Word #1 for 2015

Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Today, I am posting 1 of 3 powerful words to guide your year. In Luke 16, Jesus told us a parable about a shrewd manager. I am going to put the entire parable on this post because I think it is imperative that we understand what the Lord is saying at this prophetic hour.

Luke16:1-12

“Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ 3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ 7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ 8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”

The dishonest manager shrewdly cut the debts of everyone. The Greek word that is translated as shrewdly and shrewd in verse 8 (which I have put in bold), literally means practical wisdom. The dishonest manager found a way to still make a profit and make some friends for himself at the same time. That is simply practical.

In this parable lies one of the greatest prophetic revelations for our present time. When God has given you an assignment, sometimes we get bogged down. We have the cares of life or sometimes we have so much information or revelation that we cannot decide how to execute the assignment. You seemed overwhelmed. This parable has the key to solve your problem.

There is a spiritual warfare tactic that Satan uses all the time. If he cannot get you to fall into major sin, then he will overwhelm you with GOOD! Yes, I said it! He will OVERWHELM YOU WITH GOOD! This is to keep you so bogged down that you never execute the assignment.

Right now, God is saying that you need to finish the assignment. Perhaps you have been given a book to write. It’s taking a lot longer than it should take. Instead of writing a book, write a booklet. Be shrewd (practically wise). God gave you the assignment and also the anointing to fulfill the assignment. Putting something out there that conveys the idea and the anointing will accomplish the work. He will fill in the gaps. The worst thing you can do is not put anything out there because that is a failure to complete an assignment.

Essentially, the Lord is saying: you are trying too hard and trying to do too much. Be simple and execute. God wants the assignment finished. It may not be the length you or others want it to be, but finish it.

The Lord’s return is sooner than we think. In verse 10, Jesus said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” If we can be trusted with the assignment finished (even on a lesser scale, but done nonetheless), then the Lord knows He can still trust us with greater.

Take your assignments, simplify them, and finish them. For more details, search “Hebraic Thought Part 3” in my blogs.

Stay tuned for part 2!