March 22, 2026

Test Me

Haggai 1:5 (NKJV)

5Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!

Haggai 1:6-7 (NKJV)

6"You have sown much, and bring in little;
You eat, but do not have enough;
You drink, but you are not filled with drink;
You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
And he who earns wages,
Earns wages to put into a bag with holes."
7Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!

Psalms 24:1 (NIV)

The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

Psalms 50:12 (NIV)

If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

1 Corinthians 4:2 (NASB)

In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)

But since you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you --see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Prioritize the Principle

Romans 11:16 (NKJV)

For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NKJV)

Honor the Lord with your possessions,
And with the first fruits of all your increase;
So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Prove the Promise

Perfect the Practice

Malachi 3:6-9 (NIV)

"I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty.
"But you ask, ‘How are we to return?'
"Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

Malachi 3:6-9 (NIV)

"But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?'
"In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse--your whole nation--because you are robbing me.

Malachi 3:10 (NIV)

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Malachi 3:11 (NKJV)

"And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,"
Says the Lord of hosts;

1 It provides for God's house
2 It tells God I trust Him
3 It creates margin in my life for God to fill

4 It reminds me that I am not my source
5 It connects my money to a kingdom purpose
6 It gives my job eternal significance

7 It transforms my money into a seed
8 It breaks greed and self-reliance
off of my heart
9 It lets everything else in my life
know that God is first

March 15, 2026

The Tithe: A Test of Faith

Malachi 3:10-12 (NIV)

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe," says the Lord Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the Lord Almighty.

Matthew 23:23 (NIV)

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Tithing is not just a duty but a divine invitation to experience God's provision and blessings.

What would happen if we actually put God first?

Tithe with Trust

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.
Malachi 3:10a (NIV)

Test the Truth

Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
Malachi 3:10b (NIV)

Triumph over the Thief

I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe," says the Lord Almighty.
Malachi 3:11 (NIV)

The blessed life is a God-first life!

March 8, 2026

SEEK FIRST - Aligning Our Priorities

1 Kings 19:3-4 (NIV)

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."

Never be afraid of an unknown future when you have a known God

1 Kings 19:13 (NIV)

When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted

3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy

6. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God

7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God

8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:22-23 (NIV)

22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Matthew 6:24 (NIV)

24"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:25-26 (NIV)

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:27 (NIV)

27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?

Matthew 6:28-30 (NIV)

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?

Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV)

31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

March 1, 2026
Dreaming of Restoration

Nehemiah 2:1-5 (NIV)

1In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."

Nehemiah 2:1-5 (NIV)

I was very much afraid, 3but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"
4The king said to me, "What is it you want?"
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5and I answered the

Nehemiah 2:1-5 (NIV)

king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it."

1. You will never move until your heart is moved.

Nehemiah 1:1-6 (NIV)

1The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:

In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I

Nehemiah 1:1-6 (NIV)

questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire."

Nehemiah 1:1-6 (NIV)

4When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5Then I said:
"Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6let your ear be attentive

Nehemiah 1:1-6 (NIV)

and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's family, have committed against you.

Psalms 119:112 (KJV)

112I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end.

Nehemiah 2:2a (NIV)

2so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."

2. Movements start with movement.

Nehemiah 2:12-13 (NIV)

12I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
13By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of

Nehemiah 2:12-13 (NIV)

Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.

3. Others move when I obediently move with God.

Nehemiah 2:17-18 (NIV)

17Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." 18I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.

Nehemiah 2:17-18 (NIV)

They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.

February 22, 2026
For Such a Time as This

"Whatever is not transformed in one generation will be transferred to the next generation."

Esther 4:12-13 (NIV)

When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape.

Esther 4:14 (NIV)

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"

1. The comfort zone is the dead zone.

Esther 4:13b (NIV)

"Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape.

Esther 4:16 (NIV)

"Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (KJV)

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

2. Inaction is action with a high cost.

Esther 4:14a (NIV)

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish.

Esther 5:1-2 (ESV)

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, in front of the king's quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace.

Esther 5:1-2 (ESV)

And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

3. God positions us for His purpose

Esther 4:14b (NIV)

And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"

"The only thing necessary for evil to win is for Christians to do nothing."

Esther 5:3-4 (NIV)

Then the king asked, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you."
"If it pleases the king," replied Esther, "let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him."

Learn to eat in the presence of your enemies

February 8, 2026

From Dream to Destiny

Genesis 37:5-6 (NIV)

Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had:

Genesis 37:7 (NIV)

We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it."

Genesis 37:8 (NIV)

His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

Genesis 37:9 (NIV)

Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

Genesis 37:10 (NIV)

When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?"

Genesis 37:11 (NIV)

His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Joseph's dreams were not just visions; they were God's blueprint for his life and the lives of those around him.

John 10:10 (NIV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy...

Dream Thieves

1. Jealousy of others... (Joseph's brothers were Jealous)
2. False Accusations... (Potipher's wife accused him)
3. Misplaced Hope... (Cupbearer forgot about him)
4. Elapsed Time... (22 years before the dream became destiny)

Destiny Revealed: Genesis 50:19-21 (NIV)

But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

February 1, 2026

The Process of Transformation

Romans 12: 1-2 (NIV)
1. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship. 2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

If You Change Nothing, Nothing Will Change

1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV)
16. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

2 Timothy 4: 3 (NIV)
3. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Jesus is unchanging: (Hebrews 13:8)

Jesus who is unchanging is constantly changing us: (2 Corinthians 5:17)

As we follow Jesus we're in a constant state of transformation. Daily we are becoming more Christlike.

Jesus transforms us through:

1. Information (The importance of God's word in the life of the believer)
2. Illumination (Holy Spirit illuminates God's word)
3. Revelation (Revealed truth)
4. Transformation (Truth sets us free because it renews our mind. It changes the way we think)

CONCLUSION: Transformation is possible when you follow Jesus and allow him to be the Lord of your life.