The Trust Test July 26. 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Payday Becomes a Pop Quiz

Every paycheck triggers a spiritual exam: do we treat Visa as our first creditor or honor God as our true provider? Jesus called money a heart issue, revealing who we fundamentally trust. Bank statements don’t lie—they expose whether we prioritize temporary security over eternal investment. Tithing isn’t about funding churches but proving we trust the Giver more than the gift. This daily test determines if we’ll handle earthly resources in a way that qualifies us for heavenly stewardship. [07:16]

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, ESV)

Reflection: What does your most recent bank statement reveal about where your heart truly rests? How might shifting your first financial act each payday realign your priorities?

Day 2: Ten Percent as a Time Capsule of Trust

Tithing predates Mosaic law—Abraham gave Melchizedek 10% as worship, foreshadowing Christ’s eternal priesthood. This ancient pattern isn’t legalism but love language, a tangible “thank you” to our Provider. Like communion’s bread and wine, the tithe becomes physical obedience that shapes spiritual reality. When we return God’s portion, we acknowledge everything we “own” was always His. [23:54]

“And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” (Genesis 14:18-20, ESV)

Reflection: If tithing is less about obligation and more about relational trust, how does that change your perspective on the next 10% you give?

Day 3: The Umbrella Principle of Divine Protection

Malachi’s storehouse promise functions like spiritual weatherproofing—obedience pulls us under God’s covering. Withholding tithes isn’t merely frugal but foolish, like refusing shelter in a storm. The “devourer” isn’t myth but reality: broken appliances, medical bills, and wasted opportunities multiply when we exit God’s protective design. Tithing activates covenantal insurance. [29:07]

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse... And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” (Malachi 3:10, ESV)

Reflection: What recurring financial “leaks” might indicate areas where you’ve stepped out from under God’s covering? How could tithing become your first line of defense?

Day 4: From Anxious Accounting to Heaped Blessings

Hezekiah’s Israel discovered tithing creates overflow—their 10% piles dwarfed the 90% they kept. Modern budgets scream scarcity, but God’s math multiplies surrendered resources. The test works both ways: we prove our trust, then God proves His faithfulness. True wealth isn’t accumulated but circulated back to its Source. [34:31]

“Since they began to bring the contributions into the house of the Lord, we have eaten and had enough and have plenty left over, for the Lord has blessed his people.” (2 Chronicles 31:10, ESV)

Reflection: What practical fear holds you back from tithing? How might releasing that 10% actually become the key to resolving it?

Day 5: Sealing Envelopes Against Enemy Access

That fluttering tithe envelope isn’t just paper—it’s a spiritual contract. When sealed, it becomes a “No Trespassing” sign on your finances. Every dollar given declares Christ’s lordship over Wall Street, retirement accounts, and grocery budgets. The act transforms mundane money into warfare, rebuking lack’s narrative. [38:13]

“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications... Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” (Hebrews 5:7-9, ESV)

Reflection: What specific area of your finances needs Christ’s intervention today? How could treating your next tithe as active obedience—not passive giving—shift that situation?

Sermon Summary

True Riches shifts from stewarding spiritual gifts to stewarding material gifts, because God’s grace is multi faceted and God calls his people to manage everything he has given. Jesus presents money as a stewards test in Luke 16, because earthly resources show how heavenly resources will be handled. Money is not just an economic tool. Money is a spiritual test.

Matthew 6 makes the heart issue plain. Treasure does not merely follow the heart. Treasure reveals where the heart already lives. Every paycheck becomes a pop quiz, and the answer is not “thank God I got paid.” The answer is demonstrated by the first part of the income.

Malachi 3 brings the test into sharp focus. God says, “I am the Lord, I do not change,” and then calls his people to return to him in tithes and offerings. The tithe means 10 percent, and Scripture repeatedly treats the number ten as a number of testing. God calls the tithe an ordinance, an ordinary principle of healthy behavior for his children.

