God says that he wants to award you. He wants to reward you because God's got you. But Dr. Tony Evans says if we neglect God's agenda, we'll stifle those blessings. You've got to be in alignment with him as a kingdom steward for that award to come.
This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. In the corporate world, good performance often comes with a bonus. Dr. Evans says the same principle applies when it comes to managing God's business, only the benefits look very different.
Let's join him as he explains. Our salvation is free. Salvation is by grace through faith. In the finished work of Jesus Christ. You can't buy it, you can't earn it, you can't work for it because God will only give it away.
But once you are saved, God has an incentive clause. He has an awards program, if you will. That awards program has nothing to do with you going to heaven. Because that's free. But it has everything to do with how much of heaven you experience on earth.
For you to take advantage of God's awards program. You have to understand what your relationship is to him, and that is your relationship to God is as a steward, not as an owner. A steward is a manager. A kingdom steward is a believer. who faithfully oversees the protection and expansion of the resources, time, talents, and treasures that God has placed at their disposal for them to manage on his behalf.
If you will decide to be a manager and reject being an owner, He says there are seven things. that will accrue to you as part of his bonus program.
So let's look at them. Bonus number one. Reward number one. If you will take a managerial position as a kingdom steward, You will see that you get a lot more answers to prayer. When you treat God as the owner and you become the manager, he's much more interested now in your conversation.
He's much more interested in responding to your prayer request.
So, the first thing that you're going to get if you take a steward's position. and give up ownership of Air thing. All of it. You just manage it. He says, now you can ask me.
Now you can call upon me. Because you understand, this is my company. My creation. and my ownership. The second Award and God's reward program are needs being met.
God is a need meaning God.
Now, let's get it straight. He may meet your wants, he promises to meet your needs. He doesn't guarantee to meet every want. But he does promise to meet the need. Benefit number three, if you will be a steward, a manager.
who manages under the authority of the owner. Divine supernatural guidance. We all know about the widow of Zarephat in 1 Kings 17. Elijah the prophet is hungry. The widow of Zarephath is hungry.
She down her last meal. The widow say, God, we down to our last meal. And we don't know what to do. We're back to a need. That's a need.
You're down to your last meal. Me and my son. God says, here's what I want you to do. I want you to feed Elijah when he comes. Because God said, I commanded the widow to feed you.
Because Elijah's hungry.
Now, logic says your request doesn't make sense. I just told you, I'm hungry. And you telling me to feed somebody else. who's in a bad situation like I am. You feed him.
I need you to feed me. But God said no My ways are not your ways. I want you to feed Elijah. And the Bible says, When she did what God said, even though it went against the natural order of things, it says she and her son ate for many days and she did not run out of food. Because when you come underneath God.
As his manager and manages it his way, he can connect you and supernaturally address your needs while he's saving somebody else. God has got this thing covered. If you will take the position of a steward. Yeah. What God will give you if you become a kingdom steward is a purpose for life.
rather than an empty one. Luke chapter 12. We all need to hear this one, verse 15. Then he said to them, Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed. For not even when one has an abundance Does life consist of his possessions?
Wow. Your life is not equal to your stuff. Let me say that again. Your life is not equal to your stuff. A man's life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions.
You can get more stuff and have less life. Because a man's life does not consist of the stuff he has. Many of us have more stuff and are more miserable. A bigger house, but don't want to live there with your mate. A new car, but you are unhappy with where you go.
You can have stuff and not have life. Because life is more than stuff. Life has to do with a purpose and a reason for living. Life has to do with that which is valuable and that only happens when the spiritual takes place over the material. The moment abundance becomes your goal, life begins to ebb from you.
Because a person's life does not consist even if they have a lot of stuff. Then he tells the story of the man who's planning for retirement. This guy is planning for retirement in verses 16 to 21. And he's built barns and larger barns. His business is booming.
And he says at the end of verse 18: I'm going to store all my grain and my goods. And then I will say to my soul, watch when you start talking to you. I will say to my soul, soul, soul. You have many goods laid up for many years to come. Your 401 is booming.
You got it going on. You're secure. Your retirement is intact.
So take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry, party, hearty, because you're working for your retirement. But God said to him Verse 20. Full. This Very night Your soul is required of you. And now, watch this, who will own?
What you have prepared. See you thought you were an owner.
Well, tonight. I'm calling you into eternity.
Now, what did you tell me you own? Because I've never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul. What he was saying is, you don't own that. You thought you owned it. I'm calling you out of here right now, fool.
It is the thinking of a fool that says, My stuff is my life. Nothing wrong with your stuff. Nothing wrong with having your stuff. But the minute you make that your life and your identity and your reason for living, you are just starting to lose the life you thought you were saving for. Don't Listen, here's the principle.
Start living your life now. A lot of us are waiting for retirement that we may never see. When I'm 65 and my Social Security starts coming in and I get to retire, then I'm going to live. But what happens if you go there at 6-4? He says, You better start living your life now, and life has nothing to do with the abundance.
How do you get life, he says? Because you're not an owner. He shows the man he's not an owner. He says in verse 21: So is the man who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.
