Stewardship of Gifts
Bishop Henry Fernandez Preached on 4/8/20241 Corinthians 4:1-2
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Summary
Bishop Henry Fernandez challenges believers to move from complacency to active stewardship, urging them to evaluate, confirm, and courageously exercise the diverse gifts God has placed within them.
Key points
- •Stewardship is the spiritual responsibility to manage, administer, and protect the gifts and mysteries God has revealed to an individual.
- •Gifts are not merely talents but are divine opportunities intended to glorify God and better creation.
- •Fear and comparison are the primary obstacles that cause people to bury their gifts instead of trading and multiplying them.
- •God often pushes individuals toward gifts they feel incapable of managing on their own to ensure reliance on His strength.
- •Proper management of gifts requires seeking confirmation through prayer and embracing the assignments of leadership.
Scripture
Stewardship
Spiritual Growth
Purpose
Leadership
Obedience
Life application
Identify one dormant gift you have been hesitant to use and take a concrete step this week-such as seeking mentorship or signing up for a class-to begin managing that gift for God's glory.
Reflection questions
- What specific gifts has God placed in you that you are currently resisting or hiding from?
- In what ways have you allowed the noise of society to drown out the Holy Spirit's direction for your career or family role?
- Are you waiting to feel 'capable' before you say yes to God, rather than trusting Him to equip you in the process?
- How can you better support your spouse or family by creating a 'safe zone' rather than exposing their weaknesses to the enemy?
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Full transcript
0:02thank you
0:06Lord thank
0:08you they can bring my folder
0:15please
0:16[Applause]
0:17amen thank
0:20you
0:24[Applause]
0:26amen thank you
0:28Lord first 1 Corinthians chapter 4 1
0:32Corinthians chapter
0:344 this is what we're going to leave with
0:38this
0:40morning there are two verses in the
0:45Amplified that God would want us to use
0:50as the foundation of our thought for the
0:54day and it says so then let us who
1:00Minister be
1:02regarded as Servants of Christ and
1:08stewards trustees
1:11administrators of the mysteries of
1:15God that he chooses to
1:22reveal in this case
1:24moreover it is required as essential
1:30and demanded of
1:33stewards that one be
1:36found
1:39faithful and
1:44trustworthy I was battling whether or
1:46not I should preach you all know me i'
1:50let the spirit flow if he wants to but
1:52God says give the
1:57word so I want to talk to you this
1:59morning about
2:00just for a brief moment won't be long
2:02before
2:04you stewardship of
2:08gifts
2:10stewardship of
2:12gifts I need you to pay attention for
2:15the next few moments stewardship of
2:18gifts that you have been given some
2:22gifts
2:24you not talking about your neighbor
2:27you you were given gifts
2:31that you must
2:35manage God
2:38has appointed
2:40you anointed you to manage the gifts you
2:46possess so here the Apostle
2:49Paul appeals to the Corinthian
2:54Church and that appeal today still
2:57applies to all of us today
3:02he admonished those of us who are
3:04followers of Jesus Christ and
3:07particularly those who are
3:10ministers to see themselves as stewards
3:14over the gifts that God has placed on
3:19the inside of
3:20them he said that we must be found
3:23faithful and trustworthy faithful
3:26faithful and trustworthy of those gifts
3:30so you have to believe as they were
3:32singing the song a few moments ago I
3:36believe that belief says that whatever
3:40storm is in your life it's going to pass
3:44that belief should also mean that
3:47whatever God has put in you that you
3:49have the ability to perform
3:53it you have the ability to perform it so
3:57I believe that God wants all of us to
4:00elevate or to evaluate I should say how
4:04we are handling the gifts he has
4:07placed in us we need to evaluate and
4:11maybe this morning it's an evaluation
4:14season you need to evaluate are you
4:18operating at
4:20maximum are you the best young lady you
4:23can ever be are you the best young man
4:27that God has called you to be
4:30who are you what are you about are you
4:35at your
4:37best whatever he has entrusted you with
4:40are you operating at your
4:43best male or
4:47female someone who's
4:49dating are you operating at your best in
4:52that dating process that will lead to
4:56marriage or you being the best fiance
4:59ever
5:01possible just like Joseph was to
5:05Mary are you being the husband that
5:07you're supposed to be to your wife and
5:10family are you being the best wife that
5:14you ought to be to your husband and
5:17family I'm not talking about the wife or
