Prove Me
Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 09/20/2026
Foundation Scriptures:
Genesis 28:10-22
1. The Promise and the Vow.
a. God told Jacob: “I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac…” (Vs 13).
b. “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of” (Vs 15).
c. That last promise is especially powerful: God personally guaranteed the fulfillment of His Word.
d. Then Jacob made a vow (Vs 20-22):
e. If God will be with me.
f. And will keep me in this way that I go.
g. And will give me food to eat and clothing to wear.
h. So that I may come again to my father’s house in peace.
i. The Lord shall be my God.
j. I will honor, and treat as sacred, God’s house and presence.
k. And of all the increase of possessions that He gives me I will give the tenth to Him.
l. So much is wrapped up in these verses.
m. A lifelong commitment—on the part of God and Jacob.
n. Promises diligently kept.
o. A covenant sustained over a lifetime - that never weakens or fails.
p. Sustained: Blessing; Peace; Provision; Protection; Health
2. Tithe Off the Increase.
a. Deuteronomy 14:22 KJV –– Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
b. Leviticus 27:30 KJV –– And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.
c. Holy: set apart; separated; sacred; consecrated; dedicated.
d. God blesses and provides.
e. We recognize His provision and acknowledge His blessings.
f. In response, we honor Him by bringing back to Him a portion of the increase of what He has provided.
g. Malachi 3:8-12
3. God Proves Himself by Opening.
a. “If I will not open you the windows of heaven…”
b. God’s blessing is not limited to simply putting money into someone’s hand.
c. He can open opportunities, avenues of provision, favor, productivity, increase, and circumstances that no human being could manufacture.
d. God is saying, in effect: “Put Me first and watch what I will do.”
e. Deuteronomy 28:12 KJV –– The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven… and to bless all the work of thine hand…
f. Our responsibility is obedience.
g. God’s responsibility is the open windows of Heaven.
4. God Proves Himself by Pouring.
a. “…and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
b. He proves Himself through His abundant blessing upon our lives.
c. Proverbs 3:9–10 –– Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty…
d. We honor Him with what is in our hands, and He demonstrates what He can do with what is in His hands.
5. God Proves Himself by Rebuking.
a. Then God moves from provision to protection.
b. “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes…”
c. God doesn’t merely promise to give increase, but He promises to deal with what would consume the increase.
d. There are two sides to financial blessing: What comes in and what doesn’t unnecessarily go out.
e. A person can continually receive increase yet have everything swallowed up by loss.
f. God’s faithfulness can be demonstrated not only through what He provides, but through what He preserves.
6. God Proves Himself by Protecting.
a. “…and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground…”
b. Their “fruit” represented the product of their work—their livelihood and harvest.
c. God says, essentially: “I will watch over what your labor produces.”
d. Deuteronomy 28:8 KJV –– The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto…
7. God Proves Himself by Preserving the Harvest Until Its Proper Time.
a. “…neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field…”
b. Fruit that falls prematurely is potential that never becomes harvest.
c. God is saying that He can preserve the process until the fruit reaches maturity.
d. Psalm 1:3 KJV –– …that bringeth forth his fruit in his season…
e. There is a season for harvest, and God is able to preserve what He is producing until its appointed time.
8. God Proves Himself by Making His Blessing Evident.
a. “And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.”
b. The evidence of God’s faithfulness becomes observable.
c. Others recognize: Something is different about these people.
d. God’s hand is upon them; God has blessed them.
e. This was never intended to glorify Israel—it was intended to demonstrate the faithfulness of Israel’s God.
9. God Puts His Word on the Line.
a. God is not asking His people to prove whether He is God.
b. He is inviting them to prove His faithfulness to His Word.
c. In essence: “Do what I have told you to do and watch Me do what I said I would do.”
d. The tithe becomes a tangible expression of trust:
e. God says: “Prove Me.”
f. Not because He needs to prove that He is faithful, but because we need to experience His faithfulness for ourselves.
g. God proves Himself by doing exactly what He said He would do.
h. 1 Kings 8:56 KJV –– There hath not failed one word of all his good promise…
i. Tithing is not us trying to persuade God to bless us.
j. It is us obeying what God has said and giving Him the opportunity to demonstrate that His Word is true.