Financial Stewardship

God evaluates prosperity by how much of a blessing you are to others.
Prosperity isn’t about you – it’s really about how much money is flowing through you.

Introduction
The traditions and doctrines of men make financial prosperity difficult for some.  “Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.”  (Mark 7:13)

Jesus taught more on the subject of finances than on any other single topic. He taught more about managing resources than he did on prayer or even faith – which tells us that the topic of money, and how we handle it, is very important. One of the reasons the church hasn’t made more of an impact on modern society seems obvious to me, we haven’t successfully applied the gospel to everyday concerns. Most people are so occupied with trying to deal with earthly problems that they aren’t thinking about the eternal. But the gospel has a lot to say about everyday earthly concerns, especially finances.

Learning how God views finances is basic Christianity. Jesus said that if you can’t be faithful in your finances, then you can’t be trusted with anything! (Luke 16:11) Not surprisingly, what the Bible has to say about financial stewardship is different from most of what you hear from business sources that teach on “asset management.” God doesn’t operate by this world’s system, and it’s more important for us to understand how God’s financial system works than it is to understand Wall Street.

Don’t miss out on benefiting from the truths in God’s word about finances just because a few people are abusing the topic. I encourage you to set aside right now any past upsets or offenses you might have suffered and allow the Word of God to reveal finances to you from a Godly perspective.

I’m going to be teaching the scriptural principles that go to the heart of financial problems – and success. By fixing your heart, you deal with the root cause of financial situations, and then money will take care of itself. Once your heart is right, using wisdom in how you spend your money comes naturally.

We can fall into the trap of compartmentalizing our lives into the spiritual realm where we relate to God, and everyday life where we deal with jobs, family, finances, and everything else. A house divided will not stand for long. (Matthew 12:25) Confining your interaction with God to a couple of hours on Sunday isn’t going to produce the fruit we desire in life. Our relationship with God needs to permeate every area of our lives: marriage, business, relationships, recreation, and finances.

Finances are important, and you’ll be amazed how letting God into your finances can bring peace and healing to other areas of your life – because how you view money affects a lot more than just your bank balance. My goal in this teaching is to help you discover how to turn your finances over to God, and to step into true prosperity in every area of your life.

Chapter 1 – Being a Steward
The reason the students at Charis (Bible College) are able to prosper in spite of natural obstacles is that at Charis, they have received a revelation on the scriptural truths related to finances.

This doesn’t work only for Bible college students. Anyone who applies the scriptural principles I’m going to talk about can see financial prosperity begin to work in their lives – and I don’t mean just an increase in wealth.

You can have a totally different attitude toward money. Instead of being dominated and controlled by money, you can begin to see that money is your servant. Money can become a tool you use in life, instead of a master that rules over you. Too many Christians are slaves to money. They work in jobs they don’t like and do things they don’t want to do just to make ends meet. God has a better way for us to live.

They wanted to know how to reconcile teaching prosperity with God’s grace. Giving is often presented as something you do in order to make God bless you, and they wanted to know how finances fit into the true gospel message: God blesses us because Christ made us righteous, not because of our performance.

The very first thing we need to understand about finances is that we are stewards of what God has given us. Jesus taught on stewardship in the parable in which he told about the shrewd manager. (Luke 16:1)

As Christians, we are stewards, and we need to recognize that the money we have is not really ours, it’s a gift from God.

Every good and perfect gift comes from God. (James 1:17) Ultimately, God is the source of everything you have. First of all, God gave you life. You didn’t cause yourself to exist – you were created. God made you and He is the source of every good thing in your life. (Genesis 1:26 & James 1:17)

The apostle Paul wrote, “In him we live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) God not only gave you physical life, but he is the source of your wisdom and abilities. He gave you the talents you use to earn a living. God is also the reason you were born at this time in history – the most prosperous ever. So even though you are working hard at your job, God is still the source of your financial success. Without the blessing of God upon your life, you wouldn’t even have the ability to prosper.

You may be out in the world actually doing the work you get paid for, but you need to develop the mindset that the money you receive doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to God. Remember, God gave you your talents and abilities, and every good thing you have is a blessing from him. God has entrusted you with all of your finances, and it is important to develop the mindset of being a steward – over God’s money, not yours.

