At the present time your plenty will supply what they need. 
2 Corinthians 8:24

Faith Promise is a Spirit-led means of financially supporting Covenant Missions.  It involves "faith" because we are deciding to give over the next year money we don't currently have or aren't certain we will receive or intend to give as God enables.  It involves "promise" because as God supplies the money, we promise to follow through in joyful obedience and give it to Covenant Missions instead of using it for other personal needs.

 

How Does Faith Promise Work?

Because a Christian’s overall purpose is to glorify God, I as a Christian should want to give to advance the kingdom. A faith promise is an expression of my obedience to Christ’s command to “make disciples of all people.” Committing to a faith promise gives me a new perspective on my assets and priorities. I begin to see that everything I have belongs to God. I look for ways He provides, so I can give more for His cause. When I commit to give in faith, I do not rely on my limited resources, but on God’s unlimited resources.
 

What Does It Mean?

A faith promise requires a commitment. I commit myself to an amount of money and by faith, based on God’s promises, expect Him to enable me to do it. As I commit myself to this step of faith, it helps me to reprogram my whole life priority system so that I begin looking for God’s provision. It gives me new eyes to see my stewardship in a totally different way. Instead of sitting back and waiting, I begin to actively look for ways that God will provide for me to fulfill my Faith Promise.

Faith: Trusting God to enable me to give more than I thought I could give, and, at the same time, to meet all my personal needs.
Promise: Trusting God because He promised to supply all my needs.
 

Is Faith Promise Scriptural?

The principle of Faith Promise giving is found in 2 Corinthians 8-9. Verse 3 of chapter 8 uses the expressions “to their power” and “beyond their power.” “To their power” refers to tithes & offerings - or known sources of income. “Beyond their power” relates in a special way to faith promise giving: beyond known sources of income, looking to the Lord in faith for the way He will enable them to give. I take into account what I foresee I can give to missions over the next year. Then I pray in faith, “Lord, over and above my ability, how much more shall I trust you to enable me to give?” It is not necessarily what God gives me, but what He enables me to give. (1 Chron. 29:14, Mal. 3:10, Luke 6:38)
 

How Is a Faith Promise Supplied?

Does a faith promise always come in a dramatic, unexpected way? Do I make a faith promise then just wait to see what happens? Once in a while God does surprise us with a miracle. But usually a faith promise does not come in a dramatic way. God’s miracle may enable me to give more as I cut back in some area, or as I look for a creative way to generate income. The experiences of many individuals and churches illustrate three ways God supplies a faith promise.

• Unexpected Ways - From time to time, God does provide for a faith promise in miraculous, dramatic ways.
  • A check arrives from your mortgage company because your escrow account has an overage.
  • The IRS sends a refund to settle the estate of a parent who died several years ago.
  • An overlooked pay raise made retroactive, covering a faith promise made the previous month.
  • A contractor has a job bid accepted - with the condition the bid be increased by an amount equal to a faith promise made just three days before.
• Reordering Priorities - By applying better stewardship principles, adjusting priorities to reflect my desire to see the world evangelized, I can generate extra money. I evaluate my lifestyle and find ways to decrease unnecessary expenses, thus freeing funds for missions.
  • A young woman cuts up her credit cards and resists shopping urges. As a result, she not only has money to tithe, but also creates a surplus enabling her to make a faith promise.
  • A man determines he doesn’t need a new car. Money he would have used for payments is now available for a faith promise.
  • A teenager decides to cut back on the number of times he eats out, and channels that money to faith promise.
• Creative Ways - 
  • A young mom trusts God to bring in orders for a small business she started from home.
  • A retired couple starts selling on eBay, trusting God to help sell enough to meet their Faith Promise goal.
  • A family has a garage sale to eliminate unneeded items from around the house, generating extra money.

What If?

The key word in faith promise is enable. In faith I make a promise to God and as He enables me I will be faithful and obedient to give. If some catastrophic event occurs during the year (loss of income, large unexpected health expenses, etc.), I understand that God is not going to hold me responsible because I could not meet my Faith Promise commitment. My Faith Promise is “as God enables me, I will be faithful to give.”

 

How Do You Make a Faith Promise?

1. Pray for what the Lord would have you do, and know that what He commands He also enables.
2. Commit yourself to make a Faith Promise, realizing your faith will grow as you stay committed to that promise.
3. Look for the different ways God will use you to supply your Faith Promise.
4. Be faithful to give as God enables you.

Submit your Faith Promise commitment online.  To set up (or change) your online giving, you can do so at www.covenantpalmbay.org/give.
 

Questions about Faith Promise? Contact Jonathan Culley at jculley@covenantpalmbay.org