After weeks of getting pummeled by US and Israeli bombs, Iran finally capitulated and opened the strait of Hormuz. A few hours later it was closed, again. However, what was interesting is the strategy they attempted to deploy while it was open.

Reports emerged that ships seeking passage through Hormuz were being asked to pay clearance tolls—some reportedly around $1 per barrel—in cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin. That in itself was new, but what got my attention was they wanted payment in Bitcoin.

Iran could have demanded payment in their own currency. The problem is, even before the war erupted their currency was already in collapse. It is worth less than the paper it is printed on. No one wants it. Not even them.

Iran could have taken payment in US dollars. However, since Iran is at war with the US, they are in no rush to transact in US dollars. The US has been weaponizing its currency the last several years by freezing bank accounts and assets where US dollars are held by their adversaries. So, that’s not a good option for them.

Enter Bitcoin – a neutral, decentralized, un-hackable, non-sovereign currency.

In the words of Anthony Pompliano, “There’s a bunch of countries that don’t trust each other. And so they’re saying, ‘I want to get paid in an asset that is not dependent on the monetary policy of any other country.’”

Iran receiving payments in Bitcoin allows them to hold money in such a way that no nation on earth can freeze or confiscate it. It is literally outside the system.

This is why many people love it, but it is also why many people hate it. That’s why Iran wants it.

Back in 9^th grade, I took a world history class. I literally only remember one thing from the class. It was a joke my teacher made during a discussion.

He said, “You know the golden rule, right? Whoever has the gold makes the rules.”

As a Christian, this offended me. It was not the Golden Rule. Yet something about his remark intrigued me, and my introvert nature prevented me from correcting him.

Now I realize he wasn’t joking.

In every war in history, the winner takes the gold. And what does the winner do? They make the rules everyone else must live by.

The point is monetary power shapes political power. If you can find a way to keep your gold where they can’t touch it, you can live by your own rules. You will be sovereign, independent, autonomous. You will be nearly untouchable. Or at least have more self-determination than if your money was controlled by someone else.

This is why Iran wants digital gold, aka Bitcoin.

So where am I going with this?

When you tithe, you are not giving to a church, you are giving through a church.

The act of tithing converts your money into a transcendent currency that is outside the world’s system while simultaneously retaining utility in it.

Jesus spoke about the “outside of the system” part: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Armies, Central banks, natural disasters, corrosion, scams and blockades cannot harm what is stored in God’s kingdom. It is outside every human system.

But you are still giving to a church. When you give whatever fiat currency you are legally obligated to use, it stays in that form. The church uses it for practical purposes like paying its bills, benevolence, world evangelism, paying salaries, etc.

It does what it needs to in this world’s system while simultaneously existing in God’s system as faith: a store of value and medium of exchange.

Giving is a critical way we convert vulnerable earthly currency for the one currency our enemy cannot confiscate: faith.

Without faith it is impossible to please God.

Allow me to paraphrase: without faith you cannot transact in God’s kingdom economy.

Faith is the currency by which you receive health, peace, wisdom, discipline, revelation, miracles, joy, breakthrough, financial provision, etc.

It is stored outside man-made systems but can re-enter the system and be exchanged for whatever the need is, depending on the situation.

Giving is not the only way to “acquire” faith, but it’s a tangible, powerful way.

And when you realize we are engaged in a spiritual war and have an adversary who not only cares about whose rules we try to live by but also wants to control our relationship with money, you quickly start to see the value, utility and strategy of tithing.

Fight back by giving tithes and offerings.