Pastor David Ibiyeomie, the founder of Salvation Ministries, has asserted that rendering financial assistance to believers who fail to pay tithes can result in severe financial distress for the giver. The prominent Nigerian cleric made this assertion in a widely circulated video recounting an encounter with a fellow minister who sought monetary help.
What led to the cleric's financial downturn? According to the preacher, a fellow minister visited him with an infant under two weeks old, lamenting that he had been evicted from his residence. Moved by the distressing situation, Pastor Ibiyeomie parted with N40,000 to help the family secure shelter, even though his total bank balance at the moment was under N200,000.
Recalling the event, the general overseer stated that the sum was quite substantial to him at that particular period. He noted that shortly after extending the financial aid, he began encountering unexpected economic pressures. "The moment I gave him, my heavens closed. No breakthrough, everywhere shut down. I said, 'What is this?' Hardship of the highest order," he remarked during the teaching.
How was the mystery resolved? The cleric disclosed that he later realized the beneficiary of his charity did not practice tithing, which supposedly invited the negative spiritual consequences. He recounted receiving spiritual insight that his action was driven by mere emotional sympathy rather than divine compassion, and that the recipient was a non-tither. Seeking spiritual remedy, Pastor Ibiyeomie reportedly sought divine mercy and cleared a tithe on the specific sum he had given away, after which his financial situation normalized. He referenced the incident as a cautionary tale to his congregation regarding charity and spiritual stewardship among believers.