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God is not just a promise maker but also a promise keeper. When He makes a promise and something gets in His way, He will either overrule or break the rule to fulfill that promise.
Consider Moses: God promised to lead the people out of Egypt into the promised land, but a Red Sea stood in the way. Because God is sovereign and does not allow circumstances to obstruct His promises, He made a way out of no way.
Joshua faced a similar situation—God promised him a land flowing with milk and honey, but a wall needed to move. God moved it because He had made a promise.
Many of you can testify that things got in your way, but God moved them. Depression got in your way, but God moved it. Disappointment, betrayal, divorce—God moved them all. Whatever was blocking your path, He made a way out of no way. He is the Lord of the Breakthrough who says, "You don't have to go around it—I'm about to help you break through it."
Not all promises are equal. There are two types:
Unconditional promises — based on what God will do. God acts from His sovereignty; sometimes He heals and blesses without our participation.
Conditional promises — based on what we will do. "If I be lifted up, then I'll draw all men." "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven."
For every promise, there is a principle. When we apply the principle, God comes through on the promise. If I do my part, God will do His part.
Obedience is on me. Outcome is on God.
Your part is obedience; God's part is the outcome. This principle is essential: little becomes much when you put it in the right hands. A boy with five loaves and two fish—when he gave it to Jesus, it fed thousands. God takes the little you have and transforms it.
Proverbs 3:9-10 contains a life-changing promise:
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. Then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over.
The Bible was written in an agricultural context, but we can translate this into modern language. Replace "barns" with "bank accounts" and "vats" with "joy" (since wine in Scripture represents joy). The promise becomes: My bank accounts will be filled to overflowing, and my heart will brim over with new joy.
God is not just promising economic increase—He's promising emotional fulfillment. Some people are so broke all they have is money. Their barns overflow, but their hearts are empty. In this season, say to God: "I don't just want You to flip my bag; I need You to flip my mind, my peace, my joy."
Notice the verse says honor God with the firstfruits, not just the tithe. The tithe is the foundation; firstfruits is sacrificial giving above the tithe.
Malachi 3:10 reveals God's invitation:
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse... Test me in this, says the Lord. I will open the floodgates of heaven. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room for it.
This is the only place in Scripture where God gives you permission to test Him. God says, "Try me. See if I won't open the windows of heaven."
Many people struggle with this teaching because of religious abuse, but you cannot correct wrong teaching with no teaching. The enemy uses intimidation to say, "The church just wants your money." But tithing is not about what you give to a church—tithing is about your relationship with God.
Giving is only for lovers.
We don't give under the law; we give from love. It is an act of love, not obedience to a law.
Most people struggle with faith in this area for one of two reasons:
Truth issues — "I don't know who God is, so I struggle believing what God can do."
Trust issues — "I know who God is, but I struggle believing what God wants me to do."
Trust can be defined as confident expectation. What you expect determines what you experience. When you lack trust, you become obsessed with control.
Whenever we lack trust, we become obsessed with control.
Control issues are only a symptom of trust issues, and trust issues are only a symptom of fear issues. Whatever you fear the most, you will trust the least. If you're struggling to trust God in a particular area, you may be fearing something in that area.
Some of you have been trying to keep control of the outcome. Today, say to God: "I'm taking my hands off of it so that You can put Your hands in it."
When the floodgates open, the water doesn't just cover you—it overwhelms you. God is saying, "If you test me, I'll overwhelm you with blessings." You'll go from saying, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired," to saying, "Wherever I turn around, God just keeps on blessing me."
Opening the windows of heaven means tithing helps you have a piece of heaven while you're on earth.
God doesn't say "blessings" (plural)—He says a blessing (singular). One blessing so great you won't have enough room for it.
All you need is one blessing from God to change your whole life. One favor. One talent. One idea. One person believing in you. That's enough to flip everything.
In Genesis 1:28, God blessed Adam and said, "Be fruitful, increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish, the birds, and every living creature."
The blessing gave Adam the ability to do all these things. When Adam disobeyed and ate from the forbidden tree, he lost the blessing. One of the curses was that he would have to work and sweat.
The Hebrew word for "blessed" in Malachi 3:10 is the same word used in Genesis 1:28. God is saying: The blessing that Adam lost in the garden, the tithe reclaims in your life. You are about to recover authority, rulership, and dominion.
Blessing is not something God does for you; it's something God puts on you. You walk into a room and people say, "You look different today"—same outfit, same hair, same nails. It's the glory on you. It's the blessing.
I got favor that I'm not qualified for. It's on me. I got grace that I'm not qualified for. It's on me.
When the blessing is on you:
Even if you don't have it now, you stand on truth about your ultimate condition. Declare it: It's on me. It's on me. It's on me.
In agricultural language, pests—locusts, worms, and other insects—attacked and devoured crops. God says, "When you tithe and put me first, I'll prevent the pests from devouring your harvest."
The pests represent your enemies on a mission to hinder your harvest. They are people, places, and things that see your promise and know you're blessed. While you're praising, they're plotting.
