Years ago, the Holy Spirit showed me this promise from God in the Bible, and impressed upon me that I should pray it every day. At the time, I was a stay-at-home mom, and I didn't have any income of my own, so it took a leap of faith to take God at His Word.

Years passed, and I still never had what you would call a steady income, because my ministry work has always been on a volunteer basis. But each and every day, I would pray, "Lord, enrich me in every way, so that I can be generous on every occasion!" What bothered me the most was that, when a special occasion came up, such as my husband, Joe's, birthday, I usually didn't have enough money of my own to buy him a decent gift.

All this time, I kept in mind another verse in this same passage: "Now [remember] this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to others] will also reap generously [and be blessed]." (2 Corinthians 9:6 AMP) So, whenever I did have some money of my own, I would use it to bless others – sowing it into ministries that blessed me, and buying gifts for friends and loved ones.

I've learned that God often loves to bring His promises to pass with an explosion of blessings, and that's what He did for me. Suddenly, I had enough money to "be generous on every occasion," just like He says in His Word. Why does our God want to bless us so we can be generous? Because, as the rest of verse 11 says, "[our] generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." Hallelujah!

If you have a desire to be more generous toward others, then I encourage you to start praying in faith today – "Lord, enrich me in every way, so that I can be generous on every occasion!"

Prayer: Lord, today I ask You to make me a wise, generous, and cheerful giver. Grant me a hundredfold return and more whenever I sow a financial seed. Work in my heart so that I always give gifts with good intentions. Thank You that as I trust You to enrich me in every way, You will enable me to be generous on every occasion according to Your will!