Giving involves both finances and time. It has been said that what we make happen for others, God will make happen for us. If we plant for someone else's needs, then in the future, someone will plant a seed to meet our needs. Your giving today is a seed for future blessings upon your descendants.
Plant seeds in the form of the Word of God
The Bible is a Book of seeds. Each promise is an incorruptible seed (1 Peter 1:23). Jesus taught that the Word of God is planted into hearts as a seed is in the ground (Mark chapter 4). Christ said, "My words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). When we hear, the Word is planted in our spirit. As we act upon the Word, the seed is activated to produce results. When we speak the Word to others, we are planting into their lives.
Transfer the blessing through prayer and the laying on of hands
Prayer and the laying on of hands are twins that cannot be separated. To pray without touch may limit the transfer. To touch without prayer could void the transfer. Both should be exercised, along with the anointing in faith.
As previously stated, all four ministers had family members who were tithers. There is a special blessing placed on the giver (Malachi 3:10). In fact, God has a special covenant for those who offer sacrifices (Psalms 505). I truly believe that the financial blessings our ministries are experiencing are the increase from past generations. When I was growing up, the needs of our family were always met, but today our ministry is exploding in growth and financial increase. The same is true with Marcus, Jentezen, and Randy.
Not only are the churches that Jentezen and Randy pastor very generous in their giving, the ministers themselves practice sowing into the lives of others. Pam has given away a car, a van, furniture, and other tangible assets to those in need as the Lord directed.
The Bible says that Abraham paid tithes for Levi while Levi was still in his loins. Abraham's obedience impacted his children who were yet to be born. God honors the seed and gives the harvest.
Keep them in the house of God
Paul wrote to Timothy saying that the same faith that was in his mother and his grandmother was also in him (2 Timothy 1:5). We eventually become what we associate with. As children, all four ministers sat in Sunday School classes, learning the Word of God. In fact, most of us were in church every time the doors were open, including revivals, conventions, and prayer meetings. Today, some would think this is too much church, but the results speak for themselves.
difficult to stray from God without severe conviction striking our hearts. When we grew up, our denomination was very strict in their practical commitments. Some objected to these strict teachings, but the fact was that our families (including grandparents) were very godly people whose only desire was to please God in their appearance and actions.
Get into such a habit of going to church that if you don't go, you feel like something is wrong. Get into a routine of prayer so that when you miss it, something seems wrong. Develop a system of giving so that you automatically sow before you are asked.
Find a spiritual mentor for your family
Those who experience a transfer of the generational blessing all say there was at least one person in their family who was a strong "prayer warrior." These special people became our mentors, people whom we looked up to with respect and admiration. These individuals spent hours in deep intercession, calling for the salvation of their children and grandchildren.
As a child, I recall my father spending extended seasons in prayer. He would sometimes pray so loudly that you could hear him in the back yard! Often, I could hear him call the names of his children and hold them up before God's throne. The Bible indicates that prayers are stored in golden vials before the throne of God (Revelation 5:8). At appointed times, these vials are opened, the prayers are released in God's Presence, and the answers are sent back to earth.
prayer, worship, studying the Word, and giving, and then act upon what you learn. We learn by example. Don't talk the talk without walking the walk. Teach your family how to pray by praying, how to give by giving, how to love by loving, and how to care by caring.
The full measure of the blessing
In Matthew chapter 20, Jesus gave a parable of a man who hired workers for His field. He selected people at different times of the day, but offered them the same amount of money. One group was hired at nine in the morning. A second crew came in at twelve noon, and the third group went to work at three in the afternoon. A final crew was hired at five o'clock, just one hour before the workday concluded.
When payday came, those who worked one hour received the same amount of pay as those who worked all day. Those who worked longer were angry with those who only worked one hour. Their attitude was that if you worked longer you should receive more pay. One application of this parable could be that those working near the return of the Lord will receive the full measure of God's blessings, including the combined blessings of