5:19the husband that Society has painted you
5:22to be who are you
5:24following what examples are you looking
5:27at are you watching how wives of Atlanta
5:31to imilate what a wife should
5:36be are you seeking the word of God for
5:39the word of God to tell you the kind of
5:42woman you ought to be who are
5:46you so I believe that God wants us to
5:49evaluate how we're handling the gifts
5:51that he has placed inside of us to see
5:53whether or not we are managing them
5:56properly you see managing your gifts is
6:00essential to you pleasing God and you
6:03having the opportunity to reap the
6:06blessings from those
6:08gifts from creation God made it clear
6:12that man's responsibility was to manage
6:15what was entrusted to him and that has
6:18not
6:20changed didn't
6:23change what did God put in you that you
6:27haven't done yet why are you wrestling
6:31and
6:32fighting with the push that God has
6:36putting in you you're trying to shake it
6:39but the more you shake it it's the more
6:41it comes up in your mind in your face
6:45and you're
6:47Restless because God will not stop until
6:52you say
6:54yes until you completely
6:57surrender and might I suggest to you to
7:01to to Really help yourself it's best you
7:04just give it all to God give it all to
7:07God if you keep running from him you're
7:11going to fail you're going to waste many
7:14years and you're never going to live in
7:17the promise that he has called you to so
7:20you and I are expected to demonstrate
7:23properly uh a proper stewardship I
7:26should say of your gifts you and I are
7:29are expected to demonstrate proper
7:32stewardship of our gifts the biblical
7:36explanation quickly the biblical
7:38explanation of Stu of of of stewardship
7:41is this now hopefully I don't know if
7:44they'll put it on the screen cuz I wrote
7:46this down and it has blessed me it says
7:49everything given to you are gifts
7:52everything given to you are gifts and
7:55there are also opportunities that must
7:57be utilized and manag managed properly
8:01to glorify God and for the betterment of
8:04creation let me say it again if you're
8:06taking notes you need to write this down
8:09everything given to you are gifts and
8:13opportunities that must be utilized and
8:16managed properly to glorify God and for
8:19the betterment of creation so what this
8:21is saying everything everything that God
8:25gave
8:26you
8:28everything every gift is an
8:31opportunity it's an opportunity
8:34according to what I said and you must
8:37use those
8:38opportunity to manage them well so that
8:43first you glorify God and secondly you
8:46help
8:48Society there's a reason why you're here
8:52that's why when we dedicated these
8:54children a moment ago every one of those
8:56children they're here for a reason
9:00and all the parents should recognize
9:02that the child that you're holding is a
9:05gift and you have no idea what that
9:08child will ever develop to
9:10become so in this month as we focus on
9:14the theme so big reap big I urge you to
9:17sew in a huge way all the gifts that God
9:21gave you
9:23SE use those gifts in a big way the way
9:28God has placed them in inside of you and
9:30stop being scared of utilizing your
9:33gifts stop being scared of of of the
9:37challenge that is before
9:40you because if God placed it on the
9:42inside of you he has already equipped
9:44you to
9:46become to become whatever he has
9:49ordained you to become and if you would
9:52be bold and
9:54courageous then go big man go big with
9:58what God has assigned you to do what is
10:02that thing or things that God has
10:05assigned you to do go big with it here's
10:09the thing I love about faith you won't
10:12prove it until you try
10:14it let me say it again what I love about
10:17faith you can't prove faith if it's true
10:21until you try it you can talk all you
10:24want but the Bible says faith without
10:26works is what de it's dead so if you'll
10:30just be bold for a moment and courageous
10:32and then go big with what he has
10:33assigned you to do I promise you you
10:36will see a bigger manifestation of God's
10:39promises in your life so I urge each and
10:43every one of you to inquire and listen
10:47to what the holy spirit is saying about
10:50what gifts you
10:52possess
10:54listen he's talking to
10:57you some of you are just ignoring him
11:01some of you you have allowed the Clutter
11:03and the noise of society to drown out
11:06the holy spirit's voice in your
11:09life he's talking to you every day in
11:12fact right now he's talking to
11:15you he's stirring up that gift in you
11:18he's letting you know hey I I've been
11:23knocking I've been trying to get you to
11:25do what I've called you to
11:28do I've been trying to tell you you're a
11:31woman of purpose you're a man of
11:33purpose I've been trying to tell you
