The Power of Giving
by Raymond Sloan
February 1, 2026 · Cornerstone Apostolic Church (Chattanooga, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:1-6, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, Luke 6:43-45, Psalm 19:14

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/raymond-sloan--the-power-of-giving
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Now pray with me one more time. Church, Lord, today we are thankful for our time with you. Thankful for the moving of your spirit, for the confirmation, Lord, that you are still with the body. Wherever we are, wherever you lead us, Lord, you are taking taking care of us every step we take. Today, Lord, as we go to your word, I make myself once again available to you, Jesus. Without you, Lord, I'm nothing. All of my righteousnesses, they are as filthy rags. I must have you. Speak today, Lord, through your word. Let us hunger and thirst for the things of God in this hour. Lord, I pray we'll love you for it. We'll trust you for it. And we'll praise you in the name of Jesus. Can you give the Lord praise all over the room? Come on, give the Lord praise all over the room. I love you, Lord Jesus. So good to be in the house of the Lord. Amen. Protection of the Lord and provision. I welcome you here. To our guests that are online, we welcome you. Aren't we glad they've joined us? To our visitors, our guests in the house, we're glad you're here. The Lord bless you. Amen. I know there's a lot of folk that choose to stay on that side of the ice, and I understand that. But, um, sooner or later, we'll get past this. And, uh, man, it's just hard missing Sunday school and all that stuff. It's just a a great challenge. So for those online, don't forget your offering. I'm joking. So glad to be in the house today. I echo the words of brother Sam earlier. Thanks to all the volunteers who came and helped with the work and the remodeling. It's going to continue. We've got several several big projects we are working on. And so I invite you to come and help us. Amen. Many hands make a lot to feed. That's right. um light work. But anyway, please check the app if you have questions about what we're doing. We're trying to keep up with it. Uh I love you guys. It's a great day to serve the Lord. What a wonderful opportunity to serve God today. If you have your journal, don't forget it. Dig it out. You can take some notes. I want you to do so. I feel like that uh the more we talk about the Lord, the more we think about the Lord, the more we fall in love with the Lord, things change in us. Aren't you thankful? I'm thankful. Thankful for our singers, musicians, as well our security staff, Sunday school guys have been lazy the last few weeks, but we're still thankful for you. You can be seated if you feel like you need to. another day in February 2026. Wow. Thank you, brother Herb. Thank you so much. We come again into the sanctuary and we are looking into the words of the Lord. We also come together on this particular Sunday like any other Sunday. We come to encourage one another in the family of God. Turn to your neighbor and say, "I encourage you today. Look back at that person you just said that to and would you say this to them? I speak life into you. How is that possible that you could speak life? I'll tell you how. Man, if I believe in you, it makes a difference, doesn't it? Every Sunday, every time we gather together, it prepares us for the journey that's in front of us. As we worship the Lord, as we sing praises to him, something wonderful happens at the gathering of the le of the elect, those baptized in Jesus' name, filled with the Holy Ghost, repentant and clean. It's an opportunity that we have on a weekly basis and more times than that, but particularly on a Sunday where we can come together and we can encourage one another and we can desire to want to spend time together in eternity. Now, for the sake of those sitting close to you, would you please look at them and simply say, "Will you go to heaven with me?" Any answers? Did anybody say, "You will go to heaven with me?" Boy, that sounds a little different, doesn't it? We This month, we'll continue on our annual theme. Our yearly theme for this year is greater. Say greater. Greater. Last month we talked about greater vision. how that we can see greater things, how that we can perceive things that are out there, how that we can raise, if you will, our desires in God and greater vision says, "Lord, I intensify my focus to you." Right? This month, we are going to change it and it's going to go a little deeper and it's going to get a little stronger because we're going to talk about greater giving. Somebody say, "I love to give." Come on, say, "I love to give." I recognize that some of you right now have cringed at the fact that we are going to be talking about giving. Some of you today, you're going to leave this place wondering where in the world pastor got that. Some may be even be concerned that the subject matter is hard when the preacher talks about your wallet. Some would even say he ain't got no right to do that. Some might even put your hand on your holy hip and pop your neck and saym, "See, we can do that because your cash, your Benjamins, what you've got in your wallet many times is a challenge because you're the one that's working for it, right? That's why we get frustrated when taxes go up. Lord, don't let me go there today." That's why we get upset when money begins to slip through our fingers and we wonder where in the world it was. But the fact still remains is that giving is a multiaceted face to look at. It is with great joy, listen carefully to your pastor, it is with great joy that I, as a pastor, get to stand behind this sacred desk and talk to you about one of the most incredible topics ever to be discussed. And that is the power of giving. The power of giving. You're going to see this today a lot because I'm in somebody's back panel on their old car and I'm doing this like the old dog used to do. There is something about the power of giving to the things of God. I believe that it is from God that we honor him and we love him as we give to him. We have a book in the Old Testament. If y'all are okay, we'll talk Bible today. If it suits you, that's great. If not, make the note. You can go back later.

