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JOHN AVANZINI MINISTRIES
Plant in Good Ground
Simply sowing seed is not enough to produce a harvest; you must be careful where you sow. If you throw your seed onto a concrete slab, you will not reap a harvest.
And other [seed] fell on good ground, and did yield fruit … and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. Mark 4:8
One key principle of biblical economics is that you must always sow your seed in good ground. The best and most fertile soil is the ground consecrated and dedicated to producing a harvest for the Kingdom of God.
Don’t let tradition sway you away from the best ground in which to plant your seed. When times are financially difficult, you can reap your most abundant harvest by planting your precious seed into God’s work.
Carefully select the ministries in which you will invest. Choose Christ-honoring, soul-winning, Word-centered ministries that properly manage the money they receive. Plant your precious seed in good ground, and God will return an abundant harvest to you.
And other [seed] fell on good ground, and did yield fruit … and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. Mark 4:8
One key principle of biblical economics is that you must always sow your seed in good ground. The best and most fertile soil is the ground consecrated and dedicated to producing a harvest for the Kingdom of God.
Don’t let tradition sway you away from the best ground in which to plant your seed. When times are financially difficult, you can reap your most abundant harvest by planting your precious seed into God’s work.
Carefully select the ministries in which you will invest. Choose Christ-honoring, soul-winning, Word-centered ministries that properly manage the money they receive. Plant your precious seed in good ground, and God will return an abundant harvest to you.
God’s Law of Sowing
When a farmer puts a corn seed into the ground, he doesn’t get back just one corn seed. When he puts that seed into the earth, a divinely ordered process begins. The seed produces a stalk of corn, the stalk produces several ears of corn, and each ear produces many new seeds – all from the one seed the farmer planted.
Notice an important point. The farmer has to sow the seed first before he can have a harvest. The more seed he sows, the larger the harvest will be.
But remember this – if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much. Every one must make up his own mind as to how much he should give….
For God, who gives seed to the farmer to plant, and later on, good crops to harvest and eat, will give you more and more seed to plant and will make it grow so that you can give away more and more fruit from your harvest. 2 Corinthians 9:6, 7, 10 TLB
Every day you make a choice either to sow some of your seed or to eat it. When you exercise faith and sow, you release God’s law of prosperity. When you give in to your fear and eat your seed, or hide it, you release God’s law of poverty.
Do not let your circumstances rule you. They may indicate that you can’t afford to sow anything into the gospel now. But Scripture clearly tells us if we are ruled by our circumstances, we won’t ever sow. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. Ecclesiastes 11:4
If you do not sow, you cannot reap, but God’s Word clearly tells you to sow in all circumstances. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether thou shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. Ecclesiastes 11:6
Remember: Sow seed and you will harvest (2 Corinthians 9:6) When you sow, do not look to your circumstances (Ecclesiastes 11:4) Sow regularly to every good work (Ecclesiastes 11:6)
Notice an important point. The farmer has to sow the seed first before he can have a harvest. The more seed he sows, the larger the harvest will be.
But remember this – if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much. Every one must make up his own mind as to how much he should give….
For God, who gives seed to the farmer to plant, and later on, good crops to harvest and eat, will give you more and more seed to plant and will make it grow so that you can give away more and more fruit from your harvest. 2 Corinthians 9:6, 7, 10 TLB
Every day you make a choice either to sow some of your seed or to eat it. When you exercise faith and sow, you release God’s law of prosperity. When you give in to your fear and eat your seed, or hide it, you release God’s law of poverty.
Do not let your circumstances rule you. They may indicate that you can’t afford to sow anything into the gospel now. But Scripture clearly tells us if we are ruled by our circumstances, we won’t ever sow. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. Ecclesiastes 11:4
If you do not sow, you cannot reap, but God’s Word clearly tells you to sow in all circumstances. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether thou shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. Ecclesiastes 11:6
Remember: Sow seed and you will harvest (2 Corinthians 9:6) When you sow, do not look to your circumstances (Ecclesiastes 11:4) Sow regularly to every good work (Ecclesiastes 11:6)
Making Your Memorial
To make your out-of-debt memorial prayer totally effective, you must mix your prayer with a proper offering, one that will suspend your request before the Father. You must search your heart and decide on an amount to give that will truly represent your sincerity about getting out of debt. When deciding on the amount, please remember, if the amount you give is truly significant to you, it will surely be significant to God. However, if it is insignificant to you, it will be insignificant to Him.