God is not just the God who goes in front of you—He's also the God who's got your back. The enemy knows if he can't get through the front door, he'll send pests through the back door.
But the pest doesn't just represent external enemies. It also represents internal enemies—the ways you self-sabotage your own blessings. God says, "I'm so powerful that I'll protect you from you. I'll protect you from your toxicity, your bad attitude, your family poverty mindset, your bad decisions."
Tithing is not a dance—it's a discipline. When you put Him first, it causes you to sit down and ask, "What's next?" That discipline shows you how to manage the 90 percent.
God is saying the blessing that Adam lost in the garden, the tithe recumbers in your life. I want to speak over some people and tell you why Adam lost—you are about to recover. God is about to give you authority, rulership, dominion. You're sitting here like you're not ready to walk in your blessed place, but if you're ready to walk into this new season, what God is about to trust you with is more than you've ever had in your life.
Notice that blessed is not a verb in this context—blessed is a noun. This blessing is not something that God does for you; it's something God puts on you. You walked in here the same, but people like you look different today. It's not the outfit, the makeup, the hair, or the nails—the blessing is on you.
"It's on me. It's on me. It's on me."
I got favor that I'm not qualified for. I got grace that I'm not qualified for. How did you get that house? You weren't qualified. How are you not losing your mind when everybody is giving up? How are you staying afloat when you have all this student loan debt? It's on me. It's not something that God is doing for me; it's something God is putting on me.
Be careful if you put more priority on physical clothes than your spiritual clothes. When you got up this morning, did you make sure the blessing was on you once you left the house? When the blessing is on you, He'll protect you from danger—seen and unseen.
When you're blessed, you've got to tell people: be careful what you say about me, because God said I'll bless those that bless you and curse those that curse you. Stop arguing and going back and forth with people who don't appreciate your blessing. Let God handle that.
I am done going back and forth with people who didn't know to bless me. The old me used to have to fight my own battles. The blessed me just sits still and watches God work.
"I'll prepare a table in the presence of my enemies."
Stop pushing your enemies away. In this season, God is going to make your enemies watch you eat. When somebody is laughing at the season you win, look at them and say: it's eat season. I'm not about to go back and forth—God is handling it.
I want you to look yourself in the mirror. If you ain't got no mirror, just pull your phone out. Look at yourself with tears in your eyes, with frustration in your mind, being unappreciated on your job. Say: "I'm going to trust God, and He's going to prepare the table. I just have to take a seat."
One of the blessings in Genesis was that he received wealth without sweating for it. Once he ate from the Forbidden Tree, one of the curses was that you will have to work and sweat. I'm declaring over your life: I don't have to chase stuff. Stop chasing me—opportunities chase me. I don't have to kiss up to nobody because God is blessing me.
When you know who you are, you know who you're not. Because I know who I am:
I may not have it now—that's facts. But I stand on truth that has to do with my present condition. My ultimate condition is blessed.
Before you open your eyes in the morning, look smack dab in the mirror and say:
"It's on me. It's on me. It's on me."
That's your affirmation for the next seven days. As you wake up, thank God for waking you up, stirring you on your way, food on your table, and a roof over your head. Thank God for covering your family, friends, finances, and future.
"This day is blessed. I'm walking in favor. I'm walking in increase. I'm anointed. I'm blessed. I'm highly favored."
In agricultural language, pests—locusts, worms, and other insects—attacked and devoured crops. God says, "When you tithe and put me first, I'll prevent the pests from devouring your harvest."
The pests represent your enemies on a mission to hinder your harvest. There are people, places, and things that see your promise, see you shouting, and know you're blessed. While you're praising, they're plotting. But God is saying: stop worrying about it—I've got you.
God is not just the God who goes in front of you—He's also the God who's got your back. The enemy knows if he can't get through the front door, he'll send pests through the back door. But God says: I will prevent the pests.
The pest doesn't just represent external enemies. It also represents internal enemies—the ways you self-sabotage your own blessings. Sometimes you get blessed and sabotage your way out of the blessing. But God is saying: I'm so powerful that I'll protect you from you. I'll protect you from your toxicity, your bad attitude, your family poverty mindset, your bad decisions.
Tithing is not a dance—it's a discipline. When you put Him first, it causes you to sit down and ask, "What's next?" That discipline shows you how to manage the 90 percent.
But what good is it if we know how to manage the 90 if we're robbing God of his portion? I'd rather have a blessed 90 than a cursed 100.
Sometimes it's not enemies—sometimes life be life. You get more, then more bills come. Unexpected tickets. Unexpected fees. Life can life. God says: when you trust me in this area, I will prevent unnecessary losses.
"The vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe."
In other words, God says: I'll stop you from losing prematurely. I want to preach to some people who know what it's like to feel like you've been working all these years and you feel like you have nothing to show for it. When you trust God in this area, I'll do more with the time you have left, with the time you feel like you lost.
This is what happened to Haggai. He said:
"You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but you're still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes."
Tithing is foundational—it's where you start. It's a good floor but a bad ceiling. When we don't establish the foundation, we start talking about the future, and when the enemy hears us talk about the future, he begins to attack our foundation.