Deuteronomy chapter number six. All of you know these verses, but we're going to read them today. Deuteronomy 6:1. Now, these are the commandments. Everybody say commandments. Everybody say the statutes. Everybody say the judgments. This is what the scripture says in the law that was given to the people of God. that these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whether you go, to possess it, that thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life, and that they thy days may be prolonged. Verse three. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it, that it might be that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee in the land that flowth with milk and honey. Verse four, you ready? Say it with me. Here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. But five says this, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Verse six. And these other words which I have commanded thee this day shall be in your heart. These are familiar verses because we read them often when we go to speaking about the one true God. Aren't you glad you serve one God today? Come on. Aren't you thankful there's only one God today? You didn't have to roll a wheel or throw the dice to figure out who to talk to. But he is still Yahweh. He is still Elohim. Come on. He is still the God of all creation. He never changes from that. He's God. HE IS JESUS. HE IS SALVATION HAS COME FROM THE LORD. Come on. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE things of God, we understand that the commands and judgments and precepts of God do NOT CHANGE BECAUSE SOMEBODY FEELS LIKE THEY SHOULD CHANGE. BUT GOD IS GOD. He gave what is called commandments. These are not suggestions, but they are commands. These are instructions to tell you this is what you shall do. Commands. The reason for this, notice it, that he gives to Moses is he says, I need you to understand that these are given to you for a purpose. Number one, that you would do them wherever you go. Doesn't matter what land you go. It doesn't matter what city or town you land in. I'm going to give you these commandments and these judges judgments and these precepts because wherever you go, you're going to have to take them with you. But secondly, he said that you would fear the Lord God. Come on. At whatever condition you find yourself, wherever you discover where you are, you'll know, you know what? God is still God. I still re I I still respect him. I still honor him. I still know that he is in my life. God gave these specific words to the PEOPLE BECAUSE HE WANTED TO BE CALLED THEIR God and for them to be called his people. So there's this connection that begins to connect itself. And the scripture TELLS US PER PERFECTLY HERE THAT HE WANTED them to be a reflection of him, God's people. God would lead them. God would instruct them. He would tell them. Notice that first of all, he says, "Here, Israel, I'm one. Don't deny it. Don't try to try to understand it. Really, don't try to wrap your mind around it cuz it's going to blow you away every time. Every generation is going to come along and try to figure out the gods and they're going to come back to this one precept and understanding. There's but one God. You can say there are three, but you're so confused. Why? Because there are not three. There's one throne. There's one God. You can say there's 2,000 that you can worship. Pick the one that you want, but that's not true. There's only one God. This is a concept and a precept established from the origin of the beginnings. Here it is our God. AND WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT HIM BEING ONE IS THIS. YOU BETTER LOVE HIM WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE. Your heart, your soul, and your might, knowing that the commandments of the Lord given to his people. I wonder why he spent so much time emphasizing this. Last year, for those of us who understand history, we spent the entirety of the year talking about what? The tabernacle. Man, I I discovered so many cool things. I got to know things that I didn't really know before, and I'm still trying to sort some of them out in my mind. But as we begin to look, we discover that God began to speak to the people that he called his people. And he declared to them, if you will give and you will do, and you will follow and you will chase after, if you will, that there are things that I will do in your presence. And when you get this word as he established with them in Deuteronomy 6 and you get it in your heart, it'll change everything about how you do things and what you do. The principle of this is simply this. If God is going to establish his way, then you better understand that is going to be a purpose behind it. That we are not talking about, listen to me, bettering the things perhaps here on earth. Come on. This is not our final destination, somebody. This is not where we're going to clock out and stick around and walk around in circles. No. But he left this world to prepare a place for me so that where he is, I can be with him also. Anybody still want to go to heaven? Come on. God's way has to be in every heart and every believer and every follower of him. It has got to be his plan. It has got to be the way that he says it. Come on. The adversary is going to come against you. YOU'RE GOING TO FIGHT YOUR MIND. You're going to fight your thoughts. Things are going to come against you. And humanity are so fickle and so fragile. We might be up one day. You might be down the next. You may be in the middle of a storm right now, but tomorrow the sun will be shining. Uh we make decisions and choices so many times faced at what we feel looking at what we perceive. But the fact still remains there is still one God. He's on the throne exalted above everything. And whatever I'M GOING THROUGH, I'VE GOT TO GET THAT concept in my heart. Stay with me. Come on. We fall into the traps of our flesh so many times. We blame the enemy and he say, "I have nothing to do with that. That was your flesh. God's working on us. God is loving us. Every part of our life, he shows up. Come on. If you're on the job, God's there. Come on. If you're at a birthday party, God's there. Come on. If you're standing IN LINE AT THE BANK, God's there. If you're writing out that income tax check, and I'm I just messed it all up. God's there. Can I tell somebody if you're in a voting booth, God's there, there is nowhere you can go that God will not be there. I'm telling you that because if God is in all places at all times and his glory fills all the earth around us and and he's omnipresent because he's in all things and surely it would suffice to say that if we will understand if we he is out there that we got to get him in here in our hearts and