I have known this truth for a long time. If it doesn’t move me, my offering surely won’t move God. You see, God feels the same way about your offering as you do.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities [humanity]….Hebrews 4:15
I didn’t have the money to repair my car so I went to God in prayer and gave a memorial offering. I prayed for a miracle of debt cancellation, and within the month, the company I bought the car from cancelled the remainder of the debt and gave me the title free and clear. They also fixed everything wrong with the car. The car lot manager repeatedly said he didn’t know why he was doing it. L.B. – Columbus, OH
As soon as you can say, “Yes, I believe, and I will put all five of these steps to work,” you will be on your way to a total victory over debt. If you can say, “Yes, I believe, and I am ready to start,”
I have known this truth for a long time. If it doesn’t move me, my offering surely won’t move God. You see, God feels the same way about your offering as you do.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities [humanity]….Hebrews 4:15
I didn’t have the money to repair my car so I went to God in prayer and gave a memorial offering. I prayed for a miracle of debt cancellation, and within the month, the company I bought the car from cancelled the remainder of the debt and gave me the title free and clear. They also fixed everything wrong with the car. The car lot manager repeatedly said he didn’t know why he was doing it. L.B. – Columbus, OH
As soon as you can say, “Yes, I believe, and I will put all five of these steps to work,” you will be on your way to a total victory over debt. If you can say, “Yes, I believe, and I am ready to start,”
Your Goliath Must Fall
In the preceding chapters, I introduced to you five strategies that will quickly take you out of debt. Each one comes with the promise of releasing a measure of God’s power into your war on debt. Let’s go over them one more time before putting them to work for you.In chapter one, you learned what debt really is. It is a Goliath that strips the captives and leaves them naked. It is a terror that most of the Church today faces.You also learned that debt has the ability to turn you permanently into the servant of the financial system of the world. …the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7While most Christians know these things, it’s sad that the vast majority of God’s children are caught hopelessly in the relentless clutches of debt.In chapter two, you saw the first of five steps that will draw God’s power into your personal out-of-debt program. It consisted of three things you must know, things that cause to receive power from God that will help you out of debt. First, you must know God is a debt-cancelling God. To prove that He is, I clearly documented this fact by many scriptural accounts of people just like you whom God has miraculously set free of debt.
Hook up to the Force
Dear friend, I do hope you see the powerful force this action will bring to bear against your own debt. It will actually release the power of God against it. The Limited force you exert in helping someone else out of debt will unleash God’s unlimited force to get you out of debt.
The debt-free force I am encouraging you to release into your out-of-debt program is none other than the very power of God, and when you have that power working for you, the debt-free guarantee is easily within your grasp.
So, I have now placed the fourth stone into your hand. If you use it correctly, it will be a powerful weapon in your war on debt. In fact, it will be the very power of God made available to you. This weapon will give you the advantage you desire over the Goliath of debt that now holds you captive.
Testimony:As a wedding gift from the lienholder of my car, we received the title free and clear with a card that read, “The Lord laid it upon my heart to release you from this debt so that you can become financially free in your marriage.” This miracle came after we sowed into paying off the debt of our church. N.S. – Jacksonville, FL
The fifth step in drawing the power of God into your war on debt is extremely effective. Its action will focus God’s ongoing attention on getting you out of debt. We have this promise on good authority; for an angel tells us about it.
The debt-free force I am encouraging you to release into your out-of-debt program is none other than the very power of God, and when you have that power working for you, the debt-free guarantee is easily within your grasp.
So, I have now placed the fourth stone into your hand. If you use it correctly, it will be a powerful weapon in your war on debt. In fact, it will be the very power of God made available to you. This weapon will give you the advantage you desire over the Goliath of debt that now holds you captive.
Testimony:As a wedding gift from the lienholder of my car, we received the title free and clear with a card that read, “The Lord laid it upon my heart to release you from this debt so that you can become financially free in your marriage.” This miracle came after we sowed into paying off the debt of our church. N.S. – Jacksonville, FL
The fifth step in drawing the power of God into your war on debt is extremely effective. Its action will focus God’s ongoing attention on getting you out of debt. We have this promise on good authority; for an angel tells us about it.
Honor the Lord
You should always figure the tithe on your gross income, not on your net income. God’s Word tells us the tithe should be the first fruits of your increase. Better said, it should be the first thing you pay from your increase.
Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with firstfruits of all thine increase:So shall thy barns be filled with plenty…. Proverbs 3:9-10
It should be clear from this scripture that you are to pay your tithe first. If you do not pay it first, you will not be honoring god with your firstfruits.
