I belong to a church in which the majority of members tithe and I have been taught about the tithe from the time I joined.

For the first few years I tithed but it was in a sporadic or inconsistent manner. I would, for example, round my tithe down or conveniently forget the tax I'd paid before I got my pay. At other times, unexpectedly large expenses would arise and I would reduce my tithe or stop it altogether.

Behind all this was my hesitancy to really let go and trust God. I didn't tithe properly and consistently because I worried I might not be able to cope financially if I did.

During this time I began to realise that the devourer (the devil) was not being rebuked for my sake. God's Word promises He will rebuke the devourer for the sake of the one who tithes but this was not happening for me.

Bills would come in unexpectedly and they always ended up to be bigger than the tithe that I should have given. Often, for example, repairs would be needed on my car and they always cost around £200 leaving me facing real problems. I was not even reaping the benefits of the tithes I did give.

After watching all this happening, I finally I decided I couldn't possibly lose anything by accurately giving a tithe of everything that came in. The moment I made a quality decision to do this a breakthrough came! Immediately I felt a total reassurance inside that I was going to have all my expenses met without ever having to go short.

The very same month that I made this decision my mother offered me a monthly income of £100. The next month I received my biggest ever bonus cheque for commission at work. The following month my car sailed through its road worthiness test. It only cost £30 for minor repairs whereas every test previously had cost me about £200! I was at last seeing - as a tither - God rebuking the devourer for my sake.

The tithe for me has been transformed. It had been a half-hearted, token gesture to my dependence on God. Now it is a joyful experience in which I expect God's protection over my finances and treat it as an important way to keep God's windows of blessing open over me.

Now my heart's desire is for others to discover, as I have, the wonder that takes place when we tithe fully, consistently and in unhesitating trust.

Jonathan Mackenzie - Cheltenham, UK.