Dear Connie, 
For Moses, it took 40 years; for Jesus, 40 days.After God gives you a vision or a word about what He wants to do with your life, He then takes you into the wilderness to prepare you for that job. The wilderness is a time of testing and teaching.The amount of time spent in the wilderness is determined by your attitude and obedience to God during that season.God never meant for the Israelites to wander around in the desert for 40 years.He promised them a land flowing with milk and honey, and fed them supernaturally with manna from heaven. He gave them a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to guide them, yet most of them never saw the promised land. 

Why not? 

Because they complained and murmured.Joseph was told that God was going to make him 
a great leader, then he spent 17 years going from the pit, to the prison, to Potiphar's house!  It took Joseph a while to reach the palace But, because Joseph had a good attitude and believed God, he was given favor,  and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper. (Gen.39:23)  Eventually, Pharaoh promoted Joseph and set him over all the land of 
Egypt. (Gen. 41:41) 

Connie, you're in good company! Right after Samuel prophesied that David would be king, David was wandering in the wilderness and hiding in caves. God was preparing him for his ministry.Be faithful where you are right now, and God will be faithful to bring to pass that which He has promised. 
 

Dear God! 
Is it still required of us to give tithes and offerings, or was that just for the Old Testament? And, If so, is it 10 percent of the gross, or net?  
Your questioning son, 
Tony 

Dear Tony, God doesn't change, and neither does His Word. He still requires our  first fruits (10 percent of gross earnings). 

Read 2 Corinthians 9, and see what the Spirit speaks to your heart. Here God talks about the condition of our hearts regarding giving, and tells us that "he who sows sparingly shall reap sparingly, but he who sows bountifully, will reap bountifully." Tony, don't ever give grudgingly, for God won't bless it. His Word says that He " loves a cheerful giver." 

Pray and ask God to speak to you about your giving. He will. Then, decide how much you want to reap, and begin to plant seed toward that harvest. 
 
 

Gail Ramsey, an ordained minister, portrayed the role of Susan Moore on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She had other roles on the TV programs Mike Hammer, Generations 
and California Dreams. Today, Ramsey leads Semeion Ministries, where readers can write 
her at P.O. Box 77, Reynoldsburg,