Bear with me here, please. This study on giving is revealing a personal struggle that is coming to a head as we work through the week and my precedent of honesty with you leaves me no choice but to let you in on it and even solicit your help. My struggle with giving is based on a firmly entrenched belief of never having enough. But when provision has been prophesied and promised otherwise, with accompanying word from the Lord, to persist in that negative belief is nothing short of unbelief. And in this case, this unbelief is costing not only my family, but it is holding back the ministry and ultimately the ongoing building of the kingdom of God which is part of the promise.

Being a gracious giver means you have to be big enough to give. That takes faith and stepping out in the Spirit and believing and acting.  You can’t be a giver if you stay small, isolated, and count your pennies all the time, always focusing on not having enough. You have to get out beyond counting into real living. And you have to believe God will provide.

In this case, God has even promised provision in a prophetic word I received at my ordination on May 13, 2009.

And you have a portion, and that portion shall bear fruit, even greater than has taken place in the past. For my forerunning ways you shall have a portion. And I shall cause in the earth to see manifest no longer a stereotype, but a prototype of my Kingdom. And you have your portion. Let your heart rest, even one foot in front of the other, because the door that I have ordained shall be walked through with liberty and authority, and a new song—a song of deliverance and hope—a song that will bring testimony of my glory, and a song that will cause those that have no hope to hear and run towards me and not away from me.

Is this not what we are seeing with the Catch — a prototype, not a stereotype, of His kingdom, and a message that causes those with no hope to run towards the Lord and not away from Him? But what I’m lacking is the faith to walk through the door and claim my portion. For this, I must overcome the belief of smallness, and the myth of never enough.

I was recently reminded of the story of Nehemiah in the Old Testament and how he and the fraction of Jews still in Jerusalem during their exile to Babylon, rebuilt the walls of the city that had been torn down, and they did it in a miraculous amount of time with the obvious help of the Lord.

My walls are down.

My wife is disgraced.

Much lies in ruins.

I weep over what is —

“You will never rebuild the walls of your life

Until you first weep over the ruins.”

I confess my sin.

I remember the promise

To bring the kingdom of God to earth.

I call on the Lord.

I remind Him of the promise.

He brings courage and renews strength.

I cautiously hope for what can be

Because there is opposition.

We will build.

We will rebuild these walls from the ruins of our home

Around our place in the world

Around our portion of the kingdom of God.

The Lord is confirming our call.

The walls of strength will be built.

Will you help us build?

“Then they said, ‘Let us arise and build.’

So they put their hands to the good work.” (Nehemiah 2:18)

We’ve been given a portion of the kingdom of God on earth, people. You have yours; I have mine; and together we have the Catch. This is huge. Step in and believe with me. Cast aside whatever is holding you back from your portion, and let us arise and build!

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