Prosperous Mindset 3 - Without Reserve

We've already seen the first two mindsets you must have if you want to prosper in your finances:
Number 1 - You must develop discipline with your money. Don't let your spending get out of your control!
Number 2 - You must keep a good perspective on the value of money. It's not entirely worthless; but it is worth less than other things. 

As we move onto the third mindset of prosperous believers, let's take a look at one of God's specific commands to wealthy Christians - from 1 Timothy 6:17-18.
"Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, Who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share..."

Mindset #3 - Prosperous People Are Selfless Givers

Because they value money correctly - not putting too much emphasis on it - then they willingly use it for things that truly matter. Prosperous people freely give, without hesitation or reservation. Selflessly, they do not hold back for fear of having less.

The amount of freedom you have in your giving is proof that you're holding onto "unrighteous mammon" loosely. Of course, the reverse of this is also true. The hesitation you have before releasing your money is evidence that you're valuing it too highly.

This kind of selfless giving has two main targets in mind:
#1 Advancing the Kingdom of God
#2 Providing for others in need

Keep in mind, that that is exactly the order of priority that we should see in our giving; first the Kingdom, then those who are in need. We see this in 2 Corinthians 8:5 - when Paul spoke about the generosity of the churches. Look at how he described their giving to those in need: "...but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God." When Paul took up a collection for needy believers, he described the churches giving into the kingdom first, and then giving into his collection for the poor. 

As we give, our local churches should be first on the list of recipients. After that, we should be willing to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters. 

"Ready To Give..."

Back in the passage from 1 Timothy 6, we read that God didn't tell rich Christians to "give whenever they can". He specifically told them to be "ready to give." This implies a time of preparation, so that they can give immediately, the instant the need arises.

This is the mentality that we see Paul encouraging in the Corinthian church. In 1 Corinthians 16:2, we read this: "On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper..." These Corinthian believers literally saved to give. In today's terms, they had separate bank accounts devoted only to giving. Every week, they deposited some of their increase into that account, and kept it on hand for immediate acts of generosity.

When a believer starts treating their giving this way, they'll find themselves actually looking for ways to give. They'll search for ministries to give into (instead of needing to be convinced to give offerings). They'll always be observing people, watching for any kind of need to "pounce on" financially. 

Let me encourage you to start this now - regardless of what level of prosperity you may have.
You should bring your tithes and offerings to your local church on a regular, consistent, and faithful basis. In addition to that, you should be putting something aside each week, specifically to give to other people. Whether you have a lot or a little doesn't matter here - just start somewhere. 

The details of this preparation is something for you and God to work out:
 - Will you give this away the moment you set it aside, or will it build up over time while you wait until you see a major need?
 - Will you give to individuals that you know personally, or to strangers as an avenue to open up a conversation with them...or maybe to organizations who are trustworthy to help those in need?
If you want to be free enough to answer those questions, then you need to take the first step and begin preparing now.

Giving AND Receiving

Of course, this kind of giving - both into the Kingdom and to those in need - should be selfless. However, this does not mean it's without any benefit! On the contrary, there's a great reward for being generous!

Proverbs 11:25 - "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself."
Proverbs 22:9 - "He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor."

What is the "generous eye"? It's an eye that is searching for needs! A person with a generous eye is looking for someone to give to! And there is a blessing that only comes to those people!

The world says, "When I give, then I have less."
But the Word says, "When you give, you will receive more."

We've already read several passages from Corinthians about giving - but let's look at one more. Pay attention to this passage, don't let yourself skim over it!
2 Corinthians 8:6-9 - "But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."

Generosity is like a seed...once it's released, then it begins to grow. Before long, you will harvest so much more than you planted! (And for my friends who still claim that God doesn't want His people to be wealthy, let me ask you: What do you think it looks like when someone has all sufficiency in all things and an abundance ready for every good work?)

You'll never prosper if you skip this step. You will never increase and become wealthy without first being a giver. And just important, you'll never stay wealthy if you forget this! It's impossible. Why? Because giving alone unlocks the grace to prosper!