The secret of withholding and releasing 🤐

Kenny Rogers became famous for many songs. He recently passed away, and I couldn’t get one of his songs out of my mind: “The Gambler.” Some of the lyrics are so powerful, especially when it comes to financial security and wealth accumulation: “You've got to know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away. And know when to run.” 

friend, this may sound quite silly, but today’s financial secret is “knowing when to hold them.” The Bible says, “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.” (Proverbs 11:24, NIV)

Solomon was very wealthy. He understood the secret of withholding and releasing. friend, you cannot give to every charity or every need. It’s just impossible. We are surrounded by massive needs in India, Africa, Mexico, and countless other nations and continents. Even in my city of Las Vegas, there are thousands of homeless, victims of the sex trade, addicts, and broken families. 

We recently started a project to help fathers become real dads to their estranged kids. We had a goal of helping fifty fathers every eight weeks. We called our local attorney general and district attorney to let them know we wanted to help. They were completely thrilled to hear about our plan, curriculum, and funding. But they noticed one problem with our goals: they had over 50,000 fathers who were disconnected from their kids. Yikes! We’re not trying to find a way to help more men. We can’t do it all, but we can do something. 

During the pandemic, unemployment reached catastrophic numbers. People were hungry. By God’s grace, we were able to feed up to 25,000 families a month. It was incredible. We had to learn how to release and withhold. friend, have you learned how to be generous on every occasion like the Bible commands us? “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11, NIV) The secret of financial prosperity is linked to this practice. 

Are you suffering in poverty? Maybe it’s because you are withholding too much. Be wise and be generous because you are a miracle.