All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD. Leviticus 27:30

There are two systems operating around us – the 'world system,' and the system known as 'the kingdom of God.' The world system is the way the world operates. But if you are a believer in God’s Word, even though you are in the world, you are not to operate by the system of this world – you are to operate by faith in His Word and His kingdom principles.

What most people call 'faith' is not real faith, but 'high expectation based on wrong information.' Real faith is living totally by the principles and policies found in the Word of God. And you must operate (act) in and with faith according to God’s system – God’s kingdom.

The word 'kingdom' means 'the dominion of the king.' Operating in the kingdom of God means following God’s method of doing things. But the methods of God are quite contrary to the world’s methods. It says in Romans 8:7 that the carnal, natural mind, is in enmity with God. Our natural minds are in opposition to God’s ways -- because He does things that are not based on human, world system logic. As John 3:3 says: "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

In every area of our lives, the Bible tells us how to operate: in our faith walk, in order to grow closer to God…in our lifestyles, and how we carry ourselves and interact in our communities…in our relationships, with our husbands and wives, with our parents and children…and in our financial areas – with the financial blessings we are given, and in our financial prosperity.

We can love God with all our heart, and love Jesus with all our might, but still operate part of our life in the worldly system. If we are saying to God, "Lord, I love You, and I want You to bless me, but when it comes to my family, or my job, or my money, I’d rather stick with what I’m doing," I believe this kind of self-centered unbelief keeps us from seeing the promise of God manifest in our lives to the extent that we should.

A perfect example of this is in our finances. Are you living by God’s financial/prosperity mandates in the area of tithes and offerings? Although he came to establish a new covenant with us, Jesus never said to stop giving God His due – His ten per cent tithe and the seed offerings of thanksgiving that are repeatedly spoken of in the Old Testament. Specifically in Malachi 3:10 – 12 we are given assurance of what faithful tithing will bring us:

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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground.

The world system doesn’t understand that tithing is part of our holy covenant with God. The world system doesn’t understand that our offerings to God constitute a thanksgiving seed that brings a harvest of spiritual blessings and provision. The world system doesn’t understand going to church week after week – following the Word as it says we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25).

The Word of God declares in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom."And Matthew 6:31-32 also instructs us not to give any thought to what we are going to eat, or drink, or how we’re going to be clothed…because God already knows what we need.

You might be thinking, "Ok, Paula…but if I don’t have the money to pay for those things, how will the need actually be met?" In the natural, it appears that even if they love God, most people are waking up early and getting home late just to get a paycheck to take care of the basic necessities of life…and are not fulfilling their destiny. So what’s the missing key?

The missing key, or 'master key,' as I like to call it, is found in Matthew 6:33:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

'Righteousness' here means 'covenant rights.' 'These things' are all the daily provisions we need. The master key is to learn God’s system, follow His decrees, principles, and patterns -- and it is a promise that everything we need to live, be productive, and have joy, will be added to our lives.

So begin to ask yourself if you’re really consulting and living by the Word -- in every area of your life -- and learn to operate by God’s system!