THE STEWARD MINDSET

1.  I own  nothing. God  owns  everything
“The earth is  the LORD'S,  and the  fulness thereof;  the  world, and  they that  dwell therein.” Psa24:1

Everything  in  this earth belongs to  God. Everything.  God owns  everything. We  are simply  managers  or administrators acting  on  His behalf.  You  do not have the right  or  control over anything that you have. Everything  you have  belongs to  God. Even  you yourself belong  to  God. We saw  in the Parable  of the Talents  that  the servants did not  own the  talents.  The  talents belonged  to their  master.  Their  job  was  to  manage  them  and increase them  so  that  they would  have  more.

The  reason  most of us struggle  with  stewardship is  because  we  have an ownership mentality.  We  think that  we own  our life, money, resources  etc.  But  it  is  not true. Who  we  are and  everything  we have belongs to  God.  God  owns us  multiple  times over.  He made  us and  He  bought us. We belong  to Him  and everything  we have.
“What?  know  ye  not  that  your body  is the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost which is in  you, which  ye  have  of God, and ye are  not  your  own?  For ye are bought  with a price:  therefore glorify  God in your body, and  in your spirit, which are  God's.”  1Cor6:19-20

2.  I am  not  my  source.  God is my source  and  sustainer.

“But thou shalt  remember  the  LORD thy  God:  for it  is  he that  giveth thee power to get wealth,  that  he may establish  his covenant  which he  sware  unto thy fathers,  as it  is  this day.”  Deut8:18

God  is  the one who gives us the  ability  to  prosper.  It  is His ability  that causes us  to  prosper and to  earn resources.  You  wouldn’t  have a job or  business  if  it  wasn’t  for God.  You  wouldn’t  even  be alive if it wasn’t  because  of God. God is  the one who  caused  you to  be born at this  time in this  place. Without Him  we  wouldn’t have  the ability to  prosper.  He  is the one that  gives us our  talents, strengths, abilities,  opportunities etc. A steward  understands  that they  don’t  provide for  themselves.  It is  God who provides for us.  It  was  the lord of these  servants that  provided them  with  the talents  they  had.  Their  job  was  to  multiply  what He gave them.  His  job was to  give them  what to  multiply.

Your finances  are the result  of  God’s  blessing on your  life.  You are  prospering  because of  God’s  blessing upon you.  The steward  doesn’t see  themselves as  their source  of  prosperity.  They see  God  as  their source. You will not prosper in God’s  way without  understanding that  God  is your source and  you are  not your own source.

3.  I don’t do  with money  what I want. I  do  with money what  God  wants.  It  is  His money

God has  entrusted you  with stewardship over His  money and  over His resources. What  does God want to do with His money  that  is in your  hands?  We  are  a  steward. God  is the owner. We should  come to the place  where  we look  at whatever we have  as  belonging to  God  and  not  to us. We should  do  what God  wants  with what we  have  not what  we  want.    This  is  what faithfulness  is about. Managing  the Lord’s resources  the way He  wants us to manage them. Luke 16
10  He that  is faithful in  that  which is least is faithful  also in  much: and  he that  is  unjust  in the  least is unjust  also in  much.  11  If therefore  ye  have not  been faithful  in  the unrighteous  mammon,  who will commit  to your trust  the true  riches?    12  And  if ye have  not  been faithful  in  that  which is another  man's, who shall give  you  that  which  is  your  own?

God  wants us  to  be faithful  with  His resources.  He  wants us  to do  with them  what He has  instructed  us to do with  them.  And  these instructions  are allover  scripture.  He  has  instructed  us to tithe  and give  to the kingdom,  to  be  generous,  save and invest.  This  is  what we  should  do  with  His resources.

BEING  A  TRUSTWORTHY  AND  FAITHFUL  STEWARD

“Let  a  man  so  account  of us,  as of the ministers of  Christ, and stewards of  the  mysteries of  God. Moreover  it  is required in  stewards,  that  a  man  be found faithful.”  1Cor4:1-2

We are responsible  to God  as stewards.  We  are accountable  to  Him. And He  requires us to  be  faithful stewards.

Luke12
42  And  the  Lord said,  Who  then  is that  faithful and  wise  steward, whom his  lord  shall  make  ruler over  his household,  to  give  them their portion of  meat in due  season?  43  Blessed is that servant,  whom his  lord when  he cometh  shall find  so doing.  44  Of a truth  I say unto  you,  that  he  will make  him ruler  over all that he hath.  45  But  and if  that  servant  say  in his  heart,  My  lord delayeth  his coming; and shall begin to  beat the menservants  and  maidens,  and  to  eat and drink, and  to be  drunken;  46  The  lord of  that  servant will come  in a day when he  looketh not  for  him, and  at an hour  when  he  is not aware, and will  cut him  in sunder, and  will appoint  him his portion  with  the unbelievers.  47  And that  servant, which  knew his  lord's will, and  prepared not  himself, neither did according  to his  will,  shall be beaten  with  many  stripes.    48 But he  that  knew  not, and did commit things worthy  of stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with  few stripes.  For unto whomsoever much  is given,  of him  shall  be  much  required: and  to whom men have  committed much, of him they  will ask the  more.

There is  an  urgency  God  expects  of us as  good and  faithful  stewards.  God  has  entrusted us with  great resources and  abilities  in  these days  so  that  we can accomplish His  purpose all  over the  earth.

This  involves  us knowing  how to handle  our  finances in such a way  that they  increase  and we grow wealthier  and at the  same  time spend and give  to  the Kingdom and support  the  gospel as  much  as  we can so as  to  reach  as  many  people  as we  can. 
We  have to  attain a  wonderful balance between investing and giving.

We need  to plan and handle our  finances as  if the  Lord is  not  coming back and  we  need to  give and witness  as  if He is coming  back  tonight.

Sometimes the  issue isn’t  you trusting God.  It  is  God  trusting  you.  Can God  trust  you with  riches?  Can he trust  you  with power, influence or  more? The money  you have, the  money  you  earn is not  your money.  It is  God’s  money. Everything you’ve got comes from God.  Every opportunity  you’ve got  comes from  God.  It  is  God who  created you,  blesses  your work and enables you  to work and make  money.  It is  Him  who gives us life, health etc. All  He  wants  from  you is  to  be  a  good steward.  A  faithful steward.

“Confidence in an  unfaithful man  in time  of  trouble  is  like a  broken tooth, and a  foot out  of  joint.” Prov25:19
No one places their  confidence  in an unfaithful  person. Nobody  wants to  hire an unfaithful  steward.  It pains  from head to  toe. We  all should  be  faithful  stewards  of God.  Don’t  make God  regret putting  you in a position  of influence, power, wealth and  privilege.  

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