in our beings in our minds and our souls. Why? Because if we connect with him daily, day in and day out, there is something that happens in the heart of humanity that says, "Lord, I declare your glory BECAUSE YOU ARE IN MY HEART." Stay with me on this cold Sunday. I want to remind you that his laws are still right. His ways are still declared. And as the book of Deuteronomy states, he has put this in our hearts. They have to become part of who we are. They have to become a part of what drives us. The laws of God have to be the words that direct us. Listen, if you're looking for answers in whatever troubled situation you're in right now, I guarantee you can get answers from the word of God. Come on. Some of us may feel so highly of ourselves that we're out here looking for another word or a different word when the fact is we've already been given the word and this word is forever settled in heaven. You you can't change. Come on. It ain't all forever settled here on earth cuz this earth is going to try to push it away and deny it and decline it. But to those who believe in the word of God, you are looking for a place called heaven where the builder and maker is not man but it is the hand of God that's establishing it. Why? Because this law has become a part of our hearts. So why do we struggle so in life? Why do we get so sidetracked? Why are we ready for it so easily beset? Why do things come against us and we have aches and pains in our daily walk with him? Why is coming to the house of God sometimes a struggle? Why is it hard to do right? It's a question I'm asking myself as I'm asking you. Something the Bible explains to us in so many ways is that if you are God's child, then you have to have that relationship with him that declares whose child you are. Follow me a moment. Contrary to popular belief, you actually have to talk to God to have a relationship with him. Come on. You've got to spend time with him. When you wake up in the morning, you ought to have him on your mind. When you lay down at night, he ought to be the last thought you think of. And there's something about dreaming about God. I'm just telling you that when you got God working in your life, things are happening in a positive way. If you keep God first and you keep his precepts and his commandments first and you seek the kingdom first, then something happens to the principles of first that says, you know what? If I'm following God and I put him first in my life, good things are going to happen to me. Then why why such pain? Why such struggle? Why such trials? Why such tests? I CAN TELL YOU WHY. Because the battle is God's. But many times the Lord God is asking us where is your mind? Because if you love him with all of your heart, your soul, and your might, like the commandment says, then it's going to encompass everything about you. If you go into the dictionary and you begin to look for the definition of heart, it's going to say that thing inside of you that goes dun dun, right? That's what it's going TO SAY BASICALLY. BUT ACTUALLY, in its interpretation, the heart is the makeup, character, personality, traits, and characteristics of humanity. Does anybody in here have a heart? All of us are going to go right here. That's not the heart that scriptural is talking about. This heart can fail you. But who you are won't. Who you are will show up in the midst of a battle and on a mountaintop and in a valley. Who you are. Come on. IF YOU'RE SOMEBODY that belly aches and complains in in life, guess what? It's going to show up because it's in your heart. If you're somebody that's rejoicing in the Lord and you've got something in your life that says regardless of what happens, I'm going to give God glory and honor that something is speaking out of your heart. Why? Because we understand THAT DECISIONS WE MAKE HAVE to be ba I need somebody to HEAR THE PREACHER. DECISIONS WE MAKE HAVE TO BE BASED NOT ON WHO we are, but on who God is and what he has done in us, to us, through us, with us. Therefore, it shouldn't be such a challenge for you to pray. It shouldn't be such a challenge FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR HEART has to wrap itself completely around God and he needs to be working in your life. You wonder why trials come? It's because we don't TAKE CAPTIVE THE THOUGHTS OF OUR MIND. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY SITUATIONS UNFOLD IN OUR LIVES MANY TIMES? IT'S BECAUSE OUR FAITH GETS WEAK AND WE BEGIN TO DECLARE THUS SAYS THE WOE IS ME instead of thus says the word of God. WE BEGIN TO TAKE OUR EYES OFF OF him and we begin to look at our situation and is it any wonder that we drowned? Come to help somebody today. If you'll get the commandments of the Lord God in your life, then the scripture REVEALS YOU CAN MAKE YOUR BED IN HELL AND HE'LL STILL BE THERE. YOU CAN ASCEND TO THE MOUNTAINS AND HE'LL BE THERE. YOU CAN WALK DOWN ANY VALLEY, ANY ROW, ANYTHING THAT YOU GO THROUGH AND THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST CAN STILL COVER YOU AND PROTECT YOU. WHY? BECAUSE YOU GOT HIM IN YOUR HEART. Say with me, we sit here today in this room. We have all made decisions that led us to this place. Turn to your neighbor and say, "It was your choice." Come on. Some of you say, "No, eating lunch was my choice. I just had to come and have another ride." I I get it. Well, you ought to thank the one who brought you. Many of us struggle with things because we make choices that are difficult. We we complain and we belly. I'm trying to use words that are kind because sometimes as humans, we declare our glory in this place instead of his glory. Look what I did. Look who I am. Notice how I sang. Look at what I said. Look what I posted. Look what I hashtagged. Is that a thing still? Look, look, look at me. Look, look, look, look right here. Y'all don't even know who I am, do you? Come on. Every one of us got the pose. Like a J C Penney catalog, right? Uh, sorry that was old school. I am certain, I am 100% sure that if you will get the word of God into your life at any moment, at any time in any situation, the word of God will begin to spring up inside of you. We sat in this room today as we begin our service and we began to pray. We begin to call on the name of the Lord. Thank you, brother Rob, for using scripture because if you pray the word of God, it puts itself into your heart. Come on. In the front of your div in front of your journal, there is prayer in there. Those are all scriptures you can pray and you can get the word of God in your heart active and moving. Something has to happen to where we declare that the commandments and the judgments and the precepts of God work with us. They they are there to protect us and to lead us and to guide us.

