Supernatural Stewardship

to gain more. This is a good desire, dependant upon the motive and the means of obtaining more than what you have currently.

In our society we have an economic system in place. Most countries that buy and sell (trade), have some form of economic system in place as well. We travel to local stores and use money to buy items of interest to us. There are various types of systems in place. Capitalism, Monarchy, Communism and others that govern the way monies are to be legally earned and spent. The laws in each land dictate to the citizens what is legal and what is illegal. We even have treaties in place that govern what countries can trade with each other and the fees that are charged in each transaction.

God has a financial system in place. Many of us do not know this, but He does. In order to find out how this system works, someone has to teach us. Someone who has worked in the system with success has to show others how to work in that same system with success. It is excellent when someone takes the time to teach others something of value. This is true in other areas of life as well. Whether you play an instrument or you aspire to be an architect, doctor or a business owner, this rule applies.

There was a rich Ethiopian eunuch sitting in his chariot in the desert (Acts 8:26-29). The Spirit of God had instructed Philip to go to the desert. When he saw the eunuch, the Spirit told Philip to join the eunuch. The Ethiopian was at that moment, sitting and reading about the writings of Isaiah the prophet regarding a lamb. Look at what the wealthy Ethiopian said to Philip, after Philip met him.

KJV Acts 8:30-31: 30. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31. And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

The Ethiopian eunuch recognized that he needed someone to “show him the way”. The Spirit of God also knew that this man needed someone to “show him the way”. This requires a great deal of humility, but if you read the rest of chapter 8 there was a great reward for the humility that the Ethiopian had exercised. Even though he was in charge of all of the wealth of a country, he still realized there was something that he had no clear knowledge of. Think about some of the things you have learned in life, who has taught them to you? Who instructed you? Always remember that a teacher is important to the growth of a little neighborhood, or a great nation. And what they teach, good or bad, will affect that neighborhood, and nation immensely.

Everything that we’ve learned about money and financial matters, we’ve learned from the world’s economic system; The world’s way of doing business.  From acquisitions to overtime, we have been trained in the world’s ways. Whatever age group you belong to, there will be books, magazines, songs and movies that put an enormous amount of emphasis on gettin’ paid. Yes, our culture has created songs that celebrate money and the possession of it. I can think of a couple songs that I used to sing while in the world: (1) “Get Money” from (now deceased) Big E. Smalls, (2) “C.R.E.A.M.” (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) from Wu-Tang Clan. There are newer songs as well. One that I have heard in passing is (3) “Hey, Must Be The Money!” by Nelly. In the 70’s there was a song simply sung “Money, Money, Money, Money, Mooonnneeey! It had that funkadelic type of sound to it. These are things that we heard growing up. And they have stayed in us up to this point.

There are movies that are made about money in our society as well: (1) “Money Train”, (2) “Money Talks”, and (3) “Lucky Numbers” just to name a few. These songs and movies have helped to sculpt our minds on how to view money and ways to get it.

We buy and sell, borrow and lend and some even lie, cheat, rob and steal to obtain money. There are those of us who work on jobs where we consistently give 40-50 and 60 hours a week to earn money, some at the expense of their health and well-being. Unfortunately, we have taken the idealogies about money from the world and carried them over into our new life in Christ. When we become saved (accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and personal Savior) things about us are supposed to change. Take a look at the following biblical text.

KJV 2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

If we were practicing a particular sin, that act of sin in our life should be rejected. This takes place as soon as we come to the knowledge of Jesus and how He addressed that particular sin. Repentance should then occur and we should be able to turn completely away from the sin that we willingly practiced. An example of this is if you are a liar, after you learn about Jesus Christ and follow the words that were written in the bible about lying (or whatever sin it is), that you should be able to resist the temptation to lie. In black and white this seems very easy to do, but our human nature is resistant to change; unless we know that the change will immediately benefit us.

The same is especially true when it comes to the money in our pockets and bank accounts. We hold dear to the lessons that life has taught us, to a fault in most cases. The Bible states in the book of Isaiah seen below:

KJV Isaiah 55:8: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

In order for us to walk in the true promises of God, we must allow God to reign in our minds and our hearts through His Word. Let us not allow the worldly lessons that we have learned, be our doctrine and instruction book of life as far as money or anything else is concerned. If we have been empowered to end our abuse of drugs, to end acts of fornication, to end the vice of lying, to end the acts of stealing from our neighbors; all by the power of the Word of God and the blessing of His Holy Spirit; Then we should be able to conquer the dry places of our financial lives as well through the same divine Word and Holy Spirit. God has a financial system in full operation, let’s be willing to learn of His ways.

What we’ve learned growing up has been powerful and has greatly impacted our lives. All that being mentioned, those learned behaviors are not more powerful than the God of all creation and His divine thought processes. Allow God to uproot those learned behaviors that he has not planted in you (St. Matthew 15:13). God desires to have a people who carry out His desires, a people who think His thoughts. The only way we can successfully accomplish this task, is to find out what He has said. Then and only then, can we accomplish His desire and walk in His ways, not our own.