Now number one is ownership, ownership, ownership. So the key issue is ownership. Now we're going to look - we've got to contrast democracy with the kingdom, and then again I want you to think mentally just very quickly which way you think, alright? Ownership. Now in a democracy one thing that is really important in democracy is the protection of the rights of the individual to own property. See the communists take it away because power rests in the land, so ownership is important in a democracy, individual rights. In other words what I own I rule over, so in a democracy I own my land, I own my house, I own my car, I own lots of things. Got the idea? I own it, and because I own it I rule over it. If you're the owner you can rule over it. That's the prevailing mentality. Now of course in a kingdom, a kingdom's a lot different than that. See in a kingdom the king owns everything. That's what makes him the king. See in the old days a king owned all the land and so he let you live on the land and you just gave allegiance to him. If he wanted you to fight a battle you fought his battles, but you didn't own anything. The king owned it.
Now think about this. If you've made something you're the owner. If you have purchased something you're the owner. If you've created something you're the owner. Now the Bible says in Psalm 24:1, now the earth is the Lord's and everything inside it. So what does the Bible declare about who owns everything? See, you go through it all over. In Haggai 2 He says the silver's Mine, the gold is Mine. God made it all. He owns it. You're breathing His air. You're walking on His ground. You're using His resources. You're using up His stuff. Come on, who owns it? God does. You don't own it at all. You temporarily get to use it, then you die and they divide it up and someone else has got it. Then they die and someone else has got it; it's definitely not permanent. But what is permanent is it belongs to the Lord. He made it, He owns it. Now we don't see it under His - we don't see His [management 00.28.18] but He's definitely the owner. Now if I'm the owner then I can do what I like with it, but if I'm not the owner I'm a steward of it.
Okay then, so are you the owner of your life? Yes, you are - but you're part of a kingdom, so you've got to decide whether you're an owner or a steward of your life. Do you own your car, own your house, own this, own that? Well do you own it or are you part of a kingdom? If you're part of a kingdom He owns it, and you're a steward. So you've got to think how do I run my life; do I run it like an owner and I own it and do what I like? Or do I run it as a steward and I look after it because it's there for someone else's use, and I've just got temporary ownership of it? Your bank account, is it yours or is it Gods? Your house, is it yours or Gods? Your finances, every part of your life, is it yours or Gods? Your children, are they yours or Gods? You see you've got to decide the issue of ownership. Your business, is it yours or is it Gods? If it's yours good on you, worry all you can about it. [Laughter] If it's Gods let Him worry about it, you just follow what He says to do, see?
If it's yours worry about it. If its Gods don't worry, trust Him. He's responsible. You've just got to be a good steward. Required of stewards, a man be found faithful; in other words that we be productive with what we have. So are you the owner or the steward? Oh, oh - think about it. Okay, now the second thing is, another area we're going to look at is the area of - now I could develop each one but I'm just going to give you a few thoughts to get you thinking. Already what you'll find is that most of us are so ingrained with democratic values and thinking, that we actually continually are sabotaging our life with God because we don't think right, see? So if I don't own [anything - see people, see I 00.30.07] lost my wallet and all the [credit cards, 00.30.09] everything like that, and I didn't worry at all. Some people it would ruin their whole holiday - not worried at all, just carried on, carried on enjoying my holiday. I didn't worry about one little thing. I rang up and cancelled them, carried on with my holiday.