Recently I was asked, when giving some money to a ministry, if I wanted a tax receipt for the donation. My spirit adamantly said “No.” It was not a surprise to me. I knew I wouldn’t want a tax receipt, as this had happened to me before. The woman, who has a personal ministry to Africans that I believe is very much a ministry of the Lord, seemed at least a little surprised at my insistence against a tax receipt.tax-receipt

This made me later check in with the Lord and be sure I knew why. I didn’t want to “do what Jesus would do” as though mimicking would make me righteous or any more transformed into His nature. I really wanted to be absolutely sure I knew and understood why I did not want a tax receipt.

As I meditated on this, the Holy Spirit reminded me that a tax receipt is for Babylon’s purposes. The world’s economic system runs based on taxes and accountabilities this way and that. I ended up with the money in my hand on this occasion as a blessing from someone else. When I had received the money from them, the first thought was “Oh good, now I have something to give.” I knew that I had wanted to give, but was unprepared to do so. Here I find the Lord Himself, very much prepared to do so. He planned ahead, He arranged it and it was done.

The Lord has challenged me to live according to the principles of His Kingdom and not the principles of this World which I am in, but not of. He is my provision, He is my sustenance.

I appreciate that other people feel it is necessary to have a tax receipt, and I did at a time when the Lord was dealing with me concerning finances and a time of being responsible and accountable. So I understand some people seeing my actions as possibly irresponsible or unaccountable. Yet, it all comes down to what the Spirit is leading us to do at any given moment.

On meditating further, the Holy Spirit brought to mind the scripture;

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. Matthew 6:5 NASB

Receiving a tax receipt, is to me, as though I were calling recognition to myself, or tainting this good gift from the Father’s heart with my own ‘need’ to be compensated. I was not seeking recognition, even from the Father, for the giving of this gift, but I certainly did not want to disqualify myself from His momentary pleasure, for the sake of a small tax deduction.

This is certainly not a day to be trusting in our savings, or the economic system to sustain us. Does God not challenge our thinking that has been conformed to the ways of the world? We must learn to think with the Mind of Christ, do with the heart of Christ and this by hearing the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Wisdom, even when it would seem foolish to the ways of the world.

Has this sort of thing happened to you? How did you deal with it? It would be interesting to hear more people’s stories and see how the Spirit has lead different ones.