So if you got money in the bank But your spiritual account is zero. You don't have life. You have existence.
So, until the spiritual is over the material and the physical and the financial, you will not have life. Oh, you may have money. You may have a nice house and a nice car and nice clothes, but you won't have purpose and meaning, and you won't have God when you need Him most. in a practical way. He's not condemning accumulation.
He's condemning accumulation with priorities being mixed up. Having stuff doesn't make you good at life like having kids don't make you good at being a parent. Just having it don't make you good at it. But what we have done in our world today is we've switched the tags. See, some kids came into a clothing store one day.
And they were doing some pranks, and they took the expensive tags off of the expensive clothes. and put them on the cheap clothes. Took the cheap cut tags off of the cheap clothes and put them on the expensive clothes.
So they switched the tags.
So folks started buying The cheap stuff. with a lot of money. and getting the expensive stuff cheap. Because somebody Switch the tags. Don't let the devil switch the tags on you.
Because he will make stuff look like life. And life looks like stuff, and you buying the wrong thing, thinking you buying life when you buy stuff, when actually you're losing life every time you pick up stuff. Because the tags have been switched by the enemy. Don't let him switch the tags. On the definition of what life is, because life does not consist.
of stuff. It has to be put in this proper perspective. Dr. Evans will tell us about the remaining rewards in God's incentive program. When he returns in just a moment, stay with us.
This October Journey Through Israel with Tony Evans. We're going to gather together with many of our friends to survey the sites of the Holy Land. We're going to go to the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, the Garden Tomb, the Garden of Gethsemane. We're going to open God's Word together and watch its truth leap off of the pages of Scripture as we walk where our Lord walked and see. God, give us new excitement about His greatness and about the truth of His Word.
Ah. It's an unforgettable experience that'll change the way you understand scripture. Space is limited, so visit tonyevans.org today to get all the details and register before it's too late. That's tonyevans.org. 10 wonderful days in the Holy Land.
Looking forward to meeting you as we tour Israel together. We've been learning today about how having the right kingdom perspective not only reshapes how we view every area of life. but also allows us to experience God's unique kingdom benefits. That's one of the reasons Dr. Evans wrote Kingdom Stewardship.
An insightful book designed to help you apply these powerful principles to your own life. When you make a contribution to support our work here at The Alternative, We'll say thanks by sending you the book along with a complete Kingdom Stewardship Resource Bundle. It includes the full 12-message audio teaching series, a comprehensive study guide, and a leader's kit with access to downloadable video teaching sessions. making it easy to grow personally or guide a small group through these truths together. To take advantage of this offer, visit tonyevans.org where you can make your donation and request the complete Kingdom Stewardship package.
or call 1-800-800-322 any time of the day or night. A member of our resource team is ready to help with your request, regardless of when you are able to call. The number again one eight hundred eight hundred three two two two.
Well right now let's get back to Dr. Evans for more of today's message. Ah, here's one. Here's a bonus we all need. He says: if you will become my kingdom steward and give up kingdom ownership, if you will recognize my ownership, I will give you, watch this, the reward of emotional stability.
Still in Luke chapter 12. Follow me here, verse 22. Do not worry. Verse 25. And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his lifespan?
Verse 29. Do not keep worrying. Verse 32. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
So you see, we still talk about my kingdom, but he's talking about now your emotions. Where are you? Yeah. Worry is the epidemic of our age. It comes in different shapes and sizes.
depression frustration Anger. violence. We are medicating ourselves. to cope. With all the things that cause us to worry.
And God has the audacity to say, don't worry. It's not wrong to be concerned about things. It's wrong to worry about it.
Now, how do you know if you're worrying? You're worrying when the problem controls you, you don't control it. When it tells you, you're not sleeping tonight, because I'm going to keep you up.
So what's going to keep me from worrying, okay? Here it is. Verse 28 ends, O ye of little faith.
So he says, you got a faith problem. Verse 29: Do not seek what you will eat, what you will drink. Do not keep worrying for all these. things the nations of the world eagerly seek. passionately go after but watch this But your father.
Father knows you need these things. But seek his kingdom. Here we go, kingdom. These things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your father has chosen gladly.
to give you the kingdom. He says, Don't worry. Cause who's your daddy? Yeah, yeah. Hey, what is that?
Who your baddie? He says the nations don't have a daddy. The nations don't have a father. But you have a father.
Now what kind of daddy do you think you have? He says, your daddy knows you have need of these things. We've already seen he's a need meeting God. Your daddy knows you have need of these things.
So what you need to do Is not worry yourself to death. What you need to do is seek his kingdom. His rule, his ownership, because daddy got this. Number six. The next award that God gives.
is a reversal of fortune. Turning something around. In Malachi 3.11, he says, I will rebuke the devourer. In John 10:10, it says, The thief comes to rob, steal, and destroy, but I have come to give you life and to give it to you more abundantly. The devourer is somebody who wants to rip off your blessing.
They want to eat up your produce. In the New Old Testament, that was farming.
So the devourer would be the locusts. The locusts would come and eat up the crops.
