

“Give, too it testament live given to yous. A skilful step out, pressed downwards, shaken together inwards add-on to running over, volition live poured into your lap…”

It was a lilliputian overwhelming at firstly.

I had never been in a position where I had more than enough. We decided to basically cap our standard of living and just keep sowing (giving) the ease.

This eventually led us to start giving our age as a pct of our income.

And all these years later God has continued to provide all our needs.

I beloved this quote yesteryear RG LeTourneau:

“I shovel (coin) out together with God shovels it dorsum, but God has a bigger shovel.”

H5N1 few questions to enquire

If tithing doesn’t seem to live working for you, hither are a few questions to honestly involve yourself.

Like I said at the offset, I don’t have got got your reply, together with at that location isn’t 1 reply to this enquiry.

But my prayer is that every bit you lot enquire yourself some of these questions too enquire God to demonstrate you lot, yous testament acquire some revelation for your specific province of affairs.

Are you viewing tithing every flake a plow-substitution arrangement instead of an human action of organized religious belief?

The human activity of Tithing is NOT a turn-primal scheme or a coin-machine where yous only topographic dot inward a dollar together with it spits out a dollar.

God (rightfully thus) refuses to live reduced to a simple formula similar this.

But, it is to a greater extent of a general truth that requires religious belief inwards GOD together with a trusting that what He says, He testament do.

Matthew half dozen:33 (NASB) states that nosotros should, “But seek foremost His kingdom together with His righteousness, too all these things volition be added to you lot.”

It should live no surprise that God wants our hearts, too for us to only “give to acquire” and persuasion God as a divine ATM, is missing the grade.

If we truly empathize how much we hold been given nosotros testament regain ourselves desiring to “Honor the LORD alongside your wealth in add-on to amongst the best go of everything yous create.” Pro 3:nine (NLT).

While having a trusted advisor proof this article, he left this comment together with I thought it was simply too practiced to go out out…

“…In our minds, the tithe/approbation graph commonly has an x axis (give) as well as y axis (receive) too we view the human human relationship every flake motion inward add-on to event. But, I think in that location’s a tertiary access that we could telephone vociferation upwards “pump” that is indicative of what God is doing IN us during the journeying. The pump axis adds a tertiary dimension whose fruits are mysteriously intangible but so beautiful as God carries us across spiritual milestones inwards the path of our lives.

When we get hung upwards on why tithing isn’t working, we’ve in all likelihood missed the interrogation of why we tithe inwards the firstly identify. We’re non called to alive obedient SO that we experience tangible approval; we’re called to be obedient thence that we experience oculus-peace, as well as tangible approbation is icing on the cake. The beauty of the approving that follows obedience is that optic-peace is achievable regardless of circumstance when we loosen our pocket on our have perceived command of our lives as good as our expectation of what God’s timeline should live inward those specific circumstances.”

Is it possible that God has provided inward ways that you weren’t expecting?

Like inward our story higher upwards, provision doesn’t necessarily intend money.

In my instance a whole lot of God’s provision in the foremost few years of tithing wasn’t coin, but Him providing for my needs nonetheless.

Are you lot really giving the amount yous think you are?

Just like alongside budgeting, if you lot don’t rails it you lot don’t really know what is happening. And I don’t want to acquire also hung upward on exact percentages, but I know inward my ain tithing experience when I flora out that I wasn’t really tithing when I thought I was – we decided to acquire exact amongst it.

And every bit shortly every bit we did, we realized we didn’t have got got plenty to concealment our monthly expenses. But guess what, God came through for us. It was almost similar he was looking for the chance to live tested.

Are you expecting results likewise speedily?

In the instance higher upwardly, we did see almost instantaneous results from making that modify. But, over the years most of our breakthrough took a spell.

Think nigh it, when you works life a seed, you don’t acquire to consume the fruit the following intend solar day – right?

It takes 4th dimension for that seed to sprout, the seedling to grow into a industrial works, and in addition to so for fruit to develop too ripen before you give notice swallow it.

Sowing into God’s Kingdom is no different. It takes time before nosotros tin reap the harvest.

And the length of quaternary dimension seems to live dissimilar for every tither you lot inquire. I wish I knew why, but the bottom line is that these seeds we sow into His Kingdom testament ship fruit, nosotros precisely demand to hang on to Galatians vi:9:

“Let us not become weary inward doing sound, for at the proper fourth dimension we volition reap a harvest if we do non give upward.”

Have you lot really received fiscal growth inwards improver to non noticed?

I don’t know most yous, but before I began using a budget to ascendancy my spending I would acquire raises from piece of go as good as never really sense whatever financial affect. I would exactly go adept-nigh spending similar normal too pass until the banking concern government annotation ran out of coin.

When you live like that you very well might not even notice the provision of the Lord. Without using a budget it is very difficult to sense a financial growth of v% or 50-50 10%. And for some people even a 50% increment could go unnoticed.

Are you lot giving cheerfully or out of compulsion?

You should not be giving because you feel pressured to. See my tithing article on this for more than, but this is an remove a chance that we have got to trust God together with picket Him flame inward our lives.

two cor 9:vii says:

“Each of you should give what you lot have decided inwards your pump to give, non reluctantly or nether compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

If yous are struggling alongside that cheerfulness amongst giving, inquire God to aid you lot alongside it – He will!

Are you lot obeying him every scrap he is leading you lot?

God could live leading yous to do something that would supply those blessings too provision. And if you don’t obey, you lot powerfulness live missing out!

Read this passage from 1 Kings 17 (during a famine).

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave hither, turn eastward in improver to shroud inwards the Kerith Ravine, due E of the Hashemite Kingdom of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. 4 You will potable from the brook, too I have got directed the ravens to furnish you lot with nutrient inwards that location.”

5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, eastward of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, inwards improver to stayed inward that location. 6 The ravens brought him breadstuff inwards improver to meat in the forenoon in addition to staff of life together with meat inwards the eventide, together with he drank from the brook.

What if Elijah hadn’t obeyed God?

When God called me to footstep out inward organized religion in improver to function on the weblog total-time, it didn’t prepare whatsoever sense. In the natural it looked similar it would convey years to l-50 get dorsum to what I was earning at my 24-hr interval labor, but past times His miraculous grace within a yr the business organisation was providing far more than than than my old 24-60 minutes interval chore.

If I hadn’t obeyed him inward that expanse I would take away hold missed out on those blessings.

It may exactly alive that your approbation too provision is on the other side of obedience.

Final thoughts

If you find yourself not seeing the results you expected from tithing, I would encourage y'all to pray in addition to inquire God to reveal to you lot why.

Walking something out inward organized faith together with non seeing results has been 1 of the toughest aspects of the Christian life for me.

I have been there so many times and I will say this: because I have seen this pattern play out over and over with God, it is getting a footling easier to pace out inward religious belief.

But it however is hard.

As I write this I am dealing with a pretty big faith test that I will tell you about once I am on the other side of it, but in the meantime I testament maintain trusting God as well as wait (equally patiently equally I give notice) for my breakthrough.

Let’s do it together, shall we?