Second Corinthians, notice what's said here. Chapter number 9 verse number six. This I say, he which seweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly. He which sweth bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth where? In his heart, so let him give not grudgingly or of necessity. For God loveth a cheerful giver. This is the math here. Ready? So sparingly equals reaping sparingly. sow bountifully equals reaping bountifully. One equals the other. You cannot hope to receive the blessing of God if you're not giving to the things of God. Pastor, get out of my wallet. I didn't mention money yet. But we as humans, we associate it with that because we feel like it's something that we can possess and it's something that we can hold on to and it's something that we can save and then you better stay out of my business. Come on. I have known, listen to preacher today. I have known folk to walk away from God because somebody asked them, "How's your giving?" Come on. Come on. Come on. I can tell right now the spirit and attitude of a man because of his heart. And if you're not giving unto the things of God with your time, your talent, your treasure, THEN GOD IS STANDING THERE SAYING, "YOU have wrapped up my hands, and I CAN'T BLESS YOU. UH I can't anoint you. Uh I can't bless you the steps that you take." Why? BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT WALKING IN COVENANT WITH HIM. COME ON. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE FOLKS SAY, "YOU KNOW WHAT? WHY THIS THAT SQUARE there there equals that? If I give $5, it ought to come back to me in this or whatever." AND YOU'RE LOOKING at numbers and you're TRYING TO TO WRAP YOUR MIND AROUND WHAT YOU'VE GOT AND WHAT YOU DON'T GOT. AND ALL THE WHILE, THE BIBLE SPECIFICALLY SAYS THAT THE LORD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER. SO, I'VE COME TO DECLARE TO SOMEBODY TODAY THAT GIVING IS 100% a recipient of how your heart is. HOW YOU PURPOSE IN YOUR HEART IS HOW YOU GIVE. PREACHER, ARE you saying I got TO GIVE A MILLION DOLLARS? I DON'T KNOW WHAT your heart telling you, PREACHER. ARE YOU SAYING I GOT TO GIVE THIS AND THAT? I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR HEART TELLING YOU. WELL, MY HEART SAYING THAT I DON'T HAVE it this month and that I'm in the red and I got to say, well, you need to relook AT PRIORITIES AND WHAT? COME ON. I'VE COME TO TELL YOU SOMETIME MY OFFERING WAS ONLY A FEW PENNIES, BUT I DECLARED IN MY HEART I WAS GOING TO GIVE TO GOD. COME ON. SOMETIMES I ONLY HAD THREE MINUTES TO PRAY, BUT I DECIDED THREE MINUTES WITH GOD WAS BETTER THAN NOTHING WITH GOD. THEREFORE, I HAD TO GIVE GOD MY BEST THREE MINUTES THAT I COULD. SOMETIMES I DON'T HAVE THE TALENT TO DO THINGS. I'VE JUST GOT TO SIMPLY SAY, "LORD, I KNOW SOMEHOW SOMEWAY YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE ME THE WISDOM TO KNOW HOW TO DO THIS. SO THEREFORE, I'M GOING TO STEP OUT IN FAITH AND SAY, "UH, WE'RE GOING TO PUT A BUILDING ON EAST BRAINARD ROAD. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO IT, BUT GOD, I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE ME THE WISDOM." HOW DO I KNOW THAT? IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF WHO I AM, BUT MY HEART SAYS, "GOD, I'M GIVING IT TO YOU." AND THE LORD GOD IS SAYING, "THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR. I'M LOOKING FOR A CHEERFUL GIVER." Some of us are so disheveled right now. who is talking to me. And he wants me to empty my wallet. For some of you, it'd be the best thing you ever did. And that's not a prophecy. That is experience. Huh? Some of us want to win the lottery. You mean you can't deal with five bucks in your pocket? What are you going to do with five million? You're welcome. Oh, if I just had a better job. God bless you with the one you have. What are you doing with it? I just had a better house, better clothes, better car, whatever it is. God's saying, "What are you doing with the one you got?" Huh? Listen to me carefully. Please stay with me. This month we are talking about greater giving. Giving. Giving has to be established by the condition of our hearts. Our hearts. If we're going to give to the things of God, we have to examine our hearts first. We have to look into our hearts and establish the laws and precepts of God. Say this, I am who you need. And if I am in you, the word of God, if the spirit of God is in you, if the blessings of God are on your life, it is because your heart says, Lord, that is what I hunger for. Red letter edition, Luke chapter 6,

verse 43. For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit, neither do corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known what? By his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good. And an evil man out of the evil treasures of his what? His heart bringeth forth that which is evil. For of the abundance, the heart, the mouth speaks. Notice the real estate is the same. The heart, good, evil. There's not a heart for this and a heart for that. It's the same real estate. It's the same place. If you're doing good things, it's because it's in your heart. But if you're doing evil things, it's because it's in your heart. And when the scripture speaks about the abundance of the heart, whatever is going on in here is going to demonstrate itself here. Some of you don't even have to say a word and your bad attitude shines. Anybody ever have to correct your child because they looked at you wrong? Better get that off your mind. I'm going tell you. Yeah, I didn't say nothing. I know, but I saw the look. Your heart was going, the boy was about to come out. Why? Because as humans, we are fragile. We can make mistakes. We can mess up. We can fall apart. And the