Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s. – I Corinthians 3:21-23

After my last column, I thought it was necessary for me to write a bit more about the subject of “Taking Ownership.” As I said then, God gave this earth over to Adam and Eve and gave them “…dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26).

Adam and Eve were not only to govern the earth but also were owners with stewardship responsibilities over it. Nothing was to be permitted here without their consent. They were given the “title deed” to this planet. “To own” means to have legal or right to (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary).Through disobedience, they gave their dominion over the earth to Satan (high treason). And Satan became the “god of this world,” whose title he got from Adam (II Corinthians 4:4).

Jesus came preaching, “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The word “repent” has to do with changing your thinking or belief, to return to the original state. He began what I call operation “clean-sweep,” removing everything that offends people… every sickness, disease, infirmity, need, pain, poverty, and even death. Anything or everything that would mock our redemptive testimony. He took charge or “ownership” every place He went (I John 3:8; Amplified).

According to Paul’s writing in our opening text, he said, “All things are yours.” We are to reclaim all that Jesus redeemed. Notice what he didn’t say, “All spiritual things are yours.” No! He said, “All things,” period, from the surface to the core of this planet. All things include cars, houses, buildings, real estate, jewelry, precious metal, clothes, land, and even money. “All things” means everything without exception.

This is Paul writing not only to the Church at Corinth but also to every person in the family of God. You could personalize this and say, “All things are mine.” Does this mean that you just go out and, through greed or avarice, grab a bunch of stuff and say, “… This is mine, gimmie, it belongs to me.”? Absolutely not. It means that if there is anything good about it to help enhance our lives or advance the Kingdom, we have a right to it.

Even though you have a right to it, until you can get the title deed or see it, you are not entitled to possess it. In other words, the things that are yours must be more than just information; it must be a revelation. You must see it with the eyes of your faith, Remember what God told Abraham? “… Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever” (Genesis 13:14-15). According to the Bible, we are Abraham’s seed.

The New Testament says, “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]” (Hebrews 11:1; Amplified).

Notice, faith is the “title deed” and the “proof.” Whenever we have proof of ownership (title deed), God will back us up, enforcing Satan’s eviction notice. This happened with Joshua, he could see their victory over Jericho even though its walls were “very great” and naturally impossible to penetrate. God said, “… See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour” (Joshua 6:2). Until you see it, you are not entitled to possess it. In the New Testament, blind Bartimaeus could see in his mind his sight restored and Jesus said, “… Go thy way; thy faith (proof) has made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight…” (Mark 10:52). Remember this: Whatever is revealed to you can be restored to you.

Realize we didn’t just inherit the good but also the bad to make it good. Ownership makes the poverty problem our problem. The drug or addiction problem is our problem. The jobless problem or illiteracy is our problem. That’s a part of our ownership and good “stewardship” requires us to fix it, in Jesus’ name. Thank God we are empowered with the “Blessing” and the divine wisdom of God that gives us an ability to fix every problem, even if it seems impossible. So ownership is not about “gimmie;” it’s about giving.

So here’s the bottom line: This earth belongs to God and His family from the surface to the core. David writes, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth has he given to the children of men.” That’s us, the children of God. It’s our inheritance. I decree from this day, all things are yours. And the authority and blessing that is on your life gives you the right and responsibility to legislate, regulate, rule, reign, and dominate, bringing Heaven’s government to bear everywhere you go,

Again, we are not sub-heirs; we are heirs of God and “joint-heirs with Christ.” So, start claiming your inheritance and get ready for the greatest wealth transfer this planet has ever seen! Why? Because “All Things Are Yours.”

Bill Winston is pastor of the 19,000-member Living Word Christian Center in Forest Park, Ill., and founder and president of the Joseph Business School, which has a branch in Miami.