Baby Steps with Christ

Is Tithing Really Required — Let’s Talk About It Honestly

• Leigh Trupin

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Description:

Is tithing mandatory for Christians? Do believers really have to give 10 percent of their income to the church?

In this honest episode of Baby Steps with Christ, host Leigh Trupin talks openly about the fear, guilt, and confusion many people feel around tithing. Many churches teach that giving 10 percent is required, but Leigh explains why financial giving should never come from pressure, obligation, or fear.

Instead, she shares how asking God directly about giving changed her perspective on tithing, generosity, and relationship with God.

Rather than following any rules, Leigh describes how she began allowing God to guide when, how and even IF she gives.

If you’ve ever wondered:

 • Do Christians have to tithe?
 • What happens if you don’t tithe?
 • Is giving 10 percent really mandatory?

This episode offers an honest perspective on faith, money, and generosity, while encouraging listeners to focus first on building a real relationship with God.

In this episode, you'll hear:

  •   Whether tithing is mandatory for Christians.
  •   Why many believers feel fear or guilt about tithing.
  •   Why Leigh stopped treating tithing like a rule.
  •   Why relationship with God should come before financial giving.

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👉🔗Is Tithing Really Required — Let’s Talk About It Honestly

Baby Steps with Christ

Leigh Trupin: Welcome back to another episode of Baby Steps with Christ. I'm your host, Leigh Trupin. This is a space where we take small, honest steps in order to get to know God for ourselves without pressure, religious checklists, or performance. This is where we learn that we can get to know God for ourselves and we don't need a middleman.

Today I want to speak to you about something that causes a lot of fear, guilt, and confusion. Tithing. And I want to make it clear tithing is not mandatory. So if you're not tithing or giving financially, and you don't feel that God is leading you to do so at the moment, it's okay. I'm not here to make you feel guilty. You're doing just fine.

If you're not giving financially, don't fall for the trap that you're disobeying God or blocking your blessings. And don't get fooled into the notion that if you give your money to the church, God blesses you for it. I've heard it all. And it freaking drives me insane. It's a load of crap and it pisses me off. Believing that crap did not bring me any closer to God. It made me look at him with conditions. Like if I give my money to church, God will do this. If I don't give my money, he won't. Or if I gave money to the church and I didn't get whatever, it was because I wasn't giving enough.

Moving from Religious Obligation to Personal Relationship

I started associating God with obligation instead of relationship, with rules instead of a personal connection. And that's when I had to stop and ask a really important question. What does God want me to do? How does God want me to spend my money? So I asked him. And you know what happened next? I felt led by God. I stopped giving to the church and started giving elsewhere. When I saw someone in the street and I felt led to, I'd give them money. God led me to tip more than usual, whether it was at a restaurant or at the counter for takeout. He led me to do pay it forwards.

And it wasn't 10% of what I made. I gave whatever God led me to give. And I feel no guilt or shame for it. And you know what? I love to watch the gratefulness on people's faces when I give. That makes me feel good to see. Making someone else's day brightens mine. So now when I give, I don't do it out of obligation. I do it out of pure joy. What a difference it made to include God in my givings.

Does that mean I'm doing it wrong because I'm not doing what the church has conditioned me to believe? Nope. And I won't let anyone tell me that I am. It's never wrong to do what God leads you to do. My mom actually gives to charity, and she gives more than what the churches say are required. She gives to St. Jude, to March of Dimes, and to Wounded Warriors. And she is passionate about those organizations. She loves to give to them. She gives 10% of her earnings to St. Jude's, another 10% of her earnings to March of Dimes, and more than 10% to Wounded Warriors. And I forget what percentage she said she gives, but I know it's more than 10%.

Why Tithing is Not a Requirement for God's Blessing

Now, does that mean that she's doing it wrong? Because she's giving to charity and not to church? Of course not. Tithing is talked about a lot in church. In the churches I've attended, anyway. And they say it's required. One church I went to used to say, I challenge you to give and to keep giving and watch how God blesses you for it. Tithing is not a requirement. It's not a measure of your faith. God does not withhold Himself from you if you're not giving.

What about those people who are struggling? Or people who are new to faith and don't know God's character yet and are reserved about giving their hard-earned money. God doesn't want your money before he wants your relationship. And when relationship comes first, your generosity will come with joy and passion. Not because of fear or obligation. Let God put a price tag on what he wants you to give, no one else.

Tithing is taught instead of relationship. So instead of learning who God is, people are taught what they owe. Don't fall for it. Get to know God so well that no one can tell you what you owe and don't owe except for Him. Because when fear is the motivator, giving becomes transactional. I give so God won't be mad. I give so God will bless me. That's not relationship. That's pressure. And God is not pressuring you.

Giving Out of Fear vs. Giving Led by the Spirit

If you're giving out of fear, guilt, or obligation, stop. That is not God-led. And if you're not giving at all right now, don't let anyone make you feel guilty for it. As you grow in your relationship with God, you'll learn to give when God leads you to give, not before then. And to be clear, giving doesn't always mean money. Maybe God will lead you to donate your time. And it doesn't have to be in church, unless he says so. Maybe he's asking you to volunteer at a shelter or feed the homeless at a soup kitchen.

Your time utilized like this is generous too. It's not always about giving money. Giving your time is just as valuable. But whether you choose to give financially or with your time, it should never come from fear, guilt, or obligation. It should always come from your relationship with God. And that's what Baby Steps with Christ is all about: removing the pressure, removing the religious performance, and helping you learn how to know God personally. And encouraging you to take each step he leads you to take, one step at a time.

And that's all I have for you for now. I like to keep my messages short and to the point because it's not about the length of the message, but the quality of it. And I just gave you some good stuff. So thanks for listening today and keep taking those baby steps at your own pace. Don't forget to share this episode with someone you feel needs to hear it, and don't forget to grab your free guide to today's episode. You never have to sign up for it. My guides are always free. Never any obligation to you. I'll leave the link in the show notes. Those guides help you stay connected with God after my episode ends. Thanks for listening today. Until next time.

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