fact is is we many times don't even have to say anything for our heart to extend itself to others. Let me tell you something. Some of you guys, I'm going to say this. I hope Sister Renee is watching today if she has time. Sister Renee stands out here at these counters greeting folk and the majority of every one of you have declared, "I just love to come in and give her a hug." Why? Because you feel in her heart her love for you when she squeezes you. Huh? Listen to pastor. She didn't give you a dime. She didn't put a dollar in your pocket. She didn't say, "I'm going to invest a million dollars in your business." You know what? She gave you her heart. There's something about a grandbaby that could crawl up in your lap. Yeah. Y'all give me space for this one. He never brought a thing to me. He never gave me anything. But I would die for that child. Why? Because I love him. And it's in my heart. Listen to pastor for a moment. The connection that Jesus makes from the heart to what goes on is because fruit shows itself by what's going on in here. Jesus knows the heart of man. Hey, I know your heart. I I know what's going on in you. I I I can I can hear what you're thinking. I I can discern where your attitude is. And Jesus says, "You know what? If it's a good tree or a bad tree, you'll know it by its fruit." The abundance of the heart says it's in here enough. Or it just comes out. It's full. It's full of Anybody ever say, "Bo, I'm just fed up." I'm not sure what that means. I'm just fed up with this or with that. It means what? We know. Anybody, any of you kids know what it is to get on mama's last loving nerve. She's right there fed up. And out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth's about to speak. Anybody understand I'm talking about? Boy, I used to know when mom was on that on that little place, I had to tiptoe backwards because things were about to get really hairy in my house, Brother Rob. Probably didn't happen to yours, but it did mine. Listen to me. The abundance of the heart says this. It's got to be in here, and it will show itself. So right now, today, right now, this moment is 124 for us clock watchers. If the Lord were to ask you to open your mouth and speak right now, would it be good water or would it be nasty water? Would it be fruitful or would it be guile? Would it be blessings or would it be cursings? Trying to help somebody in this month, February. submit to all of you today that there are principles in the word of God that was given from the beginning, the laws. You hide these in your heart. You make these who you are. You establish these. Why? Because they are going to show up every day of your life. There's something about loving people and loving those around you because it's in your heart to do so. Nobody has to arm wrestle you. Nobody's got to flip a coin to see if you're going to hug them or love them today. But you're going to decide it's in my heart to love them. It's in my heart to to love them and to reach for them. I stand here today because we have got to come to a place in this society and culture in which we live, church, that we are greater givers. Pastor, I'm already giving my 10 cents to you. Uh that's a percent for those trying to understand that. Lord, I'm already doing all that I can. And the Lord's saying, "Okay, but I love a cheerful giver." Are you happy with what you're giving? Are you cheerful about it? Is it okay? Are you grudgingly or are you deciding, you know what, I'm going to give? If there's a prayer meeting going on, are you grudgingly saying, "Yeah, I can't tonight. I just don't feel good. I Maybe you don't." But what if you were to decide, but you know what? I'm going to give my time to prayer tonight and I'm going to make it to the house of the Lord. What if the talent that God gave you, you're sitting on it, you have wrapped it up, put a bow on it, and it's sitting under some tree in your room and you are waiting for the opportunity for somebody to ask you to unfold it and it is lying there wasting because you knew how the master was and you took that treasure and you boxed it up. You dug a hole under a tree. Anybody

remember this parable? and you buried it there and you left that one talent. You know he's coming back. He's gonna come back and he's gonna ask the same identical question to the five, to the two, or to the one. What'd you do? What'd you do when I took this and I doubled it? Good faithful servant, I took this and I doubled it. Good faithful servant, I took this and I buried it. You evil, wicked thing. You thought you knew me. No, you didn't. I knew your heart would take it and bury it. That's why I didn't give you five. He took the one that dude dug up covered in dirt and grumble under that tree and he gave it to the one who said, "I've got five and I doubled it." The Lord said, "You're faithful. I see where your attitude. I see where your eyes are. I see where your heart is. Stand here today simply this. giving of your money, giving of your time, giving of your talent. Now is the time to give. Some of you need a financial miracle in your life. You are screaming and squalling after God. God, you have got to provide for this. And the Lord God is standing there saying, why do my children beg? If my children would allow their heart to get my laws and precepts in them, there will be no weapon formed against you that will prosper. I will be your provider. I will proide provide exceeding and abundantly above what you could ask or think. I know what it's like to beg God for some kind of miracle to happen and God simply stand there a far off in my mind saying, "Why would I do that?" Maybe, but in a simplistic way, I I tried to I tried to very carefully a couple weeks ago