11:35that's the career you need to go after
11:37I've been trying to tell you that's the
11:38person you need to date I've been trying
11:41to tell you that's the business you need
11:43to start I've been trying to tell you
11:45don't quit that business I've been
11:46trying to tell you go back to school and
11:48get that education I I've been trying to
11:50tell you he's been pushing
11:53you but you're not
11:56listening and here's how you inquire
11:58about your gifts you want to know how to
12:02inquire about your gifts I'm going to
12:04give you three steps and I want you to
12:05write this down three things you can do
12:07to inquire about your gifts I hear
12:10people come up to me all the time Pastor
12:12I'm I don't know what my gifts are I
12:14don't know what I'm called to do I don't
12:16want you a lot of times those same
12:19people are the ones when God finally
12:22speaks to them about their gifts number
12:24one they don't want to accept
12:26it come on now or
12:29their minds are on something
12:33else one of the things I've discovered
12:35is God will always push you to do things
12:38you are incapable of doing on your
12:45own see we always go after the gifts
12:48that we can manage with our eyes
12:52closed we don't need God to do that but
12:55I find that God will push you to do
12:57things that will scare the heck out of
13:00you will make you wonder am I crazy or
13:03something I can't do this number one
13:07here's how you go in uh uh inquiring of
13:11your gifts number one you ought to
13:13accept the fact that you are
13:16gifted this is how the moment you say
13:18okay I got some gifts I got some
13:21talents then you are now in pursuit of
13:26what those gifts are but many of you the
13:28problem is you are denying your
13:32gifts you are denying your gifts as a
13:34spiritual leader I can't tell you how
13:36many people I have gone to when God
13:39spoke to me and God says tell that
13:41person that's what he wants them to do
13:44and I have done it many times and a lot
13:47of times people will say to me but I
13:49don't see it that's not what I want to
13:52do now watch this if you don't accept
13:55the fact that you have gifts
13:59then you won't embrace them when when
14:01you see
14:03them you have to understand that you are
14:06gifted number two then you pray to God
14:09for confirmation of what you believe are
14:13your
14:14gifts you got to pray to God he's not
14:19silent he doesn't want to stand by and
14:22hear you cry to him or pray to him and
14:25he not answer you so when you
14:28acknowledge the fact that you're gifted
14:29you go to God okay God here's my gift my
14:32gift is in art my gift is in music my
14:35gift is in singing my gift is in
14:37starting a business my gift in being a
14:40homemaker my gift is whatever it may be
14:43whatever those gifts are you go to God
14:45say God I've accepted my gift I believe
14:47these are my gifts but I need you to
14:49confirm them with me he may confirm it
14:53with a pastor he may confirm it with an
14:55intercessor he may confirm it through
14:57you reading a book he may confirm it
15:00with you being on your phone and
15:02something will pop up and and the Holy
15:04Spirit will say this is what you're
15:06supposed to do he'll confirm it many of
15:08you are running from your
15:10gifts and you need to embrace it and
15:14pray God okay I want you to
15:17confirm because if you don't God has a
15:20really unique way of bending your
15:24knees for you to totally surrender to
15:27him
15:29I've shared my story often with you uh
15:32of how I never wanted to be a pastor
15:34that was the last thing on my
15:37mind honestly it's the honest truth
15:40never wanted to be a pastor I grew up in
15:43church but this was not on my list of
15:47things to do and I fought God for years
15:51in fact when my mom was pregnant with me
15:55it was my auntie's husband who was a
15:57Bishop looked at my mom and he said
16:00Evelyn you're caring a boy and he's
16:02going to be a preacher one day this was
16:05in
16:071964 the call was on my life then there
16:10was a lady at my church her name was
16:12Sister Marshall and she's still living
16:14today and she was one of those ladies in
16:17the church you know we grew up
16:18Pentecostal so she would be in the
16:19church and she would every minute she's
16:21speaking in tongues every minute she's
16:22prophesying and we the young people
16:24didn't really like her you know why cuz
16:26that woman she could hear from God
16:30trust me let me tell you something when
16:31you do wrong stuff sister Marshall was
16:33just come and say come here come here
16:35come here come here come here get up the
16:37Altar and she will prophesy and tell you
16:40exactly what you
16:42did what you did I mean we we've got
16:46fancy churches now everybody can walk in
16:48and feel comfortable but where we're