So these people are planted their crops, and the locusts would come and eat up their crops.
Well, that was their meal. That was their farming. That was their finances. And the devourer, the locusts would come and eat it up. God says, because you don't position yourself right under me, the devourer is eating your blessing.
Did you know there are things God wants to do for you that Satan has snatched? The things that God wants to do in you that Satan has stole. And some of us can relate to it because he's stolen some of our time. There's a period of our history he stole from us, years that have gotten lost. Satan has stolen some of our talents.
Because things that God wanted to use are not available for him to use because he ripped you off from it. Satan has stolen your resources and so you're in debt for the rest of your life because the devourer is eating up the good things God has planned for you. But God says, I have some good news. If you will reposition yourself under me, if you will put me first, and if you will be a manager and not an owner, I will tell the devourer, get up out of here, get up out of here. I will rebuke the devourer so that he doesn't keep ripping you from your life.
The Bible says Satan steals and he destroys. He wants to rip off your legitimate blessing God has in store for you. And God will let the devourer devour if you're not in sync with him, but he will also reverse it. and rebuke it and tell them you're not taking more of their time, you're not stealing more of their talent, you're not stealing ownership of more of their resources because they are now managers under my ownership and he will get the devil off your back. Finally.
Number seven. In God's Awards program. For those who will be managers and not owners, and put their management under his ownership and prioritizing him in every area of their life. He will reward you with co-reigning with him. Co-reigning with Christ.
Now this may be new to some of you. Luke chapter 19, verse 17 and 19. It says a man went on a journey to get a kingdom. He left resources with his servants. to protect and expand for him.
He then returns and says, show me what you did with what I left with you. One man said, Well, you gave me 10 and I made 20. Another man said, You gave me five and I made 10. I doubled what you gave me. The master came back and said, Okay.
I will give you ten cities. He told the guy who had five and doubled his five, I will give you five cities. The third guy didn't do anything. He hid his stuff. He just lived for himself.
God said, you wicked, lazy slave. You acted like an owner. You took what was mine and you used it only for you, and you forgot that I am the owner here, not you. And there will be a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. That means profound regret.
I'm going to take what I was going to give you, and I'm going to give it to somebody else.
So he tells all the things I have planned for you. Maybe I have planned for you to be over the United States of America, but I'm going to take that and I'm going to give that to somebody who, in their lifetime, was a good steward. I want to challenge you today. to become a steward and get all seven benefits. Because God's got you.
Halftime in a football game. It's a critical time. Because one of the reasons you have halftime is to reassess. how things are going. You look at the first half, and you may come out of the first half a loser.
Because you didn't do the scheme right, you didn't do the play right, the other team got over on you. There's many a team. that was losing at halftime would wind up winning at the end. Because when they reassess the situation and came out with a different mindset. They made up in the second half.
What they failed in in the first half.
So right now if you in halftime I challenge you to reassess moving forward.
So that you make up bad plays, fumbles, interceptions, missed blocks, missed tackles in the previous part of your life. And now you start shaking and baking in this next part of your life.
so that you come out more than a conqueror. Because God says that he wants to award you. He wants to reward you. But you've got to be in alignment with him as a kingdom steward for that award to come. Dr.
Evans will return in a moment with a simple exercise that can help us commit to God's playbook. First, though, you were created to make a difference, to lead a life of lasting impact and legacy. Discovering and following the principles of kingdom stewardship, will help you become the person God designed you to be. a fully capable and confident believer whose life reflects God's glory. For a limited time, we're bundling Dr.
Evans' powerful book on kingdom stewardship. along with an in-depth study guide, the Companion Leaders Kit with downloadable video teaching sessions, and a full twelve message audio series on the subject. It's a complete package created to help you dig deep into the powerful principles of kingdom stewardship. And it's all yours with our thanks for your contribution to help make this program possible. Call our resource center today at 1-800-800-3222 to make the arrangements.
or visit us online at tonyevans.org. Again, that's 1-800-800-3222-1. or online at tonyevans.org. Doing good is Well good. but doing good merely for the sake of doing good only produces temporary results.
Making a lasting impact starts with a different perspective. one that doctor Evans will tell us about to morrow. And with that in mind he's back right now with his closing challenge. When you get up in the morning. Even if it's not your quiet time, maybe you're not a morning person, but when you get up in the morning, At least do this much.
Lord This is the day the Lord hath made.
So you made this day. I got up. And I'm not laying on my cooling board.
So you gave me life. You gave me the day? You gave me life. I turn this day. In the next 24 hours, over to you.
Have your way in my thoughts. Have your way in my time. Have your way in my talents. Have your way in my dreams. Have your way in my contacts.
Have your way on the job. Have your way with my family. Lord, everything about my day, I hand it over to you. You own me today. And all you want from me, I place in your hand.
And you do that every day, just as you get up in the morning and affirm God's ownership of your day. And you do that enough days over enough time, and God knows you're serious. You then testify about how these seven awards from His Awards program. are showing up in your life because you've become a steward. of an owner Who's your daddy?
So at least now you know. Who's your daddy? And he's got you covered.
