"Faith is counting all your eggs before they are hatched... then picking an envelope to give the tithe of the chicks."
I am of the conviction that when giving in faith is to undergo some ‘test’ then it would mean giving ALL one (already) HAS, even if one isn't sure what will happen after that.
If you give 'in credit', it may translate into 'manipulating' God, unless one doesn't mind even if an egg or two fail to hatch, or eaten before hatching. It is possible to 'arm-twist' God and call it faith—this may not be a good idea.
I would teach that instead of giving CHICKS that one doesn't (as yet) have, one should give the EGGS that one already has. Otherwise, one would give chicks before the eggs are hatched if it is a moment of inspiration, specific for a person for a particular purpose.
God taught me something about differentiating between a 'moment of inspiration' and a 'permanent principle' (or a doctrine).
During a moment of inspiration, God can prompt one to do something that is out of the ordinary; it may not even make sense, yet God would crown it if one obeys in faith. This moment of inspiration may not be taught as a doctrine or a permanent principle that should apply for everybody.
If one will give a tithe of chicks based on unhatched eggs, it should be that of a moment of inspiration for an individual—this is important and I must repeat for emphasis.
If one gives chicks ahead of time and it happens that all the eggs hatch and one has his chicks, one should talk about this as a testimony of what the Lord has done for him. But it shouldn't be taught as a doctrine with the resulting expectation or urging people to do the same and expect God to act the same way He did for the other person.
A functional faith can be divided into two categories:
i) Day-to-day acts of faith:
This is where basic faith is expected of every Christian. It may not necessarily involve some ‘extraordinary act’.
ii) Periodic 'testing' of faith:
Here, one comes in an extreme difficulty, or an extreme challenge. More often, this is characterized by what one gives for one’s faith more than what one gets for one's faith.
I believe that these matters are important to be put into perspective. that is what the Bible calls "rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
