Kigoye Eriya

1 Chronicles 29:2 Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for [things to be made] of gold, and the silver for [things] of silver, and the brass for [things] of brass, the iron for [things] of iron, and wood for [things] of wood; onyx stones, and [stones] to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. Was it by accident that David was blessed by God? I don't think so. One of the reasons why he was blessed is listed here. He made strong preparation for the building and giving towards God's house. Oh my strong what? Preparation.  Casting down all manner of doubts and unbelief to serve God takes mental strength. Getting people ready and prepared to give takes physical strength. Praying fervently towards the day of the giving takes spiritual strength. Preparing to give a big heartfelt offering takes strength of the heart to do so. We said previously that it's the wise that giv...

Exodus 36:4-7 And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much. The Israelites in the old testament did what every pastor desires his church members to do. They gave more than was enough for the work to be accomplished. What a blessing! Why were they able to do so? Because the Lord touched their hearts to give.  Secondly their minds were more focused on spiritual things, the things from above, God's affairs and not the things of the earth, wealth, riches or carnal desires and lusts. Can we rel...

Exodus 35:25 And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, [both] of blue, and of purple, [and] of scarlet, and of fine linen. The background to the theme of the scripture above is that Moses asked the people to give towards the building of the tabernacle. Many gave towards the cause until Moses called on them to stop. The highlight of it is that there are some wise hearted women who spun some items and brought them before Moses as their offering.  The Bible doesn't mince words. It takes people of wisdom to align to God's purposes. God blesses those who purpose to give towards his cause with skills to make money so that they have what to give towards the building of his church.  Whereas there are those who prefer to ask for wisdom like the Bible says in James, there are those whose wisdom follows them because their attitude is very positive towards giving. Is God unjust in doing that? I don't think so. He is just i...

1 Chronicles 29:9 Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. The heart is one of the greatest assets that should aid us throughout our sowing and reaping. One powerful condition that God wants us to have during the giving process is a willing heart.  Bible says if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the fruit of the land, Isaiah 1:19. You cannot separate your giving from your heart.They are closely linked.  Our giving is received at two levels, the church as well as God. The church doesn't know what is in your heart so it will receive whatever you offer it. The other is God. It doesn't matter whether the amount is big or not, if it's not offered by a willing heart, God isn't pleased and you will miss out the blessings of willful giving.  The heart by definition is the attitude one has while giving. A perfect heart is thus a right attitu...

1 Chronicles 29:3-7 Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, [which] I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, [Even] three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses [withal]: The gold for [things] of gold, and the silver for [things] of silver, and for all manner of work [to be made] by the hands of artificers. And who [then] is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD? Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly, And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. I...

1 Chronicles 29:3 Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, [which] I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, David mentions something important as he was about to give an offering for the building of God's house, affection. The background to this verse is that David was commanded by the Lord not to build the house of the Lord but instead his son Solomon would. But because he set his affection on God's house, he started an initiative of collecting gold and silver which would make it easier and give his son a starting point when the time would come for him to build. Did God command him to do so? No. It was out of affection, love, passion to do so. He foresaw the need and responded by getting together the leaders and the people of Israel to give towards that cause.  Many pray to do exploits but some of these won't happen without the valuable elem...

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. It's very good to have good intentions about anything one wants to do in life but I have come to realize that good intentions aren't enough, but a self disciplined life is. What do I mean?  Everyone can dream, anyone can start something but not many are willing to do it again and again. That is where self discipline jets in. One man preached and said the saving grace is the finishing grace. Meaning the grace which got us saved is the same that will get us to endure all we have to endure to finish the race we embarked on.  It's all by grace. But again grace is ineffectual if it's not backed with corresponding actions. In light with giving, sowing and reaping, getting started into the life of sowing and reaping is one thing, subject your whole self to it, surrender your whole inner being to it and literally become it. Don't give up on the way when you aren't seei...

Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. There's a common saying, "if you don't like the direction your life is taking, then change course." It doesn't matter whether you are moving at a very high speed, if you took the wrong path, you won't reach the destination you intend to go.  I don't like hard talk. What do I mean, when someone comes up straight to you and tells you what you're really are and what they think of you. It's sometimes demoralizing. But those are facts and you have to deal with them to grow and become better. Sometimes this is typical of most believers we confuse the realities we have in the Spirit from the facts we are actually walking in at present. We overly look at what we hope to see than what is actually in the here and now. This is not bad but we need to strike a balance. We are not only spiritual beings, we are in these natur...

