The abundant life is being a good steward of the Holy Spirit. All believers have received the precious gift of the Holy Spirit and become a carrier of his presence. Those who are born again receive a measure of his presence, while others who are filled with the Spirit receive more. Some are good stewards of the presence, but others are not. “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). God will give you more of the manifested presence of the Holy Spirit as you diligently care for and steward what he has given you. In this study, you will discover how to be a good steward of the Holy Spirit.

God’s Glory

The presence of the Holy Spirit can be manifested in many different ways. The anointing, grace, gifts of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, and God’s glory are important manifestations of the Spirit’s presence. This section focuses on God’s glory for it encompasses all the manifestations of his presence.

God invites every person to live in his glory. It is the one thing that fully satisfies the longings of the heart, but all have missed the mark or goal. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). You were born to live and thrive in his presence.

There are many dimensions of God’s glory or manifested presence. Some things have to be left behind in order for a person to go to higher dimensions of glory. Moses had to remove his sandals in order to stand in God’s presence (Exodus 3:5). The higher you go with God the more bitterness and unforgiveness you have to leave behind. The ultimate dimension of glory is an intense environment in which nothing fleshly can enter and nothing other than God matters.

In ancient times, God descended into the world by entering a sacred site such as the Temple in Jerusalem. Under the New Covenant, God has bestowed his divine presence in his people and among them. “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Glory can be a visible or invisible manifestation of the Spirit’s presence on the earth. The visible manifestation of the presence is known as shekinah glory. Shekinah is a Hebrew name meaning dwelling, indicating a divine visitation of the presence or dwelling of God. In the journey through the wilderness, the Lord went before the Israelites in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light (Exodus 13:20-22). God spoke to Moses out of a pillar of cloud, assuring him that his presence would be with the Israelites (Exodus 33:9). These pillars are forms of shekinah glory. Sherry and I have been in the shekinah glory and saw the lame walk, the sick healed, and the demonic delivered.

The glory liberates believers from the things that hinder them and causes them to think differently. In the glory, they become more sensitive to the Spirit and more compassionate towards other people. It is only through the glory that believers can live in unity with one another. Jesus prayed to the Father for all of his disciples: “The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as we are one” (John 17:22). The world will take notice of the unity of believers that comes from God’s glory.

Encountering God

Each encounter with God increases his presence in a person’s life. Those people who encounter God become carriers of his Spirit. They can increase the presence of the Spirit by pursuing him or diminish his presence by neglecting him.

Until there is an encounter with God, no one can be transformed. One of the most intellectual, educated, and religious men in the Roman Empire was Saul, but his special abilities were all in the mental realm until he encountered Jesus. On the road to Damascus, Jesus got Saul’s attention with enough power to knock him off his donkey and strike him blind (Acts 9:1-14). Supernaturally, he was transformed from a murderer to a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was willing to risk his life for the high calling of God. He became a spiritual person with enough power to raise the dead and write many of the books of the New Testament.

The greater the encounter, the greater the transformation. Some people carry a small amount of the Spirit and are not willing to seek more. They have little spiritual influence. The one who drinks deeply of the Spirit is filled to overflowing. “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Stay continually aware of the Spirit’s abiding presence within and you will become a good steward of his presence.

Releasing the Presence

It is only by the Holy Spirit that anyone knows how to truly glorify the Father. Obedience to the Spirit’s commands manifests the Spirit’s presence and glorifies the Father. “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Every act of obedience releases the Spirit’s presence!

Be ever mindful of the Spirit’s presence. Then you can release heaven on earth when you walk into a room. You become an instrument of the Lord to change the atmosphere.

Kingdom Living

Life in God’s kingdom, the supernatural realm, is by the Holy Spirit. “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Believers enter the kingdom by being born of the Spirit, but they live in the kingdom by continually following the Spirit.

Many decisions are made every day in a person’s life. Believers are not robots or slaves which operate with many limitations. Unlike robots and slaves, a friend of God is led by the Spirit and operates out of the nature of God. “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). The Spirit reveals things to a friend that he will not reveal to a slave. Friends can have dreams and pursue their dreams. Such dreams can affect the course of history. When you believe for extraordinary things which are beyond your reach, you get a seed to steward. Dream big and partner with the Spirit to bring your dreams to pass.

Ministry

All ministry is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Whether it is by the anointing, grace, or the gifts, ministry releases the Spirit’s presence into a life or situation. Hearing the Spirit and speaking what is heard releases the presence into the atmosphere. Seeing the operation of the Spirit and doing what he wants releases the presence.