Christ has redeemed believers from the eternal curse of the law, but earthly consequences still remain when God’s design is ignored. Disobedience still opens doors to the enemy, just like a child playing in the road steps out from under protection. Withholding the tithe is not treated as a salvation issue, but it is treated as a heart issue. The spirit behind tithing is faith in God’s generosity, while the spirit behind withholding is anxious self reliance.

Abraham’s tenth to Melchizedek shows that tithing predates the law. Melchizedek, king of peace and priest of God Most High, receives Abraham’s grateful response before Moses ever receives the commandments. Hebrews brings that pattern forward by showing Jesus as the high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. The tithe is therefore not mere legalism, but a heart driven act of worship directed to Christ.

Jesus affirmed tithing in Matthew 23 while correcting religious pride. Grace does not lower the bar. Grace raises the bar because the heart has been bought by the precious blood of Jesus. Leviticus calls the tithe holy, set apart to the Lord, and treating God’s portion as common brings consequences.

The true riches of tithing are spiritual treasures in heaven. Malachi’s test is two way, because God uniquely says, “test me in this.” The storehouse is God’s house, where there is food for worship, ministry, and need. God still opens the windows of heaven, rebukes the devourer, and proves that his promises can be trusted.

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Key Takeaways

1. Money gives the heart away Money reveals trust more honestly than spoken gratitude ever can. The first part of income answers the pop quiz before any religious words do. Treasure has a way of exposing whether God is treated as Provider or merely thanked after creditors are satisfied. [07:16]
2. The tithe is holy firstfruits The tithe is not described as a leftover gift, but as the first portion set apart to the Lord. What God calls holy cannot be safely treated as common without shaping the heart around self protection. Honoring the first 10 percent trains the soul to live under God’s order instead of financial fear. [29:07]
3. Grace raises, not lowers, trust Grace does not make obedience smaller, because Jesus always moves the command deeper into the heart. The law could name the tenth, but grace asks whether the whole life belongs to Christ. A person bought by the blood of Jesus has even greater reason to trust God with material reality. [27:23]
4. Disobedience opens real doors Christ removes the eternal curse, but willful sin still brings earthly consequences. Disobedience gives the enemy a foothold where he had no rightful ownership. Tithing is presented as a way of closing the door on the devourer and returning finances under God’s protection. [18:18]
5. God invites the test Malachi 3 stands out because God himself says, “test me in this.” The tithe becomes a place where fear must step aside long enough for God’s reliability to be proven. Faith does not wait until the budget feels easy, because the promise is discovered in the testing.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:28] - From Spiritual Gifts to Material Gifts
[03:31] - Luke 16 and the Steward’s Test
[05:14] - Money as a Heart Issue
[06:20] - Treasure Reveals the Heart
[10:44] - Malachi 3 and Returning to God
[14:23] - The Tithe and the Number Ten
[16:13] - Christ Redeems, Consequences Remain
[20:45] - Tithing as Faith in God’s Promises
[23:14] - Tithing Predates the Law
[26:08] - Jesus Affirms the Tithe
[27:23] - Grace Raises the Bar
[31:25] - God Says, Test Me
[33:11] - The Storehouse and Corporate Blessing
[37:24] - A Challenge to Take God at His Word

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 16:11-12
“If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?” [03:37]

Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” [06:20]

Malachi 3:6-12
“‘For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, "How shall we return?" Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, "How have we robbed you?" In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.’” [10:56]

Observation questions

In Luke 16:11-12, what contrast does Jesus make between “unrighteous wealth” and “true riches,” and what does faithfulness have to do with both? [04:47]
In Matthew 6:19-21, what are the two places Jesus says people can store treasure, and what does each place reveal about what lasts? [06:20]
In Malachi 3:6-12, what specific actions does God call His people to take, and what specific promises does He attach to that obedience?
What repeated words or ideas stand out in Malachi 3, especially around God’s unchanging character, the storehouse, and the invitation to “test” Him? [13:52]