Psalms 126:5-6 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves [with him]. Unlike happiness, joy is a special gift which is inward that is not dependent on any outside factor. If that is true then double joy is a result when one is involved in sowing and reaping as shown in our theme scripture above. To some, who give grudgingly, they are ever missing out on such joy, for God loves a cheerful giver. What a blessing to be partakers of a supernatural gift of joy in a world full of sorrow, pain and trouble. It's a reward we can't miss out for anything.  This joy too is our strength, according to Nehemiah 8:10. This is a great weapon to use against the enemy who attacks the body of Christ to leave it weak, defeated and good for nothing. When a Christian takes part in giving, they remind the Lord of how he gave of his son to die for us. I don't think he gave him grud...

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Assurance is the lot of the generous believer. Assurance of God's provision is the knowledge beyond doubt that God will provide for our needs.  Reaching a state of being fully assured is not a one time act. It's through one exercising their senses and faith to reach such a level. It also means ones who is not fully assured has not exercises his senses and faith to the a point of casting away all doubt that God will meet their needs.  Assurance also works in matters like salvation. Our salvation is assured. We don't have to beg God to save us, He has already done that. At the same time we are assured of God's love, kindness and goodness. This is beyond faith but knowledge. Such a Christian moves from a level "I believe God has saved me to I know God has saved me. I know God loves me. I know God care...

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for [your] food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)  Isaiah 32:17-18 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; In our day when there are wars, political troubles, there's nothing more treasurable than a believer living in quietness. Quietness is not numbness but a state of the heart which is at rest without any sense of worry. It's a gift freely experienced by generous people. All will be well, our day today needs will be met, God will come through even in the worst environments we may find ourselves in.  There's a common story of a child who was seated in a plane about to crash. When prompted why he was not bothered yet everyone else was in fear and trembling, he simply said, ...

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for [your] food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)  Isaiah 32:17-18 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; The verse above in Isaiah 32 tells of the righteous dwelling in sure places. This refers to confidence. Confidence is to put trust in something or someone. A confident believer is good to have around. In terms of finances, they are sure of God's provision at all times. Just like one sows seed into the ground and expects it to grow later, so are those who plant seeds of giving.  Funny enough, many who withhold more than they should live in fear that they won't have enough left after giving part of their money. But that's not the lot for the giver. He's certain God will...

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for [your] food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)  Isaiah 32:17-18 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; There are some things which the world desperately desires to have but they are freely given to givers. One of these is peace both internal and external. But peace is not sold anywhere neither is it manipulated by any form of gimmick. It's a gift.  Some gimmicks we are told to do is by avoiding things which cause us lose peace, like troublesome people. But you can run all you want from those who trouble you in one corner of the world, you will meet others in another part of the world who may be worse. I remember a discussion I was engaged in with some colleagues. One of them n...

Acts 10:3-4 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. Cornelius a gentile was a giver of alms as well as a man of prayer. These two together got God's attention. It is common to find believers who are so spiritual, do all the praying and fasting but do neglect the other part that is quiet essential and that is giving. And yet one can reason and be like if one really has the Father's desires at heart, and give of themselves thoroughly in prayer, they wouldn't by all means find it difficult to give.  God is mindful of the details, even our giving! He desires us to serve Him wholeheartedly. Our giving reflects where our hearts are truly are for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  It's the very reason why giving is ...

Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it]. To enlarge is to become bigger than what your currently are. How is that possible? Through giving. We have already seen before that the person who gives gets more and more than one who withholds.  I see this true also in the arena of preaching. The more one preaches, the more revelation they acquire and the more revelation they acquire the more they preach. Your well will always be flowing and never run dry if you create more room by giving of what you have.  Let this be your default thinking pattern, I get to give as much as I give to get. Why are some rich people ever growing richer? Some give most of their wealth away as soon as they get it creating in them a motive to earn more so that they give mo...