16:50coming from you better be right before
16:53you entered them Church doors man and
16:55people pick you out lay hands on you
16:58greasy with oil and get you saved all
17:00over
17:03again and she would prophesy all the
17:05time and say you know what you're going
17:07to be a preacher and can I be honest
17:10with you I hated sister Marshall for
17:13that please understand why I'm saying
17:16this I hated that woman for years cuz
17:20she kept prophesying of what I would
17:22should become and that's the thing I
17:25didn't want to become but she kept
17:27prophesying and she kept speaking it and
17:30so it is when I moved from Brooklyn New
17:32York down to Florida here I I wasn't
17:36thinking I was going to be a pastor I
17:38knew God sent me here I I wasn't
17:40thinking but it was in me I felt it it
17:43was in me I couldn't shake it so I was
17:47working at Miami International Airport
17:49plus it I was working at 125th Street in
17:52in in North Miami and so forth I was
17:55doing the thing that I love to do which
17:56was travel and tourism and I I just just
17:59church was Pastor no then my pastor here
18:03comes the confirmation then my pastor
18:06the church I was going he said young man
18:08I want to talk to you I said yes sir he
18:10said God told me to make you the youth
18:11pastor of the
18:15church
18:18confirmation confirmation and you know
18:21because I'm obedient I said okay pastor
18:23cuz I'm not the pastor I'm just a youth
18:26pastor and he appointed me the pastor
18:28pastor and I serve Faithfully as the
18:31youth pastor there and I prayed to God
18:34and I said to God God okay all right
18:36okay what do you want me to do and God
18:37says you're going to be a pastor one day
18:40he confirmed it and then I decided no
18:44I'm comfortable being a youth pastor I
18:47will never be a senior pastor and I
18:50would hide from God and he would just
18:52constantly put on my heart and then
18:53finally one day I decided that I was
18:56going to call in from work I was working
18:58at 125th Street and 6th Avenue in Miami
19:01and I was working there Carefree David
19:04travel um that was my employer and I
19:07decided one day I was not going to go to
19:09work I was going to call in sick I was
19:11not sick I was going to call in sick
19:13come on anybody know what I'm talking
19:15about now okay come on now I don't care
19:18if you're saved I don't care if you
19:20listen
19:22you I
19:24lied I was not sick I just needed a
19:27break and I don't know why why we don't
19:29tell our employer looks I just need a
19:31day off we always
19:34lie the calling in
19:38sick so I did
19:40that but the phone nobody was answering
19:43the call that was very odd strange and
19:46nobody was answering the call because my
19:49company bought from 6:00 in the morning
19:51or so you know we have several offices
19:53around the world somebody's going to
19:54answer the call so I called the Atlanta
19:56office and I said what's going on I'm
19:58trying to call my supervisor to say I'm
20:00calling out and so forth they said
20:02haven't you heard I said no heard what
20:05they said your building is on
20:08fire I said
20:11what so here's this guy who's supposed
20:14to be sick I jump in my car and I'm
20:16driving down to Miami because then I
20:19couldn't afford to lose the job I need
20:21that
20:24money finally true story when I got
20:27there all the employes uh employees
20:31thank God everybody was safe they were
20:33across the
20:34street and we're looking across our
20:36building and Flame with
20:39fire and I'll never forget I leaned up
20:42on that light post and I am telling you
20:45you can discredit this all you want I
20:49know God's
20:52voice he said to me as I stood there and
20:55watch my building burning down and he
20:59said Son cuz he told me was to leave the
21:02job forgot to tell you that he told me
21:06was to leave the job and going into
21:08full-time Ministry and I told them
21:13no and you know what God said to me when
21:16I saw that building burning down he said
21:18you won't
21:24leave now I know you can discredit that
21:26you can say well God wouldn't tell you
21:28to do that God's not going to burn a
21:29building down what did he do to
21:33Moses when Moses was there and didn't
21:36really know what direction to go God
21:39showed up with fire and he said this
21:43spot is Holy Ground God has a way to
21:46bring his consuming fire in your life to
21:51get you to the point where you
21:54surrender and I had to throw it in and
21:56say God okay I give up
21:59cuz when God speaks you must listen so
22:01one you need to accept the fact that you
22:03gifted number two you ought to pray to
22:05God for confirmation for for what you
22:08believe are your gifts and finally
22:10number three you need to embrace the
