A new era of stewardship is here, as God calls His Josephs to rise and take their place.

Have you endured periods of waiting, in the call of God? You may identify with Joseph’s story and calling (Genesis 37-50).
For a season you may have been set aside or unrecognized by people, but God sees you!
And the Lord wants you to know that He has gifted and called you, according to His purpose.

• You may have experienced great trials, but these have only served to enrich and prepare you for what is ahead.

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God is Releasing His Gifts of Stewardship

The need for stewardship of all types has never been greater.
I believe God is saying, “I have reserves that you do not know about.”
And He has destined these resources to reach every sphere of the church and society. This includes gifts of people and supplies, along with counsel and wisdom.
If you can relate to being called as a “distributor”, you may have faced great challenges of supply, but God is at work!
And stewardship is on His agenda right now.

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7 Insights About God-Appointed Stewardship

1. The “Due Season” (kairos) for Stewardship is Now

“And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?” (Luke 12:42 NKJV)
“Who, then?” The question hangs in the air, and it waits to be answered.
Today, we can meditate upon Jesus’ words and realize, “that’s me!”
The word translated as “due season” is the Greek word kairos, which also means appointed time.

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2. The Power and Purpose of Stewardship are in Distribution

There is a flow of stewardship, and the story of Joseph demonstrates this:

• Gather, store, and distribute the resources
• And manage the whole through wise governance!

Through Joseph’s leadership, nations were kept alive during a famine (Gen 45:7).
And this is a message for our time; that while gathering is essential to stewardship—and multiplication glorifies God—the ultimate purpose is distribution [1].

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3. There is Stewardship of Wisdom and Counsel

In Judges chapter 4, God raised Deborah to be a judge and prophet.
And her story demonstrates that stewardship does not only apply to physical resources. For God is also raising up His leaders to release wisdom, discernment, and righteous counsel.
Such wisdom is timely and carries His authority—and the counsel of the Lord will reach far and wide.

During the era Deborah led Israel, she held court and decided cases.
She also brought the word of the Lord—most notably, to Barak, a leader of Israel’s army. Ultimately, Deborah’s instructions were sent out to the far reaches of the nation, and Israel was delivered out of the enemy’s hand!

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4. A Steward is a Faithful Representative

When Pharaoh promoted Joseph was promoted to rule in Egypt, Joseph had his own steward. And this unnamed “steward of the house” appears in various parts of the narrative. He follows Joseph’s instructions to the letter and oversees the distribution.

It is this steward who is “at the door” when Joseph’s brothers approach him.
“…he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.”(Gen 43:23)

What grace-filled words, from someone who was truly a representative, of both Joseph and God. [2]

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5. Stewardship is a Divine Function

The Holy Spirit is the “steward” of the Godhead.
Jesus said, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14 NKJV, see also John 14:26).

The Holy Spirit is the distributor of gifts (1 Cor 12) and the one who reveals the treasures of the storehouse of heaven. It is He who feeds us and supplies God’s power and gifts from His very throne.

So, a benefit of meditating on the glory of stewardship is to have a fresh awareness and awe, of who the Holy Spirit is to us.

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6. God is Elevating Stewardship

In Isaiah 22, the prophet declares that God is promoting Eliakim to the position of royal steward of King Hezekiah‘s palace—in a word so potent, that it contains Messianic prophecy!

“‘Then it shall be in that day, That I will call My servant Eliakim”.
The name Eliakim means “God raises” or “God sets up” (Strong’s H471 – one says “resurrection of God”).

“I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, and he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house. ‘They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers.” (Isaiah 22:23-24 NKJV)

I believe that in our time, God is elevating stewardship.
And this word about Eliakim, speaks of security, glory, God-given authority, and the timing of God. [3,4]

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7. Stewardship is a Gift that Produces Growth

In Acts chapter 6, there is grumbling amongst the people because food is being unfairly distributed.
So, they seek out and appoint those who will “serve tables” and “attend to this business” in a stewardship role!
Then after this takes place, the church experiences explosive growth. And those who are faithful in stewardship, like Philip the Evangelist, became the next generation of fivefold ministry leaders.

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Multiplied to Many

Today, hear God say, “I am raising my stewards.” Yet in times of limitation, it’s easy to take our eyes off our calling to distribute!
So be assured of the Lord’s promise, “I have set aside what you need, and I am revealing my kindness and salvation through you.”

Look to the example of Jesus, standing before a crowd, with a few loaves and fish in His hands (John 6:11). You may feel as though you don’t have much, but He will multiply it to many.
For the long season of preparation is over and the time for distribution is here.

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Notes

[1] This may be a key difference between our own cultural view of stewardship and Biblical stewardship. The Biblical emphasis leans toward distribution, whereas our definition of stewardship is good management of what belongs to another (e.g., Merriam-Webster here).

[2] This reminds me of Abraham’s faithful servant, who was in charge of his house (Gen 24:2)
He traveled with camel-loads of wealthy gifts to secure a bride for Abraham’s son Isaac.

[3] In the same prophetic discourse, God removes Shebna—whose name means vigor (Strong’s H7644, Is 22:15-18). But it was his own strength, used for abuse and selfish gain. In contrast to Eliakim, Shebna’s position as the steward was insecure.

[4] Related stories in Isaiah 36 and 2 Kings 18-19 show that Eliakim’s presence was critical in a time of great national threat

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Prophetic Journaling: Create Your Treasury of Insights from God

Now available in the eStore and inside the Prophetic Worship + Creative Course

I’ve now compiled all my best tips and insights on journaling in the book, “Prophetic Journaling: Create Your Treasury of Insights from God”.

• Discover creative ways to journal your prophetic insights from the Holy Spirit
• Learn practical tools and ideas you can immediately put into practice
• Grow in your personal relationship with God, hear his voice, and gain wisdom
• Learn how to weigh up what you receive and take it to the next level—while keeping your Bible at hand—for it is your number one source!

In this PDF book, I share examples from my own prophetic journals, of dreams and visions.
I pray these, along with my story will inspire you even more, to pursue your own encounters with God.

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Chapter titles:
1: Gather the Manna! God has an Abundance for You
2:  How Journaling can Sharpen Your Prophetic Gift
3: My Best Tip for Prophetic Journaling
4: Ideas for Journaling Tools and Media
5: Ask Questions in Prophetic Journaling
6: The Surprising Strength of “Prayer Journaling”
7: How to Receive a Prophetic Word for a New Chapter
8: Your Key to the Greatest Treasure in Journaling
9: Let the Holy Spirit be Your Writing Tutor
10: How Prophetic Journaling Can Break Open Your Destiny

• Find “Prophetic Journaling: Create Your Treasury of Insights from God” as a downloadable eBook on the eStore here
• Enroll in the course at a 20% discount until 15th February in the Prophetic Worship + Creative course here

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Leave a Comment
Which insight about stewardship speaks most to you, today? I first shared this teaching back in September and have been inspired by “distribution” ever since then! I’d love to hear from you, so leave your comment in the box below.

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© 2023 Helen Calder, Enliven Blog

Enliven Ministries: Prophetic ministry for a revival generation