talk about I just kept showing up. Just kept getting up, brother. I just kept coming. Why? Because my heart had to fix itself on him. And if I didn't have $20,000 in my pocket, but I had 22 cents in my pocket, that didn't change anything about him. But it was a work he was doing in here. Come on. I know what it's like. My wife and I are very familiar with red in the checkbook. We know that's just the money side. I also know what it's like to be depleted of strength and energy and I just can't give another day. I also know what it's like to have my vision blurred and and questions in my mind because I got my heart out of whack and I now I'm I'm I'm really good. I'm I'm really good. Y'all y'all may not be, but I know that I'm very good at throwing a party. Most of the time it's a pity party and I invite all my friends and loved ones and neighbors and relatives and they go because they don't understand where my heart is. Well, I love to come into the house of the Lord and be in a bad mood and somebody help me get past that into a good mood. It's usually that old person. Come on. It's usually that old grandma that's got a cane. and it walks and barely gets around and she comes in and this just does something about her coming through. Come on. I've had those ladies in my life my whole life, man. They come in and hey, how you says, you know, I am so blessed of the Lord. Well, I know you ain't got money and all that. I You didn't say nothing about that. I know that I got cattle on a thousand hills over there because my God owns that. I know that everything that I'm doing today is blessed of the Lord. I know that when I pray, he moves. I know that when I ask, he listens. I know when I talk to him, he is God. But you're hurting and in your body. Absolutely. But you know what? God's still God and he's still great. He's still wonderful. Come on. I can tell you guys, I can I can declare it because I have lived through it. I have watched the elders in my life pass away and their last breath would say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Would you come to the music, Brother Duron? Years ago, I know I've shared this story, but I felt so compelled today. greater giving. It's about the heart. It's about our hearts. We've got to develop something in our heart that says, "Lord, your commands say that I got to hide this word in here that I might not sin against you, but I got to hide this word in my heart." The reason that I've got to do that, God, is because who can know the heart of man? man, here's so full of mess and junk and garbage, bad. But when I get the word of God in there, [panting] something begins to change and my spirit changes. My attitude gets better. Huh? Come on. The old-timers. Anybody here ever go through a struggle? Have have a trial come in your life? Come on. Do you ever go ask somebody what to do about it? Huh? You ever get mad? Just get righteously indignant. Come on. I don't know why I'm going through this. I'm giving all this and I'm doing all that. I Yeah. This is what my old time pastor used to say to me. You know what you need to do is you need to pray through it. Don't pray to get around it and get over it. You pray through it. What does that mean? That means you're going to take a step at a time. And every step you take, you're going to keep praying. And once you get through it, you're going to get to the other side. You're going to decide, blessed be the name of the Lord. Come on. I was young. Now I'm over. Come on. I know. But blessed be the name of the Lord. Why? Because as you learn to pray through things, you are changing in your heart. Therefore, the elders can look back at you and they can declare, you know what, young people, there's something about just being in the presence of God and allowing his commandments to get into your heart. It'll change the way you walk. It'll change the way you talk. Come on. You don't have to spew out evil things and bad things, but you can give of your time, talent, and treasure. Listen to me. And that will change your testimony. Then you'll be able to declare, you know what? I I don't have a lot of money in the bank, but I know this. God's faithful. I know God's faithful. All of us can give. All of us can give. I said all of us can give. It's just priority that we need to put it. This is going to be number one. This is what I'm doing first. But all of us can give. Yay. Many years ago, my wife and I on a mission field. We put into place this this giving of missions. One

peso a day. everybody in the church one peso a day. Somebody say a peso. That's about a nickel or so at that time. Not a lot of money, but we declared when all the churches one peso a day. If you'll do that, that's 30 pesos in a month. If everybody brings 30 pesos in a month, we'll have enough money to build a church every year in across the nation. That's that was our plan. We'll start works and all of that. So, people started giving. There was about 20 25% of the folk that began to believe in it and give one peso a day. I thought, man, if I can get 40%, I'll be happy, man. I was hitting 25, 30%. Because we tracked it. We kept up with it. I felt like that's what a good steward does. I'm an administrator of it. Okay, here we go. But what I noticed, Brother Dan, was that churches I'd go to when people would give one peso a day, they were coming to running to me. Pastor, you got any more of those envelopes? What for? For the one peso a day? Why? Because I've already filled up one this month, and I'm ready to fill up a second one. Now, wait a minute. How are you doing that? Because I'm giving to the things of God. God is multiplying it back to me. So, one of the young men in the Bible school comes to me and he says, "Pastor, I