Most people see making a living as a result of the sweat of their brow, and they don’t see God as their source. God wants to be the source of everything in your life. The Lord never intended for you to carry the burdens of financial responsibility, and He wants to lift that burden from you.

When you think that money comes by your own sweat and tears, then you keep a much tighter hold on it. You become attached to your money, and it actually becomes your master. But when you see yourself as a steward and recognize money as God’s blessing – even though you work for your paychecks – it totally changes the role money plays in your life. It ceases to control you and simply becomes a tool. This simple change in mindset from owner to steward will make a tremendous difference for you.

The first step toward becoming responsible with your finances is to get this mindset that money does not belong to you. Instead of clinging to your money, you need to think, I am a steward of what God has entrusted to me. God has blessed me with these talents and abilities. God has blessed me with my job. God has put me into a prosperous nation at the most prosperous time in all of history. God is blessing me, and God has given me all of the resources I have. It is not up to me to run my finances the way I want to. I’m a steward.

People with an ownership mentality end up trying to do everything themselves, but stewards freely receive God’s blessing.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.  “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  (Genesis 12:1 – 3) 

When you read the entire story of Abraham, you see that God wasn’t talking about intangible spiritual benefits. He was talking about physical earthly blessings. Abraham didn’t become rich through his own hard work. He became wealthy because the blessing of God was on his life. (Hebrews 6:13–14) Abraham was blessed in everything he did. Even when he made mistakes, God blessed him.

Abraham was not wealthy because of his shrewd business sense or because God rewarded his great integrity. Abraham was prosperous because God promised to bless him and make his name great. The blessing was independent of Abraham’s performance or what he deserved. It was purely the favor of God that made him rich. In the same way, your efforts are not the source of prosperity in your life.

Abraham knew God was his source, no matter what things look like to the naked eye. Abraham was saying, “it doesn’t matter where I go, the Lord is going to be with me.” Right after Abraham allowed Lot to take the better land, God appeared to him and promised even more prosperity than Abraham had already experienced.

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.  All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.  I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.  Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”  (Genesis 13:14 – 17)

In the natural, it is impossible for a man who grazes his flocks and herds in the desert to prosper as much as a man whose cattle graze in lush pastures, but nothing is impossible for God. (Luke 1:37) The blessing of God made Abraham rich, and he prospered much more than Lot did.

Abraham knew he was rich because of the blessing of God. His confidence in God as the source of his wealth was so strong that he gave away millions of dollars worth of spoil, which he had rightfully earned by conquest. Abraham had a lot of possessions and many people working for him, but he saw himself as a recipient of God’s blessing – not as someone who was earning wealth through his own efforts.

Abraham saw God as his source. He trusted in God, and because of that, God prospered him supernaturally. God is the one who opens doors of opportunity. God is our source, and just like Abraham, we need to recognize that the money we have belongs to God.

Until you recognize God as your source, nothing else the Bible says about finances is going to work. As long as you are holding onto your money with a clenched fist and hoarding possessions, God’s method of prosperity won’t work in your life. You have to change your mindset and recognize that God is the source of everything you own, seeing yourself as a steward managing the financial blessings that God has given you.

The first step toward walking in financial prosperity is to recognize that you are not the source of your financial blessing.  Seeing God as your source doesn’t mean you sit at home and do nothing. You are supposed to work, but you need to recognize that even though you work, it is God who gives the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:7)

A farmer has to prepare the soil and plant seeds in order to get a crop, but God created the natural laws that govern sowing and reaping. God sends the rain and the sun that makes plants grow, God gave the land to farm on, and God is the source of the farmer’s health. Likewise, it is the blessing of God that makes it possible for you to prosper, and the foundation of prosperity is seeing yourself as a steward.

Chapter 2 – God is a Giver.
Many people are afraid to loosen the death grip they have on their money because they think God will take it all away. Actually, God will treat you better than you treat yourself. God is El Shaddai, not el cheapo. He might make different choices than you would, but He certainly will treat you better.

The church has promoted so many wrong ideas over the years that people think the Lord wants Christians to live in shacks with no money in our pockets. The word of God says differently. God wants to bless his children. In fact, if you aren’t embarrassed by your level of prosperity, then there is a good chance you aren’t depending on upon God as your source. I know that sounds a little shocking, but I believe it’s true.