22:12assignments or embrace the assignments
22:15of
22:16leadership right uh that that they
22:19entrust in you embrace the assignment
22:22that leadership thrust you into I should
22:25say my pastor came to me and and said
22:28you're going to be a a youth pastor I
22:31didn't
22:33resist I said okay I know I can do that
22:37some of you God has already told you
22:38what you need to do but because you're
22:40like
22:44Jonah you want to go where you want to
22:47go you want to do what you want to do
22:51and I'm going to tell you something
22:52there's a big fish that God has prepared
22:54to capture
22:56you there's something in life that God's
22:58going to use to get you right back on
23:01track and I don't know who God is
23:03talking to this morning you can run but
23:06you cannot hide from God he'll find you
23:09wherever you go and it's about time you
23:12totally Surrender Your Life to him I
23:14want to read what James 1 ver1 17 says
23:18here's a translation it says every good
23:21gift and every perfect gift comes from
23:24above these gifts come down from the
23:27Father the creator of heaven and light
23:29of the Heavenly lights in whose
23:32character there's no change at
23:35all so I'm going to ask you doing these
23:38three things that I just mentioned if
23:41you do them they will help you to
23:43accurately discern and confirm what your
23:47god-given gifts are now once you have
23:51discovered what those gifts are it is
23:54very important that you properly manage
23:56those gifts in order to to have Maximum
24:00Impact you have to manage the gifts
24:03right in order for you to have Maximum
24:05Impact in 1 Peter 4 beginning at verse
24:0910 to verse 11 Paul urges us to manage
24:13the gifts given by God
24:17wisely wisely to be faithful and
24:20consistent in in what we use them for so
24:25that we can maximize our potential
24:28regardless of Life circumstances
24:31regardless of what you go through in
24:33life if you manage your gifts I'm
24:36telling you God's anointing will be upon
24:39your
24:40life when God gives you the gift of
24:44watch this leadership let me speak to
24:46the men for just a moment when God gives
24:48you the gift of leadership you're a man
24:50you are the ruler not a dominator in the
24:54home amen it's just to guide your family
24:58yes sir so you ought to manage that gift
25:00if you are not married yet you ought to
25:03manage that gift as a single man so that
25:06the woman you're dating or potentially
25:08will date in the future you manage your
25:11gift as a leader a woman can trust you
25:14to follow
25:17you cuz you're making wise
25:20decisions right you're not a man that is
25:23moved by every wind of Doctrine and
25:25everything that comes into your mind
25:27you're a stable man you're a wise man
25:31right you manage that gift because God
25:33placed it in you why do you think that
25:35God gave you the male uh organ to come
25:39into the Earth why do you think that God
25:41gave you the female organ to come into
25:43the Earth God's not Twisted in his head
25:46he knows what he's doing so if he placed
25:48you here as a man then function like
25:50that manage that
25:53gift be the best man that he's called
25:56you to be yes sir manage it same thing
26:00as women manage your gift I promise you
26:03if the man manages his gift well and the
26:05woman does uh manage your gift well I
26:08promise you there won't be all this
26:10tension in
26:13marriage it'll go away but we're not
26:16managing our gifts well right women are
26:19not understanding your role is to help
26:22the man not to destroy
26:24[Music]
26:25him God never created needed Eve out of
26:29Adam for Eve to take advantage of
26:34Adam that was not Eve's purpose her gift
26:39was not to be a gold
26:43[Applause]
26:50digger that was not her gift her gift
26:53was not just to see Adam and say I'm
26:55going to take everything that Adam has
26:58and and so forth cuz I'm going to find
26:59me somebody
27:02else her gift was to help the man to
27:07manage what God entrusted him
27:11with her gift was to allow the man to
27:14have
27:15peace and just in case you ladies don't
27:18understand this yes and I know you may
27:20say well you know you're speaking from a
27:22man's perspective that's why I have to
27:23be very careful when I try to speak to
27:27women because I'm not you I I don't know
27:29your emotions I don't know what you go
27:31through but let me just tell you from a
27:33man's perspective and obviously from a
27:36woman's perspective you are the best
27:37person to tell us men what you want but
27:40let me tell you something from a man's
27:42perspective the greatest thing listen to
27:45me carefully the greatest thing you can
27:47do for a man is not to have sex with him
27:50listen to me listen to me I understand
27:52that sometimes we make it look like