went and preached this past week over in this little community." He rides a bus three hours and he walks for two and a half hours to get to this little community. Has a family there that they want to have church. So, he'll go and meet with him once a month. Now, this again was 20 plus years ago. And he said, "I went there and I met with them and we had service in the lady's house. We'd sit out on the on the patio and we talk and we'd spend time. People would come by and pray with him. We'd do Bible study. We'd sing some songs. That was how he did it because he's starting a church in this little town. And they asked what's going on in Bible school. He said, "You know what? We started this new program. It's called Peso a Day. If we all give a peso, the work will grow. We'll be able to plant churches and all that. We'll all have a part in it." And every well that's cool. Can we be involved? Absolutely. And so he'd come back a month later and there'd be one or two envelopes of folk in that little town that really never had a church. They'd put a peso a day in an envelope. He came back one day to he said, "Pastor, I got to tell you this story. I was over at the community this past week and he hands me a plastic bag, Brother Jeff, and it was inside our coins." I said, "Wow, this is wonderful, Brother Jose." He said, "Yeah, sorry, Joe." He says, he said, "I was at the community this week. I want to tell you the story of this bag." He said, "Go, man." He said, "I was there a few months ago and I explained to them about giving one peso a day." And they all started saying, "We can do that. We can help." And even if the church itself gave a peso a day, they were doing something. And he said, uh, little girl come running up to me the second or third month that I was there and she said, 'Hey, can I give a peso a day as well? He said, 'Well, anybody can give. She's seven or eight years old. She said, "Well, okay. I want to do that." The next month, he comes back and that's this month. And he hands him a plastic bag with 30 pesos in it. And he says, "Where'd you get this, sweetie?" He knows her family situation because he's been going in and out of this community for several months. And she said, "I heard you talk about telling the world about Jesus planting churches, and I'm not sure I understand it, but something happened." And I asked the Lord that day. I asked God the way you told us to. I said, "Lord, can I do that?" And the Lord so kindly said, "Sure." So she'd say on a daily basis, my dad would give me a peso to go buy bread for me and my brother. Believe it or not, you could buy a piece of bread at the Kulmi. You could give them a peso. They'd give you a piece of bread. And she would take that peso and go and buy bread. And she'd take it and split it in half. And her and her brother, that's what they ate for the day. She said, "You know what? I decided I'm going to give this to Jesus." So, dad gives her a peso. She heads off to the little market. Brother, little brother don't know nothing about this. He's hungry. She gets to the market. In her mind, Brother Richard, she made up. This is for Jesus. So, she puts it in her pocket and she's standing outside this little stand ready to buy bread and looks down and lo and behold, there's a peso on the ground. So, she reaches down and she picks up the peso on the ground and she buys the bread and she keeps the one in her pocket and she goes home and puts it in this bag. The next day, dad gives her a peso to go back to the km and get piece of bread. She goes down there and she buys her bread and she goes home. The next day, dad says, "Hey, sweetie, take two pesos and go buy bread and maybe a piece of candy." She went back, one goes in the bag, one's buying bread. Over the course of that 30 days, for whatever reason, for whatever reason, Brother Jose told me, he said, "She doesn't know, but for whatever reason, her dad began to increase his pesos he was giving her." She said, "I never asked for it, but I made up in my heart that I can give." And God made a way. So, I'm holding Brother Rob these 30 pesos in my hand, and my heart begins to weep because I know this childlike faith says, "If you'll trust, if you'll get the law, I'll bless it and it'll blow your mind." I know that's one of those missionary stories that missionaries tell, but that I live through that one. I watched that one. I know what it's like to put fuel in the car and not know if you're going to have enough money to put fuel in it again and for whatever reason it lasts three times as long. I know that, brother Jeff. You know, Tim, you know, I understand that if my heart is right and it's focused on God, the hand of the Lord's working in my life. Some of you right now, again, you need a financial miracle. Some of you need a healing in your body and you have struggled and struggled. I still declare it. If you'll give honor and glory to God and you'll let the laws of God work in your life, he will see you through it. He will. Greater giving starts with the heart. Some of you wonder, where are your talents going to be used in the kingdom in this hour? I'll tell you where where are you planting in your heart? What are you doing in your heart? Are you filling it up with the junk of this world that's just basically going to devour you and dry you up and your spirit's going to blow away? Or are you spending time, Lord, I love you and I want you in my life. I want to be an example to others. I want to be a a a witness for you. I want my testimony to say the good things of God are working in me. I want to be able to stand and somebody to declare, "You're a Christian, aren't you?" And I don't have to say anything because they can see what my heart's doing.