1 Kings 17:16 [And] the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah. There are many things which men long for on earth and some of those are good connections. Almost everyone wants to be known by someone great who is in authority for various reasons. But there is the greatest connection we can ever have in our lifetime and that's between us and God. One of the ways we can have that established is by giving.  There's a parallel to this in the dark world. You here of the great witch doctors offering all kinds of sacrifices in order to connect to the evil forces which grant them power to do evil. How much more us who have the real power? How about if we get connected to the true and real source where we shall not only lack anything but we shall cause a divine supernatural flow to our very lives.  There's this illustration I normally give of river Nile. It flows upstream unhindered by anything. If you...

Galatians 3:13-14 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. From the scriptures, we are assured that in Christ we are part of the offspring of Abraham and thus entitled to the very blessings God promised him.  But God won't entrust a lot with you if you don't pass what Gary Keese calls the money test. That is if you are not faithful in the area of giving, you cannot expect to be blessed of God. What's interesting is that God first asked Abraham to give up his son before all else. Once he proved that he could do the hardest of things, it means he could do the simplest of things.  Real wealth won't come our way of we aren't faithful in the least of things like giving of our possessions including money. And you cannot say you will ...

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Anyone who engages in giving to God is expressing a powerful act of faith towards Him. Prayer too is an act of faith. We pray to the one we cannot see but we are confident that He's hearing us and right there with us.  For that matter giving has to be out of revelation and not by coercion. People who are in faith are not attached to money or the things which money can buy but on God. And they are confident of his provision at their points of need. That's why they are cheerful when giving. They are cheerful in getting the money and they are also cheerful in giving it away.  Andrew Wommack shares a powerful story of how their house was about to get burnt in the woods where they stay. In their area fore...

Proverbs 11:25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. "If you are in this world, one day you will need a miracle from God," were some of the phrases used by Kathryn Khulmann. You don't need to bury yourself in the sand also to know that if others are in trouble, you too will be in trouble some day and you will need a hand to rescue you. But who rescues you if you have not been persistently rescuing others? Some even brag about not being helpers to others! The word watering used in this version is used in other versions as refreshing, blessing, helping etc. Jerry Savelle calls it the law of refreshing. African societies normally do what we call tit for tat. If deaths have been happening in your village where you reside and you have not been part of those attending burials, when a death happens in your family, no one turns up! If they do turn up, they don't do much because when the deaths were happening in other people...

Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. After how long should one stop giving? Not at any point. We only redirect our giving as the Lord instructs us but we cannot afford to stop giving.  We have seen many start on the journey of giving for the wrong reasons and stop along the way when they don't get what they expected. It's true God rewards givers but the attitude with which we give deters us from experiencing God kind of results. You should persist in your giving if you want to keep reaping. In life there's no shortcut to success. Successful ventures take time to be developed and matured. And so is sowing. Many men of God testify that the seeds they sowed consistently over a long period of time don't get results immediately. Some do but others take a while. The things of God take time to mature. So you should be a patient sower. Patience is faith exercised over a long pe...

  Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Child of God this scripture is an encouragement to you and me that in case things are going bad in the world we are in, for us we shall shine and do well. But what does that imply, we should do what we are supposed to do when we have the opportunity to.  The recent COVID pandemic period testifies to the fact that many churches and organisations crumbled while others thrived. It was the dark hour but a shining one to others. The same was true in the economic credit crunch of 2008. I am not a prophet of doom but I know that even Jesus told us to expect tough times in these last days. More severe occurrences will come ahead. How prepared are we fo...

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty [themselves] upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what [is] the way of the spirit, [nor] how the bones [do grow] in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both [shall be] alike good. This potion of scripture is used a lot in teaching about investment. Many have suggested that you better have at least 7 income streams so that your needs don't bec...

Proverbs 13:22 A good [man] leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner [is] laid up for the just. A good man who is obviously a believer should leave behind an inheritance that even the great grand children should enjoy. This won't come so much through hard work because sincerely speaking going by the amounts a normal Ugandan works for, even saving some money is hard. Only God can prosper us by His economy.  There's also a promise of wealth transfer from the sinner to the righteous. If it happened to the children of Israel when they were leaving Egypt, why not to us the new creations? Even when they entered the promised land they got into houses they didn't build, vineyards they didn't plant just like that. Who in this world can give you anything for free except in the Kingdom? Bible says God gives us things freely for us to enjoy. And God has given us all things freely that pertain to life and godliness. That includes material p...

