KFLCC Kingdom Economics

F INANCIAL S ECURITY IN THE L AST D AYS

Covenant believers we must also acknowledge the spiritual law of God’s blessing being released when we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness! Haggai’s words were to prophesy the importance of rebuilding and repairing God’s Temple in Jerusalem. Haggai, in the second chapter, reveals the difficulties the people experienced for not obeying the Lord, by showing that their harvest was cut in half and the grape vineyards were reduced from a normal fifty vessels to twenty. Mildew and hail destroyed crops. This was the warning given in the law if Israel ceased to follow God’s commandments (Duet. 28:22). As they laid the foundation of the Temple, that very day, God promised that He would now bless them (Haggai 2:19) and reverse the curse! Speaking of a curse, Malachi warned that they would be cursed with a curse if they failed to follow these divine instructions. Just what was the curse? It was a lack of rain, a lack of productivity, and a lack of success in their business. The bottom line is that the curse was a curse of lack! W HAT L ACKS IN Y OUR L IFE ? In Hebrew, the common word for lack refers to being deficient in something. When someone says, “That person lacks common sense,” or “He lacks wisdom,” it means they are deficient in that area. From a financial perspective, continual lack will cause bills to go unpaid and eventually lead to bankruptcy or poverty. Haggi’s words are parallel for our time: 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. The words of Haggai seem to be practical for our generation. People eat but are not satisfied, drink and are still thirsty, have clothing but are still discontent, and sow their seed and lack a harvest. Haggai said it was like throwing your money into a bag with holes. It seems people are continually falling short of goals and expectations, especially in the area of finances. Both Haggai and Malachi understood that the first rule of defeating lack is to follow the principles of the Almighty in Scripture concerning how to create income and be a good steward over your money and possessions. When Israel refused to follow the revealed instructions of God, Haggai wrote that the people kindled a fire on the altar for nothing, offered polluted (moldy) bread on the altar, presented the lame and blind for a sacrifice, and as a result God was not receiving

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