MoneyWalk 85: Should I pledge?

This program will help you undo financial bondage.

You've been asked by various charities to make a pledge to help them do the work they were formed to do or ministries have asked you to pledge money over and above your tithe and regular offerings, yet your budget does not show that you could give any extra money. At this point, the pressure is on because you always want to bless ministry work with an abundant offering, you don’t want to be considered faithless, and you know there are always people you can help by spreading the gospel and meeting basic needs. So what should you do?

This scenario is good reason for you to focus on spending less than you make, for pursuing a debt-free life, and for amassing assets to help others meet future needs because this lifestyle will afford you future opportunities to be a blessing to many others without placing yourself in the position of a poor steward. Before you pledge to anyone or any organization you should consult the bible to find out what it has to say about pledging, swearing, surety, and making oaths and you should ask the Holy Spirit what you should do.

If you decide to pledge without setting qualifiers on it, remember it is an oath to God, so pay it off when due because you love Him and don't want to dishonor His name. It's not a good idea to pledge from emotions, because it can lead to guilty feelings, legal obligations, callousness toward paying the pledge, or sinful methods to obtain the money, and broken relationships when you don’t do what others expect you to.

The qualifier that you can set on sacrificial giving is to make it a “faith promise” in which you agree to give a certain amount of money when God releases to you that amount or greater that is over and above what your current income would provide. Make it clear in your heart that you will give it when received and ask God to open the windows of Heaven through various sources and to show you ways that you could reasonably generate money to give according to your desire to bless and help.

Whether or not God provides the pathway for the “faith promise” funds and I believe He will, it is always best to consistently tithe and give abundant offerings to your local church and selected ministries from your current income while prayerfully asking God to increase your resources so you can give even more in the future.

Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!

Numbers 30:2, Psalms 15:4, Matthew 5:33-37, James 4:13-17, 5:12

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