Why Christians Struggle to Tithe: 2 Heart-Level Barriers
Tithing is one of the most discussed and most misunderstood practices in the church. For some Christians, giving a regular portion of their income is a joyful expression of worship and trust. For others, it can feel confusing, financially impossible, overly legalistic, or connected to painful experiences with church fundraising.
The Bible calls God’s people to generosity, faithful stewardship, and open-handed trust. Christians and churches may differ on how the Old Testament tithe applies under the New Covenant, and whether or not tithing is still relevant today. Scripture is clear that money is not separate from discipleship. How we manage what God has entrusted to us reveals something about what we trust, value, and worship.
Tithing is a test of your heart's commitment. It's not just doing the right thing. It's doing the right thing for the right reason. It's an expression of gratitude and love toward a selfless and faithful God.
This is not an article meant to pressure anyone into a particular amount. Giving is ultimately a matter between each believer and God. But it is worth honestly asking what may be keeping us from responding to God with generosity.
Two heart-level barriers often rise to the surface.
1. We Believe We Do Not Have Enough
For many people, the fear of not having enough is not an imaginary concern. Some are facing job loss, debt, medical expenses, family responsibilities, rising costs of living, or a genuinely limited income. Churches should never treat financial hardship as a spiritual failure or use guilt to make people feel they must choose between basic needs and faithfulness.
At the same time, many of us struggle to distinguish between what we truly need and what our culture has trained us to expect.
We live in a world that constantly invites us to spend more, upgrade more, borrow more, and compare more. Easy access to credit and a consumer culture can make an expensive lifestyle feel normal. Over time, it becomes easy to feel as though there is never enough left to give.
That feeling may be connected to a real lack of resources. It may also reveal spending habits, debt, expectations, or fears that need to be brought before God.
When someone is spending more than they earn each month, giving can feel illogical. The numbers may already be overwhelming. In those moments, a call to generosity should be paired with practical discipleship: honest budgeting, wise counsel, help with debt, a realistic plan, and grace for the journey.
The question is not, “Can I instantly solve every financial problem by giving?”
The question is, “What is the faithful next step God is inviting me to take?”
For some, that step may be learning to budget. For another, it may be confronting debt, reducing spending, asking for help, beginning to give consistently, or trusting God with a small act of generosity that represents a real step of faith.
2. We Believe What We Possess Is Entirely Our Own
It is natural to feel a sense of ownership over money we have worked hard to earn. We study, train, work long hours, solve problems, provide for our families, and receive a paycheck. When someone suggests that part of that income should be given away, it can feel like a loss of control.
A first paycheck often makes this clear. Many people remember looking at a pay stub and feeling surprised by how much was already spoken for through taxes, insurance, and deductions. Our instinct is often to think, I earned this. It is mine to decide what happens to it.
Biblical stewardship invites us to a different perspective.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
Psalm 24:1
God is the owner of all things. That does not diminish the value of hard work or personal responsibility. It places those things in their proper context. Our ability to work, earn, plan, and provide is itself part of what God has entrusted to us.
When we see ourselves as stewards rather than absolute owners, generosity becomes less about losing what is ours and more about faithfully using what belongs to God.
Money Can Become a Rival Master
Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). The word translated as money is often connected to mammon, a term describing wealth or material resources that can become a rival master. Money can promise security, comfort, identity, control, and fulfillment. But those are things only God can truly provide.
This is why generosity can feel difficult. It challenges the pull to trust in what we own, earn, save, or can control.
The issue is not that money is evil. The issue is whether money has become the place where we look for ultimate safety and satisfaction.
Giving can become a regular reminder that God, not wealth, is our source.
The Fruit of Repentance Includes How We Handle Resources
In Luke 3, John the Baptist began preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The crowd coming out to be baptized by John didn't get the welcome they were hoping for. John called them a "brood of vipers," coming out to flee from the coming wrath. He warned them to produce fruit in keeping with repentance and not rely on their heritage as Abraham's children. John saw their lack of sincerity and called it out. How did John know they were not sincere, and what exactly was he accusing them of? We find the answer in John's response to their questions.
10 "What should we do then?" the crowd asked. 11 John answered, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same." 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" 13 "Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them. 14 Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay."
Luke 3:10-14
Every one of John's instructions to them had to do with how they managed money and possessions. He tells them to share from their abundance, be honest, collect no more than required, not extort money, and be content with their pay.
His instructions touched money, possessions, work, honesty, generosity, and contentment.
That does not mean we can judge another person’s entire faith by looking at their bank account. Only God sees the heart.
But it does mean that repentance and discipleship should shape the way we handle what God has entrusted to us. Faith becomes visible in our generosity, integrity, contentment, and willingness to care for others.
An Invitation to Seek God Honestly
If you struggle with tithing or regular giving, don’t begin with shame.
Begin with honesty.
Ask God to show you what is beneath the hesitation. Is it fear? Financial pressure? A lack of clarity? A painful past experience? Debt? An ownership mindset? A desire for greater control? A need for practical help?
Then ask Him what a faithful next step looks like.
For some Christians, that may mean beginning to tithe. For others, it may mean starting with a smaller but intentional practice of generosity while pursuing financial health. For others, it may mean bringing their questions to trusted church leaders and studying what Scripture teaches.
The goal is not to meet someone else’s expectation.
The goal is to grow in trust, surrender, wisdom, and joyful generosity as a follower of Jesus.
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