27:55that's the big deal it is not to have
27:57sex the greatest thing you can do for a
28:00man is to give him a safe
28:08Zone a trusted
28:11place a trusted
28:14place why do you think with
28:18Samson when they were ready to take the
28:20strength from Samson he wouldn't give it
28:22to them he wouldn't release it to his
28:26enemies but the the Bible says Samson's
28:30wife it was not his girlfriend wow it
28:33was not his side
28:36chick it was his wife who laid her head
28:40in Sam cuz there's no when when when a
28:43man find a resting place in you you can
28:47get
28:48anything you
28:57want
28:58so when his wife laid her head head in
29:03his
29:07lap the other way around yeah when
29:11Samson thank you when Samson laid his
29:13head in her
29:15lap all of a
29:18sudden here's the power and the strength
29:20of a
29:21woman so
29:25baby you're a strong man
29:29I love you for that where did you get
29:32all that strength
29:34from she was able to pull the
29:38secret out of her
29:40husband but here's where she
29:43mismanaged her
29:46gift she used
29:48it and went to his
29:52enemy and told his
29:55enemy where his power lied and when they
29:59realize it was in his locks his hair
30:03they captured him shaved his head
30:06because Samson had such
30:09strength that anytime the enemy would
30:11come he would power himself up the Bible
30:16says when his head was
30:19shaved all of a sudden he went out to
30:25battle and he did what he know normally
30:28would do but all of a sudden there was
30:31no
30:33strength women be
30:35careful how you expose your
30:39husband to the
30:42enemy to take his
30:46strength because when his strength is
30:48gone the whole family is
30:51affected
30:55oo first Peter 4
30:58I'm almost through 1 Peter 4 it says and
31:02serve each other according to the gift
31:04each person has received don't copy
31:08nobody else's
31:10gift serve each other according to the
31:12gift that you've received as good
31:13managers of God's diverse gifts whoever
31:18speaks should do so as those who speaks
31:21God's word whoever serves should do so
31:26from the strength that God
31:29furnishes do this so that in everything
31:33God may be honored through Jesus Christ
31:35your gifts are not supposed to be used
31:37to impress
31:39people it is to honor
31:42God I want you to write this down Romans
31:4512 from verse 4 to8 it tells you several
31:50things that Paul uh spoke about and I
31:53won't have time to go into that but
31:55according to Romans 12: vers 4 to8 it
31:59emphasizes using our gifts watch this
32:03responsibly whether we are caring for
32:06our family managing
32:09businesses whether we are an
32:11employee we're to manage our gifts
32:14working on the job whether you're doing
32:17Ministry whether you're tutoring many of
32:19you are are teachers professors manage
32:23that gift use that gift wisely whether
32:27you're managing your financial
32:29resources because managing your gifts
32:32wisely is the biggest way to profit from
32:35them now there's a parable in the Bible
32:38where Jesus spoke of a master who gave
32:41um three of his servants gifts in
32:44proportion of their own
32:48abilities in Matthew 25:15 the Bible
32:51says to one he gave five talents to
32:55another he gave two and to one he gave
32:57one to each according to his ability God
33:01put in you what he know you can handle
33:04so according to the scripture two of
33:06them utilized their gifts by maximizing
33:09their time and opportunity they were
33:12supposed to trade do business with what
33:15was given to them however one of them
33:17did not perform at all in fact he did
33:21not manage what was given to him and so
33:25my question to you today our questions
33:29are are you managing what God has given
33:33you are you utilizing all of your
33:36talents while you have a chance to do so
33:41you see the purpose of Jesus sharing
33:43this Parable was to help us to
33:45understand the principles of the kingdom
33:47of God and one of those principles U has
33:51to do with us requiring us I should say
33:55to manage our gifts in order to benefit
33:58or reap from them so I have to tell you
34:01this morning that many of you are
34:03unaware of the gift that is dormant on
34:08the inside of
34:10you many of you are unaware but
34:13unfortunately here's a sad thing please
34:15listen to this
34:17unfortunately you are living according
34:21to society the Norms of society rather
34:25than tapping into your true potential so
34:28that you can make an impact to the world
34:30and this is very very sad this is very
34:33very very very sad when you no longer
34:36have the desire the passion and the
34:40conviction to tap into your
34:43potential when you've lost
34:46it this is where the meat of the message
34:50concludes it's sad when you no longer
34:53have the
