September 22, 2024
“Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a desolate height. “
- Numbers 23:1-3 (NKJV)
Stand by your offering! This was the instruction that the sorcerer Balaam gave to Balak as part of the process of effecting change in the spiritual realm. In a previous devotional we explored this story in terms of an unseen spiritual attack on Israel. But it also teaches us an important spiritual principle—the power of our offerings as identifiers in the spirit realm.
Balak raised an altar here to alter the destinies of Israel. This is the power of an altar—a place of offering sacrifices—it has the potential of changing the course of events. And the instruction to stand by the altar of sacrifice is instructive.
What you give to God is more than a gift, it is a form of spiritual identification. It labels you in the spirit. We see this play out in scripture time and again.
In 2nd Samuel 24:24, we read:
"Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel."
Stand by your offering! It is a form of spiritual identification.
David displays a spirit of sacrifice here. Even though he was a king, he refused to give God something that didn’t cost him. In other words, David chose to sacrifice. And we see that God accepted David’s sacrifice and altered the course of event by removing the plague.
In Luke 21:1-4, we see the popular story of the widow who gave all she had as a sacrifice in the temple. Jesus was observing what people were giving, just like God is observing how much we give even today.
So, He (Jesus) said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” (Luke 21: 3-4.)
The big lesson from these scriptures is that our giving should not be viewed by us in terms of the actual amount we give—but it should be based on how much we give compared to how much we have to give. In other words, how much we sacrifice.
We are standing by our offerings as identifiers in the spirit. What does your offering say about you? Let us give this some thought today.
Song of Worship
I Give You My Heart
Song by Hillsong Worship
Prayer - Heavenly Father, teach me the true value of sacrifice and help me to give from a heart that honors You. May my offerings stand as a testament of my faith and commitment to You. Let my giving be a powerful identifier in the spirit realm, bringing Your favor and changing the course of events in my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Comments