Knowing the difference between stewardship and ownership is paramount, and applying it in your life is key. If you can manage your finances as a steward, you’ll find that other areas in your life will fall into place.
Most people see themselves as owners. After all, they are the ones who earn the money, right? In the natural, that seems to make sense, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. God is the one who gives the power to create wealth (Deut. 8:18). Some of the most successful unsaved people don’t realize that God gave them their gifts, talents, and success. Unfortunately, unbelievers are more often wiser with money than believers: “The lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light” (Luke 16:8). But that does not have to be you!
On this week’s Gospel Truth broadcast, Andrew Wommack and Paul Milligan, CEO of Andrew Wommack Ministries, discuss Paul’s teaching Basic Cents. Andrew explains why most Americans have problems handling money correctly:
“Let me just go to some of these stats that Paul gave me. Seventy-one percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, up from 69 percent last year. And out of these people who are living paycheck to paycheck, 20 percent of them make more than $100,000 a year. Three out of five—which is what, 60 percent—make over $60,000 a year, and yet they’re still living from paycheck to paycheck. So the problem isn’t money. The problem is the way they steward.”
Having the true heart of a steward requires faithfulness. When you view everything in your hands as ultimately on loan to you from God, it changes how you take care of those things. That same attitude spills over into how you steward any other area of life. Paul says, “Faithfulness has everything to do with this. You can’t decide to be a good steward today and work really hard on it for two weeks and then go back to doing what you were doing. It’s not going to be successful.”
There are tell-tale signs of those who have the heart of a steward and those who have the heart of an owner. An object lent to a steward is returned to the lender in the same condition it was given. Why? A steward is used to taking care of things that don’t belong to them. In the same way, you can tell a steward’s heart by how that person takes care of their own things. A steward aims for excellence in all areas of life because they know they will answer to God for their life.
Paul says, “When you get your finances in line with God’s Word and you make the commitment . . . to be a good steward and do what God told you to do, God gets involved with that. It gets accelerated.” He continues, “I firmly believe that if you’re doing what God told you to do with your finances, your net worth will increase every year. I’ve watched this happen over a thirty-year period. Your net worth should be increasing every year because you’re doing the stewardship principles that God teaches us in his Word.”
Gain the practical skills and understanding in stewarding finances with the Basic Cents teaching and money-management web-based software developed by Paul Milligan. Paul is a minister of the Gospel and has a revelation of stewardship in the kingdom of God. He is also an entrepreneur who has founded multiple successful corporations.
Determine today to be a faithful steward, and leave the ownership to God.