34:54passion when you have lost the desire
34:58it is sad when you can hear a message
35:00like this and you don't get
35:02convicted it's really
35:04sad because ladies and gentlemen God
35:07wants you to stop being
35:09indecisive and complacent with the gifts
35:12that are inside of you because
35:16indecisiveness and
35:18complacency will not get you
35:22anywhere in fact all that will do is to
35:25keep you from becoming the best version
35:27of yourself so today I want to urge you
35:30to please take advantage of the years
35:33you have left on the planet and get busy
35:36doing what God has called you to do get
35:39busy with uh what God has empowered you
35:43to do and this is really for people if
35:47you are please hear me if you are 40 and
35:51under doesn't mean 40 and above you're
35:53not important but please hear me if you
35:56are 40 and under
35:58you better start
36:00taking opportunity of the Season you're
36:04in 10 years is going to go by
36:07quickly 20 years is going to go by
36:10quickly and what you do not want like
36:13the parable in Matthew you don't want to
36:16find God end up calling you out of the
36:20world cuz all of us are going to
36:23die or we may be here for the Rapture
36:26but you don't want when God call
36:29you that he'll say to you you have not
36:32fulfilled your purpose on the
36:34earth that you've wasted your time that
36:38you played
36:40church that you were about your own
36:42business and you were not about your
36:44father's business so therefore I urge
36:47you to be a better Steward over the
36:51gifts that God has given you so that you
36:54can influence better influence people in
36:58the Earth this is what I would close out
37:01with this is a
37:04question that we must
37:06answer and if you can't answer it let me
37:09suggest to you five ways you can do
37:14so how do you manage your gifts five
37:18ways write this down your life will
37:20forever be changed I'm going to pray
37:23with you in just a minute especially a
37:26group of people that I fir believe God
37:29wanted you to hear this because you are
37:33running out of
37:37time you're running out of
37:41time every year you're getting older and
37:45older and you keep running from
37:52God and you're going to have to give an
37:55account for what's inside of you
37:59you may I suggest to you to do these
38:01five things number one please accept the
38:06responsibility please accept the
38:09responsibility of managing your gifts
38:12it's your responsibility to manage it
38:15well you know you're not the man you're
38:18supposed to be you know
38:22it you know that you're not the woman
38:25God called you to be you're not
38:27operating at your best you know
38:31it so what are you going to do about
38:34it what are you going to do about
38:38it if you are a parent if you don't
38:42change your ways and manage your gifts
38:46then all you're going to do is you're
38:47going to allow your children to continue
38:50that cycle of
38:53unproductivity Break
38:55It number two
38:58utilize your gifts in the right
39:02environment you see with the three
39:05individuals that the the master it's a
39:08parable that Jesus spoke about two of
39:11the
39:12three accepted the
39:15responsibility okay you gave me
39:17something to work with I'm going to work
39:19with it they utilize their gifts in the
39:22right environment watch this they didn't
39:24bury their gift as the person who had
39:27one
39:29Talent your gifts are not to be
39:33buried the thing that should be buried
39:35is the remains of your spirit your body
39:39but he went out and buried while the
39:41other two used their gifts to trade with
39:44it number three if you don't know how to
39:47manage your gifts then ask
39:50ask the man who buried his gift he let's
39:54say he got flustered he got confused he
39:55didn't know what to do then for heaven
39:57say go ask you want to know why many of
40:00us don't succeed in life we're too
40:02private to to
40:05stupidity we're private so much I don't
40:08want nobody to know you don't
40:10know we mess up our finances because we
40:13don't want nobody to know our
40:17finances not knowing ask for help go to
40:21some professionals and say look you know
40:24what I've been trying to say for the
40:26last 10 years years and I haven't saved
40:28anything you know the more I save is the
40:30more I lose what could you teach me how
40:32to do
40:34this those of you who are in marriage
40:37your marriage is a total
40:39wreck you're fighting like cats and dogs
40:42at
40:43home and you know things are not right
40:47you're not feeling the
40:49relationship ask for help go get
40:55counseling whenever you get to a point
40:57where I don't want no counseling I don't
40:58want to talk to nobody you're heading
41:00for
41:02shipwreck ask for
41:05help I'm a strong faith believer but