Proverbs 11:24-25 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and [there is] that withholdeth more than is meet, but [it tendeth] to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. The Bible gives us a vivid picture of how givers are prospered. It has alluded to the fact that withholding more than it's meet tends to poverty while being generous or liberal leads to prosperity. If every Christian knew this principle, no one would beg them to give rather they would look out for opportunities to give.  To withhold more than it's meet means to give less than your ability to give. It's saying you don't have yet you have what it takes to give.  One should not be embarrassed to give much whenever God blesses them. It's a testimony that one has been faithful in the principles such as giving. One man said that if your prosperity doesn't embarrass you, then God isn't your true source. What that means is that God prospe...

2 Corinthians 8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every [thing, in] faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and [in] all diligence, and [in] your love to us, [see] that ye abound in this grace also. There's such a thing called the grace of giving. Grace is the divine ability to do what you wouldn't normally do.  It must be God to move the hearts of men to give even when they are in deep need themselves or are in much poverty like the Macedonian church. Such giving cannot make sense to the natural mind. The greatest mistake one can make is to stop giving because they are in dire need. On the other side of the spectrum, another mistake is to hoard resources when God has prospered you.  Man from the very beginning is in a rat race to survive on this earth due to Adam's curse. So in order to get out of such a race, man wants to get all he can, can all of it and then sit on it so that he doesn't suffer need anymore. Survival mode now dominates most of man's decision making. Some...

1 Kings 17:8-15 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which [belongeth] to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman [was] there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch [it], he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, [As] the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I [am] gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go [and] do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring [it] unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD...

2 Corinthians 8:1-4 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to [their] power, I bear record, yea, and beyond [their] power [they were] willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and [take upon us] the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. Paul talks about the people of Macedonia who were great examples to others in giving. They also had their own needs since they were in dire poverty and yet they gave. In fact they not only gave but begged Paul to do so. Paul testified of them to the Corinthian believers to challenge them to do the same. There are good challenges to throw out to a congregation which is poor at giving by pointing to them to others who are worse off than them and yet abound in giving.  The Bible notes that it's better to suff...

Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. The scriptures are very intentional about the purpose as to why we should work, in order for us not to be selfish in meeting our own needs alone but also those of others.  I remember talking to one man of God who advised me that let your salary become a seed you sow into the ministry. I will never forget such a statement. When everyone thinks they have got that wonderful job opportunity to amass goods around them, see it as an opportunity to give more to the kingdom. This makes you have power over your money instead of it having power over you. In that way you can never become a slave to money or even a worshipper of it for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  God wants us to be preoccupied with seeking his kingdom and his righteousness and all things shall be added unto us. And one of the...

Genesis 26:19-20 And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water [is] ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. Isaac in the Bible couldn't be stopped from digging wells but he was side tracked from enjoying them and they were taken away from him by his enemies. There's something you need to know at this point in your life child of God as we grow in the ministry of our Lord and saviour. There's an enemy's trap awaiting you everytime you grow in your faith or ministry, those are needs. He cannot stop your advancement but he can attack your supply to get discouraged or become weakened. In world war Two Hitler was defeated by the Russians because he advanced so deep into Russia territory that the Russians cut him off from behind. His army was in millions but we're not well supplied. The cost of supplying all those ...

 *Become seed conscious not need conscious* Genesis 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. If you are alive in this world, you don't need anyone to explain to you how we are surrounded with needs, needs and more needs. You can't bury your head and pretend as if you don't have needs. They always appear in one form or the other.  Everyday you will need to eat, drink, clothe, have a decent shelter over your head etc. Now the Gen Z generation we are in, gadgets have become a need. You find that if you're not on social media for a day, you feel disconnected in some way. Now do you even realize that as you grow older your needs are even increasing more and more? And if you are a leader like me, you not only have your personal needs but also the needs of those you lead plus those of the church are part of your needs. So where are you going to get all the money to meet all those needs?  You realize you have t...