Stewardship: A Few Thoughts

If we struggle with hearing others or being heard by others, we might have an issue with how we are managing those things we have been given.

Exhibit A

“My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.”

Sheep can either choose to listen or they can choose to not listen. As sheep who are more accurately sons rather than servants (though “servant” is a small aspect of what we do in the kingdom) we have been given the freedom to listen to the voice of the Shepherd and either execute or not. And, whether or not we are satisfied without the outcome of listening or not listening to the communication the King gives us, the results of our listening or not will come.

In Illustration

I am not the usual one to give any sort of gloom-and-doom message, in case one is tempted to read the following as an invective.

A couple of years ago, a regional communications grid was knocked out in a major American city. Now, am I going to say that this was the judgment of G-d definitively. Not at all. But I notice when G-d attempts to communicate or speak to His children and they resist hearing that voice…

…when scripture plainly teaches, from the mouth of the Word Himself, that followers HEAR his voice….

…and that hearing is plainly a gift of the King to His bride…

…and, as such, is meant to be stewarded well…

…to the best of the skill and ability with which He endows us…

…then our communications networks of various types risk disruption…

And:

• People who normally hear us fail to hear us clearly.
• Our capacity to receive in prayer is hindered.
• Our cooking in the kitchen is messed with.
• Our technology and electronic devices, most of which involve some form of communication, foul up worse than usual, or sooner than usual.
• “The wires get crossed” between even good friends.
• Our tone of voice or text is misheard.
• Our parents, siblings, spouses, close friends, or kids begin mishearing our plain verbal cues for something completely foreign.

Gang, the land in this city cries out for someone or more than one someone’s to help straighten out the mess that has happened in the spirit.

And, while there are those who are called to work with people, there are also those that are called to work with creation.

Be encouraged, if your communication is messed up in one or more ways, then the ultimate reality is that Father wants to help you fix the problem areas.

There is no mess that cannot be repaired or renewed.

The kicker is we have to be willing to quiet ourselves and listen for His voice.

He is always speaking something or communicating to us.

The real question is…

Are we listening and did we treat as important what He said, such that we write it down and consider what He has said.

Another passage to illustrate this concept.

Judges 4

Deborah did not tell Barak anything he did not know at the start of their interaction in Judges 4.

Rather what she said, in our vernacular, might be rendered as:

“Bruh, the L-rd already said this to you. So what are you waiting for?”

Barak’s response: “Woman, I am waiting for a woman to validate me.”

The L-rd already spoke to Barak, and Barak was sitting on his arse waiting for the chick to validate him.

A man who is a son and to whom the L-rd is already speaking, don’t need anyone to validate him. He is responsible to go.

Seriously, and we do this same thing.

Personally, I delayed in coming to town myself. So I am culpable for my delaying.

Likewise, is there something of which the L-rd has already spoken to you and about which you are delaying because you are waiting for a dude or a chick or your covering or some grand poo-bah to validate you?

Stop waiting for a ring to kiss.

And stop going around in circles with the same stupid crap you have been talking about for the last several years.

And stop with that years-old offense that you are using to justify your inaction.

Not all of those statements were for every one of my readers. Those each of those statements do have a targeted audience and then me of them may speak to you. Or none of them may speak to you.

Your job is to engage in Russian epic of Cinderella: “If shoe fits, wear it”.

I am here to be G-d’s mouthpiece to you and say, go and do what you have been assigned to do and stop waiting for someone to tell you you are allowed to do that thing.

Count the resources and capital which Father has given you and use those wisely to begin the process and be ready to partner with the additional resources He will bring.

There is a time for waiting (Isaiah 40:31).

However, there is a time to cease waiting and to start doing.

And our job is for each of us to hear which season it is for us, and to act accordingly.

Blessing

Beloved,

I invite your spirit forward to treat with me in this window of reconciliation, for reconciling with community, and for being at peace with all men, if possible.

And, spirit, I bless you to hear what the Spirit is saying to the seven churches. I bless you to know and recall the voice of the King. And I bless you to obey the voice of the King WHEN the right timing happens.

I bless you to instruct soul and body to ignore the voices of those who are either naysayers or who command you to wait when their voices are out of step with the voice of the King.

Spirit, I bless you with the boldness to move forward in your purpose, even if it makes waves with others.

Spirit, I bless you to move with the Lamb when he moves, and to sit when He sits, and to flow where He flows.

I bless you with kindness, but also courage and forthrightness to hear those voices that accord with the King’s voice, and ignore those that are out of accord with that Voice.

Be at peace, spirit, and keep pounding, or begin pounding if you are supposed to be pounding at an assignment.

You are loved, and I bless you with a pastoral blessing.

Find His Voice and do what He tells you, in the time and season He tells you to do it.

Amen