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Lead Your People Through the 4 Stages of Giving

Only a few years ago, money was my number one lust. Giving it away definitely wasn’t on my radar.

But, lucky for me, generosity is an acquired skill. A skill that can be learned by anyone. Here are the four stages you must travel through as you grow in generosity …

The Four Stages of Giving:

1. Giving is a chore.

I’d just given my life to Christ. I now felt the compulsion to give to my church. It was uncomfortable and I didn’t like it. For me, this stage was filled with two emotions—regret and greed.

Regret said, “But Larry, you haven’t even paid off your credit cards yet.”

Greed said, “Do you realize what stuff you could buy with this money?”

This is the one stage that can’t be skipped. You will experience these emotions on the road to generosity.

And when you do, know you’re heading in the right direction.

2. Giving is a habit.

About a year into my generosity journey, giving went from being “unusual” to the new “normal.” It’s just what I did.

Without thinking about it too much, giving became part of my personal process. Each time I got paid, I gave. It was that simple. Greed still reared its head sometimes, maybe even often, but I no longer felt like my arm was being twisted. I actually started to like it.

The idea of serving the Lord (and others) through my giving made me happy. My heart was slowly being changed, even though I didn’t realize it at the time.

If you’ve made it to Stage Two—habitual giving—you’ve made it to a place that most people, even Christians, never experience. This is where the fun really starts.

God is about to use you in ways you’ve never imagined. Stick with it.