Hi xxx

I didn't answer you completely accurately about "giving xxx" something last night, so I would like to finish.

The issue is the attitude of the heart.

As you know, xxx works approximately 21 hours a week for the ministry, and has never asked me for anything in 14 years of service to the Lord, LEM and to me, personally. She has been here for me through thick and thin for all these years with appreciation for all she has received and is receiving here as the only thought in her mind. In addition she has given faithfully of her finances with tithes and also with free will offerings. She has struggled many times over how much to give and I have told her repeatedly that (in addition to 10% which she knows is required) she should only give what the Lord tells her to give. I don't want one penny FROM ANYONE that is not legitimately mine because the Lord has ordained that it should be given here at LEM.

The ministry started to have a little left over after paying the bills a few years ago, so I told her I wanted to give her $40 a month (big deal, huh?). She refused and we had a controversy over it, so she gave in for a few months and then stopped taking the money. I got mad at her and our compromise was that I bought her a phone and pay $10 a month for the extra phone service.

The event that we still laugh over is the time that we were sending hundreds (may be thousands - not sure) of dollars worth of books and tapes to Africa and other 3rd world countries free of charge (also paying the postage) until our tape duplicator broke. We were $500.00 short of the price for the tape duplicator, so our whole operation shut down.

I prayed, we prayed - nothing happened. I couldn't believe that the Lord was not providing the funds for a new tape duplicator. This went on for a couple of weeks until one day while I was expressing my frustration to xxx (you have to know xxx and how she is dead pan a lot), when xxx stood there with her eyes staring off in the distance saying, "I have this $500.00 that I have no particular use for, but you told me only to give when the Lord tells me to give, and I can't hear Him telling me to give you the $500.00."

I just looked at her in amazement (because when there is a need and you have the money, you don't need a voice from heaven and a trumpet blast telling you what to do. Christians are taught that you respond to the need), and I said XXX, GIVE ME THAT MONEY!!!! (I hope you see the humor in this. I have never asked anyone for money in 18 years of ministry).

So this is who xxx is. How is this different from you? xxx knows that all her needs are met by the Lord, so it is okay to give her some compensation. In other words, giving her money will not hurt her relationship with the Lord, or deprive her of anything He is giving or wants to give her.

When you asked for a tip, you did not yet have the understanding that the Lord is full well able to meet all of your needs, financial and otherwise. You were thinking that you needed the money, because your faith is not yet built in this area, and you did not understand that there is something that you have to do to get the ball of the spiritual principle of prosperity rolling. But the issue is not the money. the issue is your heart.

Money or service given with a wrong attitude doesn't count towards sowing into the prosperity cycle. That is why I paid you what I thought would be the price for the job. We either get paid with spiritual blessings or with money. I knew that there was no spiritual blessing in your service, so I paid you with money.

The Scripture says, the Lord Loves a cheerful giver. This means that to start reaping blessings from the Kingdom of God, our heart has to line up with our behavior. In other words, our motive must be a desire to please the Lord, to SUBMIT and be obedient to Him by doing what is right in His eyes. Jesus said, if you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who gave money so that they could look good in the eyes of other men. I have given money back to people who were giving it to me with the intention of gaining favor or special treatment from me, or using that gift to exalt themselves in their own eyes.

I hope this email has expanded your understanding of how the Kingdom of God works.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Vitale