STEWARDSHIP
Let’s face it, sometimes life sucks. It is so natural to think: “God is mad at me. God blesses other people, but He has forgotten about me.” Or worst of all, we complain to everyone how bad life is (yes, I have done that many times!). This message by Pastor Bill Johnson on stewardship will help you to get the most out of what you have been given. It is one of those life-changing messages. The keys of ‘turning your mourning into dancing’ are found in this message.
Credits: Teaching by Pastor Bill Johnson, BSSM First Year 2015/2016
‘STEWARDSHIP’: BSSM LECTURE NOTES
God only releases to me what I can steward well. And all I can steward are the plantings (things that have been given to me in the past and present). The story of the talents in the Bible shows us that to the one who had much, more was given. But the one who didn’t have a lot, even that which he had was taken away from him. One of the lessons that we can learn from this parable is this: if we are good stewards of what we have, and are thankful for what has been given to us, God will give us more.
Our lives attract certain things in accordance with the conditions of your hearts.
Elijah’s worst moment was not when he was facing drought. His greatest challenge was when he stood at the end of the greatest victory of his life. Just after his greatest victory he heard Jezebel was trying to hunt him down and he needed to hide. Many of the greatest revivalists ended fairly poorly. It is very important to stay focussed on what God wants us to do in and out of good seasons.
Philippians 4:19
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
We need to always be aware of the fact that our need for strength is just as great in the seasons of lack as in the seasons of lavish abundance. Ignoring that mindset gets us in trouble. Some Christians live from a place of spiritual poverty. They believe they need a crisis to keep them close to God. They wrongly relate to Him, expecting Him to “fix” things instead of sitting at His feet as a child would do with a loving father.
Daily we must make time to hear His voice and feel His heartbeat. Although it is easy to cry out for more, we must first ask ourselves whether are good at stewarding the Word of God. Pastor Bill says he believes in the prayer of impartation, but we can’t just look for a ‘magic pill’ to help us to be powerful and effective. We need to be good stewards of what we already have.
Isaiah 60
“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. “Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.”
Get up and shine! Stop waiting for another thing to advance your life or promote you. Some things are in you – you just need to be in the right atmosphere to grow it. Some of the most significant parts of your life are already in you. God will sometimes willfully hide certain things from prophets because He wants to reveal it to you in the one-on-one encounters that you’ll have with Him. Some things are too deep and personal to make public. They need to be revealed in the secret place between one child and one Father.
Some of the most important things that God will speak over your life will only be mentioned once. If you receive a prophetic word or hear God say something repetitively, it doesn’t mean it is more important than other things.
I can’t speed up the process of my development, but I can slow it down. Ouch!
His face upon you becomes the brightest when you are in a dark situation.
THE MEASUREMENT OF HEAVEN
Heaven doesn’t measure by size. It measures by Fathers, by those who create breakthroughs for others – by those who paid a price. An inheritance is when you get something for free because somebody else already paid a price. When you get something such as a financial or spiritual inheritance, you have a responsibility to grow it even greater for your children and the generations to come. So steward your inheritance well.
Why does the Bible say the poor are rich in faith?
Because the poor have fewer options. What d options have to do with faith? Because with every problem, we are faced with options. The poor have no option but to trust God. Even if you have a lot of options, you need to live as if you really only have one option, namely faith in God.
By being people of one voyage, and being focussed on every blessing that we have, is to reinforce the one thing why we are alive.
TURN YOUR VALLEY OF DARKNESS INTO A SPRING OF LIFE
Psalms 84
“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Bāca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools.They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.”
‘Zion’ means the sun (glory). ‘Baca’ means weeping.
Every person walks through the place of Baca. That is the place of hurts and disappointments. It is the valley of weeping. In the valley of weeping, because of who you are, you have the potential to turn the tears into springs. As your tears fall to the ground it can turn into springs, which symbolize refreshment. Your valley of tears is your greatest place of refreshment if you do what He wants you to do.
God is so beautiful and creative. When you spend time with Him, He will always give a solution to the problem.
Here are a few ways how you can turn your “place of Baca (weeping)” into a “spring”:
- The Bible teaches us that regardless of our circumstances, we must always give thanks. Give praise to God in the middle of the storm. The Lord is looking for people who give Him glory, no matter whether things are good or bad. When we only give Him thanks when things are going well, we have become the judge of when God is to be honored. God is constant. He is always good and deserves our praise in every circumstance. When things don’t work out, it is the most important time to rejoice. We can rejoice to get joy – it doesn’t need to go well with us in order for us to be joyful. We live in a different Kingdom because we know His nature.
- Anyone can get bold when the power of God shows up. He is looking for people who can get bold without or before His power shows up.
- Know and declare that He is always good. Yes, God is in a good mood, every day!
- Make positive declarations. (I can highly recommend Steve Buckland’s books on declarations.)
- Stand on the promises of God in His Word and declare and read them over and over again.
- Worship while He is fighting the battle for you and you simply enjoy His presence!
You need to make your Baca a spring. Yielding your heart to God and giving Him thanks in the midst of pain turns your tears into refreshment and calls heaven to rain down on earth. As soon as the spring bubbles up it attracts heaven (the downpouring of God).
Praise in the middle of difficulty is in tune with the nature of God. It is in tune with heaven itself.