Would you stand with me, church, on this Sunday as we start this month of February, greater giving? I wonder. I wonder is there anybody today in this room that would decide, Lord, I believe the blessed life is the best life. Therefore, I'm going to yield myself to you and your commands, your laws, your judgments, your precepts, they're for me. I'm not going to run from them. I'm not going to negate them, Lord. But I'm going to embrace them and I'm going to apply them to my life. I'm going to let you work, God, as I love you. And my heart, Lord, is going to set the stage for giving. Rewind 2025. The Bible says very specifically that the word of the Lord come to Moses and said, "You tell the people to bring It's not a command. I'm not telling them to bring stuff this, this, and I'm telling them to bring this stuff that is needed for the building of the tabernacle. And God begin to work in their hearts. And they begin to bring gold, silver, bronze, precious stones, materials, dyes, oils, things. They begin to bring. God saw the condition of their what? And God began to say, "This is what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a place where I can dwell." And they're going to build it because their heart says, "This is what we're going to do." I believe Chattanooga deserves a church. We do that by giving time, talent, and treasure. these guys that have been volunteering to come and work on floors or on painting or on bathrooms or on plumbing or on moving stuff or whatever, carrying pianos upstairs or whatever, that's giving. Those that have come to crawl around on the floor and put flooring down or pull carpet up or that's giving. Those that have said, "I'll give my talent to the Lord because I can come and I can play an instrument or I can come and teach or that's giving. That's giving. Come on. Should nobody ever have to beg you to come and spend time with God? Shame on us if we have to be wooed and reeled in instead of just want to be in the presence of God. I pray today that this month of February, something would begin in our lives that we would declare, Lord, you love a cheerful giver. And I become a cheerful giver as I set my heart to the commandments and laws and precepts of God. This altar's open right now because somebody wants to make it a declaration today. Lord, if I've swayed left or right, I'm sorry. Help me, Lord, to refocus. I believe your word is forever settled in heaven. Therefore, it would serve me well, God, to fall in love with your word and not to expect that you can bless me, Lord, outside of the word because you can't. The word settled. Come on, somebody. Lord, search my heart. Search my heart. You said that we should love you, Lord, with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our might. God, I pray that that law, that commandment, that precept would resonate within us. Come on, prayer warriors. Come on, young people alike, you can pray. God, help me Lord. Help me, Lord Jesus, to be a giver. Let my heart, Lord, be a reflection of my giving. I pray Lord that I would be able to move past what I don't see and what I don't possess and what I don't have and to go Lord into the place where my heart says Lord but what I do have I give to you. Oh, come on, somebody. Open your mouth. Open your heart right now, Lord. Let my relationship with you lead me to a place, God, where I will give you all of me. All of me. All of me. All of me, Lord. Oh, come on, somebody. The Lord's waiting on you. You need to push aside your selfishness and your pride and arrogance and what you think you are, what possessions you've attained, and you need to let God be God number one in your life. Come on, somebody. I lay it in the altar, Lord. I put it down here, God. I I know, Jesus, that you will lead my steps. You will guide me, Lord. Come on. With my heart, God, I have to give to you the name of Jesus. Come on, somebody. It's the heart that establishes this. Let him be in your heart. Let his word be in your heart. Let his principles be in your heart. Come on. He loves a cheerful giver. And that giving is because our hearts focused on him. That's right. Come on, prayer warriors. Come on, mom and dad. Pray for that heart of giving. Come on, young people. Pray for that heart of giving. Pray for that heart that says, "Lord, I run after you. I seek after you. I search for you, Jesus. In my heart, God, I pray, Lord, let it be. Hungry for you, Lord, in this hour. I know, Jesus, that you are the way maker. You are the peace. You are Jesus. Come on, somebody. Lord, I'm trusting you for it. Take my mind. The name of Jesus. Take my wus to yours. To yours. I love you, Lord. Come on, somebody. I love you, Lord. Lord, I love you, Lord. I love you, Jesus. And for I love you, Jesus. Take my mind, transform it. Take my will. Oh, come on. That's right. Conform. I thank you for it, Lord. To yours. To yours, oh Lord. That's right. yours. I love you, Lord. I love you, Lord. I love you, Lord. Jesus. Take my heart. I love you, Lord. I love you, Lord. For take my mind. Jesus, I love you today. For take my will. Jesus, I need you today. Conform Lord. See my heart to yours. See my heart. See my heart Lord. Psalmist wrote it like this in

Psalm 19. My wife and I visiting yesterday a few minutes with Sister Ethel. Verse 14 says, "Let the words of my mouth," she said. That's my favorite song and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Let what I think on, let what my heart focuses on, let it be acceptable. acceptable. Lord, let it do something in me that it pleases you, that it pleases you because it it is your desire to bless and to move in the people's lives, God. But our hearts have got to be focused on you. One more time, lift your hand to the Lord. Jesus, we love you and we believe in you. Let the words that come out of our mouth, let the meditation that's in our heart, let it be acceptable to you, Lord. Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Great God. Great God. Great God. Jesus, greater giving starts with the heart. I love you, Lord. Oh, we serve a wonderful God. We serve a wonderful God.