"You can't give to God until you have enough for yourself first."
How it sounds in your head: You don't even have money for new shoes or games. How can you give money away? That's irresponsible. Get your own stuff together first, then maybe help others.
"For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have."
-- 2 Corinthians 8:12Enemy: Scarcity mentality that reverses Kingdom economics and makes provision about human wisdom instead of divine promise.
You literally don't have spending money and asking parents for everything feels embarrassing. Giving away what little you have seems financially stupid when you can't even afford what your friends have.
She was down to her last meal—preparing to eat it and die with her son. Elijah asked her to feed him FIRST from her last bit of flour and oil. She gave when it made zero financial sense, and her flour and oil never ran out through the entire famine.
I REFUSE the lie that I need enough for myself before I can give to God. IT IS WRITTEN that my gift is accepted according to what I have, not what I lack. I am Abraham's seed and heir according to the promise—the BARAK blessing is mine through Christ's blood. When I give, I'm not losing; I'm planting seed in Kingdom soil that multiplies. IT IS WRITTEN that God opens heaven's windows when I honor Him, and no formula of scarcity can override covenant promise. I give freely because I'm connected to the unlimited Vine. My Father runs toward generous hearts, not away from empty wallets.
Your Father sees the $10 in your hand and the willing heart behind it as more valuable than millionaires' leftovers. He's not waiting for you to be rich to partner with you—He's inviting you into multiplication miracles RIGHT NOW while you're young, so you learn early that He's the Source.