41:09with prayer go get
41:11counseling cuz you do not know it
41:15all ask for
41:17help number four stop comparing your
41:21gifts with other people's
41:23gifts the man who bued his talent when
41:26the Pastor came and say what what have
41:29you done you know what he said well you
41:31know you were kind of hard towards me
41:33because you gave the other one five and
41:35you gave the other one two and you only
41:37gave me one it's like us we sit around
41:40and we try to compare our gifts to with
41:42other people manage what God gave
41:47you and don't look at other people and
41:50try to copy what they have or try to
41:53gain what they have and finally number
41:55five keep you using your
41:59gifts because you will be rewarded for
42:02your
42:03faithfulness this
42:06man who buried his
42:09gift was not rewarded the other
42:13two they were
42:15rewarded I promise
42:17you if you use the gifts that God has
42:20called you to use the ones that he has
42:23already placed you don't have to pray
42:25for them your prayer should be Lord let
42:27me be bold enough to use
42:30them they're already inside of you use
42:34them wisely I want you to Bow your heads
42:37with me and if you can avoid trying to
42:39sneak out of here now just just just
42:42because I know I know how we do it just
42:45we're going to let you out cuz remember
42:47I purposely didn't even receive the
42:49offering which is a very important part
42:52of our service it takes care of Kingdom
42:55work I'm going to pray and we're going
42:58to receive the seed it's not going to
43:00take long and I just hope you just work
43:02with me so we don't interrupt interfere
43:05with the flow of the
43:06service the ushers you can go ahead and
43:08put the containers out while I'm
43:12talking but apart from you managing your
43:16resources that God has blessed you
43:19with I hope if you're a Believer if
43:21you're not a Believer and you're
43:23struggling in the area of giving then
43:25you're not obligated to give and don't
43:26feel feel
43:28pressured but if you're a Christian you
43:30believe in supporting the work of the
43:31Lord in just a minute I'm going to ask
43:34you to give your seed
43:36today give your first fruit your
43:39offerings and watch what God would do in
43:41your
43:43life but here's what I want to ask
43:46today if you heard this sermon you're
43:49streaming you're in this
43:51building and you believe that God
43:53stirred up that those gifts in you
43:58if you believe that somehow you've been
44:01challenged this morning to utilize your
44:05gifts and to better manage those
44:09gifts I want to pray for you if that's
44:13you all I'm going to ask you to do is to
44:15raise at least one hand would you do
44:18that if you say Pastor I needed this
44:20word
44:22today I want you to pray for me keep
44:25that hand up if you will
44:27father I extend my hands towards your
44:30people even those who are watching
44:32virtually they have identified that
44:35there are some gifts that you've placed
44:37on the inside of them and they're asking
44:39you for wisdom the
44:42strength the courage to utilize
44:46them God I rebuke every spirit of fear
44:50right now and concern whether or not
44:53they're capable of doing what you've
44:55called them to do
44:57help them to understand they've got to
44:59start somewhere and it starts with
45:01faith Mustard Seed Faith if they would
45:05just step out in faith do what you've
45:07called them to
45:08do that God years from now they will see
45:12the
45:13increase they will reap from the seeds
45:16they have sown may you bless them may
45:20you surround them with the right people
45:22as they go to seek for help seek for
45:25mentorship seek for people to speak into
45:28their lives the word of God may you
45:31strengthen them and father as we give
45:33this morning from our
45:36heart that we would give Lord in a way
45:39that will please you and honor you that
45:42for those of us that you've been
45:43speaking to about tithing those of us
45:46you've been speaking to about giving a
45:48special seed for the furtherance of your
45:51work that we will just simply obey and
45:55do what you've called us to do
45:57knowing
45:58father that it is in given it is in
46:02given God we then prove you in a
46:05financial way we can never buy a miracle
46:08we can never pay for our access into the
46:11kingdom but also God you're are called
46:14we are called to be better stewards over
46:18what you have given us when it comes to
46:20our finances and when you give to us you
46:24said we should give and it shall be
46:26given back to us in good measure pressed
46:29down shaken together and running over we
46:33bless the seed that it will bless their
46:36houses their
46:38storehouses their resources will never
46:41be empty in Jesus name amen