You should always allow your tithe to have preeminence over your taxes. Matthew 22:15-22 is proof of this rule. Here the Pharisees and Herodians asked Jesus tells us that the purpose behind their question was to trick our Lord into saying something they might use to accuse Him. If He said the people should pay taxes to Caesar, He would be in opposition to Jewish law. If He said not to pay Caesar’s tax, He would be in opposition to Roman law. Verse 15 tells us they were trying to “…entangle him in his talk,” or as we would say today, they were trying to trip Him up.
Notice how our Lord’s answer kept everything in its proper order. After asking to see the coin, He asked whose face they saw inscribed on it. They said Caesar’s. Then our Lord answered in a way that astonished them all.…Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. Matthew 22:21
Let me paraphrase His answer to clarify what He was actually saying. Jesus said, “Go ahead and give Caesar his tax. However, you must also give God that which is His (the firstfruits, or the tithe).” From this verse you can conclude that God and the government must both have their rightful places in your life. To give God His proper place, you must pay your tithe from your paycheck before you pay anything else. By paying it first, the tithe becomes your firstfruits. Then after you have paid the firstfruits to God, pay your taxes.
Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with firstfruits of all thine increase:So shall thy barns be filled with plenty…. Proverbs 3:9-10
It should be clear from this scripture that you are to pay your tithe first. If you do not pay it first, you will not be honoring god with your firstfruits.
You should always allow your tithe to have preeminence over your taxes. Matthew 22:15-22 is proof of this rule. Here the Pharisees and Herodians asked Jesus tells us that the purpose behind their question was to trick our Lord into saying something they might use to accuse Him. If He said the people should pay taxes to Caesar, He would be in opposition to Jewish law. If He said not to pay Caesar’s tax, He would be in opposition to Roman law. Verse 15 tells us they were trying to “…entangle him in his talk,” or as we would say today, they were trying to trip Him up.
Notice how our Lord’s answer kept everything in its proper order. After asking to see the coin, He asked whose face they saw inscribed on it. They said Caesar’s. Then our Lord answered in a way that astonished them all.…Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. Matthew 22:21
Let me paraphrase His answer to clarify what He was actually saying. Jesus said, “Go ahead and give Caesar his tax. However, you must also give God that which is His (the firstfruits, or the tithe).” From this verse you can conclude that God and the government must both have their rightful places in your life. To give God His proper place, you must pay your tithe from your paycheck before you pay anything else. By paying it first, the tithe becomes your firstfruits. Then after you have paid the firstfruits to God, pay your taxes.
Power Rushes In
Title.
Hearers and Not Doers
I have always been amazed at the number of Christians who choose to only hear the Word, and never seem to do the things it says. I find this situation to be a particular problem when it comes to becoming debt free. Every time I speak to a group about getting out of debt, they give me their undivided attention. After each session, they storm the book table and purchase everything I have available on the subject. However, on my return trip, I find that most of the people who had listened so intently just a short time before have made absolutely no attempt to put into practice any of the principles I taught them. It goes without saying they were eager hearers. Why, they even loaded up with the support material from the book table. However, they just never took the next step and became doers of the words they heard. The Apostle James is speaking of this kind of people when he says:
…be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22
Miracles come to those who have the faith to receive them. We have seen in a previous chapter that the miracle of cancelled debt is real. We have also seen that it is readily available. However, like most of God’s blessings, it is conditional. You must have living faith to receive it. Notice that when I say faith, I mean really strong faith. It takes more than just a wish. Once again, we must hear the Apostle James on this matter, for he tells us if we have not put action (works) with it, our faith is dead. Be assured that dead faith will not have the ability to draw the miracle of debt cancellation into your life.
…faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead). James 1:17
…be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22
Miracles come to those who have the faith to receive them. We have seen in a previous chapter that the miracle of cancelled debt is real. We have also seen that it is readily available. However, like most of God’s blessings, it is conditional. You must have living faith to receive it. Notice that when I say faith, I mean really strong faith. It takes more than just a wish. Once again, we must hear the Apostle James on this matter, for he tells us if we have not put action (works) with it, our faith is dead. Be assured that dead faith will not have the ability to draw the miracle of debt cancellation into your life.
…faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead). James 1:17
Feel the Power Begin to Flow
Now that you know God has cancelled debt before, I want you to add to this knowledge that He is the same today as He was yesterday, and He will be the same forever. With this powerful combination of truth, you will begin immediately to experience the energy of God flowing in to your out-of-debt program.
This is energy-releasing knowledge, for if God has cancelled debt before, the Bible says He will do it again. Hallelujah! Your God is still canceling debt today. If He did it before, you can depend upon His doing it again.