Of course, godly prosperity is different from coveting riches. Yes, God wants you to have nice things, but you shouldn’t get them by hoarding your money and spending it all on yourself. When you give and handle your assets like a steward of God’s money, then God will bless you – and the blessing of God adds no sorrow with it. You’ll have nice things, but you won’t be in debt up to your eyeballs or working yourself sick. (or stressed out, unable to sleep!)

When you open up your hand and begin to trust God, you’ll see that God is not a taker – he’s a multiplier. He has not come into your life to take from you. The Bible is full of stories of men and women whom God blessed and prospered – and they all had the attitude of a steward. They all recognized God as their source.

In order to begin to prosper, you have to stop thinking of money as belonging to you. You need to quit seeing yourself as a source of your prosperity and recognize that all blessings and riches come from God.

The reason people are so stressed out about money is that they think they are in control of their finances. People tend to think they are responsible for all of the factors that lead to prosperity and the money needed to survive. They are worried about losing their jobs or a downturn in the economy because they see themselves as the source of their provision.

Seeing yourself as the source of blessing in your life puts a lot of pressure on you to control circumstances that are really beyond your control. One of the benefits of seeing yourself as a steward is peace of mind and a sense of security. When you know that God is your source, you aren’t worried about the natural circumstances.

If God can prosper Abraham and feed his flocks and herds in a desert, then he can bless and prosper you in any economic situation. It doesn’t matter what is going on around you. God is responsible for you, and even has numbered all the hairs of your head. (Matthew 10:30) The Lord meets our needs according to his riches in glory, not this country’s economy. (Philippians 4:19)

Sometimes it’s hard to look beyond the physical or natural challenges you face and see into the spiritual realm, but you can do it with a steward’s mentality. Being a steward gives you a sense of confidence that you will never have as long as you see yourself as your source. I’m telling you, adopting the attitude of the steward will really help you.

In my own life, I recognize that I am not the one who has caused my success. It isn’t my great wisdom or ability that has caused our ministry to succeed, it’s the blessing of God.

As I look back on my life and ministry, I could not have planned what has happened. I had a vision and desire planted by the Lord but I didn’t have a clue about how to bring it to pass. All Jamie and I have done is hold on to Jesus for dear life and the Lord has taken us on the most incredible journey. I truly see God as the source of all good things in our lives.

Your attitude toward money is actually more important than what you do with it. Look at what is written in the book of Psalms about attitude.

“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, Which are continually before Me.  I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds.  For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.  I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.  “If I were hungry, I would not tell you;

For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?  Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High.” (Psalm 50:7 – 14)

God doesn’t need your money any more than he needed those Old Testament sacrifices. The point of the tithe is for you to learn to recognize God as a source of all of your money. It’s one thing to say you believe God is your source, but it’s another thing to prove it. The way you prove to yourself – not God – that you believe God is your source is to give a portion of what you make back to him. People who don’t really see God as their source are going to balk at giving part of what they have away. They are going to think, I need that money! But giving back some of what God has already given you is nothing when you see God as your source.

In God’s economy, you move closer toward your goals by giving than you do by clinging to everything you have. It all comes down to faith.  God set up his kingdom around giving because he wants you to trust him and recognize him as your source.

“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”   (Deuteronomy 8:18)

All prosperity comes from God. He blesses us so that he may establish his covenant and so we can be a blessing to others.

God gives you money to survive and pay your bills, but the primary reason he has blessed you is so that you can be a blessing.

“I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  (Genesis 12:3)

“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” (Ephesians 4:28)

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

In context God was saying, don’t think you get wealthy by your own might or power. I’m the one who made you rich, and I did it to establish my covenant upon the earth.

“For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”  (1 Corinthians 4:7)

What got you into financial trouble is failing to recognize your role as a steward of God’s resources.

Following God’s financial advice will save you from making mistakes, but you have to adopt the mindset of a steward before you can understand what the Word says about managing money.

It’s possible to prosper without God but it comes with heart ache. The Word says that the blessing of the Lord makes you rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. (Proverbs 10:22)

Continued – Click on Link Below