Interpretation questions

Jesus says that faithfulness with money relates to being trusted with “true riches.” What might that suggest about why money is more than a budgeting issue and is treated as a spiritual test? [05:03]
Matthew 6 says, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” How does that challenge the common idea that a person’s heart can be measured mainly by words instead of by what is done with resources? [07:16]
Malachi 3 connects withholding tithes with the call to “return” to God. Why might financial obedience be described as a return of the heart and not merely a transfer of money? [12:10]
If believers are redeemed from the eternal curse through Christ, how should Malachi’s warnings about consequences be understood in everyday life? What is the difference between loss of salvation and stepping outside God’s design? [16:52]

Application questions

Every paycheck acts like a pop quiz of trust. When money comes in, what usually gets the first claim on the heart: fear, bills, comfort, control, or worship? What patterns have become visible over time? [07:16]
The first portion belongs to God as holy firstfruits. What makes it difficult to set apart the first part instead of waiting to see what is left over? What fears or habits tend to get exposed there? [29:07]
Withholding often grows out of anxious self-reliance, while giving grows out of faith in God’s generosity. Where has financial anxiety been loud lately, and what would trusting God look like in that exact area? [20:57]
Disobedience can open real doors and obedience can close them. Are there any financial practices right now that seem to be pulling life out from under God’s order? What would repentance and realignment look like? [18:18]
Grace raises the bar because the whole life belongs to Christ. How does that reshape the way a person thinks about money, not as a narrow 10 percent issue only, but as part of full surrender? [27:23]
God says, “test me in this.” What would it look like to take that invitation seriously in a concrete way, especially if the budget already feels tight? [31:25]
The storehouse is meant to be a place with food in God’s house for worship, ministry, and need. How does seeing giving as part of caring for the whole church change the way a person views tithing? [33:11]

Sermon Clips

69s

#TitheAsNextStep

“``Once you're saved by grace, tithing is the practical next step of faith. It shifts your life from anxious self reliance to divine provision. It closes the door on the enemy's access to your finances, And it calls on the promises made by the Lord of hosts. Our God who never changes. To rebuke the devourer on your behalf. So his promise in Malachi three remains true. He will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing so great you won't have room enough to receive it. He will rebuke the devour for your sake so that your hard work won't be wasted. God does not change. He is the lord of hosts who keeps his promises. He still honors the test of the tithe. It is not a tax to fill a church budget. It is a trust test designed to free our hearts.”

64s

#TitheForTrueRiches

“``The true riches of tithing are spiritual treasures in heaven. The tithe is an outward demonstration of an inward shift moving from an anxious self reliant mindset to a peaceful, god reliant life. It's an act of worship proving that you have overcome the fleshly instinct of self preservation and truly trust god with your material reality. When you shift from self preservation to total reliance on god, the way you handle your treasure will shift from fear to radical generosity. When you take god at his word, you unlock new dimensions of faith, and you open a clear channel for his blessing to flow into your entire life, not just your bank account.”

66s

#PaydayHeartTest

“``You see, there's a recurring heart test in the Bible that many believers don't even realize they're taking. And you take this test every single time you get paid. The moment income lands in your hands or hits your bank account, a spiritual pop quiz begins. The test is just one simple question. Who do you think for your income? Now the correct answer isn't multiple choice. It's not fill in the blank. It's not a spoken recited phrase like, thank god. I got paid. No. Your answer needs to be demonstrated. It's demonstrated by what you do with the very first part of that paycheck. That's your answer to the pop quiz.”

90s

#MoneyRevealsHeart

“``The way we manage our earthly resources is an indicator of how we're gonna handle his heavenly resources. He's saying that if we can't be faithful with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow, boy, don't I know it. How can he trust us with the true riches of his eternal kingdom? The point is money isn't just an economic tool. It is a spiritual test. It often surprises Christians to discover just how much the Bible talks about money. In fact, scripture contains more than 2,300 verses on money, wealth, and possessions. Jesus spoke about money in roughly 15% of his preaching. You could say it was his favorite sermon illustration. He used it 11 of 39 of his parables. It was his most frequent topic but he didn't speak about money because he was obsessed with it or because he wanted us to accumulate vast wealth. He spoke about it because he knew, Jesus knew that money is fundamentally a heart issue.”

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