I recently finished reading The God Pocket by Bruce Wilkinson.  About a month ago I finished his You Were Born For This book so this was a great one to read next because it went into more detail on his concept of  “The God Pocket”.  Throughout the book he uses the phrase “He Owns It.  You carry it.  Suddenly, everything changes” which means you have a certain amount of money (in addition to what you set aside for tithing and offering) that you place in a special place in your wallet or envelope and you dedicate it to God.  When you feel led by God (or nudged) then you give the amount God has laid on your heart to the person you have been directed to.

The God Pocket is extra money that you have set aside to deliver a financial blessing to those whom come to your attention.  The money is no longer yours to use or borrow from once it is dedicated to God.  It is important that you pray for discernment for who the money should be given to in your God Pocket.  Sometimes you’ll be led the day you put it into the pocket other times it may be days, weeks, or months before the person who you are asked to give it to comes across your path.

Wilkinson shares a variety of stories about people who have experience the blessing of delivering their God Pocket funds.  Many of those people have been blessed through their extra giving, although it is not guarantee that if you give extra money away that you are promised the exact amount or more in return from God.    For example the author used this following verse:

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed. – Proverbs 17:19

This is a wonderful verse and it does say that the Lord will repay for the deed, however, it does not say that he will repay financially or even while we are on this earth.    Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven…. Matthew 5:12  I think the concept of giving to others is awesome as long as we do not do it with the expectation of being repaid or over abundantly rewarded for our effort here on earth.  We may see some benefits of sharing with others including mentorship opportunities, sharing the good news, and the blessing of knowing that God has allowed you to share a miracle with someone who was hurting or in need.  It is the most valuable when we give from the heart while giving ALL the credit to God.  It is not called “The Me Pocket” it is called “The God Pocket” for that specific reason.  You are carrying it to be a blessing to someone and allow God to work in their hearts not to take the praise for yourself.

The author walks you through seven steps for delivering “The God Pocket” funds:

• Decide and pray regarding the amount you will put into “The God Pocket”.
• Devote the money directly to God.
• Deposit the devoted amount into your God Pocket.
• Depend on God to lead you to the exact person He wants you to give the gift to.
• Deliver God’s funds to the recipient
• Declare who the true giver of the funds is, transfer the all credit for the funds directly to God
• Disciple the person who you have given the God Pocket funds to so they can start a relationship or strengthen their relationship with God and they may in return deliver a God Pocket to another person in need.

The book is short and can be read pretty quickly. Overall I like the concept the author was trying to get across to the readers.  In a couple places the author pushed a little bit regarding using his specifically design “God Pockets” and even gave a few examples of how people used the ones he designed.  That’s okay if you want to use them but the point isn’t if you use a plain envelope or a fancy leather God Pocket, it is that you are willing to be used by God to bring blessings to those around you.   I think it is a great idea to prayfully seek out opportunities to minister to others in need as long as the credit is given to God. 

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Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah.  The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”