Taking the Next Step

Welcome back to the Live Boldly Podcast, brought to you by Celebration Baptist Church.

I'm Jessica and today I'm joined once again by our business administrator, Natalie Thomas.

Today Natalie is going to continue speaking on the subject of tithing and specifically on taking the next steps in increasing your tithe.

Natalie, you mentioned that a challenge from Pastor David in 2016 is what inspired you and your husband to increase your giving.

Walk us through your process at that time.

Okay.

Well, I remember seeing a ladder in church and Pastor David asking us to take a step up the ladder.

For me, visually, that made sense because I could see the steps we had already taken in our financial growth.

So our next step was going beyond our tithe.

So we prayed about it and God gave us, gave me and my husband and I am out.

That's awesome.

So when do you think that an in an individual or a family should start to increase the amount that they give to their church?

When's a good time to do that?

I think everyone should tithe because it's biblical.

Um we did not go beyond our tithe until we felt led by God to do so.

We felt led when we saw the ladder at church.

We prayed and God gave it us, gave me and my husband and I am out.

That's awesome.

So how did increasing your tithe affect your relationship with God?

For me, the more I give to God, um, it's like telling him, I trust you not only in my words, but in my actions.

The more I trust God, the closer um we become.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

So in Malachi yesterday, we talked about uh the phrase, open the floodgates.

So, how have you seen Christ open the floodgates to you and to others who have chosen to take the next step in tithing?

Um, where do I start?

Um, one of the biggest examples I would have to say for me is when I went back to school to get a second degree in um 2013.

I remember going through a 21-day of prayer and fasting, and God told me to go back to school.

What was so crazy was the timing because I had a one-year-old and a three-year-old.

Wow.

Um, God provided the money for my tuition and my books that I had to pay for this time around, and um, people to come alongside me to help me with the kids.

It was definitely a journey, but God went above and beyond.

That's awesome.

That's really cool, Miss Natalie.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

I'm looking forward to everything else that we're gonna talk about tomorrow on our last day with Miss Natalie.

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Keep up with our current sermon series, live boldly, and explore everything else that's happening in our celebration family.

Natalie, would you pray for us today?

Lord God, thank you for giving us a Bible-based church.

Thank you for giving us a pastor who stretches us in our faith.

I pray we all grow in our financial journey and that we don't hold back from you what is already yours.

Lord, thank you for going above and beyond in my life and at and um at our church.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you, Natalie.

You're welcome.

Be sure to tune in again tomorrow to hear the last day of Natalie's story.

We'll see you then.