Learning how to cooperate with the Spirit is essential for all ministry. Releasing his presence and power changes situations. When you share your faith with someone, you manifest his presence. When you pray for someone to be healed, you release an anointing and the Spirit’s presence. With a miracle, there is an extraordinary release of glory into the atmosphere. “This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory” (John 2:11).

Ministering peace in a situation releases the Spirit’s presence to stop turmoil. In the natural realm, peace is the absence of conflict, but in the supernatural realm, peace is the presence of the Spirit. Release peace into a situation and see things change, but if the people do not receive it take back the peace (Matthew 10:11-13).

Kingdom Finances

When the Holy Spirit is in the midst of all decisions that a person makes, he/she can operate with authority and power. It is God who gives you the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). Following the guidance of the Spirit in all financial decisions releases his presence and ensures his involvement in a believer’s financial situation. When you are led by the Spirit with your finances it puts you in a higher realm, which is the supernatural realm, and you can expect greater benefits.

Take the limits off of the Spirit. No one can control or contain the Spirit. Formulas, laws, and regulations cannot be used to control the Spirit for he is like the wind. Believers freely receive the gift of the Spirit and freely give the Spirit. A generous heart releases the Spirit into the atmosphere, which provides a place where he can freely operate.

When you give into God’s kingdom, expect him to protect your finances and give back to you in abundance. Give as the Spirit leads and believe for an increase. Be a vessel flowing continuously with blessings. Give generously, and you will reap generously.

Connecting Natural and Supernatural Stewardship

Many believers have a narrow-minded view of stewardship and do not understand they can influence cities and nations. The disciples whom Jesus chose wanted to be rulers with great authority. James and John asked to sit next to Jesus in positions of great authority in his kingdom (Matthew 20:20-24; Mark 10:35-41). The other disciples also wanted great authority, so they became jealous. In response to their desire for authority, Jesus taught that authority in God’s kingdom relates to stewardship and servanthood rather than rulership. “Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:27-28). Then, Jesus used parables about stewardship to explain how to operate in supernatural authority.

Stewardship of natural things is not the end of stewardship but only the beginning. In the parable of the bags of gold, Jesus explained how money and supernatural authority in God’s kingdom are connected (Matthew 25:14-30). A man gave his wealth to his servants to steward while he was gone on a journey. Those servants who used the master’s gold wisely to gain more gold for the master were given authority over cities. The disciples were starting from a broad perspective, desiring authority over cities, so Jesus showed them how to get the authority they desired. The stewardship which Jesus presented related to authority, as well as gold. Those servants given authority over the cities were to be servants to the people in the city by empowering them to bring forth the kingdom. Jesus ended his teaching on this parable by saying that the good steward has abundance. “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance” (Matthew 25:29).

During the last 30 years, the Lord has sent Sherry and me as spiritual architects into many cities in other states and nations to bring down enemy strongholds and bring forth his kingdom in the cities. The Spirit often shows us new businesses, churches, schools, and roads that he wants built, and then we partner with him in intercessory prayer to bring his plans into existence. Just like the Spirit showed us, many of these plans have been completed in a very short period of time.

Personal Story on Stewardship

Almost 25 years ago, the Lord said that I was a steward of the mysteries of the Holy Spirit. I did not understand any of the mysteries at the time, but I began searching for the truth of the matter in God’s word. Most importantly, the Spirit began to reveal the depths of his presence and energy. The first mystery which the Spirit revealed was in the area of high-energy miracles. Sherry and I have been teaching and ministering on high-energy miracles since that time. Many people have received extraordinary miracles though our ministry. There are many other mysteries about the Spirit that have been revealed to us, and we have been teaching, ministering, and writing books about these mysteries.

Believers need to know that the mysteries about the Spirit can be applied in their lives. An important discovery that I made was that every believer can be a good steward of the Spirit. Most believers think that being a good steward relates only to money, but stewardship involves so much more than money. It involves every aspect of a believer’s life, including natural things like time and resources, as well as, supernatural things like God’s mercy and favor. A broad perspective of stewardship leads to an abundant life.

Conclusions

Stewardship begins in the heart of believers. When their heart is open to the things of God, they realize everything comes from him and they own nothing. They are merely stewards and expected to be good stewards in all things, both natural and supernatural. In God’s kingdom, everything that is stewarded well increases. Those who give mercy receive mercy.

Those who value the presence of the Spirit will live as stewards of the Spirit. They can increase the presence of the Spirit in their life by seeking the kingdom and doing the Father’s will. Then they will pour out the Spirit on the lives of others through prayer, sharing the good news, and testifying about the many good things God has done for them.