God says: I will keep you from having unnecessary losses. It requires you to trust in Him. Most people struggle in trusting God in this area, yet He has given us clear promises that He's not just making but He'll also keep.
My adult life is a byproduct of me learning to trust God in this area. There was a moment where I left out of anger and frustration, and I began to lead a church as a pastor. I had no predictable income coming in. My wife was pregnant, and we were trying to figure out where we were going to live.
As a man, it's nothing worse than feeling like you can't provide for your house. We're trying to figure out where we're going to live, what we're going to do. I was in the wrong place, out of the will of God. But I can testify: in seasons when you got out of God's will, He still provided.
I looked at a house I couldn't afford. My wife and I used to do something when we were dating—we called it dream nights. We'd ride around to neighborhoods we dreamed of living in. I saw a dream house: six bedrooms, five bathrooms, three levels. I knew I couldn't afford this. I didn't know what I could do to get it, but I knew I was a tiger.
I said to God: "You don't just love me, but God, you can trust me because I trust you." I got there, and you know the blessing is on you when people say stuff like, "There's just something about you." So I'm talking like I got it: "Yeah, we'll probably knock that wall down, get that sanded and painted. We're probably going to expand this basement area, make this a playroom."
I can't do any of it, but you gotta act like you've been there before. I'm getting ready to leave, knowing this is too much for me, and he looks at me and says: "Well, just tell me what you can do, and it's yours."
I said: "What contract do I need to sign?"
He said: "Just shake my hand, and that's good enough for me."
I am telling you: that's some stuff you were trying to work out in your own power that when you trust God, He'll put some super on your natural. He'll begin to put you in rooms that you thought you would never be in. He'll begin to open doors that you thought you would never be able to walk through.
Here at Rock City, we don't teach giving to get something—that's manipulation. We teach giving because you love giving to give again. There are three types of people in this room:
My question is: where does God want to break your heart so that He can blow your mind?
The fifth blessing is: He said I will spare you. In other words, He said: "I will spoil you like my favorite child. Not only will I give you things that you don't deserve, but I'll ignore opportunities when I should have punished you. I will spare you."
Some of you aren't here today. You know there are some things you should be punished for. There are some things you're not proud of. But God spared you. He said: "I'll spoil you like my favorite child."
Everybody has that one child. You say you ain't got favorites, but there's one child. Sometimes it's one child in different seasons. I'll never forget—I went to the store with my four kids, and they're all crazy. Brooklyn always stays right here on my hip. Everyone else is in the store getting what they like. "Just get one, maybe two toys—that's it." They're getting what they're getting. The boys are getting the wrestling thing. Peyton's getting some shoes. Brooklyn stays with me.
She'd look at me and ask: "You like that, Daddy?" So I'd put it in there. By the time I got to the register, it was at least 10 items. We're cashing out, and the rest of the kids said: "How'd she get all of that? I only got one toy." Brooklyn looked at all the other kids and said: "I walk with him."
Some people are gonna be jealous of the favor and abundance that you're about to have in your life. When they tried to go get it, you stay with God and say: "He walks with me. He talks with me."
It's a heart test every time God blesses you with increase. Will you test Him with the first 10 percent, or will you try to control the whole 100?
You're grown. You can do what you want. You're not going to go to hell if you don't trust God in this area. But you won't experience God's best for your life on Earth if you ignore His principles.
I don't know about you, but for me, if Jesus said "I came that you may have the abundant life," I want it.
I believe there are some people in here today that in this moment you're saying: "God, I'm rededicating my heart to trusting you. I may have started going through the motions, or I may have allowed fear to grip my heart when I should have trusted you. I tried to take things into my own hand, but as of today, God, I will seek you first."
I won't just give you ten percent—I will give you the first 10 percent. For some of us, we've been comfortable at the first ten. We're giving above the 10 because you're taking us from faith to faith, from glory to glory.
God, forgive us for focusing on our problems more than Your promise. I know when I teach a message like this, it can be a trigger for pain for someone who may be tired of living week to week, or who may have debt they feel like they're drowning in. God, I say thank you that You are the God who still does miracles.
In this moment, God, we open up our heart and surrender it to You. Search us. May our response be trust, not just words, but may we apply this word today. Some of you may be trusting God for the first time in this area. God, I say thank you that we are about to walk in our blessed place. Thank you that You're going to protect us from the pestilence. Thank you that You're going to protect us from unnecessary losses.
I come against poverty mindsets. I come against self-sabotage. I come against bad spending habits. I come against impulsive spending. I come against fear of success. I come against fear of failure.
God, I pray for every business leader and entrepreneur under the sound of my voice. You're not just blessing them, but You're blessing their business. You're blessing them with great employees and partners. You're giving them divine wisdom and strategic plans that will help them scale beyond what they can even ask, think, dream, or imagine.
For some of us, when we give, it won't be a financial blessing that You bless us with. It may be a mentor. It may be a friend. It may be a peace of mind. I don't know what it is that You want to do, but God, I say thank you that heaven is open and we're gonna trust Your promise by walking out this principle in Jesus' name.