You just learned that God has cancelled debt before. If you add to that knowledge that fact that God is no respecter of person, you will be able to draw even more of God’s power into your out-of-debt program. If you know God has done something special for a specific individual, you an be assured He will do the same think for you.
This is energy-releasing knowledge, for if God has cancelled debt before, the Bible says He will do it again. Hallelujah! Your God is still canceling debt today. If He did it before, you can depend upon His doing it again.
You just learned that God has cancelled debt before. If you add to that knowledge that fact that God is no respecter of person, you will be able to draw even more of God’s power into your out-of-debt program. If you know God has done something special for a specific individual, you an be assured He will do the same think for you.
A Widow’s Debt Is Cancelled
God supernaturally intervened and cancelled a widow’s debt. He did it the same day her tow sons were to become servants of the lender. You will find the account of this miracle of debt cancellation in the fourth chapter of 2 Kings. The Scripture tells us the poor woman’s husband had died. While Scripture doesn’t specifically give the cause of his death, it could well have been the pressure that debt brought to bear upon his life. Scripture goes on to tell us her two sons would have to spend many years at hard labor paying off their daddy’s debt.
In a desperate, last-minute attempt, the widow turns to her man of God for help with her financial problem just moments before it would be too late. As soon as she tells him of her circumstances, he speaks a powerful word of deliverance to her. He tells her she must borrow vessels, many vessels. She must then go into her house and begin to put her meager supply of oil into the vessels she has borrowed.
As soon as she obeys the prophet, her miraculous debt cancellation begins to materialize. It is such a powerful miracle that it makes her and her two sons totally debt free and financially set for life. Her little pot of oil miraculously multiplies into many gallons of oil.
Listen as her man of God tells her to sell the oil, pay her debt, and use the surplus for retirement.
In a desperate, last-minute attempt, the widow turns to her man of God for help with her financial problem just moments before it would be too late. As soon as she tells him of her circumstances, he speaks a powerful word of deliverance to her. He tells her she must borrow vessels, many vessels. She must then go into her house and begin to put her meager supply of oil into the vessels she has borrowed.
As soon as she obeys the prophet, her miraculous debt cancellation begins to materialize. It is such a powerful miracle that it makes her and her two sons totally debt free and financially set for life. Her little pot of oil miraculously multiplies into many gallons of oil.
Listen as her man of God tells her to sell the oil, pay her debt, and use the surplus for retirement.
More Than Enough by John Avanzini
John Avanzini Explains That We Have More Than Enough
A. Jesus came to give more than enough life. (John 10:10) "...I am come that they might have life, ...more abundantly."
B. God gives more than our cup can hold. (Psalm 23:5) "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."
C. Jesus gave Simon Peter more than enough fish. (Luke 5:6-7) "...they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners...that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink."
D. Jesus gave the 5,000 more than enough food. (John 6:5-13) Twelve baskets left over.
E. If you will allow God's nature to work through you, today's offering will be more than enough.
Avanzini Teaches That God Gives Us What We Need
A. God gives till it runs over. (Luke 6:38) "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over..."
B. God gives more than we expect. (Ephesians 3:20) ”Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundance above all that we ask or think,.'
C. God makes us more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37) ”...we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."
D. God fills us to overflowing. (John 7:38-39) ”...out of his {our] belly shall flow rivers of living water’
E. When every member of this church tithes and gives abundant offerings, our church will overflow.
A. Jesus came to give more than enough life. (John 10:10) "...I am come that they might have life, ...more abundantly."
B. God gives more than our cup can hold. (Psalm 23:5) "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."
C. Jesus gave Simon Peter more than enough fish. (Luke 5:6-7) "...they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners...that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink."
D. Jesus gave the 5,000 more than enough food. (John 6:5-13) Twelve baskets left over.
E. If you will allow God's nature to work through you, today's offering will be more than enough.
Avanzini Teaches That God Gives Us What We Need
A. God gives till it runs over. (Luke 6:38) "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over..."
B. God gives more than we expect. (Ephesians 3:20) ”Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundance above all that we ask or think,.'
C. God makes us more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37) ”...we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."
D. God fills us to overflowing. (John 7:38-39) ”...out of his {our] belly shall flow rivers of living water’
E. When every member of this church tithes and gives abundant offerings, our church will overflow.
About Dr. John Avanzini
John Avanzini was born in Surinam, South America in 1936. He preaches the message of financial prosperity and teaches that God wants believers to be wealthy. He speaks in conferences and seminars worldwide about biblical economics.
